Guest Post: Top Names for Dogs Big and Small
by Christy Caplan
|
May 23, 2016 
Walter is named after Walter White from Breaking Bad!
(Something a little fun for Wordless Wednesday – but not wordless this week…)
I’m excited about this week’s guest post, written by the co-creator of My Dog’s Name. She has some awesome trend research for pet parents about dog names and the most popular chosen since 2013.
Jessi Larson, the co-creator of My Dog’s Name, a fun and easy-to-use website to help pet parents find the perfect dog name since 2013.
Jessi is proud mom to Toby, an “extra-large” yellow Labrador Retriever who is too smart for his own good.
Top Names for Dogs Big and Small –by Jessi Larson
When it comes to dog names, does the size of the breed have any impact on what they are called? Yes. And no. Well, it’s complicated.
My Dog’s Name has been helping new dog owners find a name for their dog since 2013. Over eight million people have used the site since then, and we’ve found some interesting trends along the way.
What’s in a name?
Generally, names that are popular and in vogue for the time are used for dogs of all sizes. For female dogs, the names Bella, Daisy, Bailey, Zoey and Coco topped the list in 2015 and were used equally for dogs of all sizes, from petite Pomeranians to massive Mastiffs. Likewise, the top male dog names – Max, Rocky, Buddy, Charlie and Jack – were spread out among all sizes, although Rocky was slightly more popular with larger breeds (more on that later).
So from what we’ve gathered, the most popular dog names of the time transcend size and breed and are used by pup parents of all varieties.
But, there are definitely distinctions by size in other ways.
Sherm was named Sherman the Tank
Names Popular with Large Male Dogs
For large dogs like Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Huskies, Boxers and Great Danes, a number of names stand out for the males and topped the chart.
Duke – Aristocratic and powerful, the name Duke evokes strength and prestige, characteristics big dogs are known for.
Diesel – This tough, amped-up name is popular among big breeds. Could you see a little Maltese with the name? Not at all. But a German Shepherd? That’s more like it.
Zeus – The Greek god Zeus was a strong, larger-than-life ruler, so it’s no wonder the name is used often for large canines.
Jake – This one is interesting. It’s not overtly macho like the previous names. Maybe the all-American vibe of the name makes it more popular with big breeds?
Honorable mentions:
Rocky and Bear
These two names were slightly more popular with large dogs. They do have a stronger connotation, better for bigger breeds, but it’s not out of the ordinary to picture a little dog with one of these names, either.
The Biggest Names for Small Dogs
For tiny dogs like the Chihuahua, Yorkie, Pug and Miniature Schnauzer, big names like Diesel and Zeus won’t fly. Instead, these are most popular with the little guys:
Gizmo – This cute, lively name is a top choice for the little pups, and it’s not hard to tell why.
Peanut – It goes without explanation why this name would be popular with the itty bitties.
Teddy – Many small dogs have fluffy, furry coats, just like a Teddy Bear, which makes sense then why this name is on the list.
Bentley – Interestingly, Bentley is a very popular choice for small dogs but not large. Perhaps it’s because the name has a posh, stylish ring to it?
Little Difference for Females
For female dogs, the story is a little more straightforward. There really isn’t much of a difference based on the size of the dog. The top five names noted above, as well as other popular monikers like Abby, Maggie, Molly and Sadie, apply to all. The only big difference: Princess. The name is very popular for small dogs. Big dogs, not so much.
How did you come up with your dog’s name? Check out this fun infographic from My Dog’s Name.
Our male Rhodesian Ridgeback is named “Alcide” not many people know how to say it and have no idea where it comes from, but we are Trueblood fans and Alcide is a fictional character who is played by Joe Manganiello.
I read somewhere that people shouldn’t name their dogs like “Bo or Jo” anything that rhymes with No b/c they it’s so close to the saying “No.” My brothers dog is named Bo and if you yell for him and say Bo I think sometimes he get’s confused and thinks your saying No lol
Thanks! Ohh – I remember Joe’s character on True Blood! Who can forget? 😉 I like your comment about staying away from names that rhyme with No – super smart. Love this! Thank you for sharing – everyone has a fun story behind the name!
Our dog came named… When we adopted him, he was Eddy. So we were super creative and renamed him Eddie. I know, pretty impressive. 🙂 He would fit into the small to medium category.
Well we went from Butters to Bruiser — so it was a slight variation as well!
I was sure you would not include my name…BOL!
LOL! I suppose not 🙂 but I love your name!!
Mom has a running list of names, so when a new pet comes into our home, she tries those on for size first and usually one will work well.
That’s so smart: I feel like we just go with what’s top of mind and then forget about the names we throw out from time to time.
Hershey: She’s big and brown, what else was I going to name her?! I took one look at her and thought “Yep, that’s a Hershey.”
Graham: Light brown.
Marsha(mellow): By this point I was committed to the S’mores theme….
I love that’s the first thing you thought of! And since your blog has such an awesome name – it’s great to also hear the evolution of that as well!
Bailey came out of rescue with a name he was answering to at 4 months so we kept it. My only regret is most people seem to think it is a girl’s name.
Katy was originally Hillary and she wouldn’t answer to anything but cookie when we got her from rescue. I didn’t want any confusion with treats and my second dog so we started calling out hard C names and the first one she responded to was Katy, so Katy it was recorded on her town registration.
Bailey is a super cute name! Our dog, Sandola that passed away, also was named Sandy and she was older so I kept it as is. It suited her! Katy’s story is awesome!
I like the fact that the Boys names have significant meaning to me. Harley – for my love of motorcycles and Jaxson – after my favorite Harley rider television character.
So excellent – I think that’s how we feel about Walter since we loved the character Walter White so much on Breaking Bad we get to think about him and our favorite “scenes”…
Mine all have Irish names (with the exception of Popoki, who came to us from the shelter with her name, and who will respond to no other). None of them are on that list, and I’ll admit that makes me kinda happy. I like being the only one at the pug park yelling, “Liam! Sinead!”
Jean from Welcome to the Menagerie
I think it’s so cool you have a theme for all three! And I love the name Liam for a dog – thanks for sharing this! SO FUN!
Hi,
My name is Lumia Mike. I represent a new pet products company. We’re looking to get involved with the pet community online and discovered your site to be a great resource for pet owners.
We’d love to guest post an article on your site with a topic we both agree on and that provides the most value for your audience, or we’d love for you to do a product review on one of our products (we’d send it to you free of charge). Do either of these interest you?
Please let me know.
Thank You,
Lumia Mike
Pet Parents
Thanks for your note Mike! What pet products company do you work with? Please shoot me an email: christycaplan@gmail.com