Personality tests -» Top names for your pet

Got a new fur kid who needs a cool name? Check these tips & ideas!

It’s so exciting to get a new pet! But as new pet parents we have to make the hard decision of finding an ideal name for our new furry family member. Cat and dog owners will agree: it is just as hard as finding human baby names!

Choosing their name is just part of the pawsomeness of being a pet parent. If you have no idea what to call your new fur-iend, check this out.

Boring names are fur-bidden! Be creative!

You might be tempted to go with something common like “Fido” for your new pup. Keep in mind, though, that if you take Fido to the park and need to call him, there might be other Fidos running around. It could get confusing for everybody!

Fact is, dog names don't have to be boring, and especially female dog names don't have to start and end with "Princess". You might want the name to fit your dog's personality or the particular dog breed. That being said, subverting expectations call also be quite fun! Imagine someone calling for a "Kevin" and out of the bushes jumps a Pomeranian.

Also, stay away from words you use in training, like “Sit,” “Stop” or “Stay.” The old joke that you named your dog “Stay” so you could say, “Come here, Stay!” is funny in theory, but doing this will just confuse and frustrate your poor fur kid. The same goes for the word “No.” Don’t use it as a name, or use any name that sounds like no, or that rhymes with it. There are literally thousands of potential pet names, so try to think of something that’s appropriate and fun to say!

Keep it short and sweet

Naturally, you are welcome to give your kitty a long, formal name like Princess Victoria Eugenia Georgetta the Fabulous, but there’s a good chance she will only understand a shortened version like “Vicky.” (Besides, who has time to yell out, “Here, Princess Victoria Eugenia Georgetta!” when trying to find a temporarily lost pet?) Follow this rule of thumb – er, paw: Keep the name you actually call your pet to no more than two syllables to make things easier for both of you.

Skip same-named pets

Assuming all your pets live in the same place, avoid using the same name for more than one of them. This is not only confusing to your fur-iends, but you could also end up accidentally mixing up details on their medical records. It’s just easier for every pet to have its own special name.

Purr-sonality is key!

Do take your pet’s nature and disposition into account when coming up with a name. For instance, if you have a grouchy kitty, you could ironically name her, “Happy” or “Sunny.” If your new pup loves nothing more than to run after the balls and sticks you throw, you could call him “Chaser.” You get the idea! Or if they remind you of a famous real person or fictional character, you could borrow that name for your pet.

Don't change their name too drastically, or wait too long

Choosing the perfect name can be a process, so don’t feel weird if you call your dog or cat “Bruiser” at first, then decide that he’s more of a “Buddy” as you get to know him. You might go through several names before you find the one that feels absolutely spot-on.

If you adopt a pet from a rescue or shelter, chances are, he or she will probably already have a name. Or maybe a better name occurs to you after a while. But it’s best not to make a radical name change after more than a couple of months of bringing him or her home. If you suddenly start calling them something very different, that is only going to confuse and frustrate your pet.

Still haven’t decided what to call your pet? Here are enough suggestions to name a whole shelter full of furry friends!

• Ace
• Archer
• Arnie
• Athos
• Blaze
• Blizzard
• Boss
• Bruno
• Buck
• Buddy
• Buzz
• Chance
• Chanel
• Chase
• Chip
• Cleo
• Coke
 
• Cooper
• Cosmos
• Crash
• Crow
• Dingo
• Dior
• Dragon
• Drake
• Dream
• Fidget
• Flare
• Flash
• Fraggle
• Ghost
• Groot
• Guinness
• Hadley
• Harley
     
• Hulk
• Jazz
• Jet
• Jinx
• Lucky
• Mac
• Mars
• Missy
• Mitzie
• Mocha
• Monkey
• Nacho
• Neo
• Noodle
• Opal
• Paddy
• Patch
• Pepper
• Pepsi
• Phantom
• Quinn
• Ragnar
• Raven
• Rex
• Risk
• Rocket
• Rocky
• Roxie
• Sable
• Salsa
• Shades
• Shaggy
• Shredder
• Skye
• Snap
• Snickers
• Spike
• Spirit
• Sprite
• Stella
• Tango
• Tank
• Tanner
• Thor
• Titus
• Toffee
• Troy
• Turtle
• Umber
• Wiggles
• Zip

For males:

Strictly male dog names, as well as names for tomcats, can be hard to find! We understand and have compiled this list for you:

• Ace
• Axe
• Blaze
• Chase
• Connor
• Cooper
• Dexter
• Duke
• Felix
• Finn
• Gunner
• Jax
• Jet
• Kane
• Mack
• Phoenix
• Rocky
• Scrapper
• Tanner
• Taz
• Zed
• Zeke

For females:

Here are our top female dog names! But feel free to use them for cats or other furry friends as well!

• Blaire
• Britt
• Cleo
• Coco
• Dash
• Eva
• Farah
• Hadley
• Harley
• Ingrid
• Lila
• Loki
• Lola
• Piper
• Quinn
• Rebel
• Rumor
• Sage
• Serena
• Sophia
• Trixie

Superhero/villain-inspired:

Ever wondered what cat or dog names inspired by your favorite superheroes and -villains would look like? Here are our favorites:

• Arrow
• Atlas
• Beast
• Blade
• Bucky
• Colossus
• Dinah
• Flash
• Fury
• Gambit
• Gypsy
• Hal
• Hank
• Hawkeye
• Hellboy
• Ironman
• Jean
• Jubilee
• Kitty
• Logan
• Luke
• Nova
• Oracle
• Punisher
• Reed
• Rita
• Robin
• Rogue
• Storm
• Tula

Pokémon-inspired:

Nothing like a Pokémon inspired cat or dog name to get the childhood nostalgia going! Did you know there are plenty of Pokémon modeled after dogs and cats? Find them and many more popular names on this list!

• Abra
• Arcanine
• Ash
• Beedrill
• Boltund
• Brock
• Chansey
• Delcatty
• Ditto
• Eevee
• Herdier
• Houndour
• Hypno
• Jynx
• Krabby
• Meowth
• Misty
• Ninetails
• Oddish
• Pikachu
• Purrloin
• Raichu
• Rockruff
• Skitty
• Slowpoke
• Weedle

Designer-inspired:

"Don't forget my Poochi!" Or was it Pucci? Whether you have a purse dog or a classy cat at home, the name needs to fit the fit! We know that much. Here are our favorites:

• Armani
• Boss
• Carolina
• Chanel
• Daphne
• Dior
• Donna
• Hugo
• Isabel
• Jimmy
• Karl
• Kate
• Oscar
• Phoebe
• Prada
• Pucci
• Ralph
• Satin
• Silk
• Stella
• Tommy
• Tory
• Vera
• Versace
• Yves

Movie-inspired:

From Rocky to Frodo! Why not name your pet after your favorite movie character or star?

• Alex
• Amelie
• Amy
• Buzz
• Clarice
• Deadpool
• Donnie
• Ellen
• Erin
• Ethan
• Ferris
• Forrest
• Frodo
• Gollum
• Gromit
• Groot
• Hal
• Hannibal
• Harry
• Hermione
• Ilsa
• Inigo
• Jessica
• Juno
• Katniss
• Kirk
• Legolas
• Leia
• Lester
• Maria
• Marley
• Maximus
• McClane
• Neo
• Norman
• Randle
• Red
• Ripley
• Rocky
• Sarah
• Scarlett
• Woody
• Xena

Music-inspired:

Cat Stevens sang "I love my dog." Honor that sentiment by naming your new furry family member after your favorite musician?

• Aretha
• Axl
• Beethoven
• Blondie
• Bob
• Bono
• Bowie
• Buddy
• Chrissie
• Chuck
• Clash
• Courtney
• Elton
• Elvis
• Eric
• Floyd
• Freddie
• George
• Hayley
• Hendrix
• Iggy
• Janis
• Jarvis
• Jeff
• Jerry
• Jimmy
• Joni
• Kurt
• Lacey
• Liam

• Lita
• Madonna
• MJ
• Morrissey
• Pat
• Pink
• Presley
• Prince
• Queen
• Ringo
• Stevie
• Sting
• Tina
• Tyler

Did you find your perfect pet name on this list? We sure hope so! Of all the dog names, all the cat names we could think of, which one was your favorite?