Naming your dog?
So you don’t want to give your dog an ordinary name like Fido or Spot. And you love books. So, naturally, you turn to your favorite literary classics when it’s time to name the new puppy. The result? This list of actual canine names inspired by literature (from The Giant Book of Dog Names).
Auntie Em
Bandersnatch
Bloomsbury
Boo Radley
Byron
Chekhov
Dr. Watson
Galsworthy
Gatsby
Gunga Din
Hemingway
Ibsen
Jeeves
Kafka
Kilimanjaro
Mrs. Danvers
Nietzsche
Romeo
Sam Spade
Voltaire
Voldemort
A Chihuahua named Kafka? A pug named Nietzsche? Well, why not? Still, it takes a very special— or just very bookish—person to name her dog Voldemort.
Not that I have anything against literary dog names. In fact, we named our own Yorkie-poo Captain Colossal, after a character in a young adult novel by Daniel Pinkwater, thus going with both literature AND irony. Does Captain mind being saddled with a (gently) mocking moniker? Not at all.
He’s probably just glad we didn’t name him Mrs. Danvers.
Previously published on Women’s Voices for Change
What is your dog’s name? Share in the comments.
Roz Warren
Roz Warren writes for the New York Times, the Funny Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Jewish Forward and the Huffington Post. And she‘s been featured on the Today Show. (Twice!) Her 13th humor book, ”Our Bodies, Our Shelves: A Collection Of Library Humor," is available on Amazon.
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Carol Cassara
Tuesday 19th of August 2014
I love a clever dog name, but alas, mine isn't that clever. Riley.