When you stop and think about it, the task of giving a living creature a name is probably one of the more challenging tasks a person can face. Think about the number of baby naming books an expectant couple pour over as they seek to find the perfect name for their child. A name is an important thing because it establishes the identity of the individual on whom it is bestowed.
Well, naming pet can be just as challenging; after all, this is the name you’ll be calling out their entire lives. While naming a pet may not be quite as daunting as naming a child, we thought we’d help make the task a bit easier. We found an article published by Good Housekeeping.com that offered a list of the most popular dog names for both male and female dogs in 2016.
And the winners are:
MALE
- Bear
- Max
- Cooper
- Duke
- Finn
- Hudson
- Jack
- Rocky
- Toby
- Tucker
FEMALE
- Aurora
- Bailey
- Bella
- Chloe
- Elsa
- Ivy
- Maggie
- Sadie
- Stella
- Sophie
We think this is a great list of both male and female names, but our favorite part of the list was learning the origins of the names and how each name has a way of fitting different breeds. The name Bear, for example, is a great name for a very large dog, such as a Newfoundland or a St. Bernard, but what if your Newfoundland or St. Bernard is a girl? How about the name Ursula, which means “little bear” in Russian. Did you know that the name Cooper literally means “barrel maker”? We think it’s a great fit for any dog really, but especially for a small, spunky little dog like a Jack Russell Terrier. Duke, no surprise this one made the list. We know lots of “Dukes” and we’ve always been partial to this name for large dogs, but every now and then, we meet a little Yorkshire terrier with a Napoleon Complex for whom the name “Duke” really fits.
Now for the girl names: Bailey means “able” and is one of the favorites here at Cascade Kennels. It’s a great name that fits so many breeds of dogs, but especially those sweet, mellow dogs of any size. Another from this list we really like for female canines is Ivy. Ivy means faithfulness, which beautifully sums up the temperament of most dogs, but what a beautiful name for a sweet, loyal girl who loves to be by your side. Finally, Sophie rounds out the top 10 female names. Sophie means wisdom and seems to fit those intelligent breeds like Border Collies, Poodles, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers.
We think this list is a great place to start if you’re searching for a pet name. What do you think? Are there any canine names that you like that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments below.
