Pet Naming Tips

Getting a new pet is a very exciting thing, as is the very important task of coming up with your new pet's name. If you've got a kids in the family, you'll likely want to include them in this process, as it will foster an atmosphere of familial acceptance upon your pet's arrival. Think twice about names that any one particular person at home dislikes as it can lead to hurt feelings or a feeling of isolation with some children. My mother always named our pets herself, without asking me for my opinion, despite being old enough to have one. As it happens, I always loved the names she came up with -- but I'd have been very upset if one of my pets wound up with a name I didn't like, so keep this in mind if you're a parent!

Geographic Origin

I quite like the idea of naming a pet after the place their breed originates from. For example, you might name a German Shepherd Frantz, or a Russian Terrier Ivan, or a Portuguese Water Dog Rafael. You might name a British Blue Nigel, or a Siberian Cat Nikolai. You might call your Arabian Horse Shatara, or your Chinese Hamster Ling. You get the idea, surely. Even if your dog is a mix of different breeds, you could still name him something that suits the breed he most resembles.

Foreign Words in General

Whether you've got a foreign breed or not, there are loads of languages that offer fabulous names for pets. If you have a favorite language or if you'd like to name you pet in the language of the country their breed originates from -- but don't want to use a proper name -- just find an online translation tool and find your pet's perfect name!

Famous People

My cat was named after my favorite guitarist. His name was Albert and her name was Alberta -- although I called her Birdie for short. If you've got a favorite musician, author, political leader, television character, film star or anyone else you can think of, there are a load of names to be had from these favorites.

Cities, States or Countries

As with the first suggestion, you may want to name your English Setter after the country it hails from -- perhaps London would be a good name. It certainly wouldn't be all that common in places like the US. Or maybe you just want to name him or her after a country or city you've been too and really loved. Or, perhaps you just like the name of location and think it's perfect for your new pet. If people can name their kids Brooklyn, Paris and China, surely your pets can be named similarly as well.

Days of the week, Months of the year.

I've always liked names of the week as given names. Wednesday? Sunday? Very cool, in my opinion. The same goes for certain months of the year. October, December and January make for some fabulous names.

You can also wait to see if your pet inspires their own name.

Some pets do funny things which make us think of nicknames that suit them perfectly. The best example I could give you here is that little rabbit in Bambi called Thumper. He thumps his foot a lot, hence the name. If you care to wait a bit, your pet may actually help you determine a name they love!