Who is your pet named after?

Or how did you pick your pet’s name?

Naming a hedgehog

We named our hedgehog “Gadget” before I realized that there is a cartoon chipmunk (mouse idunno ?) named Gadget.

The cartoon Gadget, from the Chip & Dale “Rescue Rangers” series, is awfully cute, and a mechanic to boot. That makes her name fairly fitting for our hedgie, since Gadget is known for rearranging things in her cage to her own specifications.

But I like to pick different kinds of names for our fur-friends. Something that is unique, not a standard kind of ‘pet’ name, and has some personality.

In our house we pick names with some meaning or character, usually, though sometimes we just like the way it sounds or it just fits.  It’s particularly funny to name your pet after inanimate objects, or to give them regular person-type names.

Silly list of names for a pet

When I was naming my new hedgehog “Gadget” I had created a list of kooky names. I wish I could find the list, because it was crazy. Names like:

• Spicket
• Sprocket
• Gayle
• Beep
• Beej
• Periwinkle
• Agatha

No rhyme or reason, just funny names and words that came to mind.

And, Gadget is what I picked – it was silly and funny, and seemed fitting for a little stinker hedgie. No idea why, really. But it fits, and we’re pretty sure she knows her name, too!

Naming a house rabbit

When my daughter got her bunny for her birthday, she was pretty set on calling him Joker. He’s almost completely black, except for the hair on the pads of his feet, which is grey. He has one wonky ear that never stands up. Joker seemed fitting.

But after a few days it was clear that he wasn’t a “joker”… He was pretty serious, not interested in affection at all, difficult to photograph because he’s SO black, and we discovered that he LOVES apples. With all of this in mind, and the then-current craze with Pirates of the Caribbean, “Joker” became known as “Barbosa” – dark soul (greying around the edges) and loves apples. Silly, right? But it really suits him well, and has stuck much better than Joker.

Picking a name for your pet

There are lots of ways to pick a name for your fur-friend.

• Sentimental names,
• names that describe a pet’s appearance,
• favourite character names,
• people names,
• place names,
• random words used as a name (like Gadget).

I’m always intrigued by how fur-babies get their names.

How did you choose your pet’s name? I’d love to hear about it!