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The Joy of Medieval Dog Names

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I recently read an article about medieval dog names found in a book called “The Names of All Manner of Hounds.” Someone was thinking about commercial appeal even in the 15th century.

How do you decide on a name for your dog? Once my family ran through a series of US general names: We had Patton and MacArthur and Ike, but I couldn’t bring myself to name a dog Schwatzkoff (sp?), so we then went with Sadie, Billy, Charley, Babe (she came to us already named), Justus, Ivy, Jazzy, and Toby. Why? We liked the sound of them.

Some of the medieval names are hilarious–and if you can’t read the Middle English spelling, just sound it out. First: Goodynowze. Apparently the dog was a good sniffer.

[Note: because I don’t know how to find photos of actual medieval dogs, I popped up some of mine. :-)]

Then there was Brayneles, who wasn’t the smartest dog in the pack.

Then there was Filthe, who apparently liked to roll in the mud. He was followed by Joliboye, who seems like good time guy, and Radissche, who must have liked to dig in the garden.

Some names are just fun to say: Tullymully, for instance. Try calling that name at the dog park.

And, for those who call their dog “Dog,” and their cat “Cat,” there’s a medieval version: Nameles. For the pet owner who’s uninspired.

What have you named your dogs over the years? Which names were your favorites?

–Angie

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Angela Hunt

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who expect the unexpected in novels. With over five million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 165 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to non-fiction books, to novels.

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Comments

  1. LOVE your photos! And your dogs! Since I grew up on a farm, we had a constant parade of dogs. The first dog I remember from my childhood was Mr. Biggs. I don’t know how he got his name, but he was the sweetest, gentlest beagle. As a teen, I had a darling poodle mix mutt named Barney. Then, as newlyweds, Ken and I had a black lab puppy we named Ebony for obvious reasons. Since then we’ve had only cats, our most recent a gorgeous tuxedo who came from the pound with the name of Melvin. Melvin is immortalized in 3 of my novels.

    • I love that you immortalize your cats in your books! Sort of helps soften the fact that our pets don’t live nearly as long as we’d like them to. :-).

  2. We have only had 2 dogs. The first one was for our kids, but Jeff and I named her so there wouldn’t be fights. She was Abigail or Abby in honor of Abigail Adams, my favorite first lady. When we got our second dog two years ago we mulled over a lot of names but finally decided to slick with our theme, so now we have Dolley (though we spell it Dolly becuase it’s easier!) in honor of first lady Dolley Madison. Can you tell we are history buffs? 😂

    • If you want to get more dogs, at least you have LOTS of names to choose from! I seem to remember having a First Lady pet, but I think it was a chicken . . .

  3. I’ve owned quite a few dogs (and cats) through the years. Nicodemus (cocker spaniel) came when I was pretty little, but he set off my brother’s asthma and hay fever, and the doctor made us get rid of him and the cat with her kittens that same day. We went years without another dog or cat (but had a parakeet and guinea pigs). We briefly had a dachshund but it was hit by a car; I was little and don’t remember his name. Next was Sugar (border collie and sheltie mix). She raised me from age 11 and both of my daughters learned to walk while holding on to her. She was an amazing dog. There were three dogs in the 1980s whose names right now are escaping me. In the 1990s to 2008, there was Misty (border collie) and Tiko (sheltie), followed by my papillons, Poppet (2004-2017) and Boo Bear (2017-present).

  4. When I read this two of our dogs with memorable names came to mind. The first was from my childhood and his name was Satchimo.😄 I am not sure where his name came from or why but probably from my brother.😉 I’m also not sure that was the proper spelling! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Another dog I had in recent years was a German Shepherd we named Katy. But after awhile her name changed to Katydid, because every time I looked out the window I would say, “Would you look at what Katy did!” 😂 She was always dreaming up, digging up, something for me to see. But she was loving and loyal and a fierce protector of our family. I miss her.🐾

  5. I had a mutt named Toby when I was growing up. A cocker spaniel that had to be name Lady, or course. A Golden named Butterscotch. Our pointer/hound, Oreo Boy, died in January and is missed so much. And, not to be left out is our Bluetick Coonhound. She is appropriately named Tennessee’s Rocky Topper. So there are some unique names 😉

  6. The funniest name we gave a dog was Charlie Brown. He was named that because he was tiny when we got him, and his feet would slip on the kitchen floor landing him on his belly.
    Why is this so funny? Charlie Brown was the most intelligent dog I’ve ever known. Part Border Collie and part Poodle, he protected us from home invasions and anyone who might hurt the women of the family. He became so obedient in dog obedience classes that I stopped training him. My teenage self thought he was becoming “robotic.”
    Charlie was the most loving dog I’ve ever had- very altruistic.

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