a rose by any other name

What’s in a name? Most names have meaning, and many times people seriously consider the name they give a child. Many pet parents also genuinely think about the name they bestow upon their animal, especially when the pet is adopted.
 
A Dog Named Stormy
My husband and I are in the process of adopting another dog, and we are seriously thinking about names. Currently, the dog is named Stormy, and although that’s not a bad name, the little guy (a Shih Tzu) was rescued from a puppy mill situation by a non-profit animal welfare group. We think he deserves a new name: he has a new life, he’ll be starting over in a loving home with us, and truthfully, I don’t want my dog named after a natural force that can kill (he’s not a police or military dog after all!). So, we are discussing names. I even asked friends for their input, and, after seeing Stormy’s picture, many expressed their thoughts. My husband has his ideas for a new name for our new pet, and so do I. We will take a list of the names we’ve compiled, both our own favorites and the thoughts of pet-loving friends, and we will bring those ideas with us to the adoption center.
 
When we meet Stormy and have time to spend with him, including a several-hour drive back home, we’ll see which new name appears to “fit” him. Will it be Spencer? Or Ozzie? Or Ranger? Perhaps Beau. Or Teddy. Or maybe even Story – he has a story, and I write stories… but my husband frowned at that one (just as I frowned at Ozzie).
 
Popular Pet Names
There’s a lot of advice out there about naming your pet, whether dog or another animal. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve followed is to keep a name short and easy to say, and therefore, easy to understand. Another is to not name your pet after something that sounds like a command, such as “Joe,” which could be misinterpreted as “no,” or “Kit,” which could be heard as “sit” (or something far worse, especially if you’re yelling that name across the dog park!)
 
There are hundreds of popular names for pets, both dogs and cats. Some trendy feline names include Bella, Coco, and Jasper. See here:  
The American Kennel Club (AKC) provides a listing of the  People names are popular for dogs, such as Sam, Henry, and Chloe.Some dogs are named after a specific ethnicity, such as Irish (Seamus, Finn, and Maeve).Popular hunting dog breed names include Scout, Gunner and, of course, Hunter.Some animal names are old-fashioned: Franklin, Barkley, and Elliot.Large breed dogs tend to have names to make you think twice about approaching that dog: Brutus, Maximus, and Atticus.Some dogs are named after movie/TV characters, like Starsky, Benji, and Sherlock.Some are named after
Keep the Name or Change It?
I’ve usually kept my dog’s name short and sweet: Sam; Cody; Sage; Mary. All of them had their names already except for Sam – he was a stray whom no one knew anything about. But, he caught on to that name quickly and we enjoyed a decade together with a deep, close connection. I kept the other dogs’ name the same because, at least in Sage and Mary’s cases, their situations weren’t dire or so traumatic that I believed a change was necessary. And, Cody was nearly 10 years old when we adopted him, so neither my husband nor I thought it worthwhile to change his name; he was totally used to it, and again, it was short and easy to say. My cats – well, the two remaining with us were kittens when we adopted them so we could name them as we wanted (Murphy and Bailey); my husband comes from Irish ancestry, and I enjoy Irish culture, so we chose names to reflect that (plus those names that end in “y” seem popular and easy to understand). My other cat, Ama, was already named and it was so unique, I decided to keep it.
 
How about you? Do you keep a pet’s name when you adopt or do you change it? What do you take into consideration when naming your animals?