140th Westminster Call Names

Craig Jamieson via Dribbble This year's winner was a German Shorthaired Pointer named CJ

When we hear about show dog names, we most often are mentioning the outrageous, over-the-top, nonsensical monikers the dogs are referred to formally. Even though I get a kick out of these, I'm always more interested in the call names of the dogs, i.e., what they respond to outside the show ring. Hundreds of dogs participated in the 140th Westminster Dog Show this year, and I recording their names to list here (here's last year's post, if you're interested). This isn't a very large sample size, but it can give us some insight into how people name their dogs, and how it's so similar, yet vastly different from naming children.

Classic Dog Names
Bella
Charlie
Chloe
Gus
Henry
Hunter
Izzy
Louie
Lucy x2
Marley
Molly
Parker x2
Pepper
Sophie
Thor

Colorful Canines
Azul
Blue x2
Cadet
Mr. Blue
Sky

Cultural Choices
Blitx--"lightning" in Swedish
Devlin (g)
Gomez
Gretel
Hoja
Leandro
Mano
Ovidius
Pepe
Ronan
Saxon
Schilling
Sunito
Tuco

Currently Trending
Annabelle
Anouk
Beckett
Cyrus
Eli x2
Finn
Gia
Gideon
Juliet
Kit (b)
Leo
Olivia
Piper
Walker

Distinguished Gentlemen
Adrian
Alan
Andrew
Angus
Anton
Bradley
Casey
Chauncey
Falco
Griffin
Hank
Hector
Humphrey
Jango
Jason
Joshua
Lucas
Moses
Mr. Jones
Ned
Nelson
Preston
Remy
Richard
Stuart
Vito
Watson
Xavier

Food and Drink
Bacon
Brie
Kahlua
Monte Cristo
Patrón

Lovely Ladies
Clara
Creeda
Fiona
Gail
Grace
Etta
Kate
Lucia
Paola
Primrose
Summer x2
Vanessa
Vera
Victoria
Zora

Place Names
Cayman
Dixie
Fenway
Mexico
Orlando
Tennessee

Nicknames
Allie
Augie
Cal
CJ
CR
Danny
Duffy
Frankie (g)
Gabby
Gabe
Gedi
Gibbs
Jenny
Lumi (b)
Mack
Manny
Obie x2
Odgie
Ollie
Pandy (b)
Ricky x2
Robbie
Rocky
Rondo
Sally
Tilly
Toodles
Tubbs
Vinny
Zak

Notable Namesakes
Astaire
Fergi
Jackson--after Michael Jackson
Julia--after Julia Louis-Dreyfuss
Mick--after Mick Jagger
Peyton--after Peyton Manning
Robert Redford
Santana--after Carlos Santana
Windsor

Pop Culture Picks
Bond
Burberry
Indy (b)
Jedi
Leonard--after the Big Bang Theory
Neo
Peter Parker
Steelers--after the Pittsburgh Steelers
Wesley--after The Princess Bride

Word Names
Banner
Bingo
Bogey
Brazen
Chance
Cubit
Dart
Dynamite
Exquisite "Quizzy"
Flash x2
Frosty
General
Journey
Judge
Panda x2
Paparazzi
Pilot
Precious
Rain
Riot
Rocketman
Rumble
Rumor
Slick
Star
Striker
Tank
Toot
Trader
Vanity

10 Italian Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

Image Credit

Today's Italian boys names aren't quite Romeos, but they have something even better--scarce usage. That being said, they do have their charms, and some are quite romantic. Take a look, and let me know what you think.

Alessio- Alessio is the Italian form of Alexis. He's not quite as dramatic as Alessandro, although if you like both, Alessio would work as a nickname.

Aurelio- You've likely heard of Aurelia, the Latin girls name steadily rising up the charts, but what about Aurelio? This just as attractive Italian name hasn't caught on for the boys yet. If you're a fan of color related names, Aurelio means "the golden one."

Brio- Brio is a unisex name in Italy, but the -o ending (rather than an "A") sounds more masculine to the American ear. Brio is a musical name, the definition being "vigor or vivacity of style or performance." He's an uncommon yet alluring music name--a difficult combination to find.

Carlo- With the popularity of Charlie, Charles, and Carlos being so high, it baffles me that Carlo isn't even in the top 1000. That puts him in the "uncommon yet familiar" category--a sacred place of baby name gems. Use them, and nobody will call you crazy, but there also won't be another one on your block.

Cassio- Cassio is a handsome Shakespearean name, coming from the play Othello. He's the Italian version of Cassius, so Cash could be a nickname if you so choose. Cassio's feminine form is Cassia--a cinnamon-like spice and modern day Cassandra.

Cecilio- Like his sister name Cecilia, Cecilio unfortunately means "blind." But that hasn't stopped thousands of parents each year from using them. Meanings aren't often talked about--or even known--so this is a minor issue, at most. Cecilio is very fashionable, and has a gentlemanly Italian feel.

Cosimo- Cosimo is a charming, sophisticated name waiting to be discovered. He comes from Cosmo, a more antiquated Italian choice. Cosimo means "the universe," perfect for night-sky loving parents.

Nino- Ooh, Nino! Ever since I watched the movie Amelie (one of my favorites) I swoon every time I see the name. Nino is a lovely, nickname style name that's gaining favor in many European countries (#26 in Switzerland!). He works as a nickname for any -nino name, but is just as delightful on his own.

Pellegrino- Pellegrino may remind people of the elegant bubbly water, but is that such a terrible association? He comes from Peregrine, which means "traveller" or "pilgrim," and is also a type of bird. Nino would make a cute nickname. If you need convincing, see above.

Silvio- Silvio is a common name in many parts of Europe, but unsurprisingly is most used in his country of origin--Italy. With Sylvia and Silvia increasing in popularity in the U.S., Silvio makes a friendly and usable option for a boy.

Apple Names

Image Credit

Happy (almost) Halloween guys! I wanted to do a post about apples before Fall ended, and I figured this would be the ideal time, right in the middle of apple season. All the following names come from apple varieties--perfect for an Autumn baby!

Abbey
Adam
Albany
Albert
Alexander
Alford
Allen
Ambrosia
Anna
Annie
April
Ariane
Arthur
Bailey
Baldwin
Barry
Beacon
Bella
Ben
Bess
Beverly
Billy
Bonnie
Bridget
Brock
Cameo
Carlos
Caroll
Charles
Christmas
Clark
Clay
Cole
Connell
Crispin
Cybele
D'arcy
Davey
David
Dawn
Dayton
Derby
Earl
Early
Eddie
Edmund
Edward
Elise
Elizabeth
Ellison
Elton
Emneth
Erwin
Evelina
Everard
Fearn
Filippa
Florina
Foster
Franklin
Fuji
Gala
Garland
Gavin
George
Gibson
Gilbert
Ginger
Grove
Harrison
Harvey
Henry
Hokuto
Holiday
Holland
Holly
Hudson
Ida
Ingrid
Jackson
James
Jazz
Jersey
Johnny
Jonathan
Jordan
Jubilee
July
June
Jupiter
Kalei
Karen
Katy
Katya
Kent
Kerry
King
Kingston
Kinsei
Lane
Liberty
Lilibet
Luscious
Mac
Maclean
Maigold
Malinda
Marie
Marisa
Melba
Meridian
Miller
Milo
Milton
Mollie
Moore
Morgan
Morley
Newton
Niagara
Noble
Oliver
Opal
Orin
Palmer
Park
Paula
Pax
Pearl
Perry
Pine
Pippin
Pixie
Pomme
Porter
Prairie
Princess
Priscilla
Quebec
Quince
Rajka
Rome
Rose
Rosemary
Rosette
Ross
Rosy
Royal
Russet
Rusty
Sam
Santana
Scarlet
Scarlett
September
Sharon
Shay
Sierra
Smith
Snow
Sonya
Spencer
Stirling
Summer
Sundance
Sutton
Taylor
Tom
Topaz
Turner
Upton
Victoria
Virginia
Walter
Wayne
William
Winston
Winter
Wolf
Yates
York
Zari


I'm taking next week off to do some blog maitenance--regular posting will resume November 9th.

Share a Coke Names: Part Two

Might as well go with Nell ;) Make one here.

Okay, back for more. To do this post, I looked at all the names they sold in stores in the UK. Turns out it's a lot more. Like, almost five times as more. It took a long time to get all this data, but I've got some interesting observations for you guys. I'm going to list all 1,146 (!) names after the jump, then we can talk about them.

My hand hurt after writing seven pages of this.

Share a Coke Names: Part One

I made this here.

I'm sure you guys are familiar with the Share a Coke campaign. It's a great marketing scheme, not only because they get free advertising with every Instagrammed bottle, but because people go crazy for stuff with their names on it. While you can put any name on your coke if you order it online, only certain names are sold in store. Here in America, they chose 250 names to be a part of that group. I recorded them all, so I will list them below, then we will talk about hits and misses. It's all after the jump.

 

Disclaimer: This is not sponsored by the Coca Cola company. I actually don't like soda. At all.

Full Names for Charlie

Image Credit

We recently discussed Full Names for Charley, which got me to thinking, "What are other options if you want to name your son Charlie?" Turns out, while there are less options for the male Charlie, there are still more than enough choices.

Expected:
Carl- He's mostly a dad name nowadays, but the nickname Charlie livens him up.
Carlos- Spanish speakers would normally call him Carlitos as a nickname, but Charlie works too.
Charles- The classic.

Unique:
Carlton- Don't worry about The Fresh Prince of Bel Air references, those will be long gone by the time he's in school.
Carlo- Hipper than Carlos, maybe it's that "O" ending.
Carlson- He sounds a little dowdy, but Charlie is a great nickname to change that.
Charleston- The dance, the city, so many great associations for your little Charlie!

Unheard of:
Carlisle- A little feminine, but if you're planning on calling him Charlie, I say go for it.
Carmichael- The obvious nicknames are Mike, Mikey, Mickey, etc., but Charlie is the freshest of them all.
Carroll- It's too bad he sounds like a middle aged woman, because Carroll would make a really nice choice for a son.
Charlton- Sounds like a butchered version of Carlton.