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

Catalog Names: Tiny Prints 2014

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The Holidays are officially here, which can only mean one thing: a giant influx of mail. I recently got the Tiny Prints catalog, and I looked at the names on the cards right away. Overall they were pretty run-of-the-mill, but I found a few gems (Maxine and Simone--yes, please!).

Girls
Abby
Alexandra (x2)
Alexis
Amanda
Angela
Anna
Bianca
Caitlin
Chloe
Eleanor
Eliza
Emily
Evelyn
Evie
Grace
Gwenyth
Jane
Jen
Jenna
Julia
Lauren
Lilly
Lizzie
Madeline
Maggie
Margaret
Margot
Mariah
Maryann
Maxine
Melissa (x2)
Nadia
Rachel
Rebecca
Riley
Sandy
Savannah (x2)
Sloan
Simone
Sophie

Boys
Aiden
Anthony
Brent (x2)
Brian
Christopher (x2)
Connor
Edward
Emery
Ethan
Frederick
Jared (x2)
Jayden
Jonathan
Jordan
Josh
Joshua
Liam
Madden
Mason
Matthew
Mike
Miles
Nathan
Oliver
Robert
Reid
Samuel
Scott
Sebastian
Thomas
Tim
Xavier

10 C Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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We're on to C names today. This week is the girls, and it's an excellent group. If you're looking for a C name (way) less trendy than Charlotte or Chloe, I've got your back. Take a look.

Calais- I think names that end in -lais are gorgeous. Calais is a wonderful name, and makes a great middle as well, due to the emphasis on the second syllable.

Cameo- One of my favorite word names. Name your daughter Cameo, then decorate her nursery in vintage silhouettes. It will be awesome.

Carmela- A very sweet name that is often overlooked.

Celestine- Celeste ranks at 469. Too popular for you? Try Celestine, her cooler, moodier older sister.

Ciel- More creative than naming your baby Sky.

Circe- I'm not a big fan of Greek names, but I adore Circe. She's upbeat and spunky.

Citron- Citron is one of my guilty pleasure names. She's a little outlandish, but I think people would get over it.

Cleo- It baffles me that people don't use Cleo. Every -eo name is so popular, how could she have missed the boat? I say take her for yourself. Another cute spelling is Clio, like Abby's daughter.

Clove- I thought this name was going to get a boost from The Hunger Games but it didn't. She's more modern than Clover, and a great name for a foodie.

Coral- Has Downton Abbey made your favorite girl name too trendy? Darn. Give Coral a chance, she'd be super adorable on a baby, plus you have a built in color scheme for the nursery.

May Names

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Hooray, it's finally May! May is one of my favorite months. School begins to die down, and it feels like Summer is on it's way. To celebrate, lets look at some names that would be perfect for a May baby.

Birthstone:
Beryl- May's birthstone is Emerald, which is a member of the Beryl family. Beryl definitely has some charm, which many people don't appreciate.
Emerald- She's getting popular. I prefer Beryl.

Birth Flower:
 Lily- Lily of the Valley is May's birth flower, but many people won't get the connection with such a popular name.
Shoshana- Shoshana means lily, and makes a subtle connection to the month.
Valley- The other half of Lily of the Valley. Fun Fact: My second grade teacher named her daughter Chloe Lily-of-the-Valley, but the next day changed it to Chloe Regina.

Star Signs:
Gemini- People born later in May are Gemini. I'm not sure how useable she is, but it does work.
Taurus- Much better than Gemini, and the only boy name on the list. Taurus is a cool name, and he could be called Tor.
Venus- The planet Venus governs the star sign Taurus, but you have to be brave to use her as a name.

Related to May:
Amy- An anagram of May.
Maia- May is named after the goddess Maia.
May, Mae, Mabel, Maisie, etc.- Any May name works to honor a baby girl's birth month.


P.S. Tomorrow is my blogoversary. Three years old! I can hardly believe it :)

Catalog Names: Mini Boden Autumn 2013

This month's Mini Boden catalog has some of the same wonderful names as last time, but I spotted some new gems (and even twins!)

Girls:
Aimee
Bella
Chloe
Claudia
Daisy
Edie
Eleanor
Ella
Eve
Felicity
Florrie
Georgia
Grace
Harriet
Isabella
Izzy
Julia
Lotte
Lottie
Macy
Madalena
Marni
Margot
Martha
Megan
Minnie (twin to Nell)
Mollie
Molly
Nell (twin to Minnie)
Ottilie
Pippa
Rebecca
Rosa
Rose
Sally
Sammy
Sophie
Starr
Stella
Thea
Thyra
Tori Star
Willow
Zoe

Boys:
Barnaby
Bills
Billy
Cameron
Camron
Freddie
George
Iggy
Jackson
Marcus
Oliver
Rafferty
Solomon
Teddy
Theo
Toby

Catalog Names: Boden

Girls:
Amber
Anastacia
Arlenis
Azraa
Camila
Chloe
Clarise
Coco
Courtney
Danika
Darian
Elsa
Emily
Hannah
Fiona
Gabriella
Jensen
Jessica
Jourdan
Julia
Katie
Keira
Kim
Layla
Madalena
Marloes
Meghan
Michella
Minnie
Mollie
Nadja
Nina
Nell
Olivia
Sofia
Trinity
Yasmin

Boys:
Emile
Farhaan
Griffin
Indrees
Isaiah
Jaden
Joel
Jonathan
Kian
Lorenz
Lucien
Marc
Marco
Miles
Rafferty
Rokken
Sebastian
Toviyah
Walker
Zakai

Catalog Names: PB Teen

Girls:
Addison
Amanda
Anna
Ariel
Brooke
Brynn
Chelsea
Chloe
Claire
Coraline
Elsie
Emma
Emily
Hallie
Jamie
Julia
Julie
Kaitlyn
Katie
Kelley
Kennedy
Lacey
Lauren
Lola
Marbella
Martina
Mary
Molly
Peyton
Raleigh
Sarah
Sophie
Taylor
Zoe


Boys:
Austin
Brooks
Chris
Emerson
Hunter
Jacob
Jake
Joe
Maddox
Max
Tyler

Unique Alternatives to the Top Ten Names: 2012 Edition

We could all name our kids Sophia and Jacob, but there are so many more unique options. Listed here are my favorite lesser-used alternatives to the top ten of each gender.

Girls:

Sophia: Fiona, Philippa (nn Pippa?), Philomina, Seraphina
Isabella: Bellamy, Esmeralda, Isabeau, Isadora
Emma: Amelie, Emmeline, Lila
Olivia: Bolivia, Livia, Olive, Vivian
Ava: Ada, Avalon, Eva, Eve, Ever
Emily: Amelie, Melody, Millie, Romilly, Tillie
Abigail: Abear, Adelaide, Adelia, Gail
Madison: Ellison, Madeleine, Magdalena
Mia: Leia, Milla, Thea
Chloe: Celeste, Clara, Clio

Boys:

Jacob: Corbin, Jacobi, Jay
Mason: Carson, Edison, Logan
William: Leander, Logan, Warren, Willis
Jayden: Gray, Hayden, Jay
Noah: Isaac, Nathan, Nolan, Owen
Michael: Mack, Matthias, Maxwell
Ethan: Egan, Eli, Logan
Alexander, Alexei, Alvin, Anders, Anderson
Aiden: Adair, Adeon, Dennis
Daniel: Damian, Danner, Dashiell, Dennis

Dog Names

I have a bluetick coonhound named Lucy. I always knew that Lucy was a popular name for dogs, but I wanted to know what the most popular were. Petbabynames.com has the list of the top 50 most popular names for female and male dogs. I will share the top ten of each, and then tell you my favorites.

Girls:
Bella
Daisy
Molly
Lucy
Sadie
Maggie
Bailey
Chloe
Sophie
Lola

Boys:
Max
Charlie
Jack
Buddy
Jake
Tucker
Duke
Toby
Bear
Oscar

My top ten- Girls:
Lucy
Roxy
Missy
Penny
Lady
Stella
Sophie
Lexi
Zoe
Ruby

My top ten- Boys
Oscar
Louie
Buster
Chico
Henry
Rusty
Milo
Murphy
Scout
Bentley

Alternitaves to the Most Popular Names: Opposite Gender

Alternatives to the most popular names for the alternate gender.

Girls to Boys:

Isabella- Isodore, Isaac, Abel, Ozzie
Sophia- Theodore, Soren, Finley
Emma- Edward, Edmund, Emerson
Olivia- Octavio, Otto, Oswald
Ava- Asa, Avery, Ivan, Avan
Emily- Emilio, Emerson, Eddison
Abigail- Abraham, Abe, Gaines
Madison- Magnus, Malichi, Dyson
Chloe- Cory, Cody, Bowie, Bowen
Mia- Miles, Max, Milo

Boys to Girls:

Jacob- Jackie, Jamie, Colby, Jane
Ethan- Ethel, Esther, Edith, Estelle, Enid
Michael- Michaela, Kayla, Kaylee
Jayden- Hayden, Jada, Jade, Jane
William- Wilhelmina, Winifred, Leah
Alexander- Alexandra, Alexandria, Alexia, Alexis, Alexa, Lexi, Lexis, Lexa
Noah- Nora, Nola, Nona
Daniel- Danielle, Darnella, Danica, Dana
Aiden- Audrey, Ada, Adele, Addie, Adelaide, Adeline
Anthony- Toni, Tori, Anastasia, Angelina

Alternitaves to the Most Popular Names

Alternitaves to the most popular names:

Girls:
Isabella- Isobel, Belinda, Isa, Isis, Belle
Sophia- Stella, Fiona, Thea
Emma- Ember, Emerald, Emmy
Olivia- Olive, Liviana, Livi, Livia
Ava- Evelyn, Eva, Eve, Avalyn
Emily, Amelie, Amelia, Amy
Abigail- Allison, Adelaide, Adeline, Addie, Adele
Madison- Madeleine, Addison, Addie
Chloe- Nicole, Zoe, Clover, Claire, Cleo
Mia- Amelia, Leah, Thea, Maia, Maura, Moira

Boys:

Jacob- Jacobson, Cody, Cole
Ethan- Arthur, Heath, Xander
Michael- Mitchel, Micah, Miles
Jayden- Jace, Jay, Jackson, Javan, Jared, Jad
William- Liam, Lee, Leland, Willis, Wiley, Warren
Alexander- Lex, Alexis, Lester, Eric
Noah- Nolan, Neil, Nowe, Norton
Daniel- Dane, Donald, Samuel, Darius
Aiden- Ace, Asher, Ardon, Amos, Ames
Anthony- Andrew, Andy, Terry, Thor