Brilliant Roman Pet Names That Will Make You Want A Dog
Updated: Aug 24
I’m sure you know a male dog named Rex (meaning 'king'). But how about other less popular options to get your dog standing out of the crowd? Look no further than Ancient Rome for answers!
Simple names for sophisticated pets
Using a Latin name will give your pet a touch of mystery. If you are reading the Cambridge Latin Course, you will know that Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the Underwold, is a pretty cool name for a dog, so head to the Wikipedia list for more dog names from mythology if that is what you are after. But before that, have you considered something a bit more unusual?
A funny option is to call your dog, erm… Dog. Canis has the perfect dog name structure. It is perfect for a dog that tends to run away and needs to be called very loudly! Continuing with the canids, why not choose the name of an animal that resembles your dog? Big and furry like a bear? Arctos. Wild and mad
as a goat? Capra. Clever and mysterious
like an owl? My favourite one: Bubo.
Xenophon would surely agree with us, as he recommends 2 syllables as a very good length for the name! You can find more about it in this YouTube video:
Give your dog's name the imperial touch
Some dogs are born to rule in their houses, so you may want to consider some weighty names. You will not have enough pets to use up all the emperors’ names, so click on the Wikipedia list of emperors for the full parade. Personally, I would love to stand in the middle of a park shouting Commodus! in gladiatorial style – and the same goes for Maximus!
From Nero to Trajan, Roman dog names inspired by emperors make perfect strong dog names.
The third option is my favourite: use their birth order
A very Roman tradition: name your dog in order of arrival to the family. So, if your dog was first, call him Primus; if he was born third, Tertius; when it is the sixth family member, Sextus, and so on and so forth.
If you are still not sure, you cannot go wrong describing your furry companion with any adjective, e. gr. Fuscus (meaning 'dark'), Audax (meaning 'bold') or Carus (meaning 'dear'). Can't get enough? Head to my my Facebook page to stay tuned with Roman mythology and everything Latin: just click here!
