Famous Dog Names – 290+ Amazing Dogs from TV, Movies & Real Life

Famous dog names are a great way to pay tribute to the most acclaimed canines. Get ready for 290+ awesome ideas!

These dogs are famous for their achievements in real life or are known from movies, TV, literature and more. If you’re looking to name your own pup, these famous dog names might be a perfect fit.

Famous Dog Names from History

Let’s kick off our list of famous dog names with pups who’ve made history. These dogs boast accomplishments on the battlefield or are known for other amazing feats.

If you give your dog one of these names, you can feel proud knowing that you’ve paid tribute to an amazing animal.

• Balto – Husky that helped deliver medicine to Nome, Alaska, that prevented an outbreak of disease (read story)
• Bobbie the Wonder Dog – courageous canine who traveled 2,800 miles in 1924 (read story)
• Chaser – Border Collie with largest tested memory of any non-human animal (read story)
• Chips – most decorated dog of WWII
• Cloe – record holder for biggest dog at 365 lbs and 8’5″ long
• Jofi – Sigmund Freud’s pet Chow Chow
• Gibson – Great Dane and former world record holder for tallest living dog
• Hachikō – Japanese Akita Inu famed for meeting his owner at the train station every day after work
• Laika – Soviet space dog
• Lex – military dog who served in the Iraq War and earned a Purple Heart (read story)
• Nemo – German Shepherd who served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War (read story)
• Peritas – Alexander the Great’s favorite dog
• Pickles – discovered the stolen FIFA World Cup in 1966
• Rags – U.S. 1st Infantry Division’s dog-mascot in World War I
• Sinbad – mascot of U.S. Coast Guard
• Smoky – famous war dog who served in World War II (read story)
• Snuppy – Afghan Hound that was the first dog ever cloned
• Strongheart – German Shepherd that was one of the first canine actors
• Trakr – German Shepherd that rescued the last survivor of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks
• Zeus – Great Dane and tallest dog in the world at 7′ 4″
• Zorba – former world record holder for longest and heaviest dog at 343 lbs and 8’3″ long

Famous Dog Names from Literature and Comics

Up next: famous dog names from pups in literature and comics. These awesome animals have graced the pages of the world’s most popular written works and provided hours of entertainment.

Check out these ideas and see if any are right for your new four-legged friend.

• Andy – Mark Trail comic strip
• Argos – the Odyssey
• Bailey – A Dog’s Purpose
• Baleia – Vidas secas
• Bandit – Little House on the Prairie
• Bear – A Dog’s Purpose
• Blue – The Sound and the Fury
• Bob – A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society
• Buck – Call of the Wild
• Buddy – A Dog’s Purpose
• Bull’s Eye – Oliver Twist
• Carl – Good Dog, Carl
• Charkie – Curious George
• Clifford – Clifford the Big Red Dog
• Cujo – Stephen King’s Cujo
• Dogbert – Dilbert comic strip
• Einstein – Watchers by Dean Koontz
• Electra – Cathy comic strip
• Elleya – A Dog’s Purpose
• Fang – Hagrid’s Mastiff in Harry Potter
• Fella – A Dog’s Purpose
• Fluffy – Harry Potter
• Ghost – Game of Thrones
• Grey Wind – Game of Thrones
• Hotdog – Archie
• Jip – David Copperfield
• Kiche – White Fang
• Krypto – Superman comics
• Lad – Lad, A Dog
• Lady – Game of Thrones
• Laska – Anna Karenina
• Little Ann – Where the Red Fern Grows
• Marmaduke – Marmaduke
• Maurice – Andy Warhol’s Portrait of Maurice
• Mr. Bones – Timbuktu
• Nymeria – Game of Thrones
• Odie – Garfield
• Old Dan – Where the Red Fern Grows
• Padfoot – Harry Potter
• Pilot – Jane Eyre
• Randolph – A Dog About Town
• Ribsy – Henry Huggins
• Ripper – Harry Potter
• Sandy – Little Orphan Annie
• Shaggydog – Game of Thrones
• Sharik – Heart of a Dog
• Sirius – Harry Potter
• Snoopy – Peanuts
• Snuffles – Harry Potter
• Summer – Game of Thrones
• Toby – A Dog’s Purpose
• Tock – The Phantom Tollbooth
• White Fang – White Fang
• Winn Dixie – Because of Winn Dixie
• Yeller – Old Yeller

Check out even more literary dog names.

Famous Dogs from Movies

A guide to famous dog names must mention acclaimed canine characters from feature films.

After all, pups have been featured prominently ever since the movie industry began and still grace the big screen regularly. These dogs have entertained us throughout the years and provide excellent inspiration for dog names.

To help your search, we’ve broken down the names between classic and modern movies.

Classic Movies

• Beethoven – Beethoven
• Benji – Benji
• Brinkley – You’ve Got Mail
• Bruiser – Legally Blonde
• Buddy – Air Bud
• Buster – Toy Story
• Chopper – Stand By Me
• Chance – Homeward Bound
• Charlie B. Barkin – All Dogs Go to Heaven
• Chief – Isle of Dogs
• Copper – The Fox and the Hound
• Einstein – Back to the Future
• Flo – All Dogs Go to Heaven
• Fluke – Fluke
• Fly – Babe
• Frank the pug – Men In Black
• Gromit – Wallace And Gromit
• Hercules – The Sandlot
• Hooch – Turner & Hooch
• Hosehead – Strange Brew
• Itchy Itchiford – All Dogs Go to Heaven
• Jerry Lee – K-9
• Jock – Lady and The Tramp
• Lady – Lady and The Tramp
• Lucky – 101 Dalmatians
• Marley – Marley And Me
• Max – The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day
• Max – How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
• Milo – The Mask and also Milo and Otis
• Miss Agnes – Best In Show
• Nana – Peter Pan
• Nanook – The Lost Boys
• Oliver – Oliver & Company
• Otis – The Adventures of Milo and Otis
• Patch – 101 Dalmatians
• Penny – 101 Dalmatians
• Perdita – 101 Dalmatians
• Pongo – 101 Dalmatians
• Puffy – There’s Something About Mary
• Quark – Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
• Rex – Babe
• Rin Tin Tin – Rin Tin Tin
• Rolly – 101 Dalmatians
• Rufus – Legally Blonde
• Shadow – Homeward Bound
• Shiloh – Shiloh
• Skip – My Dog Skip
• Slink – Toy Story
• Sparky – Frankenweenie
• Speck – Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
• Snots – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• Snowy – The Adventures of TinTin
• Toto – The Wizard Of Oz
• Trusty – Lady and The Tramp
• Wolfie – The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day
• Verdell – As Good As It Gets
• Yellow – Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog
• Zero – The Nightmare Before Christmas

Modern Movies

• Bailey – A Dog’s Purpose
• Baxter – Anchorman
• Bella – A Dog’s Way Home
• Big Dog – A Dog’s Purpose
• Bolt – Bolt
• Boss – Isle of Dogs
• Brandy – Hotel for Dogs
• Buck – Eight Below
• Buddy – A Dog’s Purpose
• Butch – Cats & Dogs
• Charlie – Dog Days
• Daisy – John Wick
• Dante – Coco
• Demon – Snow Dogs
• Dewey – Eight Below
• Diesel – Snow Dogs
• Duchess – Snow Dogs
• Dug – Up
• Duke – The Secret Lives of Pets and also Isle of Dogs
• Ellie – A Dog’s Purpose
• Enzo – The Art of Racing in the Rain
• Friday – Hotel for Dogs
• Gertrude – Dog Days
• Hachi – Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
• Ivy – Cats & Dogs
• Jack – The Artist
• King – Isle of Dogs
• Lou – Cats & Dogs
• Luiz – Rio
• Mabel – Dog Days
• Mack – Snow Dogs
• Max – Eight Below
• Maya – Eight Below
• Molly – A Dog’s Journey
• Mother Teresa – Must Love Dogs
• Nana – Snow Dogs
• Old Jack – Eight Below
• Peek – Cats & Dogs
• Rex – Isle of Dogs
• Sam – Cats & Dogs, Dog Days and I Am Legend
• Scooper – Snow Dogs
• Shadow – Eight Below
• Shorty – Eight Below
• Sniff – Snow Dogs
• Spots – Isle of Dogs
• Stitch – Lilo & Stitch
• Tino – A Dog’s Purpose
• Togo – Togo
• Truman – Eight Below
• Waffles – A Dog’s Purpose
• Yodel – Snow Dogs

Famous Dog Names from TV

The silver screen is also home to fictional four-legged friends. These adorable animals have won legions of fans throughout the years, and some are even household names.

Perhaps you want to recognize the pup from your favorite TV show. Or maybe you simply like a name and want to use it for your new pet.

Whatever the reason, these lists are full of the very best famous dog names.

Classic TV Shows

• Apollo – Magnum P.I.
• Arnold – Life Goes On
• Astro – The Jetsons
• Barkley – Sesame Street
• Blacktoe – Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Blue – Blue’s Clues
• Buck – Married… with Children
• Bullet – The Roy Rogers Show
• Claude – The Beverly Hillbillies
• Comet – Full House
• Dreyfuss – Empty Nest
• Eddie – Frazer
• Flash – The Dukes of Hazzard
• Foo-Foo – The Muppet Show
• Freeway – Hart to Hart
• Happy – 7th Heaven
• K9 – Doctor Who
• Lassie – Lassie
• Maximillion – The Bionic Woman
• Mister Peabody – The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle And Friends
• Petey – Little Rascals
• Pluto – Disney character
• Poochie – The Simpsons
• Porthos – Star Trek: Enterprise
• Ren Höek – The Ren & Stimpy Show
• Rowlf – The Muppets
• Santa’s Little Helper – The Simpsons
• Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo – Scooby-Doo
• Snoopy – Peanuts
• Speedy – The Drew Carey Show
• Spike – Rugrats
• Spunky – Happy Days
• Tiger – The Brady Bunch
• Tramp – My Three Sons
• Wishbone – Wishbone
• Zeus – Magnum P.I.

Modern TV Shows

• Allen – The King of Queens
• Arnold – Entourage
• Backup – Veronica Mars
• Bandit – Bluey
• Bingo – Bluey
• Bluey – Bluey
• Bouton – Outlander
• Brian – Family Guy
• Chase – Paw Patrol
• Cheddar – Brooklyn 99
• Chilli – Bluey
• Cinnamon – The Big Bang Theory
• Everest – Paw Patrol
• Ivanna – The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
• Ladybird – King of the Hill
• Marshall – Paw Patrol
• Mr. Peanutbutter – BoJack Horseman
• Nunzio – Dharma and Greg
• Oscar – Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Paul Anka – Gilmore Girls
• Rocky – Paw Patrol
• Rubble – Paw Patrol
• Shelby – Smallville
• Skye – Paw Patrol
• Stella – Modern Family
• Stinky – Dharma and Greg
• Vincent – Lost
• Wilfred – Wilfred
• Zuma – Paw Patrol

Presidential Dogs

American presidents seem to love their canine companions. In fact, nearly three-quarters of all U.S. presidents in history have owned dogs while in the White House.

Because this is such a highly visible role, people recognize not just the president but also their family members and even their pets.

Let’s explore the names of presidential dogs in recent history as well as those belonging to noteworthy leaders from the past.

Joe Biden

• Champ
• Major

Barack Obama

• Bo
• Sunny

George W. Bush

• Spot “Spotty” Fetcher
• Barney
• Miss Beazley

Bill Clinton 

• Buddy

George H.W. Bush

• Millie
• Ranger

Ronald Reagan 

• Lucky
• Rex
• Victory
• Peggy
• Taca
• Fuzzy

Jimmy Carter

• Grits
• Lewis Brown

John F. Kennedy

• Pushinka
• Shannon
• Wolf
• Clipper

Abraham Lincoln

• Fido

George Washington

• Sweet Lips
• Scentwell
• Vulcan
• Drunkard
• Taster
• Tipler
• Tipsy

This is just a sampling of the dogs who’ve lived in the White House. Here’s an article with a complete list of all the Presidential Dogs.

Other Famous Dog Names

And last but not least, let’s look at other famous dogs and see if they help you find a great name for your pup.

These dogs have appeared as brand mascots, commercial stars and much more.

• Bingo – Cracker Jack brand mascot
• Bullseye – Target’s official mascot
• Gidget – Chihuahua from Taco Bell ads
• Hank – adopted stray that became the unofficial mascot for the Milwaukee Brewers
• McGruff – anti-crime mascot
• Lady Greyhound – Greyhound bus’ mascot dog
• Nipper – RCA logo dog
• Spuds MacKenzie – 80s spokesdog
• Tinkerbell – Paris Hilton’s chihuahua and favorite fashion accessory
• Ubu Roi – Ubu Productions “Sit, Ubu, sit” mascot

There are many famous dogs in the world – from television, movies, literature and real life.

Some dogs are real and others are fictional characters.

You may have heard of some of these dogs already while others may be completely new.

There’s one thing they have in common, however: They provide plenty of inspiration for famous dog names!

If you’re bringing home a new dog and choose one of these names, you’ll know your pup is following in the footsteps of an awesome animal that came before them.

More Name Ideas

Looking for more name ideas? Try our online generator!

It offers thousands of ideas and generates custom names catered to your canine.

To start, pick your favorite name styles and/or themes and the gender of your dog. From there, it’ll generate a list of cool dog names.

Teach Your Dog Its Name!

Kyle J. Larson

Kyle grew up with Yellow Labs in his family since he was a child. He is a SIRIUS Certified dog trainer and loves all dogs. As a professional web designer and author, he keeps our dog name and breed search tools running.