15 Of The Most Unusual Dog Names Ever

Reddit is a goldmine, and it's a great place to find out what all kinds of people have named their pets! One commenter wrote that she was inspired by a Disney classic. "My gorgeous mix of canine is called Yzma. As in Yzma and Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove. She's the happiest nutcase."

Several dog owners shared that they've either known dogs named Taco or used the name themselves. And that one makes a lot of sense: Why not name a dog you love after a food that you love? Tacos are delicious. Dogs are super sweet. A dog named Taco is probably the most deliciously sweet thing! It's math.

One person wrote, "My sister has a rottie, boxer, mutt dog and she named him Garb. I thought it was the dumbest name ever, but after spending time with him, it fits. He's a big derpy joy." I've never heard the word "garb" used to describe anything other than what someone is wearing, but I like it here.

Listen, Moose pretty much fits all of the requirements I listed above. It's a cute name by itself, and you probably aren't going to meet a lot of other dogs named Moose. Also, it has a bunch of even cuter nicknames (e.g., Moo-moo!), and you can definitely imagine yourself yelling "Moooooooooose!!!!" across any dog park anywhere.

A card-game-turned-dog-name? Sure, why not?

"My parents have a dog named Uno… when his mom was pregnant with him my parents were convinced along with the vet that there had to be at least 8 pups in there but when she went overdue and the vet had to intervene they realized it was just one giant one. Uno it was."

Sassafras is actually just part of a name that is genuinely pretty unusual and unique. As the commenter explains, "My parents had a brown cocker spaniel named Hot Smoking Sassafras. We called her Sassy for short."

I don't know if I could yell "Hot Smoking Sassafrass" across the park, but I could definitely nickname the heck out of that dog.

Another person shared that even though they were changing it, they were planning to adopt a puppy named Arlo. "The puppy we are rescuing has been named 'Arlo'. We are going to rename him Sammy, though. But I've never heard of Arlo!"

I love the name! It always makes me think of Arlo Guthrie.

Any fan of the Harry Potter series can tell you exactly where this name comes from! I don't know what kind of dog could be named Krum, but I love the idea of it being a teeny-tiny Chihuahua with an outsized, meaty personality. "Krum! Krum! Krum!"

Still working on those nicknames, though.

Pickles is SUPER cute. One person shares, "There was a puppy in our training class named Pickles. It's such a funny name to train with!"

But apparently this doesn't fly with another commenter: "Haha that's great! But I'm more of the guy that wants to name him something that won't offend but will make people uncomfortable, because I think its funny. Like naming him Richard would be awesome because of the nickname for it. But I don't want the dog to catch any flak for it."

Odin is a mighty name fit for a mighty beast, right? The name itself means "frenzy" or "rage," and in Norse mythology, Odin is the father of all the Norse gods. Heavy! It might also be a great name for a dog who is small, ridiculous, and very, very fluffy.

To me, Potato is totally a unique dog name … but apparently it's not?

"There's a dog in my puppy training class named Potato. I thought that was hilarious and I thought it was even funnier when the teacher said, with a straight face, "I've known lots of Potatoes." I didn't quite believe him at the time, but then on a walk the other day I met an English bulldog named Potato, so I guess it's not that uncommon of a dog name. Maybe there was a dog named Potato in a movie or something?"

I don't know why the idea of a dog named Karen tickles me so much, but every time I think about it, I laugh. Maybe it's because I always think it's kind of funny when pets have people names, unless they're named after a character. Karen! Kaaaareeeeennnn!!!!

Oh my gosh, the story of a dog named Fish is a classic:

"I read somewhere on reddit about a family who named their dog, fish. Because they were getting a fish and ended up buying a puppy."

That's how it's done, folks.

I am a sucker for character names, and the idea of naming a dog after the iconic Powerpuff Girls villain Mojo Jojo is too perfect! Especially if you spell the name with plenty of exclamation points.

"I just saw a post on some other dog related subreddit about a dog called Bandit, I thought that was cute. A guy I dated always wanted to have a dog called Godzilla and he'd joke that he'd call him Godzy for short. I've always been a little partial to the typical 90's cartoon names myself, ones like Aladdin or Mojo Jojo (from the cartoon Powerpuff Girls)."

I am personally also into Star Wars-specific names! But it sounds like not everyone gets it:

"My puppy is Anakin.

“Which doesn’t seem so unusual to me but everyone always asks me why I named him that. Someone even told me it was a stupid name today.”

But don’t worry … this reply proves nerds will always find one another:

“They better be careful when he grows up and pledges himself to the service of the chancellor.”