How did you choose your pets' names?

[Katharine]

Today I collected two new guinea pigs. I wanted names beginning with 'E'.

As the first day I was able to collect them was yesterday - 11th August, I decided to call one of them Enid. She's a 'teddy' which means she has a slightly frizzy coat, and is almost completely light brown in colour. OK, not a very accurate match to Enid Blyton, but I know her hair was brown, albeit a darker colour, and in one or two photos I've seen of her as a young adult her hair does appear to have a slightly frizzy texture to it.

[Bertie]

I hadn't seen this thread before today's post - not surprising, as the previous post was from 2012!

I've currently only got the one cat (plus plenty of fish / birds being fed in the garden!) He's called Slinky, and that's because it's what I used to call him when he was a very thin, nervous stray cat who would 'slink' about the garden furtively. Now that he's a fat, slow, plodding house cat it doesn't suit him all that much!

When I was younger, we used to have a lot of day trips to Scotland. Returning from one, we found a stray cat in bad condition curled up in our porch. We ended up adopting her and, inspired by our finding her coming back from Scotland, we called her Jings (based on the 'Jings, Crivens, Help Ma Boab' saying we used to laugh at in The Broons and Oor Wullie comics. We didn't realise until later that they were all minced oaths for Jesus, Christ and Help Me God!)!

[Moonraker]

Today I collected two new guinea pigs. I wanted names beginning with 'E'.
As the first day I was able to collect them was yesterday - 11th August, I decided to call one of them Enid.

And the other?

[Moonraker]

Our long-departed cockatiel was called Kiki - for obvious reasons. I can't trawl through the posts, so I have probably already said this.

[Katharine]

Today I collected two new guinea pigs. I wanted names beginning with 'E'.
As the first day I was able to collect them was yesterday - 11th August, I decided to call one of them Enid.

And the other?

Echo. For no other reason than I recently met someone with that name and thought it very interesting and rather unusual.

[Bertie]

Our long-departed cockatiel was called Kiki - for obvious reasons. I can't trawl through the posts, so I have probably already said this.

I always wanted a pet like that and would've called it Kiki as well. Similar with a dog that I'd have called Timmy (we always had a houseful of lovely cats instead).

Though when I got to the point where I was the one naming the pets, I've pretty much avoided naming them after characters from books / shows that bring happiness as I know after they've died that name will then be tinged with sadness each time I hear it. Whereas Enid's Kiki, Timmy, Buster et al will always be alive.

[Moonraker]

Today I collected two new guinea pigs. I wanted names beginning with 'E'.
As the first day I was able to collect them was yesterday - 11th August, I decided to call one of them Enid.

And the other?

Echo. For no other reason than I recently met someone with that name and thought it very interesting and rather unusual.

I suppose if you ever lose her, she will always come back to you. Back to you, to you, to you, you, you...

[Boodi 2]

As it is supposed to be unlucky to change a horse's name I never did so and continued using the names given by the previous owners. While I probably would not have chosen any of the names myself I soon got used to them. For the record my three horses were called Cyrano, Battea and Rondalla. However, my husband and I were quite inventive when it came to naming our cats, who were called Orlovska (our son called him "Olo" as he could not pronounce "Orlovska"), Bloch, Sox, William and the present resident feline is called Mrs. Reilly (or Reilly for short).

[Katharine]

Interesting to hear about the superstition over changing the name of a horse. I hope the same isn't true of guinea pigs, as I've changed several over the years.

Nigel - ha ha about Echo returning to me.

Bertie, that's a good point about not naming a pet something that might have sad reminders in the future.

So far Enid and Echo seem to settling into their new home ok. They are in a temporary cage within the main cage where they will eventually live with my two other females. The two older ones seem to be completely ignoring their new housemates!

[Boodi 2]

Don't worry Katherine, I think the superstition about changing the name only applies to horses.

Glad that Enid and Echo are settling in OK and hopefully their two older housemates will soon accept them as part of the family (unlike my horse Battea, who never accepted Rondalla and was always jealous of her. Rondalla initially tried to make friends with Battea, but when she was rebuffed in no uncertain terms she never forgave Battea and always tried to steal her attention...and rewards)!

[Ice_Gemz]

Found my previous post in this thread from 11 and a half years ago!

a German Shepherd we owned when I was a wee toddler was called Tiger. I don't why, though!

Our previous dog (GSD/Rottweiller cross) was called Tyge, pronounced 'tiger' but without the 'r' He ws a rescue dog and had been called Walt while living at the rescue centre (he had been found tied up on Walton beach:( ) sadly he passed on last year at the ripe old age of 15, which is pretty good for a GSD.

We have very recently got another rescue GSD who is called Hooch, he already had the name and responds well to it so we didn't feel the need to change it.
We also have an iguana called Zuki, who came with her too.

Alas, Zuki left us about 9 years ago, and Hooch left us in March 2021.

We now have another GSD called Wilson (like the dog from the TV series Friday Night Dinner) although he came with the name and we call him Willie now.
Last year we decided Willie needed company for when I returned to working in the office, so we took on a young GSD Alaskan Malamute cross. She was originally called Stella, but didn't suit the name. We renamed her Inca, but often she gets called Stinker.

(Yes I have had some odd looks when calling their names when out with them!)