Musical Dog Names

Introduction

Music is a huge part of a person’s daily life. You can hear music playing everywhere, whether it’s on the radio while you’re driving or coming from a street musician while on your daily commute. Music has the power to touch lives and inspire creativity in people. This is why it comes as no surprise that lots of dog owners look to music for inspiration when naming their new pet. There are numerous music-inspired names that are suitable for your new dog. From famous musicians to musical terms and instruments, you’ll be sure to find one that will match your dog’s look and personality.

Musical Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog with a Musical Name

Beethoven

When talking about famous dogs with a music-inspired name, probably the first pup that comes to mind is Beethoven. The adorable Saint Bernard is the central character in the Beethoven film franchise. The first film of the series tells the story of Beethoven as he escapes from a pet store invaded by dog thieves. He sneaks into the home of Newtons and is found by the family. While the father, George, does not like the idea of taking care of the dog, Alice, his wife, and their kids, Emily, Ted and Ryce, all want to keep the dog and he is eventually convinced.

As Emily was playing the Fifth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven on the piano one day, the dog barks along to the music. As a result, the family named him Beethoven, after the famous composer. As Beethoven grows up, he becomes sloppy and constantly performs odd antics. Despite this, the family has grown attached to him, with the exception of George who is jealous of the attention given to Beethoven. Overtime, Beethoven also helps the children face some of their personal issues – he scares away Ted’s bullies, gives Ryce the courage to talk to his crush and saves Emily from drowning in the pool.

When Beethoven was brought to the pet clinic for a routine check, the veterinarian, Dr. Herman Varnick, sets his sights on Beethoven for unethical animal testing. He ends up plotting on taking Beethoven from the family and fakes an attack in order to get the family to give Beethoven under the guise of euthanasia. Eventually, the Newtons realize the mistake they made and go to Dr. Varnick to try and save Beethoven. In the end, they not only succeed in taking back Beethoven, they are also able to release all the dogs being held captive by Dr. Varnick and ended up adopting them.

The family comedy film was an instant hit and spawned an entire film franchise composed of eight instalments. The film series told the adventures of Beethoven and the Newton family throughout various seasons and stages of the family’s lives. Aside from the films, Beethoven was also brought to television in Beethoven: The Animated Series. The show ran for one season, from 1994 to 1995.

The extreme success met by Beethoven not only raised the popularity of Saint Bernards as pets, it also inspired lots of pet owners to give their dogs some unique, music-inspired names.

Musical Dog Name Considerations

When it comes to naming your new dog, careful planning and consideration must be given. Remember that the name that you will give your dog is the one that he or she will carry for their entire doggy lives. Among dog experts, the rule of thumb is to choose a name that has only one or two syllables at most. This allows your dog to easily remember the name given to them. Another rule is to avoid names that sound like basic dog commands, such as “fetch” or “stay”.

While these are all good considerations, the best way to pick a name is to take note of your dog’s look, personality or even individual quirks. For example, if you have a really loud and active dog, you may want to call him Jagger, inspired by the Rolling Stones’ frontman, Mick Jagger. For some specific dog breeds, you may even go with funny music-inspired puns. An example would be Billy Corgi, a play on the Welsh Corgi breed and Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan. But, most importantly, you should choose a name that you actually like. If you are a fan of a certain band or artist, you can use that as inspiration for your pet’s name. For “Beatlemaniacs”, naming their dog “Ringo” would be a perfect choice.

When it comes to musical dog names, the possibilities are endless. You just have to take a good look at your dog and figure out which name will be most appropriate.

Male Musical Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
7	Buddy From 50’s rock n’ roll superstar Buddy Holly; good for friendly dogs
7	Snoop From rapper Snoop Dogg
6	Cash From iconic country singer Johnny Cash
6	Wolfgang After classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; good for wolf-like dogs
6	Lennon From name of Beatles’ member John Lennon
6	Ziggy From David Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust
5	Prince From the late popular rock n’ roll artist of the same name
5	Marley From iconic reggae artist Bob Marley
5	Mambo Taken from Lou Bega’s hit “Mambo no. 5”
4	Bowie From singer-actor David Bowie; good for eccentric dogs
4	Hendrix From famous guitarist Jimi Hendrix
4	Floyd From English rock band Pink Floyd
4	Gibson A well-known brand of guitars
4	Hancock From jazz artist Herbie Hancock
3	Elvis Named after “The King” Elvis Presley, good choice for hound dogs
3	Hammer From hip hop artist M.C. Hammer
2	Bolt From the name of singer Michael Bolton, good for fast dogs
2	Freddie From late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury
2	Otis From soul and R&B singer Otis Redding
1	Jackson From iconic singer-performer Michael Jackson
0	Axl From Guns N’ Roses frontman, Axl Rose
0	Bongo A type of drums with small, open bottoms; good for smaller dogs
0	Ramone From the famous rock band The Ramones
0	Miles From composer and trumpeter Miles Davis, good for dogs who love walks or runs
0	Dylan From legendary singer Bob Dylan
0	Henley From The Eagles’ member Don Henley
-1	Sting From The Police's frontman of the same name
-2	Bono From the band U2’s frontman of the same name
-2	B.B. From blues singer and musician B.B. King
-2	Buckley From singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley

Female Musical Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
8	Lyric The words of a song
7	Pixie Derived from the band The Pixies
7	Roxanne From the famous song of the same name by The Police
7	Tegan From the musical sister duo Tegan & Sara
6	Carole From singer-songwriter Carole King
6	Jazz A music genre originating from New Orleans
5	Lennox From singer-songwriter Annie Lennox
5	Cello A type of stringed instrument
5	Jolene From Dolly Parton’s song of the same name
5	Janie From Aerosmith’s hit “Janie’s Got a Gun”
4	Blondie From the 80's band of the same name; good for light-colored dogs
4	Dolly From country legend Dolly Parton; good for doll-like dogs
3	Jett From rock singer and vocalist Joan Jett; good for fast-running dogs
2	Cyndi From singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper
2	Peggy From Buddy Holly’s song “Peggy Sue got Married”
2	Sharona From The Knack’s hit “My Sharona”
2	Domino From Fats Domino; suitable for dogs with black and white colors
1	Melody Musical term referring to a sequence of notes
1	Maggie From Rod Stewart’s song “Maggie May”
1	Chubby From singer-dancer Chubby Checker; good for stubby dogs
1	Lullaby A soft, calming song usually sung to infants to fall asleep; good for lazy or sleepy dogs
0	Lucy From the Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”
0	Arietta Musical term meaning “short melody”, good for short dogs
0	Rigby From the Beatles’ hit “Eleanor Rigby”
0	Joplin From rock singer and songwriter Janis Joplin
0	Treble Musical term referring to tones that are of high range; good for mischievous or naughty dogs
-1	Siouxsie From English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees; good for dark-colored, feisty dogs
-1	Queen From the rock band Queen
-3	Abbey Taken from The Beatles’ famous album “Abbey Road”
-3	Rhiannon From the Fleetwood Mac song of the same name