# Default dog names in other languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745 "2014-10-19T00:03:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/61 "2014-10-21T05:15:33Z")
French also has Rex and Belle (though Médor is the Big One). Interstingly, while nobody has actually ever met a dog called Médor, Rex and Belle both make it in the [top 100 of French dog names](http://www.noms-de-chiens.com/top100.html). ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/62 "2014-10-21T05:19:09Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > The generic default name for a pet parrot is Polly. Who has ever encountered that? Is there an corresponding parrot name in Dutch, or elsewhere? Coco in France. As seen in “Coco veut un biscuit”, i.e. “Polly wants a cracker”. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/63 "2014-10-21T05:50:20Z")
Regarding [Laika](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika): > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Her corpse is still orbiting somewhere. Unlikely – from [here](http://web.archive.org/web/20060816092218/http://www.moscowanimals.org/laika/laika.html): “Sputnik 2 continued to orbit for 2,570 times before it re-entered the earth’s atmosphere and burned up on 14 April 1958.” ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/64 "2014-10-21T06:54:01Z")
> [@Toucanna](#): > > Does anyone know if “Schatzie” (sp?) is really something Germans name their dogs or is it done only by English-speaking Dachshund owners? Never heard of a dog named “Schatzi”. A typical German name for a dachshund would be “Waldi”. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/65 "2014-10-21T09:46:23Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Never heard of a dog named “Schatzi”. A typical German name for a dachshund would be “Waldi”. When I was growing up, our neighbors had a dachshund named Waldi. It pertains to woods (as in forest). The Japanese have their own dog loyal after his master’s death, [Hachikō](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D). ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/66 "2014-10-21T11:57:48Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Laika was popular for a while; females only, of course. Bobby was popular for male dogs for a while; many English nicknames sound like “dog names” to spanish ears Funny. Laika was also very popular in the Dominican Rep., while Bobby is the default dog name. It’s even made into a song (“tranquilo, Bobby, tranquilo”). Mishu is the default cat name an Cuca for parrots (cuca is also a cutesy name for vulva). ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/67 "2014-10-21T14:04:44Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Even though I never heard of anydog actually called Médor. It’s fallen out of fashion. I’ve heard it many years ago. > [@](#): > > And curiously the origin of Médor is similar to that of the English Fido. It was the name of a dog who spent years guarding the grave of its late master. Not so curiously though: Le chien est le meilleur ami de l’homme. “Women are charming but dogs are so much more faithful” (Sacha Guitry) ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/68 "2014-10-21T16:36:19Z")
> [@Toucanna](#): > > Thanks for sparking a memory! “Trezor”, which means “treasure” in Russian, appears to have been a popular name for dogs. > > I named a female tabby cat “Dottie”. You’d be surprised at how many people didn’t get the joke. > > Does anyone know if “Schatzie” (sp?) is really something Germans name their dogs or is it done only by English-speaking Dachshund owners? I named mine “Rotwurst” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/69 "2014-10-21T19:49:42Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I met some hipsters with a Rover. More people who failed at “ironic.” How does that fail to be ironic? It’s a supposedly and fictitiously common name for a dog that nobody seems to actually use, so they actually use it. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/70 "2014-10-21T20:56:08Z")
> [@Antonius\_Block](#): > > Regarding [Laika](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika): > > Unlikely – from [here](http://web.archive.org/web/20060816092218/http://www.moscowanimals.org/laika/laika.html): “Sputnik 2 continued to orbit for 2,570 times before it re-entered the earth’s atmosphere and burned up on 14 April 1958.” [There are two sides to every story.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2367681.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/71 "2014-10-22T01:28:14Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > In some parts of India - Moti (pearl) and Sheroo (tiger like) and Tommy are popular. When I was in my teens an Indian (Malayali) friend of mine had a dog called something that sounded like “Shuki” - I don’t know how it was spelt as I never saw it written down. I thought he said it was a common name for a dog and meant something like “king” but I don’t know if that is right. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/72 "2014-10-22T02:30:27Z")
> [@SiamSam222](#): > > It should be pointed out that in German, Fido is pronounced Fee-doh. > [@Nava](#): > > /fɪdo/ or /fɪdɔ/ (I can’t tell the difference between those two "o"s and was taught to pronounce German os like Spanish ones, but according to the info I found they’re different). I did mean the normal long O sound. Didn’t mean to get fancy. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/73 "2014-10-22T03:39:48Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > When I was in my teens an Indian (Malayali) friend of mine had a dog called something that sounded like “Shuki” - I don’t know how it was spelt as I never saw it written down. I thought he said it was a common name for a dog and meant something like “king” but I don’t know if that is right. Princhester - i will ask my Malayali friends. Are you sure the name was Shuki and not Shaji ? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/74 "2014-10-22T04:40:40Z")
No, definitely a “k” sound at the end. The middle vowel was a longer “u” as in “use” or maybe could be described as like “oo” in “book”. Not the short “u” like in “up”. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/75 "2014-10-24T05:06:17Z")
The Bassett Hound I had as a kid was Phydeaux. My parents named him, but I thought it was funny. Most people had no idea it had that spelling and just thought it was a fitting name for a doofus. ---
**Author:** ![Solved](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Solved](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solved)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745/76 "2014-10-24T07:53:43Z")
In my dialect of Spanish: Terri, Bobby, Dogui, Pichi (and Michi for cats). Terri even has its own joke, in which someone at a restaurant asks for a doggie bag for Terri… the **terri** fic stew they’ll prepare with the leftovers, using the common dog name to flout the cultural faux pas of asking to take leftover food home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/default-dog-names-in-other-languages/701745.md?page=3)