# Dogs named "Bella" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 18, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381 "2011-11-18T19:58:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/21 "2011-11-19T22:20:19Z")
I don’t have a dog named Bella, but I have one named Fiona and I was NOT thinking of the Shrek movies when I named her but that’s what everyone thinks now. Anyway. The most common dog name is Maggie. I have a client with a teenaged daughter named Maggie. And two dogs, named Lucy and Izzy. I was working in her house (painting) and mid-afternoon, Maggie the daughter came home from school and went upstairs. About the same time, Lucy and Izzy the dogs looked like they needed to go outside, so I let them out. Client came home and greeted me. Then, “Where’s Maggie, have you seen her?” Automatically assuming she meant one of the dogs, I said “She looked like she needed to go potty so I put her into the back yard.” …long silence… Client and I cracked up hysterically. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/22 "2011-11-19T23:08:32Z")
Steve Rhoades: “This is protective gear. You see, Bella still hasn’t accepted us as his rightful owners.” Al Bundy: “You named that dog after Bela Lugosi?” Steve Rhoades: “No, Abzug.” Marcy Rhoades: “We thought it was kind of cute. But he won’t wear the hat.” ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/23 "2011-11-20T00:49:34Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > A co-worker recently got a dog and named her Bella. But quickly added “It’s not because of Twilight.” Instead, it’s because the word “bella” is Italian for “beautiful.” This. One of my bosses had a beautiful, friendly english mastiff that he named Bella. Great dog, loved to eat ice cubes and chase flashlight spots like a cat with a laser pointer. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/24 "2011-11-20T03:44:16Z")
I think my whole life I known dogs called Bella. I’m sure there’s an increase though because of the recent films. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/25 "2011-11-20T05:27:12Z")
Makes as much sense as little girls named Madison. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/26 "2011-11-20T05:34:00Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > A co-worker recently got a dog and named her Bella. But quickly added “It’s not because of Twilight.” Instead, it’s because the word “bella” is Italian for “beautiful.” Chiming in as the owner of a dog named Bella. The above was the reason my (ex) wife named her Bella. Also, we got her about 8 or 9 years ago, so, long before anything having to do with Twilight. I think Bella was already starting to become a popular dog’s name at the time, but I don’t think we knew that. Also, IMO, it’s just kind of a nice name for a dog. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/27 "2011-11-20T12:05:51Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Makes as much sense as little girls named Madison. I know a girl named Madison whose dog is named Bella. You may have to have a little lie down. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/28 "2011-11-20T12:14:18Z")
Wife has a cat named Bella; I call the same cat ‘Skunkbutt’ because of the color patterns around her tail. ---
**Author:** ![Sandwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@Sandwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandwood)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/29 "2011-11-20T13:29:04Z")
German “bellen” means “to bark”, which (in combination with their meaning in Italian) made Bello and Bella really popular names for dogs around here when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/30 "2011-11-21T20:29:17Z")
I used to know a fair number of dogs named Stella, but that’s what you get when you hang out with deadheads. In my town the dogs at animal control are given familiar names which are recycled over and over. Perhaps this is partially to blame for the phenomenon. I renamed ‘Latifah’ a few years ago because I couldn’t imagine yelling it with satisfaction. Tulip works much better. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/31 "2011-11-22T01:55:59Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Makes as much sense as little girls named Madison. One of my 4 year old son’s classmates is a girl named Addison, which I think is even worse, especially here in the DC area, where I’ve heard the announcement “this is a Blue Line train to Addison Road” literally hundreds of times. ---
**Author:** ![Spacegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Spacegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spacegirl)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/32 "2011-11-22T02:26:01Z")
I have a dog named Bella. On the way to get her, we kept brainstorming names, and I thought it would be best to wait until we picked her up. Then when she was sitting in my lap on the way home, I just said “Bella!” which sounded perfect for her, and Bella she became.\*\* We call her Bells for short, well, also Baby Bells, Bella Butt, and Silver Bells (she has silver spots in her fur). No Twilight reference, I just liked it. My Grandma’s dog’s sister is also named Bella. I guess “Bella” is the new “Molly” for dog names. \*\*Fiancee wanted to name her Daisy :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/33 "2011-11-22T03:28:09Z")
Now can anybody explain why so many cats are named Oliver? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/34 "2011-11-22T04:19:48Z")
Because cheesy people with poor taste want to indulge in their Twilight obsession, but they have just barely enough shame that they wouldn’t go so far as to name their child in its honor. So they name their dog. (and before you say: my dog is named Bella and I don’t like Twilight at all! - I don’t care. If the premise of the OP is true and it’s become recently popular, that is why) ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381/35 "2011-11-22T07:22:26Z")
I have one of those, but I spell it with only one L. I brought her home from the pound as a puppy and couldn’t think of a good name at first. Then I figured out that based on her approximate age as presented by the pound that she was born around Beltane, but that didn’t roll off the tongue so I went with Bela for short. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-named-bella/603381.md?page=1)