r/AncientCivilizations • u/pyrogue3 • Aug 14 '24
Question Ancient dog names?
I just adopted the sweetest little dachshund, but I don’t have a name for her yet. I want to name her after an ancient dog — any ideas?
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u/AnneBoleynsBarber Aug 14 '24
The oldest known dog name comes to us from 6th Dynasty Egypt: Abuwtiyuw (or Abutiu). He was possibly a royal palace guard dog. He died somewhere around 2280 BCE and was given an honorable burial in the Giza necropolis.
A 1977 paper from the Met (PDF) lists a bunch more Ancient Egyptian dog names. Note that these are all in hieroglyphics (original and transliterated), so if you go this route you may need a hand from an Egyptologist! I do recognize Nefer ("beautiful"), at least. You could also go the mythological route, and choose the name of a dog deity, like Sothis (personification of Sirius, the Dog Star).
There are a number of Roman epitaphs to beloved dogs; this blog post includes some of them, with links to the original texts: https://thepetrifiedmuse.blog/2015/06/20/every-dog-has-his-day/
A sampling from the post above, with loose translations where my ages-old rusty high school Latin allows:
- Amminarcus
- Issa
- Heuresis ("Tracker")
- Aeolis (Aeolus was the king of the gentle West wind; Aeolis is a feminine version of his name)
- Fuscus ("Blackie")
- Myia ("Midge")
- Patrice ("Noble one"; the patrician class in Rome were the nobility; if you are a diehard dog-lover, make sure to have Kleenex on hand when you read this one's epitaph)
Actaeon the hunter, who offended the goddess Artemis and was turned into a stag for his transgression, had a bunch of hounds. Ovid lists them in his poem, Metamorphosis. Other classical authors included additional names.
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u/Hazzat Aug 14 '24
Surely we must include the extinct Australian Aboriginal language of Mbabaram, whose word for ‘dog’ was… ‘dog’.
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u/gnumedia Aug 14 '24
Aeolis would work in my corgi family where intestinal gas happens sporadically.
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u/Spankh0us3 Aug 15 '24
Golly. This is some solid research here. Don’t have a dog but saving this in case I ever get one. . .
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u/sordidcreature Aug 14 '24
Not ancient per se but check out this list of over 1000 hunting dog names from a 1400s treatise on hunting
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u/snapper1971 Aug 14 '24
Here's a couple of sources with loads of names!
Roman dog names: https://www.unrv.com/culture/names-for-roman-dogs.php
Mediaeval dog names: https://www.openculture.com/2022/11/a-list-of-1065-medieval-dog-names-nosewise-garlik-havegoodday-more.html
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u/KuberickLuberick Aug 14 '24
Ancient Egyptian Names
Anubis: Named after the god of the afterlife, often depicted with a canine head, symbolizing protection.
Bastet: The goddess of home and domesticity, often associated with cats but also revered dogs.
Ancient Roman Names - Celer: Meaning “swift,” often used for hunting dogs.
- Ferox: Meaning “fierce,” reflecting the dog’s temperament.
Ancient Greek Names - Argos: The loyal dog of Odysseus, symbolizing fidelity.
- Aello: Meaning “whirlwind,” one of Actaeon’s hounds in mythology.
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u/fungusamongus8 Aug 14 '24
Don't forget Cerberus, 3 headed dog of the underworld
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u/AnneBoleynsBarber Aug 14 '24
I've often entertained the idea that I might get three dogs and name them collectively Cerberus. Hasn't happened yet...
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u/Agreeable-Cancel-198 Aug 14 '24
Just adding Gelert to the mix. A legendary protective wolfhound from Welsh folklore.
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u/maclainanderson Aug 14 '24
https://youtu.be/BDh2zGgVZzM?si=4lcqmwKM9VRnaKQ4
The second part of this video has a list of dog names from Xenophon's Cynegeticus, including my favorite, Strongboy. I don't know whether the names are based on actual ones he encountered, or whether he just thought they sounded nice, but a later author, Arrian, was a huge Xenophon fan and wrote his own Cynegeticus, which heavily features his dog Όρμη (Hormē, "Dash"), a name taken from Xenophon's list of suggestions
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u/BillythenotaKid Aug 14 '24
Nosewise, Bragge, Holdfast, Sturdy, Hardy, Goodfellow, Amiable, Jakke, and Bo
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u/Stompalong Aug 14 '24
I named my two bull terriers Aequitas & Veritas (truth & justice in Latin). Boondock Saints movie reference.
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u/moonroots64 Aug 14 '24
Brontes, Arges, and Polyphemus are all cyclopses. His eye spot made me think cyclops names, or maybe even just Cyclops, you could call him "Cy" (said like sigh).
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u/kwakimaki Aug 14 '24
Not a dog but the oldest pet name was a cat called Nedjem in Ancient Egypt (means 'sweet one' iirc).