Looking for the best classic dog names from literature for your new canine companion?
You’re going to love this list!
With 85 names across every genre and style, the hardest thing will be choosing just one!
Read on to check them out!
Related ➨➨ Top 500+ Dog Names to Help You Find the Perfect Moniker for Your New Pup
Classic Dog Names from Literature
Literature is full of unlikely and distinctive names, be it character names or even the names of authors. Being a bookworm, why not scan the bookshelves to help you find a great name.
Maybe the name of a famous dog from literature? You can also consider your favorite literary character whose personality matches your dog’s. Or even the name of an author that you love.
Here is an extensive list of classic dog names picked from literature that you can choose as an inspiration while picking the perfect name for your new dog.
Be warned, the choice is going to be a tough one!
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30 Literary Character Inspired Dog Names
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Long after reading our favorite books, the characters and the stories remain with us. Picking a name from literature is a great way of including your favorite book into your daily life.
- Bilbo – The Hobbit
- Black – Sirius Black from Harry Potter
- Captain Hook – Peter Pan
- Charlotte – Charlotte’s Web
- Dantes – The Count of Monte Christo (first name is Edmund, but I like Dantes better for a dog)
- Dodger – Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist
- Jekyll – The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (when he’s being naughty, you can call him Hyde!)
- Watson – Sherlock Holmes
- Esmeralda – The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
- Gandalf – The Lord of The Rings
- Gatsby – The Great Gatsby
- Gulliver – Gulliver’s Travel
- Heidi – Heidi
- Hermione – Harry Potter
- Huckleberry or Huck – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Juliet – Romeo and Juliet
- Lancelot – King Arthur’s right-hand man
- Macbeth – Macbeth by Shakespeare
- Matilda – Matilda
- Miss Marple – Agatha Christie’s Crime Novels
- Mowgli – The Jungle Book
- Darcy – Pride and Prejudice
- Dalloway – Mrs. Dalloway
- Pip – The Great Expectations
- Princess Buttercup – The Princess Bride
- Ophelia – Hamlet
- Othello – The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice
- Scarlett – Gone with the Wind
- Sherlock – Sherlock Holmes
- Tinkerbell – Peter Pan
Of these classic dog names from literature, I really love Ophelia and Juliet for a girl, but since they both met such tragic fates, I’d probably go with something like Hermione!
For a boy dog, I love Lancelot. It’s a good, strong name. Of course, his life ended rather tragically, too. Mowgli is a cute name if you want a “happily ever after” moniker.
Related: 100 Wonderful Winter Dog Names
15 Famous Dogs from Literature
For nerds who love to keep their noses in their books and want a way to remember and revisit their favorite four-legged literary characters, why not name your new pooch after them?
Here are some great selections for you to pick from.
- Argos – The Odyssey
- Bull’s-Eye – Oliver Twist
- Cujo – Cujo
- Dogmatix – The Adventures of Asterix
- Fang – Harry Potter
- Ghost – Game of Thrones
- Jip – David Copperfield
- Lassie – Lassie Come-Home
- Nana – Peter Pan
- Snowy – The Adventures of Tintin
- Tiger – The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
- Tock – The Phantom Tollbooth
- Top – Mysterious Island
- Toto – The Wizard of Oz
- Wolf – Rip Van Winkle
Honestly, I’m not so sure I’d go with Cujo! On the other hand, it’s a funny ironic name, especially if you give it to a tiny dog, like a teacup poodle!
11 Other Animal Names from Literature
Apart from dogs, there are a number of other memorable animal companions from literature that have stood the test of time.
Here are a few suggestions of literature’s famous animals whose names you can use for your beloved little pooch.
- Aragog – Harry Potter (a spider)
- Aslan – The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (the title lion)
- Black Beauty – Black Beauty (the title horse)
- Dinah – Alice in Wonderland (Alice’s cat)
- Drogon – A Song of Ice & Fire
(a dragon)
- Hedwig – Harry Potter (an owl)
- Norris – Harry Potter (another kitty!)
- Pickwick – The Pickwick Papers
(okay, so this one is a human, but hey, we’re animals, too!)
- Tigger – Winnie the Pooh (a tiger)
- Wilber – Charlotte’s Web (one terrific pig)
19 Dog Names from Famous Authors
Most authors have a unique writing style, some whimsical, others funny, inspirational and rousing, and some outright dark and menacing.
Why not name your pooch after one of your favorite authors whose writing is similar to your dog’s personality and quirks?
Or you can pick the name of an author whose distinctive looks, like curly hair or thin mustache or even long tresses, remind of your little one?
- Agatha – Agatha Christie
- Austen – Jane Austen
- Dickens – Charles Dickens
- Doyle – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Seuss
- Enid – Enid Blyton
- Fitzgerald or Fitz – F Scott Fitzgerald
- Hemingway – Ernest Hemingway
- King – Stephen King
- Lee – Harper Lee
- Leo – Leo Tolstoy
- Lewis – Lewis Carroll
- Martin – George RR Martin
- Maya – Maya Angelou
- Oscar – Oscar Wilde
- Poe – Edgar Allan Poe
- Rumi
- Shakespeare
- Tolkien – JRR Tolkien
- Woolf – Virginia Woolf
9 Other Innovative Literary Names
When choosing a name for your new furry friend, there is no right or wrong answer.
There are a few unique literature derived references that you can use for your dog’s name, no matter how well they fit!
- Anecdote
- Bard
- Drama
- Fable
- Hymn
- Lyric
- Novella
- Para
- Prose
- Verse
There are thousands and thousands of names that you can choose from when looking for a name inspired from the pages of your favorite books.
Limited by only your creativity and ingenuity and using the many different angles while making your pick, there is no dearth of inspirations and options for names for your furry companion.
What are your favorite classic dog names from literature? Share below!
