Old-fashioned dog names: vintage picks with real history

Part 1

The story behind one old-fashioned name: Rin Tin Tin

Corporal Lee Duncan found him as a newborn puppy in a bombed German war-dog kennel in Flirey, France, in September 1918, along with his mother and four littermates. Duncan named the puppy and his sister Nanette after a pair of good-luck dolls called Rintintin and Nénette that French children gave to American soldiers during the war. Those dolls had been designed a few years earlier by the artist Francisque Poulbot to look like Paris street children. Duncan kept the male and female puppy for himself and gave the rest of the litter to other soldiers.

Duncan brought Rin Tin Tin back to the United States in 1919 and trained him at home in Southern California. In 1922 he entered the dog in a show, where Rin Tin Tin scaled an eleven-foot, nine-inch wall and won the jumping competition. A slow-motion film of that jump convinced Duncan to try getting the dog into pictures. By 1923 Rin Tin Tin was starring in his own picture, Where the North Begins. He went on to appear in twenty-seven Hollywood films between 1922 and 1931, and Warner Bros. paid him one thousand dollars a week, more than many human actors earned at the time.

Rin Tin Tin died in 1932. His fame did not end there, since the name was later given to several related dogs who kept his story going in film, radio, and television, including a series set in the 1950s. If you like a name with this kind of staying power, it can work just as well for your own dog today.

Part 2

Old-fashioned names for female dogs

If you want a vintage name for a female dog, look at names that were common for women a few generations back. Bessie, Mabel, Pearl, and Nell all carry that same old-fashioned warmth. Nanette, the sister Rin Tin Tin was rescued with, is a real example of a female dog's name from that same period. You do not need a dog with a long pedigree to use a name like this, since any dog can wear an old name well.

• Bessie
• Mabel
• Pearl
• Nell
• Nanette

Part 3

Old-fashioned names for male dogs

For a male dog, short, plain-sounding names tend to have that vintage feel. Rin Tin Tin himself is proof that a distinctive name from this era can outlast the dog who first carried it, since his name was reused for later dogs for decades. Buster, Gus, Walter, Duke, and Rex all sit comfortably in the same category if you want something a little more everyday for your dog.

• Buster
• Gus
• Walter
• Duke
• Rex

Part 4

Bringing an old-fashioned name into today

A vintage name can suit a modern dog just fine, especially if you like the sound of it. Try calling the name out loud in a park or at home before you settle on it, since a name that reads well on paper does not always work as a quick command. Say it a few times with your dog nearby and watch how he responds to it. It also helps to check that the name does not sound too close to a word you use every day, such as a training command or a family member's name. If the name still feels right after a few tries, it is probably a good match for your dog.