Celebrity Dog Names

Hollywood Hounds & Their Names

In Hollywood, it's all about the names. Where would we be without Spielberg, Brangelina, Madonna, Cruise, Posh or Britney? In Hollywood, you are nothing without a catchy name, specifically one that says “Hey, look over here! I'm special!” The odd thing is that celebrities seem to be kinder with their choices for pet names than they are when it comes to naming their children.

Here are a few comparisons. Ghost Whisperer star Jennifer Love Hewitt named her loveable little King Charles Spaniel Charlie. In 2005, Nicholas Cage named his newborn son Kal-El, the birth name of comic book superhero Superman.

Jennifer Aniston’s Corgi/Terrier mix is Norman, while a few years back Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple. Even the late Anna Nicole Smith, known probably more for her eccentricities than actual Hollywood resume, was the proud owner of a white Maltese named Marilyn. Gwen Stefani and hubby Gavin Rossdale recently had another baby boy and named him Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale. Say that five times fast.

That is not to say there are no chuckle-inducing celebrity dog names in the land of glitz and glamour. Rachel Bilson, former star of teen drama The O.C., adopted a mutt of unknown mix from a Los Angeles shelter. He was given the moniker Thurman Merman, the name of a child character from the 2003 Billy Bob Thornton movie Bad Santa.

Sarah Michelle Gellar first hit Hollywood hard with her starring role in the cult series Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Her pooch, a Maltese, goes by the name of Thor, a comic book hero with super strength and blonde hair, like her TV character (though a man).

Gellar’s co-star from her days on Buffy, Charisma Carpenter, is a huge dog lover. She has two Golden Retrievers named Sydney and Hurley, and ironically enough, once had a dog named Buffy years before being cast on the show.

If you stretch back a little further in time on the Hollywood chart, you might remember Judd Nelson of The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire fame. Mr. Nelson was not without humor when he gave his American Staffordshire Terrier the name Talullah Bighead. Tally for short.

And on rare occasions, you might even see one member of Hollywood pay homage to another with their canine’s call sign. Take Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner for example. The couple decided the best name for their Labrador Retriever was Martha Stewart. Now that’s a famous celebrity dog name. Still no word on if the pup is as helpful around the house as its namesake.