100 Weird and Great Medieval Dog Names

You would possibly consider your dog as one of the best canine of all. One medieval canine proprietor really known as theirs that. No, actually—the canine’s identify was Beste-of-all.

Per Open Culture, the moniker comes from a Fifteenth-century manuscript containing a listing of greater than 1000 names of hounds (particularly searching dogs). David Scott-Macnab, an English literature professor at South Africa’s North-West University, printed all of the names in a 2013 article for the journal Viator.

There are a stunning variety of parallels between at the moment’s most popular dog names and this centuries-old choice. We have Bella; that they had Belle. They had Compaynowne (companion) and Felowe, which maps onto our Buddy. We have Bear; that they had Foxe and Mouse (and, OK, Salmon). Our Daisy isn’t so totally different from their Flowre.

That mentioned, you’d be hard-pressed to discover a canine today named Brainless (or, Brayneles, because it was spelled). Medieval individuals habitually christened their dogs with phrases that described them. Some had been complimentary, certain—Amyable, Harmeles, Trusty, Joliboye, Pretyman—however lots others had been hilariously harsh: Helpeles, Filthe, Litillwitte, Synfull, and plain old Badde. 

There’s additional proof that these bygone pet house owners had a humorousness about their fees: Somewhere on the market had been canines named Lewde, Lusty, Ribawde, and Nameles. Not to say Spowse (partner) and Hosewife (housewife).

One particularly prevalent pattern, unsurprisingly, is names associated to searching—together with Bryngehome, Fyndewell, Goodynowze, Kilbucke, and Makehitgood. But it’s the random ones which are most enjoyable, from Argument and Bryan to Feete and Garlik.

You can discover our 100 favourite names from the manuscript beneath. (And should you’re hoping to choose one out to your subsequent pet, Tom Killeen constructed a name generator that options all 1065 of them.)

1. Achilles
2. Amyable
3. Argument
4. Baby
5. Badde
6. Barefote
7. Belle
8. Beste-of-all
9. Birdismowthe
10. Blameles
11. Bonere
12. Brayneles
13. Bryan
14. Bryngehome
15. Careles
16. Champyn
17. Charlemayne
18. Chawnseler
19. Christabell
20. Compaynowne
21. Cowntirfette
22. Cruell
23. Cunnynge
24. Dawngere
25. Dolfyn
26. Dragon
27. Dredefull
28. Duchesse
29. Dyamound
30. Ercules
31. Ergo
32. Farewell
33. Feete
34. Felowe
35. Filthe
36. Flame
37. Flowre
38. Foxe
39. Fyndewell
40. Garlik
41. Gaweyne
42. Go-bifore
43. Go-byhynde
44. Goodynowze
45. Happy
46. Harlet
47. Harmeles
48. Havegoodday
49. Helpeles
50. Holdefaste
51. Holy
52. Honydewe
53. Hosewife
54. Joliboye
55. Kilbucke
56. Kynysman
57. Letego
58. Lewde
59. Liberall
60. Litilboye
61. Litillwitte
62. Litilman
63. Lusty
64. Makehitgood
65. Monke
66. Mouse
67. Musike
68. Mustarde
69. Mynstrell
70. Nameles
71. Nero
72. Noforse
73. Nosewise
74. Oribull
75. Pretiboy
76. Pretyman
77. Quycke
78. Radissche
79. Rage
80. Ribawde
81. Rumbilowe
82. Salmon
83. Scathelok
84. Schakbagge
85. Spowse
86. Swepestake
87. Symple
88. Synfull
89. Thought
90. Trusty
91. Tullymully
92. Vengeabull
93. Vyolette
94. Wantone
95. Welcome
96. Wellyfedde
97. Wenche
98. Whiteberde
99. Wrecche
100. Wyseman