When I adopted two male kittens from a shelter right after college, I gave them people names I considered far too quirky ever to be used for children: George and Oliver. Well, 15 years later the name Oliver is in full swing and the name George still seems quirky but definitely not unusable.
When I took in a female stray, we named her Amelia. Amelia was a quirky choice in 1996 (#222), but it sure isn't quirky now (#68). Not that it mattered, since we soon called her exclusively by the nickname Mouse, so that I had to really reach to remember what we'd originally named her.
I think there are three basic categories of pet names, though there is plenty of overlap between categories:
1. Names based on physical appearance or actions: Tiger, Puddles, Butterscotch, Spot, Jumper, Mittens, Socks, Frisky, Shadow, Midnight, Smokey, Snowflake, Fluffy.
2. People names---either ones the namer would like to use for a child or ones the namer considers too amusing/quirky/eccentric for an actual child.
3. Names that are somewhere in between: Buttercup, Otter, Puzzle, Rocky, Muggle.
My goal is to find a #3 name this time. And not to be morbid, but I'd like it to have enough dignity to work in a sentence in which the vet gives me some bad news.
What kinds of names have you chosen for your pets?
