Celebrity Pets: Here Are the Most Hilarious Names Stars Chose for Their Animals
Once you’ve finally decided whether you want a dog or a cat and determined which dog breed or cat breed is right for you, the decisions aren’t over. You still have to name the new addition to your family, and that isn’t always as easy as it seems. Even celebrities have a tough time coming up with the perfect names for their pets. Plenty of famous people have chosen hilarious names — intentionally or unintentionally — for their animals.
Want to learn the funniest, dumbest, and most ridiculous names that your favorite stars have chosen for their pets? Read on to check out our favorites.
16. Paco

Paco | Olivia Wilde via Instagram
Olivia Wilde named her dog Paco — and made headlines by referring to the dog as her “only boyfriend” back in 2011. “He’s the only one that I need,” she told People magazine. The statement came at a time when the internet was speculating about her love life. Paco has since learned to share Wilde with Jason Sudeikis, and has joined the couple and their growing family on getaways and outings at home in Brooklyn.
15. Duck

Duck | Sarah Silverman via Instagram
Sarah Silverman famously — but inexplicably — named her chihuahua-pug mix Duck. The comedian isn’t exactly known for her sensitive side. But like anybody who’s adopted a pet, she grew close to her rescue dog and shared a heartfelt “obituary type thing” for Duck when he had to be put to sleep. Entertainment Weekly reports that Duck appeared as her dog Doug on Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program. She owned Duck for about 14 years, and he was about 19 years old when he died.
14. Lamby

Lamby | Lena Dunham via Instagram
Lena Dunham adopted an adorable rescue dog she named Lamby. (The dog’s full name is Lamby Antonoff-Dunham, since Dunham adopted him with her partner, Jack Antonoff. And Lamby has his own Instagram!) Unfortunately, People reports that Dunham eventually chose to give up the dog due to years of “challenging behavior and aggression that could not be treated with training or medication or consistent loving dog ownership.” The rescue dog went to live at a professional facility in Los Angeles, where Dunham expects that he can “really be Lamby, biting and peeing in his own mouth and all.”
13. Atticus Finch and Boo Radley

Jake Gyllenhaal has a German shepherd named Atticus Finch. | iStock.com/Keleny
Fans of classic American literature will love this one! Jake Gyllenhaal named his dogs Atticus Finch and Boo Radley, after two characters from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The Frisky characterizes Atticus, Gyllenhaal’s German shepherd, as fittingly “noble and stoic.” And Boo, the actor’s puggle — a cross between a pug and a beagle — “pretty much looks like James Caan in dog form.” We can’t argue with that!
12. Elvis

Elvis | Nick Jonas via Instagram
Some celebrities name their pets after other celebs. One fun example? OK! Magazine reports that that Nick Jonas named his dog after a high-profile star: Elvis! E Online reports that he named the golden retriever after both Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello, two of Jonas’s favorite musical inspirations. The dog has gone along for the ride on many of Jonas’s getaways and professional trips, and Elvis even got used to city life when Jonas was performing on Broadway.
11. David Bowie and Sid Vicious

Sid | Jessica Alba via Instagram
Modern Dog reports that Jessica Alba decided to name her two female dogs after famous male musicians: David Bowie and Sid Vicious. The dogs, an American bulldog and a pug, respectively, go by the names Bowie and Sid. Modern Dog reports that Alba was careful to take the dogs’ needs into consideration when she bought her Los Angeles house, looking not only for the rare property with a “good yard” but also making the house dog-friendly.
10. Oprah
50 Cent named his schnauzer Oprah, after the TV star Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey once asked him about the name choice in a rather awkward interview. MTV notes that the rapper and the talk show host have had a rocky relationship. Winfrey repeatedly denounced the use of the N-Word and the way hip hop degrades women, stances 50 Cent interpreted as a personal attack. But when asked about his dog’s name, the rapper told Winfrey, “I love you,” and it seemed to put their feud behind him.
9. Martha Stewart

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck named their lab Martha Stewart. | iStock.com/Annetics
Oprah’s not the only media mogul to have her name used for a celebrity pet. OK! Magazine reports that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner named their yellow Labrador retriever Martha Stewart. Stewart almost returned the favor, according to New York Magazine. She ran an internet poll to decide what she should name her two new cows, and the public favorite for a time was “Ben and Jen.” But in the end, a different pair of names — Sir Loin and Madam Bovine — won the competition.
8. Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel | Ariana Grande via Instagram
Us Magazine reports that Reese Witherspoon named her dog — an adorable French bulldog — Coco Chanel. Ariana Grande also has a dog named Coco Chanel, and Get Leashed magazine reports that the dog is a dachshund-German shepherd mix. The two stars aren’t the only people to think of naming a dog Coco Chanel. According to data from Rover, Coco Chanel was one of 2016’s most popular dog names inspired by powerful women.
7. Louis, Vuitton, Dolce, and Gabbana

Dolce | Kylie Jenner via Instagram
It can get tough to keep track of all the animals that have come and gone from the Kendall-Jenner clan over the years. However, a few stand out thanks to their incredibly unmistakable, fashion-inspired names. Teen Vogue reports that Kendall and Kylie Jenner had a few childhood pets, among them a chihuahua named Dolce and a lab named Gabbana. The girls also received lab puppies for Christmas in 2011, and named them Louis and Vuitton.
6. Prada

Prada | Perrie Edwards via Instagram
More of a cat person than a dog person? Celebrities also have some high-fashion felines. Zayn Malik named his kitten Prada — probably with the help of his then-fiance Perrie Edwards, according to speculation by Seventeen. The two adopted the cat shortly after their engagement in 2013, but Cosmopolitan reports that Edwards kept Prada after the couple broke up. Unfortunately, Prada passed away early in 2017.
5. Mary Jane

Mary Jane | Miley Cyrus via Instagram
Miley Cyrus isn’t really the kind of celebrity to name her animals after European fashion houses, but she did name her pitbull Mary Jane. Teen Vogue writes, “Of course Miley Cyrus has a dog named Mary Jane. Of course she does.” Cyrus is a major fan of animals, and Mary Jane isn’t the only member of the pack to have a humorous name. Over the years, the star also has also had a cat named Shanti Om Bb, a dog named Penny Lane, and a blowfish named Pablow.
4. Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson

Meredith Grey | Taylor Swift via Instagram
Taylor Swift has decided to name her cats not after real-life celebrities, but after popular TV characters. She named one of her cats Meredith Grey after the leading lady in Grey’s Anatomy. And Swift named another cat Olivia Benson after her favorite Law and Order: SVU character. Anyone who follows Swift on Instagram has probably spotted both cats numerous times over the years.
3. Chicken

Chicken | Adrien Brody via Instagram
Another surefire way to pick a goofy name for your dog? Name him after a food instead of a celebrity or a TV character. People reports that Adrien Brody took a break from Instagram early in 2017. When he returned, he focused his feed on adorable posts about dogs — including his own dog, Chicken. Chicken was a new addition to his household, and he actually enlisted his followers to help come up with a name for her.
2. Matzo Ball and Meatball

Meatball | Adam Sandler via Instagram
Adam Sandler famously has a bulldog named Matzo Ball, whom he was spotted with on numerous occasions. (One of the most notable? When paparazzi spotted Sandler pulling the dog out of the ocean at the beach, making sure that he was safe.) Sandler also had a dog named Meatball, and he held a funeral attended by more than 100 people when Meatball passed away in 2004, leaving a very sad Matzo Ball behind.
1. Kitty Purry

Kitty Purry | Katy Perry via Instagram
One of the funniest names that a celebrity has chosen for a pet? Katy Perry decided to name her cat Kitty Purry. The cat is no stranger to internet fame, and So Purrfect reports that Kitty Purry was even nominated for a Teen Choice Award for “best celebrity feline.” The cat seems to have at least a little bit of Maine Coon in her blood, and People reports that the cat helped turn Perry into a “cat lady.”
Read More: Celebrities Own Some of the Most Exotic Animals as Pets