100 Weird and Wonderful Medieval Dog Names

You might think of your dog as the best dog of all. One medieval dog owner actually called theirs that. No, literally—the dog’s name was Beste-of-all.

Per Open Culture, the moniker comes from a 15th-century manuscript containing a list of more than 1000 names of hounds (specifically hunting dogs). David Scott-Macnab, an English literature professor at South Africa’s North-West University, published all the names in a 2013 article for the journal Viator.

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

That said, you’d be hard-pressed to find a dog these days named Brainless (or, Brayneles, as it was spelled). Medieval people habitually christened their dogs with words that described them. Some were complimentary, sure—Amyable, Harmeles, Trusty, Joliboye, Pretyman—but plenty others were hilariously harsh: Helpeles, Filthe, Litillwitte, Synfull, and plain old Badde. 

There’s further evidence that these bygone pet owners had a sense of humor about their charges: Somewhere out there were canines named Lewde, Lusty, Ribawde, and Nameles. Not to mention Spowse (spouse) and Hosewife (housewife).

One especially prevalent trend, unsurprisingly, is names related to hunting—including Bryngehome, Fyndewell, Goodynowze, Kilbucke, and Makehitgood. But it’s the random ones that are most fun, from Argument and Bryan to Feete and Garlik.

You can explore our 100 favorite names from the manuscript below. (And if you’re hoping to pick one out for your next pet, Tom Killeen built a name generator that features 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

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