EarthBound Dog Names

Introduction

If you're a fan of the classic video game EarthBound, and you've recently adopted a dog (or want to), then you've come to the right place! Released in 1994, the game made waves in Japan as Mother 2, before being launched in North America as EarthBound in June of 1995. A simple concept of a boy and his friends collecting melodies to defeat an evil alien, the game has surpassed even the highest expectations. And it was a sleeper hit too! Took a while for it to pick up steam. So, if you're a fan of the game, and you love your dog, and think that he or she could really pull off the name Ness, check these other name ideas out.

EarthBound Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog with an EarthBound Name

King

Have you ever wanted to have a conversation with your dog? Ever wanted to be able to fully understand what your dog is saying? If he said something like "Awooooof! If I knew this was going to be such a scary place, I wouldn't have come along... I'm outta here!" Well, unfortunately for all of us, we just aren't amazing enough to have what Ness and King had in 1995's EarthBound.

Ness, the silent playable character in the game had a white dog, over 14-years-old, named King. And he was a cowardly dog indeed! These two had an amazing connection, however, because Ness was telepathic, and capable of understanding what King was saying at all times. It made for some hilarious dialogue, and serious jealous vibes from players who wanted to be able to finally speak to their own dogs.

Unfortunately, King is so cowardly that he only really leaves the house once, at the beginning of the game when Ness speaks to him. They go out in search of a character named Picky Minch, a suburban boy lost on the mountain behind Onett, the first town encountered in the game. However, King doesn't like the look of things, and quickly heads home. Then he never goes back out again, which is pretty hilarious in and of itself.

What makes King so interesting, other than being understood, is that he isn't affect by the evil alien form Giygas, the nemesis everyone is trying to stop. And his breed isn't known for sure. The only information given is that he is a mutt, possibly a Saint Bernard or Old English Sheepdog, but he doesn't look like either!

Players could also name King something else at the beginning of the game. They could name him something specific, or use the "Don't Care" option, which named him King, Peach, Sparky, Rex, Baby, Rover or Misty.

There are speculations that King was meant for more than a hermit, cowardly dog, however. Throughout the game, there are climbing sprites that are meant for him, but the dog never appears there. It's possible that King was intended to be more of a companion, but that the idea got abandoned. It could be that the developers realized that Ness already had enough followers on his journey, but still, it would have been a nice addition to the game.

We may never be able to fully understand what our dogs are trying to explain, but at least our Kings can follow us everywhere, right?

EarthBound Dog Name Considerations

Here's the thing about EarthBound: it is exactly what you expect, but with a twist. It may look like your average early to mid-nineties video game, pixelated with tiny cartoony characters, but it can be dark! You wouldn't expect it upon first glance – death, cultists, zombies, Porky the control freak.

But it can also be mold-breaking. For instance, Tony is gay, and this was a 1994-1995 video game. It was seemingly unheard of anything of the sort making it to video games at the time.

In other words, it's the perfect source of inspiration, because there is something for everyone. An array of well-written characters, hilarious jokes, a long list of places and objects, and a great sense of adventure. You're defeating aliens after all!

So, when you stop to consider EarthBound names for your dog, start with this: what is it about the game that you love the most? And does that connect with your dog in any way? Maybe you really love Ness, then maybe your dog deserves the name. As long as he's curious, courageous, helpful and surprising, of course.

Also, think about your dog as a potential character, a place, or object. Maybe a reference from the game perfectly applies.

Male EarthBound Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
1	Porky The main antagonist, he is a portly, mean boy and Ness's neighbor
1	Lier English occupational name for bookbinder, Old English and French in origin
1	Maxwell Scottish; "great spring/pool, or stream"
0	Ness Scottish; "from the headland"
0	Giygas The name of the evil alien power that the children are trying to fight in EarthBound
0	Lucas English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch; from the Greek Loukas, meaning "bright, shining"
0	Jeff German; Jeffrey is derived from an Old German name meaning "district, traveler, or peaceful pledge"
0	Poo Chinese; derived from Pu, meaning "reed; rush"
0	Andonuts Jeff's father in the game, and the creator of the Ultimate Chimera and the Sky Runner
0	Aloysius French; "famous warrior"
0	Apple Kid A fat, sloppy kid that proves super smart and useful to defeating aliens
0	Brick Road A dungeon master, this character creates a dungeon in a cave, joins the party, and pulls of amazing physical attacks on enemies
0	Bubble Monkey A toy from a local drugstore, this money makes it possible for Jeff to float over obstacles
0	Buzz Buzz Bee-like creature that arrives from ten years in the future, and fights along with Ness
0	Captain Strong Chief of the Onett police force, he consistently tries to stop Ness
0	Mr. Carpainter Derived from the word carpenter, from the Old French carpentier, he is the leader of the Happy Happy cult
0	Mr. Everdred Mr. Everdred is a hustler and thief, he attacks first, but if he loses, he proves to be full of useful information
0	Mani Mani Mani is a Persian name, meaning "eternity"
0	Frank French; Latin; "Frenchman or free one"
0	George Greek; "tiller of the soil, farmer"
0	Gerardo Spanish; "spear courageous"
0	Montague French; "pointed hill"
0	King Germanic, Old English, Dutch; heavily influenced by the word "kin," referring to brothers or family
0	Minch Shortened form of English surname Minchin, meaning "slender"
0	Master Belch A large character that is actually one of Giygas's minions; he loves honey and is lord over the other smaller minions
0	Saturn Obviously, the planet, but also, the name of a friendly EarthBound species that helps fight the aliens
0	Orange Kid Smart and popular with the girls, this kid asks players to invest in his company, which if you do, Ness will become a millionaire
0	Picky We all know what picky means, but this character was the younger, more mature brother of Pokey
0	Starman DX A high-ranking Starman under Giygas, the name Starman is just another word for alien
0	Tony Short for Anthony, this English name means "highly praiseworthy"

Female EarthBound Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
1	Pippi Greek; "lover of horses"
1	Venus The planet, but also another name for the Greek goddess Aphrodite; "love"
1	Electra Greek; "sparkling"
1	Baby Late Middle English, this is imitative of an infant's first attempts at forming words
0	Paula Roman, Latin; "small"
0	Lardna Female version of Lardner, English in origin, this is an occupational term used for a servant that takes care of storeroom provisions
0	Helena Greek in origin, it's a form of Helen, often described in legend as the most beautiful woman in Troy
0	Tessie Or Teresa; English in origin, meaning "harvester"
0	Tracy English and French; "domain belonging to Thacius (what is now Greece and Turkey)
0	Kumatora Japanese; "bear-tiger"
0	Ana Spanish; "grace or favor"
0	Mary Hebrew; "wished-for child"
0	Nana Greek, Latin, Korean and Japanese; the meaning varies from "star" to "grace"
0	Minnie German; "love"
0	Hinawa Japanese; "gun"
0	Queen Germanic, Old English; from the words cwen and quean; "female sovereign or monarch"
0	White Sesame Seed Character from the Dusty Dunes Desert, extremely difficult to find, she wants to forgive the Black Sesame Seed for their fight and tell him she still loves him
0	Mysterious Meaning obscure in nature, puzzling or inexplicable, this word comes from the Latin word mysterium referring to something mystical or unexplained
0	Laura Latin; "from the Laurel tree or sweet bay tree"
0	Angie Greek; "angel"
0	Abbey Hebrew; "father's joy"
0	Monkonna A female monkey from the Monkey Caves in the desert, she lets the kids pass in exchange for pizza
0	Caroline Italian; "strong"
0	Lindgren Swedish; "lime tree branch"
0	Jackie English; "God is gracious"
0	Miss Fake The owner of the Topolla Theater in Fourside; The Runaway Five, a band in the game, owes her a lot of money
0	Tenda Japanese for "gummy," this is the name of a tribe in Tenda Village and Deep Darkness
0	Talah Muslim; "kind of tree"
0	Misty Derived from the word mist, meaning "light fog," and is related to Melissa and Michelle
0	Peach Late Middle English, from the Old French pesche ("peach tree")