Iowa Dog Names

Introduction

Located in the Midwest, Iowa is bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri and Big Sioux River on the west, making it the only state whose east and west borders are made entirely of rivers. Called the Hawkeye State, Iowa is often listed as one of the safest places to live in the United States. A name that reflects the state of Iowa may be an ideal option when seeking a name that is perfect for your new companion. The state offers plenty of variety, leading to numerous naming opportunities for you to consider.

Iowa Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Iowa Dog

Earl the Grumpy Puppy

Iowa’s well-known dogs are sure to make you smile. Earl the Grumpy Puppy is a young Puggle from Iowa with an impressive scowl. Once his owner, Derek Bloomfield, posted some pictures of his friend on Reddit, Earl became an overnight sensation. Redditors went nuts for the pooch, who collected over 2 million views and earned a variety of funny comments. Earl was upvoted to Reddit’s front page. According to Bloomfield, the reason for Earl’s grumpy appearance is his underbite, wrinkles and dark complexion and that is typically a very relaxed and content canine.

Two dogs from central Iowa gained national recognition for heroic acts, earning nominations for the American Humane Hero Dog Award. Dogs are nominated throughout the country for the award in seven categories, to include: law enforcement/arson, emerging hero, guide/hearing, military, search and rescue, service and therapy. Capone, who is a Chihuahua mix, was recommended for entry by someone other than his owner, Angela Fullmer. Fullmer reported that Capone started barking at night, which was unusual for him, while she, her husband and nine kids were asleep. While he would normally come when called, that night he refused to and instead ran into the kitchen. When Fullmer followed him, she saw that the microwave was on fire. Capone’s actions gave her the opportunity to get her entire family out of the house. According to Fullmer, Capone barked a few minutes before the smoke alarms went off and within five minutes the entire downstairs was destroyed.

Another Iowa nominee for the American Humane Hero Dog Award is Emma, a Chocolate Labrador mix, who helps her owner, Frank Wennerholt, a veteran, deal with PTSD and severe depression. Wennerholt states that Emma comforts him, constantly walking beside him and keeps him balanced. According to Wennerholt, Emma can sense when he is getting sort of nervous and will start to nudge him to encourage him to walk away. Emma even wakes him up when he is having a nightmare. According to a trainer with Paws and Effect, Emma learned some of these things through training and others were natural to her. Wennerholt believes that it is because of Emma’s unconditional love that he is still alive.

Iowa Dog Name Considerations

If you are having a hard time settling on the right name for your new companion, you are not alone. Many people have a hard time choosing just the right name for their pooch. Most want a name that fits their friend while also having some meaning, which can be a tall order. Keeping in mind that you will be calling the name that you choose thousands of times in your future, it is not surprising that you are taking this decision seriously. Should there be something about Iowa or a particular part of the state that has meaning to you, an Iowa-inspired name for your canine is something to think about. Each time you call his name, you will receive a reminder of a place that means something to you.

An Iowa inspired name be a fit if your dog reminds you of one from the state, whether in breed, appearance or behavior. He may be interested in a particular activity that brings the state to mind; for example, perhaps you have noticed that your pooch loves to munch on kernels of corn; corn is a major crop in Iowa. No matter why you are considering an Iowa-inspired name, you will find that there are a myriad of options to think about.

Male Iowa Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
2	Herkey The University of Iowa mascot is Herkey, the hawk
1	Drake Drake University, a private university in Des Moines
1	Burgo Steak de Burgo, a specialty of Des Moines, consisting of beef tenderloin with butter, garlic and Italian herbs
1	Buck The Waterloo Bucks are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League
0	Ames An Iowa city in the central part of the state, located about 30 miles north of Des Moines
0	Boone A small city located in the central part of Iowa
0	Clive An Iowa city that is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area
0	Davenport An Iowa city located in the eastern part of the state along the Mississippi River
0	Goldfinch The Iowa state bird is the Eastern Goldfinch
0	Mason For Mason City, known as the “River City”, located in the northern part of the state
0	Fabius The North Fabius River flows through southeastern Iowa
0	Floyd The Floyd River is a tributary of the Missouri River in northwestern Iowa
0	Ashton Ashton Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
0	George George Wyth State Park is a state park in Waterloo, Iowa where white-tailed deer can be seen year round
0	Herbert Herbert Hoover, the 31st US President, was born in West Branch, Iowa
0	Red Red Faber, baseball player, who was born in Cascade, Iowa
0	Oak For the state tree of Iowa, the Oak
0	Corn West/north central Iowa is where a large amount of corn is grown in the US
0	Loess For Loess Hills, a formation of soil deposited by wind in the westernmost part of Iowa
0	Anderson Anderson Goose Lake, a natural glacial lake, a National Natural Landmark
0	Pappajohn For John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in DesMoines
0	Bill The Buffalo Bill museum in Le Claire, Iowa, focuses on life along the Mississippi and local history
0	Deere Learn about the history of tractors at the John Deere Tractor Museum in Waterloo, Iowa
0	Putnam The Putnam Museum is a museum of history and natural science founded in 1867; located in Davenport, Iowa
0	Fisher Fisher Theater is a theater at Iowa State University
0	Forest Lee DeForest, an inventor from Council Bluffs
0	Wayne Actor John Wayne is from Iowa
0	Fran Fran McCaffrey is the head basketball coach at the University of Iowa
0	Trout For the many trout fishing opportunities in Iowa
-1	Cy The Iowa State University mascot is Cy, the cardinal

Female Iowa Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
2	Maquoketa For Maquoketa Caves State Park located in east central Iowa
1	Cedar Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in the state of Iowa, located in the east central part of the state on the banks of the Cedar River
1	Marion An Iowa city in the eastern part of the state; a part of the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area
1	Wyaconda The Wyaconda River basin is located in southeast Iowa
1	Competine Competine Creek is a tributary of the Des Moines River that is 9.8 miles long
1	Elinor Located on the east shore of Lake Okoboji, Elinor Bedell State Park is one of the last remaining open spaces on the Iowa Great Lakes
1	Honey Honey Creek State Park is located in Appanoose county in Iowa
1	Anita Lake Anita State Park, located in the southwest part of Iowa, has a 171 acre reservoir on a branch of the Nishnabotna River
1	Nishnabotna A River that is a tributary of the Missouri River in southwestern Iowa
1	Lolo Lolo Jones, a hurdler and bobsledder, who was born in Iowa
1	Rose The Iowa state flower is the Wild Rose
1	Maiz The Spanish word for corn, a major crop in the state of Iowa
1	Shawn Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson was born in West Des Moines, Iowa
1	Waverly A small Iowa city located in the northeast part of the state
1	Panora A small Iowa city that is located in the Des Moines metropolitan area
1	Ida Ida Grove, a small Iowa city in the west central part of the state
1	Decorah Decorah, located in northeast Iowa, is considered Iowa’s Norwegian town and is the location of annual Nordic Fest
1	Pella A city in south central Iowa founded by immigrants from the Netherlands
1	Amana The Amana Colonies are seven villages on 26,000 acres in east central Iowa
1	Botna For Botna Bend Park, located on the Nishnabotna River
1	Mary For Mary Newbury Adams who founded Northern Iowa Suffrage Association
1	Sue For Sue M. Wilson Brown, Civil rights advocate from the state
1	Mamie For Mamie Doud Eisenhower, first lady of the United States, born in Boone, Iowa
1	Lundby For Mary Lundby, an Iowa state Senator
1	Ola Ola Babcock Miller, the first female Iowa Secretary of State
1	Arabella For Arabella Mansfield, the first female lawyer in the United States, born in Burlington, Iowa
1	Sally Sally J. Pederson, 45th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
1	Jessie For Jessie Field Shambaugh, known as the mother of 4H clubs, who was born and lived in Iowa
1	Ann Advice columnist Ann Landers is from Iowa
1	Okoboji For East and West Okoboji Lakes, two of the three principal Iowa Great Lakes
1	Spirit For Big Spirit Lake, the largest of the Iowa Great Lakes