Introduction
Esteemed, dramatic, and endlessly witty, Mad Men went from a new period drama to being known as one of the greatest television series of all-time seemingly overnight. To put it into perspective, it was the first basic cable series to win an Emmy for an Outstanding Drama Series and went on to collect 15 others along with five Golden Globes. The writing, acting, and accuracy have all been highly-regarded, and with it all came a nearly unrivaled cast of characters with wholly-identifiable names that will hold significant tenure in the minds of those who watched and loved the show (and even some who didn’t). Because of it, that same list of characters provides an ample roster of great names to give your dog, so we’ve compiled a shortlist of some of the show’s most memorable names and personalities for you to choose from.
Mad Men Dog Names in Pop Culture
While most famous canines receive a majority of their attention thanks to the accessibility of the Internet, film, or television, Don the Talking Dog preceded those technologies entirely and was still considered one of the greatest and most famous dog performers of his time.
Don came about during the Vaudeville era, a time replete with traveling acts of all shapes and sizes, and happened to be one of very few in the world that possessed such a talent. Unlike other dogs who had been trained to perform a variety of different acts, Don had a skill set that few others in the world could match: the ability to “speak”.
Although he didn’t speak English, Don still did well when he finally made it over from Europe to the United States in 1912, largely in part to the large German population that existed in America’s larger cities — German was his primary language (outside of dogspeak). While his vocabulary was quite limited compared to what we now know is possible for certain species of animals, his ability to speak eight different words was still exceptionally impressive for the time. In total, it was said that Don was able to say haben (“have” in English), kuchen (cake) and hunger (hunger), then soon picked up ja (yes) and nien (no), along with ruhe (rest or quiet) and Haberland (his owner’s last name), most of which he only spoke a word at a time and only when prompted.
Don was certainly a hit as soon as he arrived in the States, which wasn’t a surprise to Vaudeville mastermind Willie Hammerstein, who took out a $50,000 bond ($1.25 million equivalent today) in case the dog died on his way over from Europe, despite the supposedly lush accommodations he had on the ship. When he arrived, he was received like a celebrity but apparently failed to speak to the news media because he was “too seasick on the way over to converse”. But his American career took off quickly, as evidenced by a shared billing with one of history’s most famous performers, Harry Houdini, in New York.
While some of Don’s abilities were written off as mere interpretations by his audiences, he was taken to several zoologists and experts who all seemed to come to the same conclusion that Don was a prodigy for his kind and was considered uncommonly intelligent. Unfortunately, likely due to a combination of lack of care or the technological abilities of the time, his breed was never determined. Reports of the time claim that he was some kind of German hunting dog, likely either some kind of Setter or Pointer.
But even if the “interpretation” of his vocalizations weren’t taken seriously by all, he still captured enough adoration to be pick up as one of the first major canine celebrity endorsers, in this case, for Milk-Bone dog biscuits.
After two years in the United States, Don finally retired and returned home, but not before amassing an average of today’s equivalent of $2,300 per word spoken. He died peacefully near his home of Dresden, Germany just a few years later. His last words were not recorded but he is still remembered fondly, if modern recounts are any indicator.
Mad Men Dog Name Considerations
Coming up with a good dog name generally takes a lot more than just picking your favorite character off a list and calling it quits. Of course, if you want to take the easy route you’re more than welcome! But for anyone who wants to come up with something more appropriate to them personally, we recommend starting by making a list of their most idiosyncratic traits and seeing who they most closely resemble.
For example, if your dog seems to love just about every other dog they come in contact with, then Draper would be the perfect name. If they tend not to take orders well and prefer to do much of their own thing, then Sterling might be a better choice. If they have an air of entitlement, then Campbell would be suitable. If they are stern and like things to be in the order they’ve created, then Holloway would be a great pick.
There is certainly no shortage of character traits you can line up, as the show’s nine seasons featured a wide variety of personalities from which to derive a suitable name. If you haven’t watched in a while but still love it and need some inspiration, don’t hesitate to sit down and rewatch a few episodes or seasons to generate some ideas. If the show proved anything about the creative process, it’s that inspiration can come from some pretty unlikely places (both on-screen and off).
Male Mad Men Dog Names
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Draper
After Don Draper, Mad Men's main protagonist
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Whitman
After Don Draper, aka Dick Whitman, Don's real name
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Campbell
After Pete Campbell, the silver spoon account executive
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Sterling
After Roger Sterling, one of Sterling Cooper's original managing partners
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Bert
After Bertram "Bert" Cooper, one of Sterling Cooper's original managing partners
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Cooper
After Bert Cooper, a senior partner who is not often well-received by Draper and Sterling
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Cosgrove
After Ken Cosgrove, account executive and writing hobbyist
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Crane
After Harry Crane, Sterling Cooper's media buyer
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Ginsberg
After Michael Ginsberg, the innovative copywriter
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Menken
After Rachel (Menken) Katz, one of Don's love interests
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Pryce
After Lane Pryce, Sterling Cooper's junior partner and embezzler
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Rizzo
After Stan Rizzo, who eventually becomes Sterling Cooper's art director
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Sal
After Salvatore Romano, Sterling Cooper's original art director
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Romano
After Sal Romano, the sarcastic Italian-American art director
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Lou
After Lou Avery, a one-time rival creative executive
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Benson
After Bob Benson, the eager accounts executive
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Bishop
After Glen Bishop, the son of Betty's neighbor Helen
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Burghoff
After Richard Burghoff, the real estate mogul interested in Joan
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Constantine
After Marcus Constantine, who dupes Pete Campbell
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Cutler
After Jim Cutler, a one-time partner at a rival company
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Drexler
After Abe Drexler, Peggy's boyfriend
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Farrell
After Suzanne Ferrell, Sally's teacher and another one of Don's love interests
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Gill
After Father Gill, Peggy's priest
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Brooks
After Brooks Hargrove, Sterling's daughter's husband
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Hargrove
After Brooks Hargrove, who is a part of the Sterling family
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Conrad
After Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton hotels portrayed in the show
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Duck
After Duck Phillips, the one-time account director at Sterling Cooper
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Archie
After Archie Whitman, Dick/Don's late father
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Sadler
After Lois Sadler, the switchboard operator
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Rumsen
After Freddy Rumsen, a copywriter at Sterling Cooper
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Female Mad Men Dog Names
Votes | Name | Vote |
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Olson
After Peggy Olson, the driven and talented copywriter
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Betts
After Betty (Draper) Francis, whom Don often calls Betts
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Birdy
After Betty (Draper) Francis, whom Don often refers to as Birdy
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Holloway
After Joan (Holloway) Harris; the office manager's maiden name
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Chaough
After Ted Chaough, Don Draper's self-proclaimed rival
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Calvet
Megan's maiden name, Don's receptionist, then secretary, then wife
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Sally
Don and Betty's daughter
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Francis
After politician Henry Francis, who eventually marries Betty
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Kinsey
After Paul Kinsey, one of Sterling Cooper's copywriters
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Avery
After Lou Avery, who eventually joins Sterling Cooper
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Baird
After Joey Baird, a freelance artist for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce
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Bobbie
After Bobbie Barrett, comedian Jimmy Barrett's wife
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Barrett
After Jimmy Barrett, the insult comedian used for a Sterling Cooper ad campaign
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Ida
After Ida Blankenship, Bert Cooper's one-time secretary
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Emile
After Émile Calvet, Megan's arrogant father
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Trudy
After Trudy Campbell, Pete's wife
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Caroline
Sterling's long-time secretary
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Dawn
After Dawn Chambers, one of Don's many secretaries
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Manolo
After Manolo Colon, aka Marcus Constantine, the con artist
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Midge
After Midge Daniels, an artist and one of Don's many love interests
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Garner
After Lee Garner Jr. and Sr., executives at Lucky Strike
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Hilton
After Conrad Hilton, a potential Sterling Cooper client
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Hollis
The elevator operator at Sterling Cooper
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Daisy
After Daisy McClusky, the airline stewardess who has a relationship with Roger Sterling
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Phoebe
The nurse who lives down the hall from Don, one of few to fend off his advances
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Ramsay
After Joyce Ramsay, the bohemian/counter-culturalist who introduces Peggy to Abe
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Scarlet
Harry Crane's secretary
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Mona
After Mona Sterling Pike, Roger's first wife
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Abigail
After Abigail Whitman, Don/Dick's stepmother
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Sylvia
After Sylvia Rosen, one of Don's many mistresses
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