Maori Dog Names

There are fewer than 600,000 Maori in New Zealand, and 128,000 in Australia, all but one of which are full-blooded Maori or live by Maori values. Therefore, to find a dog in pop culture with a Maori name is a rarity. However, there are two dogs that, by coincidence, have common Maori names. The first one is Maui and the second is Toto.

Maui is a Border Collie cross that played Murray the dog in Mad About You. Mad About You was an NBC American sitcom that aired from 1992 until 1999, following the lives of Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. Murray, played by Maui, was Paul’s dog.

Maui became the most popular dog voted by TV Guide readers twice in a row and is considered a laid back, loyal, and slightly thick-skulled pooch. Even though he lived a life of luxury once he became a TV star, that wasn’t always the case.

Notable Hollywood animal trainer Boone Narr found Maui in an animal shelter in Castaic, California. He was unwanted and unclaimed. Once Boone retrieved him from the shelter, Betty Linn became his trainer. He found work firstly in the TV advertisement field, before working as the backup dog on Bingo, then eventually appearing in Mad About You.

Maui is also the name of a trickster and cultural hero in Maori mythology. In the myth, Maui caught a giant fish using a fishbone crafted from his grandma’s jaw bone. The fish then became the North Island of New Zealand, called Te Ika-a-Maui. Maui’s waka (boat) later became the South Island – Te Waka a Maui. Maui is thought to be Taranga’s son and Makeatutara’s wife.

Another dog that shares a Maori name is, believe it or not, Toto from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Toto played a role in the 1900 book and 1939 film of the same name, following Dorothy from Kansas who’s off to see the wizard. Toto is a Cairn Terrier, and in Maori, his name means blood.

While it’s not intentional and bears no meaning on the movie or film, it’s an interesting point that relates to dog name considerations. If you are going to give your pooch a unique name, ensure it doesn’t mean something that could cause offense or disgust among viewers and readers.

Terry is the name of the brindle Cairn Terrier who played Toto. Terry earned $125 every week, more than some human actors at the time. She appeared in 13 movies and died at age 11.