Introduction
While Scrubs may not have broken any records, won many awards or focus on a setting or subject that hadn’t been touched before, there’s no denying that it’s fast-paced, vignette-filled comedy approach to the grueling life of a hospital intern was enough to generate a dedicated cult following. Through a mixture of humor and drama, the show endeared its audience with clever and often ridiculous storylines, as well as a cast of characters seen nowhere else in film or television. And because of that cast, we now have a fantastic list of titles that are perfect for dog-naming for fans and appreciators alike.
Scrubs Dog Names in Pop Culture
While most shows revel in their ability to employ dogs to delight audiences and provide a character nearly everyone can love, Scrubs took a completely different angle to achieve a similar result. Though the dog they used was never alive during the entirety of the show’s nine-season tenure (nor was the actual prop used), his popularity seemed unwavering, likely walking the line between odd, grotesque, endearing and outright humorous. We’re, of course, talking about Rowdy, the stuffed Golden Retriever.
Rowdy’s beginnings are humble, as JD and Turk originally bought him from a yard sale, the previous owner admitting that he used to keep the stuffed dog in a box of old hats. He is portrayed as an actual stuffed dog, not a stuffed animal, which could easily be considered a bit morbid and is treated as such by both Elliot and Carla, who both openly admit that they wish he would disappear — which he eventually does, but more on that later.
Out of the entire series, the use of Rowdy is actually one of the longest running gags, as JD and Turk both take great joy using him as part of their practical jokes. They often leave Rowdy in places where others don’t expect to find him, such as in Carla’s closet (as Turk explains, “to guard her shoes”) or in front of their neighbors’ doors. In turn, they also not only treat and refer to Rowdy as if he is still alive, but also imbue him with a distinct personality, one that is essentially and comically the opposite of a stuffed dog: excitable and vicious. Although he is never shown to be anything but stuffed, he does come to life in a dream of Turk’s when Rowdy is seen attacking Carla after she insults him.
Each episode that Rowdy is featured in tends to reveal more and more about JD and Turk’s relationship to him, as well as his overall qualities. In one episode it is revealed that he can be used as a bottle opener. In another, viewers find out that Carla had him stuffed with potpourri. In another, Turk claims that Rowdy has hip dysplasia and JD confirms that it’s common in purebreds.
Rowdy was so popular that at one point Zach Braff attempted to steal him from the set after the airing of the finale and was successful, but the famous stuffed dog was eventually returned to ABC since then.
He remains the most famous and popular stuffed dog on television.
Scrubs Dog Name Considerations
Coming up with an appropriate Scrubs-based dog name can be a bit of a challenge, so to make the process easier, we suggest putting together a list of your dog’s most defining traits from their looks to their quirks and personality. Then you can use it as a shortcut when comparing your dog to those on our list of characters and their respective descriptions.
For instance, if your dog seems to be constantly daydreaming, the names JD and Dorian would be perfect. If your dog is constantly making trouble for you one way or another, then the names Perry, Ulysses and Janitor would be great fits (the latter especially if they’re just as good at making messes as cleaning them up). If they happen to have a distinct look, such as having an excessive beard or happen to look like Colonel Sanders somehow, then the names Seymour, Beardface, Coleman and Slawski would be respectively appropriate.
There are plenty of directions you can go and you don’t need to be a surgeon to dive in and figure out what works best. Be creative, consider all angles and once you find the right name, chances are it will stand out like a sore thumb.
Male Scrubs Dog Names
Votes | Name | Vote |
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JD
After John Dorian, better known as "JD", the series' protagonist
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Dorian
After JD's last name
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Duncan
After Christopher Duncan Turk, better known as Turk, JD's best friend
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Turk
JD's best friend and surgeon at Sacred Heart
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Perry
After Perry Ulysses Cox, better known as Cox
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Ulysses
After Perry Ulysses Cox, Sacred Heart's smart-mouthed residency director
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Kelso
After Bob Kelso, Sacred Heart's cold-hearted chief of medicine
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Janitor
The no-named janitor who acts as JD's comically antagonistic rival
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Bennett
After Lucy Bennett, who eventually becomes the narrator in season 9
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Buckland
After Ted Buckland, Sacred Heart's lawyer
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Sullivan
After Jordan Sullivan, Cox's ex-wife and Sacred Heart board member
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Dudemeister
After Keith Dudemeister, the medical resident JD took under his wing
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Lloyd
Better known as Lloyd the Delivery Guy, who played in drums in Cool Cats
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Briggs
After Kim Briggs, the former urologist at Sacred Heart
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Seymour
After Dr. Seymour Beardface, whose name is often mispronounced for obvious reasons
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Beardface
After Dr. Beardface, who has an apt beard to match his name
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Coleman
After Dr. Coleman Slawski, who looks like Colonel Sanders
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Hooch
After Dr. Hooch, whom JD and Turk took great joy in antagonizing
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Leonard
The hospital's tall, hook-handed security guard
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Mickhead
After Dr. Walter Mickhead, who was first referred to as the "black-haired doctor"
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Clock
After Dr. Molly Clock, whom Turk found attractive, yet called a "devil woman"
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Winston
The janitorial little person who called everyone "bro" or "brah"
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Peon
As in the The Worthless Peons, Ted's band
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Harvey
After Harvey Corman, the frugal hypochondriac
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Corman
After Harvey Corman, played by Richard Kind
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Rowdy
The stuffed dog Turk and JD co-own but treat as if he's real
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Braff
After Zach Braff, the series' lead actor
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Doc
As in doctor, a common vocation in the series
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Surgeon
Turk's profession, as well as others'
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Lawrence
After Bill Lawrence, the show's creator
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Female Scrubs Dog Names
Votes | Name | Vote |
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Elliot
After Elliot Reid, the goofy and neurotic intern often at the center of the show
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Reid
After Elliot Reid, JD's close friend and eventual love interest
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Espinosa
After Carla Espinosa, Turk's love interest and the hospital's head nurse
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Jo
After Jo Mahoney, the blunt intern from season 8
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Mahoney
The opinionated intern who gets introduced late in the series
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Lucy
After Lucy Bennett, the med student at Winston University
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Suffin
After Drew Suffin, the reformed jailbird med student
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Quinlan
After Dr. Todd Quilan, better known as "The Todd" the talented but fratboyish surgeon
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Laverne
After Laverne Roberts, the strongly-religious nurse
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Murphy
After Dr. Doug Murphy, the overly anxious pathologist
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Wen
After Dr. Phillip Wen, the overseeing surgeon; one of few non-comical characters
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Lonnie
One of JD's interns
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Casey
After Dr. Casey, a close friend of Dr. Cox and played by Michael J. Fox
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Slawski
After Dr. Slawski, whose name no one seems to know
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Molly
After Dr. Molly Clock, who was played by Heather Graham
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Snoop
After Snoop Dog Attending, the nickname given to an intern who resembled Snoop Dog
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Zeitzer
The talented oncologist with strange tastes
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Cabbagio
After Jason Cabbagio, JD's favorite intern due to his great ape impression
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Wilk
After Mrs. Wilk, a tenured patient who befriended many at the hospital
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Ladinia
After Ladinia Williams, the janitor's girlfriend and wife
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Lady
After Ladinia "Lady" Williams, who was named after Lady and the Tramp
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Dhandapani
After "Big Ed" Dhandapani, the overqualified intern played by Aziz Ansari
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Heart
After Sacred Heart, the location of most of the series
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My
The first word of almost every episode
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Sensi
How JD refers to himself, meaning sensitive
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Doozer
One of two production companies that helped put the show on
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MD
As in Medical Doctor, a position several members of the show hold
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Scrub
The singular version of the show's title
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Dreamer
As in daydreamer, which JD is, causing the show to be presented as it is
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Vignette
What many scenes break into
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