Sporty Dog Names

Introduction

As a new pet parent, coming up with a name for your new pal can feel like a big responsibility. Perhaps you want the name to reflect something that you are passionate about, or that you plan to do with your new household member. For those who love sports, whether participating in them, watching them, or both, coming up with a sporty dog name may be ideal, particularly when your new friend is, or soon will be, pretty athletic. Fortunately, there are many inspirations for those seeking a sporty dog name, whatever your reason for considering one.

Sporty Dog Names in Pop Culture

Air Bud

Inspiration for sporty dog names can be found everywhere. The mascots for many college sports teams, for example, are canines. Mascots are brought in to generate energy and excitement among the crowd for their team. Some teams have live dogs as mascots and others dress in costume (some teams have both). Bulldogs are popular mascots, representing schools like the University of Georgia in Athens (mascots named Uga and Hairy Dog), Gonzaga (named Spike), Mississippi State (named Bully), Georgetown (named Jack), Fresno State (named Time Out and Victor E.), Drake (named Spike), and Butler (named Butler Blue II).

Boston University’s mascot is the Terrier (a Boston Terrier named Rhett). The University of Tulsa (the Golden Hurricane) has Goldie (a Golden Retriever) as their university ambassador. Other mascots include the University of Connecticut’s (UCONN) Siberian Husky, Lewis and Clark’s Newfoundland, Carnegie Mellon’s Scottish Terrier, and North Carolina State’s Tamaskan.

Dogs are also seen as athletes in movies. For example, in the amusing 1997 movie Air Bud, a 12-year-old boy makes friends with a Golden Retriever named Buddy who has run away. It turns out that Buddy is not just a fan of basketball but an amazing basketball player. Buddy was not done with sports after showing off his basketball skills. Air Bud: Golden Retriever, made in 1998, features Buddy learning how to play football. Next comes Air Bud: World Pup, made in 2000, where Buddy demonstrates his soccer skills. The year 2002 brought Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch, where Buddy is the star of his baseball team and 2003 brought Air Bud: Spikes Back where Buddy takes on volleyball.

Other movies feature athletic dogs participating in sports that may be considered more appropriate for dogs, like dog sledding. Such movies include 1994’s Iron Will, an engrossing film where a young man and a team of dogs embark on a cross country dog sled race. Snow Dogs, made in 2002, features a dentist (who was not a fan of dogs) who inherits a team of sled dogs and has to learn the trade.

Sporty Dog Name Considerations

There are multiple reasons to consider a sporty dog name. Perhaps you are a huge fan of a particular sport (or a huge fan of all sports), whether playing, watching or both. Giving your new pal a name that relates to the sport you enjoy can bring a smile to your face each time you call his name. Or your new pooch may be showing off some significant athletic skill that makes you think of a particular sport or of someone who participates in that sport that you have long admired. Another reason to seek a sport name for your special buddy is in honor of your allegiance to a particular sports team with a canine mascot. For example, many college teams have Bulldogs as mascots and a fan of one of those teams may look at naming their new pal after the mascot he has appreciated over the years. Regardless of your motivation to choose a sporty dog name, there are plenty of options to consider as you contemplate just the right name for your new friend.

Male Sporty Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
7	Manning For Peyton or Eli Manning, brothers and NFL stars
7	Bully Mississippi State’s Bulldog mascot
6	Spike After the maneuver in football as well as Gonzaga’s canine mascot
6	Time Out One of the mascots at Fresno State, a Bulldog
5	Michael After famous basketball player Michael Jordan
5	Rookie A new member of the team; a good name for an active pup with older dog siblings
5	Victor E. The second of the Fresno State mascots, another Bulldog
5	Beckham The famous soccer star, a great name for the dog of a soccer fan or a dog with excellent ball-handling skills
4	Shaq After the basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, considered one of the greatest NBA players in history
4	Champ Short for “champion”; your new pal will likely be a champion
4	Dribble A skill for both a basketball and soccer player that helps bring the ball down the court or field; a good fit for a canine with good footwork
4	Jersey Worn by sports players; New Jersey is also the home of the Nets, an NBA team
3	Tackle A defensive maneuver in football and something your new dog will likely do plenty of
3	Hairy Dog One of the mascots at the University of Georgia
3	Speedy A fitting name for a dog displaying incredible speed
3	Astro Perfect for Houston Astros fans
3	Ref A fit for a pooch that will break up the fights of other dogs
2	A-Rod After the famous baseball player, Alex Rodriguez
2	Strike For the dog of a current or former pitcher
1	Cleats Footwear used in several different sports
0	Agassi After the tennis pro Andre Agassi
0	Grounder The word to represent a ground ball is particularly fitting for a dog who is always sniffing the ground
0	Coach A fit for a dog that is open to “mentoring” other canines
0	Hoops A good fit for the dog of a basketball fan, particularly if the pooch gets good height in his jumps
0	Homer A home run; a perfect name for the new dog owner who is also a baseball fan
-1	Yankee After the Yankees, one of the most successful sports teams with 27 World Championships
-2	Buddy Of Air Bud fame
-3	Tiger After Tiger Woods, perfect for those who are golf fans
-3	Winner Everyone loves a winner, and no matter what, you and your dog are winners for finding one another
-3	Babe After baseball great Babe Ruth, who played in the MLB for 22 seasons

Female Sporty Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
7	Puma A brand name of athletic equipment
7	Ming A retired Chinese basketball player who played both in China and for the Houston Rockets in the United States
7	Pippen For NBA player Scottie Pippen who won six NBA titles while with the Chicago Bulls
6	Serena After Serena Williams, an American tennis player who has been ranked number one eight times over the course of her career
6	Swift For the speed of an athlete, and likely that of your new canine friend
6	Nadia After Nadia Comaneci, the first woman to score a 10 in Olympic gymnastics history
6	Fleming A female figure skating champion
6	Magic For the NBA team the Orlando Magic
5	Indy After the automobile race the Indianapolis 500
5	Marion For Marion Jones, a track star and basketball player
5	Libby A speedy freestyle swimmer, a perfect name for a fast dog who likes the water
4	Picabo For Picabo Street, a downhill skiing champ
4	Mogul A bump or mountain of hard snow seen on a ski slope
4	Sasha Figure skating fans will enjoy this reference to Sasha Cohen, a champion figure skater
4	Montana Named after Joe Montana, a former NFL quarterback who mainly played for the San Francisco 49ers; known as “Joe Cool” and “the Comeback Kid”
4	Jackie For Jackie Joyner-Kersee, a track and field star who competed in four Olympic games
3	Goldie The University of Tulsa’s mascot, a Golden Retriever
3	Steffi The name of a German Tennis great, Steffi Graf
3	Wrigley After the stadium where the Chicago Cubs play
2	Mia For Mia Hamm, the soccer star
2	Riley For the WNBA player Ruth Riley
2	Angel For the fan of the baseball team the Los Angeles Angels
2	Ozzie After Ozzie Smith, a former St. Louis Cardinal who used to perform back flips on the field; ideal for an athletic pooch
1	Uga The name of the University of Georgia’s canine mascot, a Bulldog
1	Dever For Gail Devers, gold medalist at the 100 meters; ideal for a dog that can run very fast
0	Venus After Venus Williams, an American tennis player who has been ranked number one three times over the course of her career
-1	Hannah After Hannah Teter, a top snowboarder; perfect for a snow-loving pooch
-1	Kobe For the Los Angeles Laker’s player Kobe Bryant
-1	Yogi For the former catcher on the New York Yankees
-3	Sonja For ice skater Sonja Henie, a figure skating star from Norway who also became an actress