Tree Inspired Dog Names

Introduction

Trees are wonderful things. Like our canine companions, they can come in many shapes and sizes, from the tiny, twisted Bonsai to the tall, straight Sequoia, and they help to improve our world in so many ways each day. They add beauty to the world, produce food for us to eat, and generate oxygen for us to breathe. Some trees, like the White Willow and Elderberry tree, also contain healing compounds, while still others, like the great Sequoia in California named General Sherman, amaze us with their size and their longevity. Trees are also known for their ability to inspire us, artistically, socially, and spiritually; maybe they can inspire you to find just the right name.

Tree Inspired Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog With a Tree Inspired Name

Ashley Whippet

Names inspired by trees are not uncommon and many examples can be found in fairly recent popular culture. There’s the Vine and Instagram sensation Maple, a Border Collie, Golden Retriever, and Sheltie mix that loves listening to her owner strum the guitar, and there’s also Juniper, a small fox that thinks she’s a dog, right down to her choice of best friend, an Australian Shepherd mix known as Moose. While Juniper tends to behave more like a domesticated animal than most foxes due to the extensive socialization she received early in her life, her owner is quick to point out to followers that owning a fox is not the same as owning a dog, they have a far more pungent scent than their domestic counterparts, are generally far more destructive and nippy than your average dog, and they require extra supplements of taurine in their diets to remain healthy. Another canine with a name inspired by a tree, Willow, amazed the world in 2009 when she demonstrated her ability to read cue cards and respond to them. Willow, a spitz-type dog with a thick red coat and an adorable fox-like black face, was taught how to read the commands by her owner and trainer Lyssa Howell who trained Willow to read in order to win a friendly bet and a trip to Mexico. Willow is now able to recognize and respond to up to thirty different commands printed on cue cards. While some behaviorists claim that this is not actually reading as the canine is only recognizing the shapes of certain words and not understanding how the letters work together, I’m still impressed.

One well-known and influential canine with a tree related name was Ashley Whippet, one of the first competitive disc dogs and a canine with a passion that burned as bright as the wood of the Ash tree. Ashley loved Frisbees and his owner, Alex Stein, was inclined to indulge his canine companion’s desire. The duo went to the beach nearly every day, and when crowds began to gather as they played Alex realized that a wider audience might also enjoy the dog’s amazing acrobatics. He started by talking to the toy manufacturer Wham-O and when that was unsuccessful he began calling talent agencies another course of action that ended in disappointment, so he decided to try something a little more dramatic. On August 5, 1974, Alex snuck his dog into Dodger Stadium, and just before the 8^th inning they raced out on the field and for eight minutes they showcased Ashley’s exceptional athleticism, racing after throws that were more than 90 yards and catching disks up to 8 feet in the air and eliciting cheers from the bystanders. While Alex was arrested for the stunt, it did give them the needed exposure and they were booked to perform at football games for the Rams. Their stunt eventually led to the establishment of the sport of competitive Frisbee catching for dogs, and a canine division was added to the World Frisbee Championships in 1975.

Tree Inspired Dog Name Considerations

Choosing a name for our pets can be an enjoyable but challenging task. Choosing a poor name can impact training time and efficiency while a well thought out name may help to enhance the bond between you and your canine companion. It is important that the name chosen is one that everyone in the household is able to easily pronounce and one that the dog responds well to. Choosing a name related to a tree ensures that your dog will have a strong and beautiful name, but with the amount of variation that can be found in the world of trees, you have plenty of options available to you. You can choose to name your dog based on physical attributes, like Ebony for a black dog, Acorn for a small one, or even Ironwood for the dog with the exceptionally hard head. Sometimes it may be wise to wait a day or two after bringing your new dog home before choosing their final name, as the personality of the dog may also be a factor in your eventual choice, meaning that a kind, nurturing canine might end up with a name like Alder, while your little warrior may end up with a name like Holly instead.

Male Tree Inspired Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
12	Hickory Hickory trees are characterized by small catkin flowers in the spring and large hickory nuts in the autumn
8	Ash These trees have wood that burns with more intensity than most and they symbolize growth, protection, and higher perspective
8	Cedar Cedar trees are the national tree of Pakistan and are seen as healing and cleansing plants
8	Hemlock The wood from the Hemlock tree is frequently used as wood pulp
6	Bonsai Known as living art trees, these miniature trees are a testament to patience
6	Rowen A genus of small deciduous trees in the Rose family that are very attractive to fruit-eating birds
5	Birch These white-barked trees symbolize new beginnings and the cleansing of the past and are associated with spirit quests
5	Cypress Most cypress trees are grown for their ornamental qualities
3	Bodhi A sacred fig tree under which Buddha was sitting when he attained enlightenment
3	Buckeye Also known as a Horse Chestnut tree, the Buckeye tree is known for its early spring flowers
3	Forrest There are many different kinds of trees in the forest
3	Linden A name meaning lime tree hill
2	Alder Represents giving and nurturing; using their roots and an unconventional relationship with bacteria they enrich the soil with nitrogen
2	Blackthorn A small leafed tree that was traditionally used to make Irish walking sticks known as shillelaghs
2	General Sherman The name given to the world’s largest tree by volume, a Sequoia tree in the National Forest in California
1	Elder Known for its spiritual warding effects and its ability to remedy illness by employing elderberry wine or brandy
1	Hyperion The world’s tallest living tree at 380.3 feet tall, a coast redwood in Northern California
1	Pinecone The seeds of the Pine tree are housed in woody fruit with scales that open when it has ripened
1	Quercus The Latin name for the oak tree, a strong broad leafed tree with over 500 species worldwide
1	Yew This is a common name that contains several species of evergreen yew trees
0	Elm Elm trees are rapidly growing trees that symbolize strength of will; the wood is resistant to splitting or decay
0	Ironwood These desert trees are believed to be very long lived and contain chemicals which render the wood non-biodegradable
-1	Spruce Large evergreen trees with a conical form and whorled branches
-2	Dwarf Trees that are bred to be stunted, either through design or by natural selection, are referred to as dwarf varieties
-3	Javor A Serbian name that means maple tree
-3	Methuselah One of the oldest living non-clonal trees at nearly 5000 years old
-4	Balsam The Balsam Fir tree is a North American evergreen that is a favorite as a Christmas tree due to its symmetrical shape
-4	Mesquite This variety of tree is particularly hardy, requiring little water or maintenance and provide multiple sources of food and medicine
-4	Neem The oil from the Neem tree is a natural pesticide
-4	Sandlewood A lumpy, misshapen tree that is made up of a heavy yellow wood that is capable of retaining their distinctive scent for decades

Female Tree Inspired Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
10	Alani A Hawaiian name meaning Orange tree
10	Ebony The wood from the Ebony tree is dark and is dense enough to sink in water
10	Ilana A Hebrew name that means Oak tree
10	Juniper The small, berry-like cones of the Juniper plant are sometimes used as a flavoring
8	Cherry Cherry trees develop distinctive pink blossoms that produce bright red fruits that are both sweet and tart
7	Coconut The coconut tree is a type of palm tree
7	Willow This elegant tree with hanging branches contains acetylsalicylic acid in its bark, a natural source of aspirin
6	Leena An Arabic name that means Palm tree
6	Myrtle A small evergreen tree from the Mediterranean region that contains a fragrant essential oil
5	Aspen Sometimes known as Whispering Aspen trees due to the sound of the wind in the leaves
5	Magnolia An ornamental tree with beautiful, fragrant blossoms
4	Acorn The seed of the mighty oak is a simple brown acorn
3	Ashley An adaption of the name Ash, usually used for female, but can be unisex, a name representing the distinctive Ash tree
3	Hawthorn With its large thorns nestled among the delicate blossoms tree, the Hawthorn tree symbolizes balance
3	Hazel Hazel trees symbolize hidden wisdom and their branches are traditionally used in the art of dowsing
3	Melia A Greek name that means Ash tree
2	Beech Beech trees symbolize tolerance and produce a long burning firewood
2	Holly Seen as a tree of the spiritual warrior, these trees have thick waxy leaves, hard white wood, and bright red berries
2	Maple These trees are the source of Maple syrup and have exceptionally brightly colored leaves in the autumn
1	Apple A tree with nutritious and tasty red or green fruits known as apples, they also symbolize magic and youth
1	Butternut A slow-growing tree, sometimes known as the White Walnut tree
1	Pinja An Estonian name meaning pine tree
1	Pink Ivory The heartwood of this tree is very hard and has a distinctive pink hue
1	Yvette A French name meaning Yew tree
0	Canary Canary wood comes in various shades of yellow and orange, often with red, purple, or black streaks
0	Pomona The name of the Roman Goddess of fruit-bearing trees
-1	Koa A fast-growing, flowering tree from Hawaii that is part of the pea family
-1	Trúc A name from Vietnam that means bamboo
-2	Jatoba A tall rainforest canopy tree that is also known as stinking toe due to its odor and shape
-2	Taimi A name that originated in Finland meaning sapling

Written by a Irish Setter lover Penny Sebring

Published: 01/26/2018, edited: 09/26/2022

Community Dogs with Tree Inspired Names

Magnolia mae

Female

Bloodhound

Gonzales, LA

Personality

Cuddly

Sweet

Energetic

Playful

Adventurous

Rambunctious

Loving

She was born in Mississippi, so we named her after the state flower, the magnolia. The Mae was added later because we started calling her Maggie Mae.

Cotton

Male

German Shorthaired Pointer

Findlay, OH

Personality

Hyper

Friendly

Loving

We have a yellow lab names Oakley and we call him Oak. So went with Cotton to keep the nature theme going. Fits him well.

Willow

Female

Italian Greyhound

Ogdensburg, NJ

Personality

Silly

Playful

Lazy

Social

Friendly

Gentle

Funny

Goofy

This was actually the name she had when we adopted her. We didn't want to change her name as she was very well adjusted to it. I feel it is a very majestic name, that sometimes doesn't fit her goofy/playful personality. When she is being a ham, I call her Whomping-Willow, from Harry Potter. Haha! Don't get me wrong, the name Willow is beautiful. She's just a bit of a dork sometimes.