Humankind have long viewed animals as if they shared human characteristics. Naturally this view is expressed in the naming of the beloved family pet, a farm animal, a race horse, an exotic bird, an insect, or any other animal.
Arranged by type of name (genetic, descriptive, incident, link, group, pedigree and show, horse and hound, farm, famous, mythical and legendary, and fictional), this is a reference to how people name animals. For each type there is an introductory section followed by numerous examples with the stories behind the particular name.

The late Adrian Room was a noted toponymist and onomastician. The author of more than 50 reference books about words and names, he lived in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.

Adrian Room
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 244
Bibliographic Info: appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014 [1993]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9370-8
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi


1. Animals and Their Names 1

2. Generic Names 13

3. Descriptive Names 23

4. Incident Names 37

5. Link Names 45

6. Group Names 57

7. Pedigree and Show Names 67

8. Horse and Hound Names 81

9. Farm Animals 97

10. Famous Real Animals 105

11. Animals of Myth, Legend, and Cartoon 133

12. Animals in Fiction 141


Appendices

I. Breed Names 167

II. Hound Names 185

III. Literary Listings 190

1. The Hounds of Actaeon 190

2. Animals in Scott 191

3. Hounds in Surtees 192

4. Horses in Surtees 193

5. Animals in Dickens 194

6. Animals in Dostoyevsky 195

7. Animals in Beatrix Potter 196

8. Animals in “Saki” 197

9. Animals in Wodehouse 199

IV. Zoo Names 200

V. Celebrity Pets 204

VI. Movie Titles Including Animal Names 207


Bibliography 211

Index 215

“fascinating reading for animal lovers”—Booklist; “a handy source of reference on the name of famous animals, whether real or fictional”—The Year’s Work in English Studies.