A recent article on Medievalists.net took a quick scan through some medieval era texts and made a list of what people (mostly royalty) named their beloved dogs and cats. The results are illuminating, if only because they confirm that despite being separated by several centuries, pet owners will always go a little bit silly when naming their beloved animals.
But not too silly. There are no Baron Von Snoutensnuffles or Thy Kittens here. Anne Boleyn had a dog she named Purkoy who, according to the article “who got its name from the French ‘pourquoi’ because it was very inquisitive.” Prince was the most popular name for a dog in 1504 Sweden. Renaissance philosopher Leon Battista Alberti just called his dog Megastomo (“Big Mouth”). Tibert or Gilbert was a common name for cats in France. (And seemingly always shortened to one syllable, as one often finds oneself doing around teh kittehs.) The Irish names for kitties are all adorable. Check out the whole list at the article linked above!
