---
title: The wackiest, wildest pet names of the year!
description: Our annual Wacky Pet Names celebration highlights our members' most original pet names
---

[Pet Insurance by Nationwide® | The Companion](https://companionpetmagazine.com)

# [The wackiest, wildest pet names of the year!](https://companionpetmagazine.com/issues/spring-2025/the-wackiest-wildest-pet-names-of-the-year)

 Written by [By Nationwide](https://companionpetmagazine.com/author/about-us) | Apr 7, 2025, 11:15:40 PM

What’s in a name? For many of our Nationwide® pet insurance members, it’s a whole lot of creativity, self-expression—and wackiness, of course!

For the last 10 years, we’ve collected the wildest, wackiest names our members come up with as part of our Wacky Pet Names celebration. With hundreds of thousands of new pets enrolled in 2024, we’ve had a lot of zany names to choose from. Here are some favorites.

## Meet our nominees

It’s the wackiest time of the year! The class of 2025 has plenty of wackiness to go around. We’ve selected the most unique dog, cat and exotic pet names, but who will be crowned the wackiest name of each species category?

### Kooky canine name nominees

|  | American Cheese This small mixed breed dog is cheesed to meet you. |
| --- | --- |
|  | Billy Dog Thornton This golden retriever has a name that’s equal parts Bad Santa and good boy. |
|  | Dilly Dally Tally This Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever has a pet name that “tallies” up the wacky delight. |
|  | Free Throw This Australian cattle dog/blue heeler has a wacky pet name that goes hard in the paint. |
|  | Iggasaurus Rex This greyhound has a wacky pet name that roars! |
|  | Lil Jelly Donut This mixed breed pup has a sweet and tasty morsel of a name that’s inspired by the Big Apple. |
|  | Luke Skybarker Luke, I am your beagle with a wacky name. |
|  | Ozzy Pawsborne, Prince of Barkness We’re going off the rails for this English bull terrier’s crazy name. |
|  | Schmeagle Vonsqueaklebits The Pomeranian heir apparent (or fur apparent) to a wacky pet name legacy. |
|  | Uncle Pickles This poodle has a pet name with a refreshing crunch. |

### Nutty exotic pet name nominees

|  | Ferret Bueller A ferret with a name that says, “Wacky… Wacky… Wacky pet names?” |
| --- | --- |
|  | Gray Stuff Be our guest, be our guest, this snake’s name is the wackiest! |
|  | Grimace From McDonald's This guinea pig has a name that asks, “Would you like some wacky with that?” |
|  | Jane Hawgsten This hedgehog is named for acclaimed author of Pride and Hedge-udice. |
|  | Julius Cheeser Friends, rodents, countrymen—lend me your fuzzy little ears. |
|  | Lazerbeak This conure has a WackyBot pet name inspired by Transformers. |
|  | Pork N’ Beans This pot belly pig has a wacky piglet name you’ve “bean” searching for. |
|  | Punky Beakster Here’s a wacky parrot with a name that’s one for the ‘80s kids. |
|  | Puppy Cat Part puppy, part cat—but also 100% bunny. |
|  | The Dark Urge This ferret has a wacky pet name that, uh, echoes against the dungeon walls. |

### Funky feline name nominees

|  | Angry Potato This tater tot has a starchy potato name and a wacky way of wiggling. |
| --- | --- |
|  | Beef Stewart This mixed shorthair cat’s name is the soup of the day today at Chez Wacky. |
|  | Cattila The Hun A mixed breed cat with a name that’s a steppe in the right direction—the wacky one! |
|  | Kirkland Signature Brand The trusted name for bulk goods, hot dogs—and cool mixed shorthair cats! |
|  | Lando Catrissian This Maine coon cat’s name says, “Snuggler? I’m more of an intergalwacky entrepaweneur.” |
|  | Pickles Of Purrington This domestic shorthair cat has a pet name that puts the “dill” in dill-ightfully wacky. |
|  | Pro Skater Tony Hawk This mixed shorthair cat has a wacky cat name inspired by the Birdman. |
|  | Purrsephone This medium-hair cat has a Crete-ative and wacky pet pun name inspired by Greek mythology. |
|  | The Megalodon Beloved B-movie inspires a w-a-c-k-y dinosaur-shark-theme name for a mixed shorthair cat. |
|  | Wendy’s 4 For $4 This mixed medium hair cat has a wacky name that doesn’t cut corners. |

Help us crown the kookiest canine, funkiest feline and nuttiest exotic pet names of the year! Vote daily April 15-19, 2025 at [petinsurance.com/wackypetnames](http://petinsurance.com/wackypetnames).

## Meet our 2025 Wacky Pet Names winners

This year's Wacky Pet Names celebration was one for the wacky record books! The vote was held over five days from April 14-19, 2025. Thirty pets in total were spotlighted this year—and more than 10,000 votes later(!) we have our winners….

First, from the canine category, our top vote getter is named for a tasty treat in a plastic sheet: [American Cheese](https://www.petinsurance.com/wackypetnames/2025-dog-names/american-cheese/). During a fur-ightful experience on a busy highway, she was coaxed away from danger by some hikers with the help of a preternaturally orange slice—and the name stuck like it was melted on. 

“Thank you so much!” says pet parent Morgan B. “American Cheese will be thrilled to hear the news! We will be getting her some American Cheese slices to celebrate.”

Speaking of flavorful favorites, our feline winner this year is named after a dollar-and-sense meal from a classic American burger chain: [Wendy’s 4 for $4](https://www.petinsurance.com/wackypetnames/2025-cat-names/wendys-4-for-4/), a name that’s off the wall—but still on the menu.

“Thank you all for appreciating the value in Wendy's 4 for $4,” says pet parent Zoey B. “If she could talk, I know she would let you all know how grateful she is for winning. Unfortunately, all I could get out of her for now is ‘meow, meowww, meow.’"

Rounding out our winners is a pet named for the iconically wacky lead of a John-Hughes-film favorite: [Ferret Bueller](https://www.petinsurance.com/wackypetnames/2025-exotic-pet-names/ferret-bueller/). This red Ferrari of a wacky name came courtesy of happy happenstance—the right scene playing at the right time.

At press time, we haven’t seen or heard anything from Bueller. In the meantime, we’ve dispatched a nosy principal to investigate.

Our winners received prizes that include a photo shoot and a custom canvas portrait of their pet. Keep an eye on our [Wacky Pet Names blog](https://www.petinsurance.com/wacky-blog/) for more on these wacky pets.

A big thank you to everyone who voted and, of course, our ever-creative members for their wacky naming inspiration! Check out all the nominees in this year's campaign and read their stories at [petinsurance.com/wackypetnames](https://www.petinsurance.com/wackypetnames/).

[View full post](https://companionpetmagazine.com/issues/spring-2025/the-wackiest-wildest-pet-names-of-the-year)

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