Here at the Wacky Pet Names desk, we’re always on the lookout for newer, weirder and more unique pet names. But we can’t help but love wacky pet stories, too—like the ones highlighted by the Hambone Awards®, an annual competition of the most unique and unusual pet insurance claims submitted to Nationwide®.
To celebrate this year’s race for the bronze Hambone trophy, we asked our nominee families for a little insight into their pet naming practices.
Finding a more fitting name
Many pets arrive at their fur-ever home with a pre-selected name from the rescue, shelter or breeder. Sometimes, that name is a good fit for the pet’s personality. In other instances, it … decidedly is not. Case in point: Booty, now known as Bella.
“Our breeder had a pirate theme,” says Igor Z., dog dad to this Hambone nominee. “I am not naming a dog Booty—like in all seriousness, that wasn’t going to happen.” To prevent a moniker mutiny, Igor and his wife, Flavia M., drew inspiration from five languages and collaborated on a list of names before landing on Bella. “It’s short, it’s cute, it’s feminine, it’s easy,” Igor adds.
When Hambone nominee Duke, a Lab-golden mix, came to his new family as a dropout service dog trainee, he was named Ike—which Nationwide member Jennifer W. did not like. So, she enlisted her family chat to source a new name. “We came up with half a dozen names, but he didn't respond to any of them,” Jennifer remembers. “So, I realized I needed that hard ‘K’ sound, like Ike. Everybody decided Duke was the best name.”
Alternately, when Nationwide members John A. and Jess T. picked up their 90-pound runt from a rescue, their new pup didn’t know the name given to her: Priscilla. They took it as an opportunity to give their Great Dane-St. Bernard mix a new name for her new home. That’s how this Hambone nominee became Hazel.
“[John’s] dad said, ‘She looks like a Hazel,’” Jess remembers. They tried a few different names, but dad knew best. “I actually called her Willow for one day and that was a no.” says John. “Hazel stuck in, like, a day and a half.”
Other times, the name is just about right, but it needs a slight adjustment. Hambone nominee Maddie came from a litter pre-named. “That was her name when we got her,” says dog dad Oscar A. “It was spelled differently, though—like M-A-D-D-Y.” Because she already responded to her name, the family didn’t want to change it, but they did add their own twist. “I didn't want her to have the typical name. I decided to change it to I-E at the end,” Oscar adds.
Cultural references
Other Hambone nominee families sought out connections to their culture and personal experiences for inspiration. Like when Nationwide member Amanda S. took to the internet to find a name for her new puppy in a search that combined her faith and her part-French heritage. “I found this name, Boone. It's French for ‘a blessing,’” she says. “I wanted to be reminded that, every time I look at him and every time I see him, that it's a blessing that I've had the opportunity to be his mom.”
Nationwide member Tim A. had a name he loved on hand when it came time to give his new companion a fitting name. “In my professional life, I've spent a lot of time overseas. So, I speak a little bit of Hebrew and a little bit of Arabic. Ziya means ‘shine brightly’ in Arabic—I just love that name.”
Meanwhile, Beth T., Nationwide member and pet parent to Foxtrot, elaborated on a pet-naming theme that drew influence from American military culture. When her beloved Great Dane, Whiskey, had puppies, she decided to name the litter after letters from the military alphabet. “Whiskey had Tango, Foxtrot, Romeo, Oscar ... the military alphabet. So she had nine puppies, but Foxy was the second one.”
Pop culture favorites
Other pet parents will draw influence from their favorite bands, TV shows or movies as part of choosing a name. Like Nationwide member David S., a big fan of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” who knew exactly what his future feline’s name would be. “I always wanted a black cat named Salem,” he says matter-of-factly. When a black cat came into David’s life, naming was a no brainer.
Then there’s Hambone nominee Wash, cross-country companion to Nationwide member Chris W. When it came time to find a name for her new pup, she drew influence from a beloved TV series. “Wash is named after a character in an old sci-fi TV show called ‘Firefly,’” Chris says. “Wash was the pilot in that show, and my Jeep is named after the ship in the show. Since he was my copilot, it just kind of fit.”
Nationwide member Katie S. and her partner, Ricky J., used the time during their ride back home from picking up their rescue pup to tune in to a name. “We thought, ‘Well, we want it to end in an E,’” says Ricky. “Going through my radio stations, there's one called ‘Ozzy's Boneyard.’ We stuck on ‘Ozzy,’ but we didn't want to spell it the same way.” When Katie’s sister, Emily, put the question up on Instagram, she resolved the issue. “Emily just spelled his name ‘Ozi,’” Katie says. “So, we just stuck with it.”
Read the stories, pick your favorite!
While their names may not be as wacky as previous Wacky Pet Names winners, these Hambone nominees certainly found themselves in wacky situations.
Help us choose the most unusual pet insurance claim by casting a daily vote for your favorite story at petinsurance.com/hamboneaward! Voting is open August 5-12, 2025.
