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Pets are easier to name. We once named a calico kitten Pizza, thinking this was clever, original and descriptive. At her first visit to the veterinarian, the receptionist chirped that this was the second cat that week named Pizza. Appalled at being duped by the zeitgeist, we wanted a new name. But we couldn't decide between Potrzebie, as homage to the great creative intellects at Mad magazine; and Ham Fighter, as homage to the great Japanese baseball team, the Nippon Ham Fighters -- and as an apt description of her feeding habits. Our compromise was Potrzebie Ham Fighter (take that, veterinary receptionist!), Zebie for short. But had Zebie been a child, at her first well-baby visit, being exclaimed over by the medical receptionist, we would almost certainly have felt that it was too late to amend the birth certificate to read Potrzebie Ham Fighter McCarthy instead of Pizza McCarthy. And the reproaches would never end.

Find books by Susan McCarthy at BARNES & NOBLE

Really, vet clinics can be very helpful. When choosing to name a child, a list of the most popular names for animals, culled from local clinics, can be at least as useful as baby name books. A veterinarian friend thought long and hard before naming her son Max, knowing that Max was the single most popular name for dogs that year. She made the decision with her eyes open, because Max is such a fine name. And while she guessed her Max would not be the only Max in his school, she also knew that other children would not goggle and say, "What kind of a name is Max?" the way they would on Umiak's first day. Similar considerations would apply to the names Lady, Duchess, or Tigger.
salon.com | May 17, 1999

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