Feb 4, 2022 4 min read

For the umpteenth year in a row, people are naming their dogs … Max.

When the 2021 dog names list popped up somewhere on the web, I thought, of course – most dogs look like Maxes. But then farther down the list of most popular dog names I saw Cooper.

That one landed a little hard.

That’s my son’s name, chosen more than two decades ago when, learning he would be a boy, we looked through a book for something less common but not weird. It felt strong, and somewhat outdoorsy to us, and our son could never be anything but a Cooper.

He was the only Cooper we knew until he turned 7 and we moved into a home whose backyard abutted the property of a family with a toddler – another Cooper.

But I wasn’t happy to see so many people using the name for their dogs. For a moment there, it felt like the human dignity of the name had somehow been hijacked. I imagined my son would meet people for the first time and hear them say he’s the only human Cooper they’ve ever known, but there have been plenty of dogs with that name.

It used to be people didn’t give their dogs human names so often. On our little street in the 60s there was a Schnitzel, a Roxy and two dogs named Peppy. My family had a Daisy, which is still on the popular dog names list but also has moved onto the baby names list. I doubt Schnitzel will ever make that transition to trendy human baby names, but you never know.

My friend recently adopted a black Labrador retriever puppy. While they were driving to get her, the family complied a list of possible names including Phoebe, Millie and Zoey. All are in keeping with dog trainers’ preference for names that have two syllables and end in vowel sounds – the better to call them with, I guess. I suggested Betty, a fine old name that a dog can grow into.

But I don’t have any friends or loved ones named Betty. If I did, would I suggest it for a dog? I doubt it, just as I wouldn’t suggest that someone name a puppy Grace, after my other kid. But I do know of more than one cat named Grace.

Then again, that’s the highest form of flattery. My Smoothie’s name pays homage to the ice cream shop we passed as we drove to pick him up and bring him home. People have assumed he got that name because his coat is so exquisitely soft and smooth, but the truth is we named him before we even met him. It’s the right name: two syllables and ends in a vowel. He always comes when I call.

I asked my son if he minds the trend toward dogs that share his name.

“I don’t mind,” he said. He and I agree that most dogs are good and kind individuals, which is more than we can say about some human beings.

Betty didn’t make the cut. My friends named the black lab puppy Millie, which would have been my second choice. It’s a sweet and homey name. So far, Millie is a real pill, but she’ll grow into it.

I’ve been thinking about all the Maxes I know. Parents still are giving the name to their babies, even while the name remains popular for dogs. Max is just a good, sturdy name.

Just like Cooper – a good name and a good man. It’s fine for a child or a dog, so go ahead and use it. Cooper doesn’t mind.