Your Sunday Mission: Name This Bunny

Posted on October 9, 2011    Posted by      388 Comments

Athena’s having a hard time coming up with a name for the bunny, so I asked her if she’d like to crowd source it to you folks, and she said, yes, thank you, that would be lovely.

So: Any ideas on a name for this bunny? Note that “Rorschach” has already been rejected.

Athena thanks you in advance for your efforts on her behalf.

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388 Comments on “Your Sunday Mission: Name This Bunny”

  1. Bunny sort of looks like a Domino to me. The black and white gaming object, of course. Not a pizza. I’ve never seen a bunny that looked like a pizza, nor do I really care to.

  6. Blot, Kzin, Hal, Arsene Lapin, Hef,

    That’s all I can think of off the top of my head

  14. How about Ares (if it’s a boy bunny) or Persephone, Persy for short (if it’s a girl)?

  20. Or The Force. When I was a kid I desperately wanted a pet named The Force just so that when I entered a room people would say, “SHE is here. The Force is with her.” I know I’m not the only one!

  22. I was thinking along the lines of Biblio, but thinking “Bunnygeddon, Dark Lord of All” to make it it’s own name even if still clearly “stolen”

  28. Motörhead.

    Because s/he looks like s/he has an Ace of Spades over the one eye…okay, maybe not.

    Lemmy?

    I should just give up now.

  30. Tepoztecatl, after the Aztec god of rabbits. Poz for short, although doing that to a god’s name may e unwise, although one would hope that a rabbit deity was as easygoing as his subjects.

  41. Well, every Athena deserves a Parthenon… :-PPP
    (And if she wants to go all Greek, she can call it -by the way, is it a he or a she, cause with bunnies you can usually tell when it’s too late, lol- Sophia, since Athena was the goddess of wisdom! :-P)

  46. Spot.

    Harley (+1 to someone else’s suggestion)

    Domino (+1 to someone else’s suggestion – as in wearing a domino mask)

  47. “Pluffy” Because it is pleasantly fluffy.
    “Putter” Because it putters around on the floor.
    “Pellet Plopper” For obvious reasons…

  50. Picasso.
    Tell Athena that I ended up naming my black and white rabbit (yes, the one that the dogs and cats are all terrified of) Dayna. It came to me in an epic vision while I was on the loo. I suggest she try it.

  51. Iapetus, after the moon, not the Titan. I’m sorry, I just got back from an astronomy conference.

    Or, to go with something more traditional, rabbits and Earth’s moon are associated in East Asian culture. He was supposed to be a companion of the goddess Chang’e in Chinese myth, and just a bunny who makes mochi (sweet rice cakes) in Japan and Korea. So maybe Chang’e for a female rabbit or Mochi for a rabbit of indeterminate gender.

  53. I’m glad you rejected the name ‘Rorshcach’. My cat is named that and I don’t want there to be any confusion while I read your blog about whether you are talking about the bunny or my cat.

    I recommend the name ‘Dog Treat’ for the bunny.

  55. Oh, there is also Ponpon, which is apparently what Thumper is renamed in the French version of the movie Bambi. I always thought that was cute.

  65. Actually, I like Domino, but the other obvious choice, to me, is Oreo. No, it’s not terribly original, but it is cute and appropriate.

  74. Hamadryas. Ended up there from Calico, from dappled, from spot or similar. Admittedly I’m mixing butterflies, cats and rabbits here, but I like the word.

  85. I can’t believe no one has yet suggested Pat. (I know the coloring is different, but still)

    Or Owl, since owls are traditional for Athenas.

    Or Vorpal.

  87. Okay, for serious: I suggested Pongo, Perdita or Cruella the other day, and since they haven’t shown up here yet — now officially entered for the record.

  88. Karma.

    Because it was bad karma to give it away as a prize and good karma to take good care of it. So – you can say that the carnie people gave lost some good karma by giving bunnies away as a prize and you got good karma by taking it in.

  92. Chester? Sorcha? No particular reason for either, they just came to mind and felt right. I like many of the names already suggested, particularly Domino and Harlequin. Good luck!

  105. Terpsichore, (terp sick or ee) the Greek Muse of dance. Just because it’s a really cool name.

  107. Mahasamatman. You can, of course, drop the Maha and the Atman and just call her (him) Sam.

  109. The goddess Athena was the patron and guide for several heroes. I propose that the bunny should be named Hercules. Or Jason. No Odysseus, thought. Odysseus would be a silly name for a rabbit.

  113. Or possibly the rabbit *lived* in the Cave of Caerbannog. Would that make the rabbit’s name Caerbannog? Either way, nifty name for a rabbit!

  114. Lars

    Sort of a play on lagomorph and Lazarus (as in, the buns escaped a dire, possibly lethal, fate when he came home with Athena).

  117. Uvula. Naming an animal after the dangly in the back of the throat could have several useful benefits:

    “Have you seen my Uvula? It’s white and black speckled.”
    “Oh, that doesn’t sound healthy. We should keep you home from school today.”

    The name could also be shortened to Uvee, and you could imagine that the bunny is constantly under UV light and all the white parts of its body are actually covered in blood from a murder at the carnival.

    Imagination. I has it.

  120. My mom named her rabbit Fezzik, which I’ve always thought was ridiculous enough to be completely awesome.

  125. How about

    Tim?

    Said as a question – to honor his ancestor’s paradigm breaking portrayal in “Holy Grail”.

  127. How about Bubo? I know s/he’s a rabbit, not an owl, but since your daughter’s name is Athena it seems appropriate. Alternatively, Perseus if it’s a boy, or Diana if it’s a girl (Athena is the Greek goddess, Diana is the Roman).

  130. Chris beat me to the suggestion of George (I will hug him and squeeze him…)
    Cookie? (as in black-and-white cookie but maybe you don’t have those in Ohio)
    Checkers
    Gingham
    Polka (as in Polk Dot)

    Boy you guys are creative….I especially dig the Athena mythology.

  134. Zebidicus Zhulander (I haven’t read Goodkind in a long while), Don Juan (since he is after all a rabbit). BunBun the killer rabbit! What is the name for those new Smartphone Tags?

  142. From daughter (11 yrs old): Bubo (Clash Titans), Arizona, Gallifrey, Smores, and Bad Wolf (Rah Zev).

    From wife: Ramon De La Vega (Bunny Wigglesworth).

    From me: Bun-bun, of course.

  144. Clarence. I’m also a fan of picking names of completely unrelated animals. I like the idea of a bunny named Moose. Alligator. Tiger.

  146. ibunny or MacBunny<—an homage to Mr.Jobs you might have to explain.

    otherwise:
    inkblot
    painty
    fluffy

  148. As children, our pets were named after religious festivals, and today is Guru Ram Das’ birthday. (We had a guinea pig once called Yom Kippur, or Kipper for everyday.) Unless they were carnie goldfish, which were cartoon characters. The longest-lived two were Snoopy and The Red Baron.

    My French penfriend named hers after sauces you would eat them with, so her Lapins were Moutarde and Chasseur.

    I second Stormageddon, Has anyone said Frank yet? or Trudy? good film rabbits.

  149. After another look at Mr. Bun, I found a couple of names I like better than Cutlass Smith, though Cutlass Smith is a fine name. With Walt Kelly as an inspiration, I suggest either Churchy La Femme or Pogo, even though Mr. Bun is neither a turtle nor a possum.

  150. Because we want bunny to be at the end of the Oh-my-Lord-there’s-nothing-to-eat list, I suggest Zangor. (Which can easily be feminized to Zangora should that prove necessary.)

  158. Khoucheppwei (pronounced “Hoppy”)
    Fats Domino, unless s/he stays trim, in which case Svelte Domino
    I Really Wanted A Dalmatian (IRWAD, for short)

  161. Stealth Bunny.

    Because look at that face. That is not a face that will be caged forever. But you’ll always wonder how it got out and up onto the counter and snagged that last piece of banana nut bread.

    The same way you are probably already wondering exactly how it got into your house to begin with…

  166. SteelyKid has offered the following names for FutureSibling: Poppy, Transporter, and Concrete.

    I think Poppy might be a good name for a rabbit. But you’re welcome to any of them.

  177. Someone said “Fiver”, but I think Athena’s bunny is too big for that name. Keeping with Watership Down, I suggest Hazel.

  180. The theme’s been alluded to a few times already, but I was kind of thinking Dock myself…

  185. “Kilroy”, so she can name it after Elmer Fudd’s mantra (“Kil the wabbit, Kil the wabbit …”)?

  186. To reference something:FooFoo (or possibly FrouFrou, depending on how you sing the “Little Rabbit . . . hopping through the forest, catching all the field mice and bopping them on their heads” song) or Goon.

    My brother-in-law had a cat named Livestock and I’ve always appreciated the name.

    I’m also with Steelykid on the name “Concrete” or “Transporter.”

  194. What interesting markings. It looks a bit like a cross between a pinto and appaloosa pony to me. How about Pintaloosa?

  195. Felix was my first thought. Then, but not a lop-ear, so not Bun-Bun. “Pain d’epi”, frequently shortened to “Epi”, is a French bread shape that breaks into roll-like pieces. So, Epi.

  197. My mom told me that all animals have their own names already (especially cats!), but that we’re just not very good at figuring out what they are. She always told us to be patient, to wait and watch, and very soon the critter would let us know what his name was. That’s how our parakeet got to be named Doorbell: every time the front door opened he made a funny peep like phone chirp. Our attic-and-rafter addicted cat is named Cobweb.

    All that said, I’m partial to naming bunnies “Waffles”. Get a waffle near him and see why. :)

  198. My grandfather had a rabbit that looked similar once that he named Cabbage because she loved cabbage.
    I would probably name it something mundane and simple – in this case, I would probably name this rabbit Patches.

  199. Little Georgie from Robert Lawson’s Rabbit Hill
    Appaloosa
    Camouflage
    Coke Zero (or just Zero)
    Foo-Foo
    Trix
    Nesquik
    Buster Baxter from Arthur
    Pepper
    Snow White
    Marshmellow
    Ricochet
    Wiggily
    Loki
    Nanabozho
    Splatter
    Piano
    Soccer
    Speckle
    Dutch
    Ben or Jerry (from the ice cream)

  200. Well, I also like Checkers but I think I’d just call him Lovey. Works for boy or girl. He looks sweet in any event.

  203. Based on my own experience with rabbit ownership, I recommend the name “God DAMMIT, why are you eating that?!?”

  205. Kevin. As in Kevin Bacon. Or if it’s female, Kyra, after his wife, Kyra Sedgewick.

    Other suggestions:
    Oswald
    Daffy
    Wascal
    24 (as in 24-carrot)

  206. Steve, Aristotle or Wiffleheimer.

    Those are the bunny names that are traditional in our family.

  213. More personal than Fractal:
    Mandelbrot if male, Julia if female.

    Alternatively, given the other event of significance this week at Chez Scalzi:
    Dwain.

    <voice style=”Elmer Fudd”>”Dwain the wabbit / dwain the wabbit…”&lt:/voice>

  224. Pied Lapin.
    Alternately, Cammy/Camo, for camouflage, or Quiver, or Pulse, because I’ve never yet met a bunny that didn’t do the little shivery thing when picked up.

  231. Bunnilicious.
    or Bunnicula.
    or Carnie’s revenge – but that sounds a bit like a race horse. I’m not sure if that’s proper etiquette for rabbit naming.

  234. Thirding Bunnicula. It was my very favorite book as a child.

    or you could name it Killer.

  236. So I am confused as to the bunny’s gender, but here goes:

    Ada (for Ada Lovelace), just ’cause. (Or Lovelace.)

    Other names: Uncle Periwinkle; Satchel; Fang; Kitty; Horatio Ramshackle; Matilda.

  237. Haigha (rhymes with mayor), the March Hare. Although as tribute to the Tim Burton film, Thackery Earwicket would also do.

  248. Nikola Tesla?
    Irene Adler?
    Samwise Gamgee?
    Second Breakfast?
    The Eternal Champion?
    Bran Mak Morn?
    Honor Harrington?

  250. Zapata for the serious expression and BIG mustache, or Punch for the black eyes and the ability to threaten your enemies with a 1-2 rabbit, Punch.

  259. Inspired by barbinbandon, as a reference to the robot in Asimov’s first robot story (and to Fantastic Planet): Robbie The Rabbit.
    Similarly, but more cumbersome: R. Daneel Olivaw. The R stands for Rabbit, of course.

  262. jigsaw!
    (nothing to do with the creepy saw movies. just looks like a puzzle piece over his eye.)

  263. If girl bunny, how about Annabeth, since she’ll be Athena’s baby, or Beatrix after the creator Peter Rabbit.

  266. …and for the record, I think it is singularly awesome that this many people wish to assist your daughter in naming her bunny. You have the BEST readers! (I am not really including myself in this as I am of the “lurker” variety of reader, so this commenting thing is very unusual for me)

  269. For more of a double take effect, Orca might give it a touch of “respectability.” Just what it needs to survive in Scalziland.

  270. In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Lancelot’s colors were black and white. The movie also prominently featured a killer bunny, and Lancelot’s own killing spree at Swamp Castle is of course a cinematic masterpiece.

    So I suggest “Lancelot.”

  271. I went to the internet for inspiration, of course, and discovered upon googling that “Zypp” as the least favorite bunny name among average tweens,

    Since I think it is clear that Athena is at best an above average tween, she was not about to name it any old run of the mill tween rabbit name. I vote “Zypp”

  272. Too late to come up with anything both clever and new, but I would add:

    Splotch
    Daisy
    Amaranth (and I have no idea why)
    Pie (as in Piebald)
    And since “Myxomatosis” would just be wrong (although “Myx” sounds cool), but Larkin is awesome on account of that and so much else, Pip/Philip or Larkin.

    My others were (for the same reasons as everyone else):

    Checkers (plus there’s the fun Nixon jab)
    Tim

    I do kind of like Robbie the Rabbit.

    And if my kid wanted to name a rabbit after anything in Watership Down, I’d veto it. Unless it were some beat-to-hell looking giant rabbit who looked like it could take on ALL THE CATS. EVER. and win? Then I’d probably allow Woundwort.

  274. Zaphod for a boy and Trillian for a girl. You could also take the Ford Prefect route and use a cars name since they do seem to outnumber us humans anyway…

  275. Amaranth (and I have no idea why)

    Too much Nightwish: Dark Passion Play maybe? Or not…?

  277. Paiwonski.

    It’s gender neutral and fun to say. Bonus points to those of you that know this reference.

  285. Ed Quayles @ Oct. 9, 7:09pm: or Jubal, maybe? :)

    Flicker Farkle, which seems nicely gender neutral to me. Or Sparkle Farkle if it’s a girl.

  296. I still say Zoe or Sagan.

    If you named him/her Zoe, you could take a picture of his/her hindquarters and caption it “Zoe’s Tail.”

    Thank you, I’ll be here all week. Remember to tip your waitress.

  298. Hmmm – I’ve always through Neil Gaiman nailed it when he named the bunny “Galveston” in The Day I Trader My Dad for Two Goldfish. It’s just a very bunnyish sort of name, and you can’t beat the literary pedigree.

  300. Bucky O’Hare
    Late (I’m Late, I’m Late….)
    Honey
    Babs
    Thumper

  302. Mr. Bunnsy (via Terry Pratchett)
    Wolpertinger (via Bavarian Folklore)
    Weenus, Eight Ball, Trixie from the comic strip Rabbits Against Magic
    Uncle Wiggily (Gans books)
    The Maguffin from Robert Rankin’s Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse
    Were-Rabbit — Wallace and Gromit
    18 — 18 Rabbit was a Mayan King in Copan — could also be called Uaxaclajuun Ub’aah K’awiil

  308. I did a search before adding a comment, and while I see that people brought up the killer bunny, nobody actually suggested Monty, yet. So… how about Monty?

  309. I’ve seen several suggestions for Harlequin or Harley, so several people beat me to it. But it would work well for a female or a male rabbit.

  319. I say “The Hand” because that’s what the markings on its behind look like. Added bonus: You can refer to yourselves as the “Band of The Hand.”

  322. I’d go with Ping, due to the clearly skittish nature of rabbits (I have three) and also the extreme attention the coloring and ears. This bunny looks alert!

  323. Maybe Eric, if she’s a Monty Python fan?

    (I’m not really up with the modern cultural references).

  330. I’ve always liked human sounding names for pets. So, for example, Larry. Or possibly Dorothy (if it’s a girl).

    My husband suggests “Neo.”

  337. The name of any character from Watership Down will do nicely. :)

    I share Luminous Flux’s curiosity as to whether Athena has read that book yet. One of my favorites ever.

  338. Seeing Cyberspawn65’s suggestion of “The Hand,” I’d also suggest Manos. Or Torgo.

    And anyone who gets that reference either has HORRIBLE taste in movies, or GREAT taste in MST3K.

    Oh! Rowsdawer would be awesome, too!

  339. I suggest Peregrine. Or Peregrin.

    You can pick either the either the falcon or the hobbit.

    I’d also support the previous suggestion of Bacon, for obvious reasons.

  341. Has anyone suggested Morse? For the dots and dashes? (and a weird, rabbit-y resemblance to John Thaw?)

  343. Zebra, or possibly Badger – they are the only black and white animals I can think of.
    Skunk doesn’t sound right, and nor does Shamu.

    Will

  347. Having just read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, how about ‘Katniss’ (after the protagonist) as she was super-resourceful, keen to find food – ate lots of greens and foraged for food wherever she could find it) and generaly had a good heart. She was also very protective of her family and liked to cuddle for warmth, so if the new bunny is a bit of a ninja in the hugs department then I think this name should fit well. :)

  349. Athena, I would be deeply honored if you name him “Hackerbunny”. It has been my nickname since I first went online lots of years ago.

    Is a name with strong flavor and character that will make your bunny a daredevil in all things IT related. It doesn’t matter that he lacks opposable thumbs, he will be “Da Hackmastaaaa” nonetheless.

    Cheers.

  350. Atticus – named after the lead from Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. Surely one of the greatest characters in American literature.

    Honest and noble, Atticus is truly a giant amongst bunny’s.

  351. Looks like an Oskar to me.

    Honestly people. I used to have a pet bunny, and I can’t begin to tell you how old it gets when people suggest serving it for dinner. How about I come over and eat your cat? Funny now? Eh?

  355. @ Syd October 9, 2011 at 7:43 pm
    Bonus points to you! I prefer Paiwonski for the carny tie in. Also, both the name sake and this bunny are inked.

  357. Inkus J. Rabbit (I have no idea what the J stands for, it just sounded right.)
    Spotticus
    Hera
    Jupiter

  360. My 13-year old son suggested “Bernard”, but with the British pronunciation. So, “Bern-ed.”

    He also commented that Athena’s chef photo makes her look similar to a young Amelia Pond. So if a crack appears in her wall and a Tardis shows up in your yard, you’ll know why…

  361. once had a cat with those markings. the kids named him Moo-Cow-Mookie for short.

    be careful with beloved character names. we once had a goldfish grave yard with markers for Dorothy, winnie the pooh and allison wonderland.

  365. ‘holstein’ is the breed of cow that ihas black and white markings. and a rabbit named holstein would be awesome.

    other black/white names wold be “static”, for the black and white static a tv will show when it has no signal (and the reciever isnt smart enough to blank it out).

    if black and white are viewed as good/evil, then the bunny might be suited for a name such as “Aesop” for the black and white morality tales told as part of Aesop’s Fables.

    and in a completely random category, I throw in the possibility of the name “Cumulus” just because the white against black makes me think of clouds.

  367. Wow, you guys are thinking about this way too hard. Slow day?

    All of my ideas have already been suggested, so I’ll just second my favorites:
    Hoptimus Prime
    Foo-Foo
    Domino
    Stu

  368. Zoe (my awesome cat’s name, and well, the connection to *your* Zoe is obvious.)

    Tristan (my awesome dog’s name, & one of the best pets ever. everybody loved him.)

    Panda. (another black and white animal)

    Harvey (because it’s just too funny to have a rabbit named Harvey)

    That’s all I have. Good luck choosing a name, Athena!!

  369. I personally like Big-Ears Floppy-Bottom. The hyphenation gives him Olde English cred. In the bunny world, this is much better than street cred.

  370. Formerly a pet name for my wife (I leave the anatomy reference as an exercise for the student) but it works the da’ bunny looks tasty.
    Bunlicious

  374. Well, I don’t have any ideas that haven’t already been suggested, but of the ones said so far I like Pollock the best.

  382. Aegis. Because every Athena should have an Aegis.

    Or Fuzzy. Fuzzy is good.

    “The naming of rabbits is a serious matter / it isn’t just one of your holiday games / you may think me as mad as a hatter / when I tell you each bunny has 400 names.”

  384. I’m usually not fond of silly sounding names for pets but for some reason it seems appropriate for a bunny, so, in that spirit: Mr. McFloppertop.

  385. In honor of the some of the greatest children’s books ever: Knuffle Bunny
    Read them and laugh and cry. Mo Willems, great kids author.

  388. the bunny looks like Batman to me. but i also really like the Knuffle Bunny idea. also, there is an island here on O’ahu that is nicknamed Rabbit Island because it looks like a rabbit. the island’s real name is Manana, and I love names that are gender neutral.

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