Dog Names By Year >> 1986 Dog Names

1986 Dog Names

Updated: July 08, 2024

Welcome to a unique compilation that takes you on a journey back in time, specifically to the year 1986. This was a remarkable year that witnessed significant events across the globe. From the unforgettable World Series win by the New York Mets to the tragic Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, 1986 was indeed a year of highs and lows. Amidst these historical events, there was a surge in the popularity of certain dog names, reflecting the trends, culture, and sentiment of that time.

Here you will find an intriguing collection of the most popular canine names from this particular year. These names, some of which may sound dated, quirky or nostalgic, encapsulate the spirit and charm of the 80s. They offer an insight into the preferences of dog owners of that era and can serve as a source of inspiration for those seeking a unique, retro moniker for their furry friend. So, step into this time machine and explore this curated list of canine names from the year 1986.

Whether you're a dog lover, a history enthusiast, or simply curious, this compilation provides an interesting perspective. It's fascinating to see how dog naming trends have evolved over the years and how they mirror societal changes. So, sit back and enjoy this throwback to the dog names that once ruled the roost.

Name	Reason to Choose
Amber	This name was popular for dogs with a golden or amber coat
Astro	Astro was a popular cartoon dog in the 1980s
Axl	Inspired by Axl Rose from the band Guns N' Roses, popular in the 1980s
Bandit	The adventurous connotation of the name Bandit was popular in 1986
Barbie	Named after the famous doll which was popular in the 1980s
Bear	A robust name inspired by the popular teddy bear toys of the decade
Bella	Italian names like Bella were in vogue in the mid-80s
Benji	The 1986 film 'Benji the Hunted' led to many dogs being named Benji
Biscuit	A popular name for dogs who were as loved as much as cookies
Blaze	Named after the fiery, lively spirit that some dogs possess
Blondie	Named after the band that was popular in the early 80s
Boomer	This name was popular for dogs with a loud bark or a big personality
Bruno	The name Bruno saw a surge in 1986 due to the popularity of the singer Bruno Mars
Buddy	This name was trending in the mid-eighties due to its friendly connotation
Cassette	A nod to the common music medium of the '80s
Champ	Names that conveyed strength and success, like Champ, were popular in 1986
Chase	This name was a common choice for energetic dogs
Coco	Coco Chanel's influence reached into pet naming trends in the mid-80s
Copper	This name was popular for dogs with a reddish-brown coat
Cyndi	A tribute to 80s pop star Cyndi Lauper
Daisy	Flower names were in vogue for pets during this period
Devo	Inspired by the 80s band known for the hit song 'Whip It'
Dixie	A popular name for dogs in southern states during the 1980s
Duke	The 80s saw a trend for royal or noble names for dogs, including Duke
Duran	Inspired by the famous 80s band, Duran Duran
Dusty	This name was popular for dogs with a light brown or tan coat
E.T.	Titled after the beloved 80s movie character
Echo	This name was popular for dogs with a loud bark or a tendency to howl
Elvira	Named after the 80s horror hostess
Ferris	In honor of the iconic 80s movie character Ferris Bueller
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1986 Popular Culture References

If you're a fan of the 80s, choosing a dog name based on popular culture references from 1986 can be a fun and nostalgic choice.

Name	Description
Argyle	A character from the 1988 movie Die Hard, which was popular throughout the late 80s
Bowie	A tribute to David Bowie, who starred in the 1986 film Labyrinth
Cyndi	A nod to Cyndi Lauper, who was popular in the mid-80s
Duckie	After Jon Cryer's character in Pretty in Pink, a 1986 film
Ferris	Inspired by the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off released in 1986
Gibson	Named after Mel Gibson who starred in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Goonie	For fans of the 1985 movie The Goonies, still popular in 1986
Hooch	In memory of the 1989 movie Turner & Hooch, still popular in 1986
Huxtable	A reference to the family name in The Cosby Show, a popular sitcom in 1986
Iceman	Character from Top Gun, a popular movie in 1986
Jareth	David Bowie's character in the 1986 movie Labyrinth
Karate	A nod to the Karate Kid Part II, which was released in 1986
Labyrinth	In honor of the 1986 movie starring David Bowie
Madonna	Named after the pop icon who had several hits in 1986
Matlock	An homage to the legal drama series that debuted in 1986
Maverick	The call sign of Tom Cruise's character in 1986's Top Gun
Metroid	Named after the popular video game released in 1986
Platoon	Honoring the Oscar-winning film from 1986
Rambo	A tribute to the action film character who had his second outing in 1986
Ripley	Sigourney Weaver's character in the 1986 movie Aliens
Sigourney	For Sigourney Weaver, star of 1986's Aliens
Topper	An homage to the 1986 Miami Vice episode 'Top Gun'
Venkman	Named after Bill Murray's character in Ghostbusters, a popular movie in the mid-80s
Whitney	A tribute to Whitney Houston, who had several chart-topping songs in 1986
Zelda	The Legend of Zelda video game, first released in 1986
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1986 Historical Events

Choosing a name related to a significant historical event in 1986 can be a meaningful choice.

Name	Description
Aliens	The popular sci-fi film was released
Centennial	The Statue of Liberty celebrated its centennial
Challenger	A tribute to the space shuttle that tragically exploded
Chernobyl	In memory of the nuclear disaster that took place in this year
Desmond	Desmond Tutu became the first black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town
Diana	Princess Diana and Prince Charles visited the U.S. in November
Ferris	Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a popular movie, was released
Gorbachev	The Soviet leader who was in power at this time
Halley	Halley's Comet was visible from Earth in 1986
Hand	Diego Maradona's notorious 'Hand of God' goal occurred
Liberty	The Statue of Liberty turned 100 years old in 1986
Mandela	Nelson Mandela was still in prison fighting against apartheid
Maradona	In honor of the football player who led Argentina to World Cup victory
Maverick	The character from the popular movie 'Top Gun' that was released
Mercury	Freddie Mercury and Queen performed a legendary concert at Wembley
Mir	The Soviet space station that was launched in 1986
Nuclear	The world's worst nuclear accident occurred at Chernobyl
Oprah	Oprah Winfrey's talk show debuted in this year
Pixar	The animation studio was founded in this year
Pluto	The spacecraft Voyager 2 sent back images of the planet
Quake	A major earthquake hit San Salvador in this year
Reagan	Named after the U.S. president during that time
Shuttle	NASA's space shuttle program was in full swing
Sigourney	Sigourney Weaver starred in the hit film 'Aliens'
Topaz	One of the most popular movies that year was 'Topaz'
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1986 Sports Stars

If you're a sports fan, naming your dog after a popular sports star from 1986 can be a great way to honor your favorite athlete.

Name	Description
Barkley	Charles Barkley, an NBA player, was just starting his successful professional career
Becker	Boris Becker, a German tennis player, won Wimbledon in 1985 and was still a top player
Bird	Larry Bird, an NBA star, was part of the championship-winning Boston Celtics team
Borg	Bjorn Borg, though retired in 1983, was still a popular figure in tennis
Bret	Bret Hart, a professional wrestler, was gaining popularity in the mid-1980s
Connors	Jimmy Connors was still a competitive force in men's tennis
Ditka	Mike Ditka, coach of the Chicago Bears, led the team to a Super Bowl win in 1985
Elway	John Elway, a popular NFL quarterback, was in his prime during this period
Evert	Chris Evert was a top female tennis player, known for her groundstrokes
Gretzky	Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest hockey players, was at the peak of his career
Hagler	Marvelous Marvin Hagler was a world champion middleweight boxer
Jordan	Named after Michael Jordan, who began his NBA career in 1984 and was already a rising star in 1986
Lemieux	Mario Lemieux was a rising star in the NHL, known for his scoring ability
Lendl	Ivan Lendl was a top-ranked professional tennis player during this time
Magic	Magic Johnson, a star NBA player, led the Los Angeles Lakers to several championships
Maradona	Diego Maradona led Argentina to a World Cup victory in 1986
Martina	Martina Navratilova was dominating women's tennis at this time
McEnroe	John McEnroe was a prominent figure in the tennis world, famous for his confrontational style
Montana	Joe Montana, a successful quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was a popular NFL figure
Moses	Edwin Moses, a champion hurdler, was still a dominant force in athletics
Navratilova	After Martina Navratilova, a dominant figure in women's tennis during the mid-1980s
Nicklaus	Jack Nicklaus, a golf legend, won his last Masters tournament this year
Peyton	Walter Payton, a prominent NFL running back, was still performing at a high level
Seles	Monica Seles, though she started her career in 1989, was a notable figure in tennis
Shula	Don Shula was a successful football coach for the Miami Dolphins
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1986 Billboard Top Song Titles

Using a title from a hit song in 1986 can be a unique and catchy name for your dog.

Name	Description
Addicted	From Robert Palmer's song 'Addicted to Love'
Alive	An allusion to the song 'Alive and Kicking' by Simple Minds
Amanda	It was the title of a chart-topping song by Boston in 1986
Chain	Inspired by the Pretenders song 'Back on the Chain Gang'
Conga	From the Miami Sound Machine's hit 'Conga'
Dream	Inspired by the Eurythmics' song 'Sweet Dreams'
Glory	Inspired by the song 'The Glory of Love' by Peter Cetera
Higher	From the song 'Higher Love' by Steve Winwood
Hip	From the song 'Hip to Be Square' by Huey Lewis and the News
Holding	Named after the song 'Holding Back the Years' by Simply Red
Invisible	From the Heart song 'These Dreams'
Invisible	From the Heart song 'These Dreams'
Karma	Boy George's 'Karma Chameleon' was a popular song during that period
Kyrie	Referencing Mr. Mister's song 'Kyrie'
Madonna	Named after the singer who had numerous hits in 1986
Manic	Referencing the song 'Manic Monday' by The Bangles
Nasty	Taken from Janet Jackson's hit song 'Nasty'
Papa	Inspired by Paul Simon's song 'You Can Call Me Al'
Rock	Inspired by the song 'I Wanna Rock' by Twisted Sister
Rumors	Named after the Timex Social Club song 'Rumors'
Sherrie	Inspired by the Steve Perry song 'Oh Sherrie'
Sledgehammer	Peter Gabriel's song 'Sledgehammer' was a big hit
Venus	Bananarama's song 'Venus' was a hit in this year
Walk	A reference to Dire Straits' 'Walk of Life'
West	Taken from the Pet Shop Boys' song 'West End Girls'
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Popular Movie Characters of 1986

Naming your dog after a favorite movie character from 1986 can be a fun and nostalgic option.

Name	Description
Apollo	Apollo Creed was a character in the movie 'Rocky IV'
Betelgeuse	The titular character of the film 'Beetlejuice' was named Betelgeuse
Bishop	In honor of the android Bishop from 'Aliens'
Charlie	Charlie was a lead character in the film 'Top Gun'
Draco	Inspired by the character Draco from the film 'DragonHeart'
Ferris	Inspired by the character Ferris Bueller from the movie 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'
Flint	Inspired by the character Flint Lockwood from the movie 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'
Goose	Maverick's wingman in 'Top Gun' was named Goose
Hoggle	Hoggle was a character in the movie 'Labyrinth'
Hudson	Inspired by Private Hudson from the movie 'Aliens'
Iceman	Inspired by Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky, a character from 'Top Gun'
Jareth	The Goblin King Jareth was a character in the film 'Labyrinth'
Labyrinth	The film 'Labyrinth' inspired this moniker
Ludo	Named after the friendly beast in the movie 'Labyrinth'
Maverick	The movie 'Top Gun' featured a character named Maverick
Newt	Newt was a character in the film 'Aliens'
Pluto	Inspired by the character Pluto from 'Pluto's Christmas Tree'
Quint	Quint was a character in the film 'Aliens'
Ripley	Taken from Ellen Ripley, the protagonist in the film 'Aliens'
Rocky	Named after the character Rocky Balboa from the movie 'Rocky IV'
Sarah	Inspired by the character Sarah Williams from 'Labyrinth'
Sledge	From the character Sledge Hammer in the film 'Sledge Hammer!'
Sloane	Named after Ferris Bueller's girlfriend, Sloane Peterson, from 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'
Vasquez	Taken from Private Vasquez, a character in 'Aliens'
Vigo	From the character Vigo in the movie 'The Name of the Rose'
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