Welcome to a nostalgic journey back to the mid-eighties, an era where pop culture had a significant influence, and it is no surprise that it has also left its mark on how people named their beloved canine companions. The year 1985 was a time when traditional pet names shared the spotlight with names inspired by popular movies, music, and television shows.
This page is dedicated to those unique and charming dog names that were in vogue during this vibrant and dynamic period. From names that echo the spirit of the times, to those that reflect the era's most beloved characters or celebrities, this collection captures the essence of the 1985 zeitgeist. Whether you're a dog owner seeking inspiration or a history enthusiast curious about pet-naming trends of the past, this page offers a fascinating glimpse into the past.
So take a step back in time and immerse yourself in this retro compilation. You might come across names that were popular back in the day but have since fallen out of favor, or perhaps you'll discover timeless classics that have stood the test of time. Either way, these dog names from 1985 are sure to evoke a sense of nostalgia and charm, perfect for your new furry friend.
Names
| Name | Reason to Choose |
|---|---|
| Shadow | Reflects the mysterious and cool vibe of the 80s |
| Shatner | After William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in 'Star Trek' |
| Simba | Disney's Lion King left its mark on dog names |
| Snoopy | Inspired by the famous cartoon dog |
| Sparky | Cheerful and lively names were in vogue |
| Spike | Tough names like this were popular for dogs during this decade |
| Spotty | Simple descriptive names were often used |
| Sprite | Sprite was a popular soft drink in the 80s |
| Sting | After the popular 80s musician |
| Tango | A popular soft drink in the 80s |
| Tetris | Tetris was a popular video game that was released in 1985 |
| Thriller | Michael Jackson's album Thriller was a huge hit in the early 80s |
| Toto | Influenced by the dog character from The Wizard of Oz |
| Travolta | Named after John Travolta, a popular actor in the 80s |
| Truffle | Inspired by the Truffle Shuffle from the movie The Goonies, released in 1985 |
| Twinkie | Twinkies were a popular snack food in the 1980s |
| VanHalen | After the popular 80s rock band |
| Vespa | A popular scooter model during the 80s |
| Viper | The Dodge Viper was a popular sports car in the 1980s |
| Vogue | Vogue magazine was a fashion icon in the mid-80s |
| Walkman | Sony's Walkman was a popular portable music player in 1985 |
| Whiskers | Fun and playful names were a favorite |
| Whitney | In respect to Whitney Houston who was a huge pop star at the time |
| Yoda | Star Wars characters made their way into pet names |
| Zeppelin | Reminiscent of the 70s rock band Led Zeppelin who were still popular in 1985 |
| Zeus | Greek God names were a trend in the 80s |
| Ziggy | David Bowie's alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, was still influential in the 80s |
Groups
Sporting Events
1985 was a notable year in sports, with memorable events like the Super Bowl XIX. Dogs could be named after teams, athletes, or events from this year.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Ace | Inspired by tennis matches of 1985 |
| Catcher | Inspired by the catchers in the 1985 baseball season |
| Derby | A nod to the famous horse races of 1985 |
| Dunk | A tribute to the high-flying basketball dunks of the 1985 NBA season |
| Goal | For football-loving dogs, symbolizing the scoring of a goal |
| Heisman | Named after the prestigious Heisman Trophy in college football |
| Hoops | A tribute to the 1985 basketball season |
| Hurdle | Inspired by the hurdle races of the year |
| Javelin | A tribute to the 1985 World Athletics Championship's javelin event |
| Jump | Inspired by the high jump events of 1985 |
| Marathon | For dogs with endurance, inspired by the popular long-distance running events of 1985 |
| Olympic | This name is a nod to the 1985 Summer Olympics |
| Pitch | A tribute to the 1985 baseball season |
| Puck | A nod to the hockey games of 1985 |
| Racer | Named after the fast-paced car races of the year |
| Rally | Inspired by the thrilling car rallies of the year |
| Slalom | Inspired by the skiing event in the 1985 Winter Olympics |
| Slam | Named after the Grand Slam events in Tennis |
| Sprint | For dogs with speed, named after sprinting events |
| Stroke | Named after different swimming styles |
| Swim | In honor of the swimming events of 1985 |
| Tackle | A name inspired by the defensive moves in the 1985 football season |
| Touchdown | For football-loving dogs, symbolizing the scoring of a touchdown |
| Track | For dogs with speed, inspired by track events |
| Vault | A nod to the gymnastic vault events of 1985 |
Pop Culture References
Pop culture was vibrant in 1985, with trends, slang, and icons that can inspire dog names.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Blade | Named after the 1982 film 'Blade Runner.' |
| Bogart | Named after Humphrey Bogart, a classic film star whose movies were often shown on 80s TV |
| Bowie | Inspired by David Bowie, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century |
| Buckaroo | A reference to the 1984 film 'The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.' |
| Cher | Inspired by the pop star Cher, who was popular in the 80s |
| Clue | In reference to the popular board game and 1985 film of the same name |
| Cobra | Named after the 1986 action film 'Cobra' starring Sylvester Stallone |
| Cyndi | Named after Cyndi Lauper, the pop star known for her 1983 hit 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun.' |
| Elvira | Named after Elvira, the horror hostess character who was popular in the mid-80s |
| Ferris | A nod to the 1986 film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.' |
| Ghostbuster | A nod to the 1984 supernatural comedy film 'Ghostbusters.' |
| Gizmo | Inspired by the cute creature from the 1984 film 'Gremlins.' |
| Goonie | A reference to the 1985 film 'The Goonies.' |
| He-Man | Named after the main character in the 1985 animated series 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.' |
| Jareth | David Bowie's character in the 1986 film 'Labyrinth.' |
| Krull | Inspired by the 1983 sci-fi film 'Krull.' |
| Madonna | A nod to Madonna, the pop icon who rose to fame in the mid-80s |
| Marty | Named after Marty McFly, the protagonist in the 1985 film 'Back to the Future.' |
| Peewee | Named after Pee-wee Herman, the comedy character known for his 1985 film 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure.' |
| Prince | A nod to pop icon Prince, who was especially popular in the 80s |
| Rambo | Inspired by John Rambo, the main character in the movie series Rambo popular during the mid-80s |
| Ripley | Inspired by the character Ellen Ripley from the Alien movie franchise, popular in the 80s |
| Rocky | Inspired by the Sylvester Stallone's character in the movie series Rocky, popular during the mid-80s |
| Skeletor | Named after the main antagonist in the 1985 animated series 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.' |
| Smurf | In reference to the popular 80s animated television series 'The Smurfs.' |
Historical Events
1985 had several significant events, like the Live Aid concert. Dogs could be named after these events or people involved.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Amadeus | Nod to the film that won the Best Picture Oscar in 1985 |
| Apollo | Stands for the Apollo missions, still fresh in public memory in the 1980s |
| Bangles | Highlights the all-female band who had their breakthrough with the album 'All Over the Place' in 1984 |
| Bhopal | Signifies the tragic gas leak incident that occurred in India in 1984 |
| Brinkley | Takes from supermodel Christie Brinkley, who was on top of her career in the mid-'80s |
| Chernobyl | Named after the nuclear disaster that happened in 1986 in Ukraine |
| DaVinci | Harkens back to the Renaissance period, reflecting a timeless historical perspective |
| Eurythmics | Salutes the pop duo that had a hit single in 1985 with 'Would I Lie to You?' |
| Gandhi | Memorializes the assassination of Indira Gandhi, India's prime minister, a year prior in 1984 |
| Gorbachev | Inspired by Mikhail Gorbachev, who became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985 |
| Halley | Honors Halley's Comet, which was visible from earth in 1985-86 |
| Heysel | Refers to the Heysel Stadium disaster in Brussels in 1985 |
| Hiroshima | Symbolizes the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima which was commemorated in 1985 |
| Kasparov | Tribute to Garry Kasparov, who became the youngest ever undisputed World Chess Champion in 1985 |
| LiveAid | Commemorates the global benefit concert in 1985 that raised funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine |
| Madonna | Celebrates the pop star who had multiple top chart hits in 1985 |
| Mandela | Symbolizes the ongoing struggle of Nelson Mandela against apartheid in South Africa during this time |
| Nintendo | Marks the year when the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in North America |
| Orwell | Respects the year that George Orwell's dystopian novel '1984' was set in |
| Ozzy | Recognizes Ozzy Osbourne, who was a popular rock musician in the 1980s |
| Reagan | Derived from Ronald Reagan, who was serving his second term as president of the United States in 1985 |
| Sinatra | Tribute to Frank Sinatra who won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985 |
| Spielberg | Appreciates the director who released the hit film 'Back to the Future' in 1985 |
| Tetris | Reflects the release of the popular video game Tetris in 1984 |
| Thatcher | Reference to Margaret Thatcher, the UK Prime Minister during that period |
Music-Inspired
1985 saw the rise of artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson. Dogs could be named after these artists or their hit songs.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Aha | Norwegian band a-ha released the hugely popular song 'Take on Me' in 1985 |
| Bowie | 'Dancing in the Street', a popular song by David Bowie, was released in 1985 |
| Chaka | Chaka Khan was a well-known R&B singer in 1985 |
| Cure | The Cure's album 'The Head on the Door' was a big hit in 1985 |
| Duran | Inspired by Duran Duran, a popular band in the 1980s |
| Journey | The rock band Journey was at the height of their popularity |
| Jovi | Bon Jovi formed their rock band in 1983 and were gaining popularity in 1985 |
| Lionel | Lionel Richie was a popular music artist in the 1980s |
| Madonna | Named after the pop sensation Madonna who was a major music icon in 1985 |
| Motley | Motley Crue released their third album, 'Theatre of Pain', in 1985 |
| Phil | Phil Collins, a big name in music during the 80s, is the inspiration |
| Prince | This name is inspired by Prince, the artist behind the 1985 hit song 'Raspberry Beret' |
| Quincy | Quincy Jones, a prominent music producer in 1985, is the namesake |
| Reba | Country music star Reba McEntire was popular during this time |
| Sade | In 1985, Sade released her hit album 'Promise' |
| Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' album was a hit in 1985 |
| Sting | Sting, the former lead singer of The Police, started a successful solo career in 1985 |
| Tears | The band Tears for Fears had a successful album titled 'Songs from the Big Chair' in 1985 |
| Tina | Tina Turner, the 'Queen of Rock and Roll', is the inspiration behind this name |
| U2 | In 1985, rock band U2 were already making waves in the music industry |
| Van | Van Halen, a popular rock band in 1985, is the inspiration |
| Wham | This name is inspired by the pop duo that gave us the hit 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' |
| Whitney | Named after Whitney Houston who started her career in 1985 |
| Yaz | Yazoo, also known as Yaz, was a popular British synthpop band in the mid-80s |
| Ziggy | Ziggy Marley started his career in the mid-80s, inspiring this dog name |
Movie-Inspired
1985 was a great year for movies, with classics like 'Back to the Future' and 'The Goonies' being released. Dogs could be named after characters or actors from these films.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Axel | Eddie Murphy's character in Beverly Hills Cop |
| Balboa | Last name of the iconic 'Rocky' character |
| Biff | Antagonist in the 'Back to the Future' series |
| Ewok | A species from the Star Wars franchise |
| Falkor | The dragon from 'The Neverending Story' |
| Freddie | After the iconic horror character, Freddy Krueger |
| Gizmo | From the 1984 movie, 'Gremlins' |
| Gozer | The antagonist from the original 'Ghostbusters' film |
| Indiana | Inspired by the character Indiana Jones |
| Jaws | Inspired by the title of the famous shark movie |
| Jonesy | From 'Alien', the ship cat that survived |
| Marty | From the lead character in 'Back to the Future' |
| Maverick | Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun |
| Murtaugh | From Lethal Weapon, Riggs' partner |
| Rambo | Inspired by the Sylvester Stallone's action movie character |
| Riggs | Mel Gibson's character in Lethal Weapon |
| Ripley | From the lead character of the 'Alien' series |
| Rocky | After the famous boxer character played by Sylvester Stallone |
| Slimer | The green ghost in 'Ghostbusters' |
| Spartacus | From the classic gladiator film |
| Stripe | Main antagonist from the movie 'Gremlins' |
| Venkman | One of the Ghostbusters from the 1984 film |
| Vigo | Villain from 'Ghostbusters II' |
| Yoda | Named for the wise Jedi Master from Star Wars |
| Zuul | One of the demonic entities in 'Ghostbusters' |