Name that hedgehog!

This page is for all of the poor "Prickles" and "Spikes" out there, whose owners simply couldn't come up with more original names.  Potential hedgehog owners, I remind you all that your hedgehog will have an individual personality and is more than just a ball of quills!  For all you who are considering "Velcro" and "Sonic", or for Pete's sake "Mr. Hedgehog", I mean, come on people, lets try a little creativity.  Okay, I'll admit that "Velcro" was probably cute the first time someone thought of it, but enough is enough! And as for naming your hedgehog after a celebrity hog, there are more Sonics and Mrs. Tiggywinkles out there than there are Chens in China.  If you're thinking of "Thistle" or "Needles" or Why not just name your hedgehog "John Smith" or "Bob Jones"?  Okay, maybe I'm being too cynical now, so I'll write about how to pick out a good name. Oh, and P.S. This page is dedicated to my family's rabbit, "Bunnie".

Eliminate the names that have been overdone. I have already mentioned Spike, Sonic, Prickles, Thistle, Needles, Velcro, Mrs.Tiggywinkle, and Mr.Hedgehog.  You should also avoid sneaky variations of these names, like Mr.Spike or Sonica, and especially Prick. If your hedgehog is white, don't call it Snowflake, or Snowball, just don't.   Using common names that start with "H" will usually mean that there are other hedgehogs with the same name, especially Hector, Hugo, Harley and Hadley.  That doesn't mean you can't use H names though, just try to be creative when picking one.  For example, I think Harrison is a good name for a hedgehog, because it hasn't been used much (at all as far as I know) and its similar to the French word for hedgehog "herrison".

Other Languages You can look at all kinds of languages for inspiration.  One of my hedgehogs is named after the Kikuyu word for belly button- Makonya.  Check out Hedgehog Central for how to say hedgehog in almost any language.

Sort of Okay names There are some names that have been used a bit but are still sort of okay in my opinion. Rosie is kind of cute, and yes, roses can be prickly too.  Dinsdale has been used a lot by Monty Python fans who have seen the Terry Gilliam animation in which a giant hedgehog terrorizes people while saying "Dinsdale".  I haven't seen the animation myself, but if anyone ever finds one on the internet, please let me know! Anyway, as a huge MP fan who thinks you can't overdo Gilliam, I think Dinsdale is Okay. Pepper comes from the term "Salt and Pepper" which is used to describe the most common hedgehog color.  I think thats kind of cool. Puff Daddy.  Well, I wouldn't use it, but hey, hedgehogs do puff and to each his own. Pokey is alright.  It doesn't sound original, but I've never heard of any hedgehogs called Pokey, which is what my grandparents called me and my sister when we were little.

Some names I like and why Hans- after the fable "Hans my Hedgehog" that I used to love when I was a kid and after the pygmy from the 1932 Horror classic "Freaks". Dennis-  I don't know why, really.  Its just funny, and I bet there aren't many hedgehogs with that name.  Very suitable if your hedgehog is a menace.  Murphy- when a baby hedgehog puffs I always imagine it is saying "murf".  Bubbles- I like a name that contrasts the spikey nature of the animal, just to be different. Fluffy- same reason as Bubbles. Fido- for people who got a hedgehog because they are allergic to dogs. Leichi- after the spikey little fruit. Al or Albert- Al because of the Latin name Albiventis for the African Pygmy species Hogbert- in the spirit of Catbert and Dogbert from the Dilbert cartoon series.  Asterix- because from far away, a hedgehog looks like this    *  Cookie or Muffin- if your hedgehog is a brown banded or "chocolate chip" variety.

I'd like to hear from you Do you have a good name for a hedgehog?  If you have a hedgehog, what did you name it?  Email me with your comments and let me know if I can post them on the webpage.  One girl already tried this, and you can check it out by clicking here.  Just scroll down the page for the section on hedgehog names.

For my complete list of great names for hedgehogs, read on by clicking next.....