The most fur-ightful time of the year is here! To get ready for Halloween, the Wacky Pet Names news desk stirred the big iron cauldron of our archives to find some of the spookiest and most unique pet names from recent years. Here are our festive favorites.
Uncanny canine names
Many of our Nationwide dog parents are Halloween enthusiasts, but some really capture the uniqueness of their pet with wacky names that go boop in the night.
First, there’s Scooby Moo, a Great Dane named with nod to the beloved ghost hunter and snack-lover—not necessarily in that order—done with a uniquely bovine twist to highlight his black and white coloration. Then, there’s Ghostopher P. Spookington. This pup was adopted with a spooky enough name—Ghost—but his mom decided he needed a little more ridiculousness to capture his personality.
Eerie exotic pet names
Our exotic pet parents also bring an extra level of sinister fun to the pet naming world. Never an underdog in the Wacky Pet Names contest—most of all because they aren’t dogs—many of our most creative names come from these unique pet parents.
For example, Beezelbun, a red-eyed bunny with a name so evil—well, it’s downright wacky! His bright red eyes were part of the inspiration for the name, as well as his wild mane of fur and a wicked cuddliness that can’t be denied. Next, there’s The Dark Urge, a ferret with a wacky name that wasn’t created so much as it was delivered from beyond the veil, whose name echoes through the darkest reaches of time and space (and her ferret pen, of course). Yup, pretty spooky!
Creepy cat names
Cats, by their very nature, can be spooky little dudes. It’s no surprise that many of our wackiest pet name favorites are given to cats (and many Halloween-themed names in general, as we’ll see below).
For the literary minded, there’s Edgar Allen Paw, named for the influential 19 century author of the macabre with a distinctly snuggly twist (while Poe never got the acclaim he deserved in his lifetime, his purr-tégée notched a win in 2020’s Wacky Pet Names contest!) Or, for a name, that’s rooted deep in the Classics—deep as Hades, the underworld of Greek mythology, that is—there’s Purrrsephone.
Then, there’s Necronomicat, from a Nationwide pet parent who decided to throw the whole book at her pop culture name (that book is the Book of the Dead from the “Evil Dead” series, of course).
Many other pet parents eschew the writerly and get down to the sinister side of things. For example, Evil Twin, a feline who scowled enough compared to her happy twin sister to warrant the name (naturally, she was secretly a cuddle bug once she got home). Rounding out this clowder are Mr. Murder Mittens and Mewpocalypse the Yarn Killer—two murderously adorable assassins of wacky pet naming.
Fur-ightful pet name favorites
Looking for a pet name that’s a little less wacky, but still celebrates the spooky season?
We’ve got you covered with the most paw-pular Halloween-themed pet names chosen by Nationwide pet insurance members.
- Pumpkin – Whether carved into a Jack o’ lantern or baked into a pie, fewer things say fall fun more than a pumpkin. In total, 1,128 pets insured by Nationwide are named “Pumpkin,” including 408 dogs, 641 cats and 79 exotic pets including 9 bearded dragons, 1 canary, 1 chinchilla, 7 cockatiels, 5 conures, 1 ferret, 1 gecko, 2 hedgehogs, 1 iguana, 2 lizards, 1 parrot, 27 guinea pigs, 20 rabbits and 1 tortoise.
- Ghost – Boo! 896 Nationwide-insured pets are named Ghost, including 675 dogs, 197 cats and 24 exotic pets including 4 bearded dragons, 1 chinchilla, 2 cockatiels, 4 ferrets, 2 guinea pigs, 1 iguana, 1 parrot, 4 rabbits, 3 rats and 2 snakes.
- Spooky – A Halloween name that’s so good, it’s a little…. Spooky! 233 Nationwide-protected pets are named “Spooky,” totaling 174 cats, 49 dogs and 10 exotic pets, 1 African grey parrot, 3 ferrets, 1 guinea pig, 4 rabbits and 1 rat.
- Monster –142 pets protected by Nationwide are named “Monster,” including 95 dogs, 42 cats and 5 exotic pets including 1 bearded dragon, 1 conure, 1 ferret and 2 rabbits. A special shout-out to the 15 pets named Cookie Monster (12 dogs and 3 cats), whose name is part treat, part spooky and all Halloween if you really think about it!
- Frankenstein – 49 pets insured by Nationwide are named “Frankenstein,” including 29 dogs, 19 cats and 1 ferret. Whether they’re named for the monster or his creator remains unknown.
- Banshee –43 pets are named “Banshee” on the Nationwide roll, including 22 cats and 21 dogs. One can imagine they’re all quiet like a mouse.
- Zombie –For a creative name with a side of delicious, delicious brains, 17 Nationwide-insured pets are named “Zombie,” including 8 dogs, 7 cats, 1 bearded dragon and 1 lizard.
- Trick or Treat – Totaling up the pet names, Treat had a slight edge over Trick by 10 pets to 6. Three dogs and 3 cats in the Nationwide roll are named “Trick,” whereas 4 dogs and 6 cats are named “Trick.” That says “put the candy in the bag and no one gets spooked” if you ask us.
- Vampire – 8 Nationwide-insured pets are named “Vampire,” a total made up of 3 cats and 2 dogs (or Dogsferatu, if you will), plus 2 rabbits and 1 ferret.
- Scary –4 cats are named using “Scary” or “Scaredy,” each unique in their own right: Scary Larry, Scary Cat, Scaredy and Scaredy Cat.
*Nationwide pet name data as of September 2025.
Take the jump scare out of veterinary bills
Paying for veterinary care doesn’t need to be a horror flick. Nationwide pet insurance offers reimbursement for eligible veterinary expenses.
Plus, members get 24/7 access to Nationwide VetHelpline®, a veterinary telehealth service that’s available for helpful expert advice on holiday weekends too (unlike many veterinary clinics).*
Get a quote today at petinsurance.com.
*Except where prohibited by state law. VetHelpline is not a substitute for a visit to your primary veterinarian.
