Foxhound Name Generator

Foxhound names carry more tradition than almost any other breed. English hunt kennels have named hounds the same way for three centuries: one or two syllables, easy to shout across a covert, usually an English word rather than a person's name. Litters share a first letter, often taken from the sire or dam, which is why old stud books are full of runs like Ranter, Rallywood and Rummager or Bellman, Bluecap and Bonfire. The vocabulary leans on trades (Tapster, Gamester, Huntsman), virtues (Dauntless, Faithful, Patience), and bright abstract words (Rapture, Merriment, Harmony). John Peel's famous pack of Ranter, Ringwood, Bellman and True is still the model.

American foxhounds, the Walker, Trigg and July strains of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, have a warmer Southern register: Old Drum, Tennessee Lead, Bugle Ann, Boone, Dixie, Junebug and Sweet Music. Their names often praise the hound's voice, and the hound's voice is the point of the breed, so musical words like Melody, Chime, Clarion and Trumpet always sound right. Tricolor coats give you Patch, Tanner, Saddle and Redtick, and the hunting field gives you Tallyho, Covert, Reynard and Whipper-In.

For a pet foxhound, the same rules apply: pick something short with a hard consonant that carries outdoors, because you will be calling it from a long way off.