Popular enough to make the AKC’s top 150 most popular dog names, Storm remains a great title for any pup. No doubt used as a way to summarize the almost unending barrage of energy so notable in almost all dog breeds, it’s a great name that comes with even greater nicknames. Even though it is unisex, many female pups are given the more female equivalent, Tempest. However, tracking this name, like all dog names, requires journeying back to the early years of human language.
Germanic Origins
Unlike many English words that have their history in Latin, Storm is actually an oddball. As far as modern scholars can deduce, Storm originates from the Proto-Germanic “sturmaz”, a language that comes to us from the barbarians of the cold north, a race that Rome itself long feared. That being said, “sturmaz” wasn’t the only form of the word to exist. Old Norse used “stormr”, Old Saxon and a few others used “storm” and Old High German used “sturm”. Each of these variations was only used to describe weather patterns, though. It wasn’t until the late Old English period that the term came to be used figuratively, thereby making it more acceptable to be used as a name for people and things.
As for its first recorded appearances, the German areas of Mecklenburg and Pomerania hold that honor with Storm being used as a last name for many families in the region that would go on to play an important part in the creation of medieval German society. The earliest individual is an Arnold Storm of Rostock that lived in 1283.
English eventually settled on “storm” as the spelling and the name began to expand beyond simply a last name. There are records of children born at sea during storms having been named such as well as rather blustery individuals earning the moniker. Indeed, it seems to have always been a popular pet name for those that seem to be forces of nature themselves.
A Modern Myriad
Nowadays, Storm seems to be the perfect puppy name. As it can signify anything, from an actual storm to an old deity, the name is perfect for virtually any canine that creates whirlwinds from how fast their little tail whips around. Even so, those that are dubbed to be such tend to be medium sized dogs with dark coats. Labradors, Great Danes and Pit Bulls top the list of preferred breeds for this name, but that doesn’t stop the occasional Dachshund or Pug from making the list. Angry-looking Huskies with black fur on their faces are also common receivers of the name.
No matter what puppy you decide on, Storm is a perfect fit as all dogs bring a barrage of love and kisses into their homes.
