From George Washington to George Bush and beyond, there’s often been a dog in the White House — or two, or three, or ten. For most of United States history, dogs have watched over the First Family and made messes on the White House lawn.
If you’re looking for a name for your new pooch, then maybe you can get some inspiration from our Executives In Chief. Or, if you’re just curious about our Presidential dogs, take a look at their names. They range from simple to silly.
Find out which US Presidents came up with the most creative dog names, like Sweetlips and King Tut. Check out which ones went with the old standbys, like Buddy and Spot. See which Presidents got patriotic with their dog names, like Liberty. Then, find out who picked, er, very utilitarian names, like Him and Her.
The complete list of Presidents’ dogs’ names
Here’s a full list of the dogs who called the White House home. When you’re done with that, check out some iconic historical photos of 15 presidents and their presidential dogs.
George Washington
- Drunkard (Hound)
- Mopsey (Hound)
- Taster (Hound)
- Cloe (Hound)
- Tipsy (Hound)
- Tipler (Hound)
- Forester (Hound)
- Captain (Hound)
- Lady Rover (Hound)
- Vulcan (Hound)
- Sweetlips (Hound)
- Searcher (Hound)
John Adams
- Juno (unknown breed)
- Satan (unknown breed)
John Tyler
- Le Beau (Greyhound)
James Buchanan
- Lara (Newfoundland)
Ulysses Grant
- Faithful (Newfoundland)
Rutherford Hayes
- Hector (German Shepherd)
- Nellie (German Shepherd)
- Duke (English Mastiff)
James Garfield
- Veto (unknown breed)
Theodore Roosevelt
- Pete (Bull Terrier)
- Sailor Boy (Chesapeake Retriever)
- Jack (Terrier)
- Skip (Mutt)
- Manchu (Pekingese)
Warren Harding
- Laddie Boy (Airedale Terrier)
- Old Boy (English Bulldog)
Calvin Coolidge
- Peter Pan (Terrier)
- Paul Pry (originally Laddie Buck, Airedale Terrier)
- Rob Roy (originally Oshkosh) (Collie)
- Calamity Jane (Shetland Sheepdog)
- Tiny Tim (Chow Chow)
- Blackberry (Chow Chow)
- Ruby Rough (Collie)
- Boston Beans (Bulldog)
- King Kole (unknown breed)
- Bessie (Collie)
- Palo Alto (Bird Dog)
Herbert Hoover
- King Tut (unknown breed)
- Pat (unknown breed)
- Big Ben (Fox Terrier)
- Sonnie (Fox Terrier)
- Glen (Collie)
- Yukon (American Eskimo Dog)
- Patrick (Irish Wolfhound)
- Eaglehurst Gillette (Setter)
- Weejie (Elkhound)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Major (German Shepherd)
- Meggie (Scottish Terrier)
- Winks (Llewellyn Setter, a kind of English Setter)
- Tiny (Old English Sheepdog)
- President (Great Dane)
- Fala (Scottish Terrier)
- Manchu (Pekingese)
- Blaze (Mastiff)
Harry Truman
- Mike (Irish Setter)
- Feller (Cocker Spaniel)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Heidi (Weimaraner)
John F. Kennedy
- Charlie (Welsh Terrier)
- Pushinka (a gift to Caroline Kennedy from Nikita Khrushchev)
- Shannon (English Cocker Spaniel)
- Wolf (Irish Wolfhound)
- Clipper (German Shepherd)
- Butterfly (Pushinka and Charlie’s pup)
- White Tips (Pushinka and Charlie’s pup)
- Blackie (Pushinka and Charlie’s pup)
- Streaker (Pushinka and Charlie’s pup)
Lyndon B. Johnson
- Beagle (Beagle)
- Little Beagle (Beagle)
- Him (Beagle)
- Her (Beagle)
- Blanco (Collie)
- Yuki (Mutt)
Richard Nixon
- Checkers (Cocker Spaniel)
- Vicky (Poodle)
- Pasha (Terrier)
- King Timahoe (Irish Setter)
Gerald Ford
- Liberty (Golden Retriever)
Jimmy Carter
- Grits (Mutt)
Ronald Reagan
- Lucky (Bouvier des Flandres)
- Rex (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel)
George H.W. Bush
- Millie (English Springer Spaniel)
- Ranger (one of Millie’s puppies)
Bill Clinton
- Buddy (Labrador Retriever)
George W. Bush
- Barney (Scottish Terrier)
- Spot (English Springer Spaniel, and one of Millie’s puppies)
- Miss Beazley (Scottish Terrier)
Barack Obama
- Bo (Portuguese Water Dog)
- Sunny (Portuguese Water Dog)
Joe Biden
- Champ (German Shepherd Dog)
- Major (German Shepherd Dog)
- Commander (German Shepherd Dog)
Which Presidential dog name is your favorite? Which one was most surprising? Does your pooch share a name with any of our First Dogs?
