Why is Fido such a common name for a dog when in reality no one really names their dog Fido?

Answer 1

Fido was the name of Abraham Lincoln's dog. He left Fido behind in Springfield (Illinois) in the care of another family when he went to Washington D.C. to take the Presidency. Fido died shortly after Lincoln was assassinated.

Answer

Fido is a latin word meaning "I trust"

Answer .According to my friend, who's dog was named Fido, and whom he got when stationed in Germany, Fido is an Italian name for a dog. During WWII it is said that a man had a German Shepard whose name was Fido. Everyday when the man would go to work, he would take his faithful Fido with him to the bus stop. In the evenings Fido would greet him at the bus stop and they would walk home together. Then the man had to go to war. Three years later the man returned home to the bus stop only to find his faithful, loving Fido there to greet him! Not sure of it's authenticity, but a great story non-the-less!

I'm not so sure that it is, at least in the US.

Everyone in our family has always had dogs, as have all of my friends and not one dog was ever named Fido or even something similar.

Answer

My grandfather who was an Iowa farmer had a series of dogs named Fido as did our neighbors to the east. Perhaps it's an Iowa farm name.

Another Answer

Since the origin of firehouses, dogs were mascots. All firehouses named their resident dog, "firehouse dog". Where's the "firehouse dog"? was truncated to "where's Fido"?

The truncation quickly spread to the general population and was widely used. I haven't heard it used for the last 60 years.

Answer

Fido in latin can be translated as faithful, as dogs are considered to be. For cats Felix can be translated as happy or independent.