I went to see a comedy show during the week and I was told during this show that people name their dogs 'Fido' because the Latin meaning of the word is 'faithful one'. As dogs are very faithful animals this name is quite fitting and so over the years it has become a common name for a dog. I thought this was interesting and so I decided to find out if this was true or if it was actually just made up. It was after all, a stand up comedy show, and if I was in their position, I would probably make up a story just because it would be cool to see if my made up story became an urban legend!
However when I Googled Fido after I got home I found that the Internet was very supportive of Fido meaning 'faithful one', or at least of similar interpretations of the name including it meaning 'I trust'. However as to why the name has become widespread it seems that it originated in 1943 when an Italian dog called Fido became a celebrity due to his faithfulness to his master, before and after his death. He was mentioned in many Italian stories and also made international headlines at the time. So although the meaning of the name was correct, the story of its spreading was a little inaccurate, but in this case I will let it slide!
A couple of different sources agreed with this story as to why Fido is such a widespread name for a dog, however the most comprehensive story can be found on Wikipedia.
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