Anubis appears 66 times at rank 1568 on male pets. The Egyptian god of the dead has a striking visual form: jackal-headed, black-furred, the guardian of the underworld. Owners who name dogs after him are making a deliberate mythological statement, usually matched to the animal's appearance.
The Mythological Source
Anubis was the ancient Egyptian deity who guided souls to the afterlife and oversaw the weighing of the heart ceremony. His jackal-headed iconography made him one of the most visually distinctive figures in Egyptian mythology. For dogs, especially black or dark-coated ones with lean, alert builds, the visual parallel is intentional. Pharaoh Hounds and Ibizan Hounds are obvious fits given their physical similarity to Egyptian art.
The Dark Aesthetic Register
Anubis sits alongside Osiris and Hades in the mythology-dark name set popular with owners who want something powerful and outside the mainstream. The name has three syllables, ah-NOO-bis, with a distinctive middle stress that feels appropriately formal and ancient.
The Counter-Reading
Naming a dog after the god of death is a specific aesthetic commitment. Most people will recognize the reference and find it either impressive or slightly intense. On a black German Shepherd, the name lands perfectly. On a golden retriever named Anubis, the irony becomes the point, which can also work.