Blaze ranks #436 with 283 entries, registered male. The name is a direct English word borrowing — both for fire and for the white facial marking on horses and dogs. In pet-naming, both meanings contribute, and the descriptor-as-name register is the dominant force.
The visual descriptor pattern
A meaningful share of dogs named Blaze actually have a white blaze marking down the forehead — a Border Collie blaze, a Bernese blaze, a horse-coded blaze. The name is a literal description rather than an abstract pick. There is also a smaller cluster picking it for fast, energetic, fiery temperaments where the heat reading dominates.
The pop-culture layers
Blaze and the Monster Machines (the kids' Nick Jr. show, 2014-onward) gave the name a fresh wave of recognition for a young owner generation. Older owners might reach the name through the cinematic-cowboy register, where Blaze is a stock horse name across decades of Westerns. Both readings contribute.
Breed lean and size fit
Blaze lands disproportionately on athletic, marked-coat breeds — Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and bicolor mixed breeds. There is also a meaningful cluster of red-coated Vizslas and Irish Setters where the fire meaning dominates the visual reading. The name reads strong, fast, and slightly cinematic. The human Blaze page shows steady but not breakout SSA adoption; most Blaze traffic still lives on the pet side, especially among owners who picked the name to match a literal facial marking on the dog.