Calvin

Calvin comes from the French surname Cauvin or Chauvin, ultimately from the Latin calvus meaning bald — a physical description that became a surname and then a first name. The name is most famously associated with John Calvin, the sixteenth-century French theologian who shaped Protestant Christianity, and with the beloved cartoon boy in Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes — a philosophically inclined, imaginative troublemaker with a tiger named Hobbes. For a pet, Calvin has a delightful intellectual mischief to it.

Calvin is a name that comes with an entire personality implied — philosophical, a little chaotic, deeply imaginative, and entirely lovable. The Calvin and Hobbes connection is impossible to ignore and completely wonderful: naming a companion Calvin is an acknowledgment that you expect big ideas, frequent schemes, and a companion who will question the fundamental premises of their daily routine while also being your absolute best friend. Companions named Calvin tend to have that same engaging, slightly unpredictable quality — they keep you on your toes and make every day more interesting.