Eugene is having a very specific moment in pet naming. Deeply un-fashionable as a human baby name for decades, it's now precisely that unfashionability that makes it appealing for pets. The ironic formality of calling your scruffy rescue dog Eugene is a whole aesthetic, and it works.
The Ironic Human-Name Tradition
There's a well-established category of pet names that work because they're too human — formal, slightly stuffy names given to animals with zero pretension. Eugene sits at the center of that tradition alongside Herbert, Gerald, and Mortimer. The humor is built in, and the affection underneath it is completely genuine. See the human name at Eugene on NamesPop.
Pop Culture Anchor
Eugene Fitzherbert (Flynn Rider) from Tangled brought a warmer, more charismatic reading to the name, and Eugene from The Walking Dead gave it a nerdy-hero quality that suits certain dog personalities exactly. Both readings are available simultaneously.
Breed Fit
Eugene is most satisfying on a dog who looks slightly earnest and slightly rumpled — a Basset Hound, a Bloodhound, or a mixed rescue with large ears and noble confusion. The name gives them instant dignity.