Falkor is the Luckdragon from The Neverending Story (1984) — the enormous, white, dog-faced flying creature who carries Atreyu through the sky and embodies an almost aggressive optimism. Naming a pet after Falkor is one of the most specific and affectionate pop-culture pet naming choices in the registry: this is for a particular kind of fan, and they know exactly what they're doing.
The Neverending Story Legacy
The Neverending Story was a formative film for an entire generation of children who grew up in the 1980s — its imagery, its emotional intensity (the horse in the mud is still traumatizing people), and Falkor's particular combination of size, warmth, and luck-based optimism made it a film that people carry. A large, white, fluffy dog named Falkor is the most obvious choice, but any dog who moves through life with Falkorlike confidence in favorable outcomes earns it.
Breed Fit
The visual match is direct: Great Pyrenees and Samoyeds look almost exactly like Falkor at dog-scale. A large white fluffy dog named Falkor is not making a subtle reference — it's a direct acknowledgment of the obvious.
The Counter-Reading: A Niche Reference
Anyone born after roughly 1990 may need the explanation. Falkor is a deeply generational name — it works perfectly for owners who know the film and slightly confuses everyone who doesn't. The owners are usually fine with this.