Flower is the name of the skunk in Disney's 1942 film Bambi, a gentle, sweet-natured character whose name became one of the most famous examples of affectionate irony in American animated film. On a female pet, it carries both the botanical softness of the word itself and that long Disney shadow.
The Bambi Connection
Flower the skunk was named with deliberate irony by Bambi, who misidentified the black-and-white animal as a flower. The character's sweetness and the gentle humor of the name stuck in American cultural memory for decades. For owners who grew up with the film, naming a female cat or small dog Flower pays quiet tribute to that tradition.
The Botanical Naming Category
Flower sits adjacent to actual flower names like Rose, Daisy, and Violet, but steps back from specificity into the broader category. It's the genus rather than the species, which gives it a slightly more abstract, whimsical quality than its more specific botanical siblings.
The Counter-Reading: Too Soft for Some Dogs
Flower works for gentle, dainty, or small female pets. On a large, energetic female dog (a Labrador, a Boxer), it creates a comedic contrast that may or may not be what the owner intended. At 40 registrations, it's chosen knowingly, usually for an animal whose temperament matches the name's implications.