Frodo sits at rank 1704 with 60 male-leaning registry entries. It's one of the most immediately recognizable literary-to-pet-name transfers in the registry: Frodo Baggins, the hobbit protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, has been lending his name to dogs (and occasionally cats) since the novels were published in 1954-1955, accelerating sharply after Peter Jackson's trilogy (2001-2003) and again after the Amazon series The Rings of Power (2022).
The Tolkien Connection
Frodo Baggins is the ring-bearer, the reluctant hero, the small creature who achieves what the great ones could not. For dog owners, the name's appeal is partly the character's virtues (loyalty, courage, persistence) and partly the sheer joy of the name itself — it's round, warm, slightly whimsical, and immediately recognizable. Gandalf, Bilbo, and Samwise (usually shortened to Sam) are the Tolkien constellation in the pet registry.
Breed and Size Fit
Frodo works best on small to medium dogs — the hobbit's diminutive stature makes the name feel right on a dog that fits under a barstool rather than a horse. Corgis and Dachshunds are popular Frodo vehicles, both for the size match and for the slightly mythic-comedic personality of those breeds. On a large dog, the name reads as affectionately ironic.
The Counter-Read
Frodo is a name that announces its owner's relationship with Tolkien immediately and completely. Owners who want a name that doesn't reveal their entire reading life should consider something more neutral.