Midas is the mythological Phrygian king whose touch turned everything to gold, and whose story ends badly because of it. On a male dog, the golden touch association works beautifully for golden-coated breeds, while the cautionary tale embedded in the myth adds a layer of narrative richness that most pet names don't carry.
The Mythology Angle
Midas sits in the same mythological bracket as Atlas, Zeus, and Apollo: names drawn from Greco-Roman myth that carry grandeur without requiring deep classical knowledge. Midas is slightly more specific than Zeus: it points to a particular story rather than just a divine category. The name is recognizable to anyone who took a mythology unit in school.
Breed Fit: The Golden Connection
Midas is almost tailor-made for Golden Retrievers: the golden coat, the warmth, the association with abundance. It also works for Yellow Labradors and any breed with a honey or gold coat where the mythological reference is visually grounded.
The Counter-Reading: The Curse Narrative
Owners who know the full Midas story (the king starved because his food turned to gold, and begged the gods to undo the gift) may hesitate at naming a beloved dog after a cautionary tale. The name is beautiful. The myth ends in misery. Most owners note the irony and choose the name anyway.