Rabbit as a pet name for a dog or cat is a data entry in the same category as "Dog" registered as a cat's name — it's almost certainly either a species error on a licensing form, an owner's ironic choice, or a nickname so literal it loops back around to being charming. At 31 records across NYC and Seattle, the ironic reading is more likely than the accidental one.
Registry Artifact or Ironic Choice
Urban pet licensing databases occasionally capture species-noun names when owners enter what the animal is rather than what it's named, or when they register an ironic nickname as a legal name. Rabbit sits alongside "Bird" and "Cat" as a name that functions more as a descriptor than an identity. That said, intentionally naming a large dog Rabbit or a confident cat Rabbit is a deadpan comedy move with real staying power.
The Deadpan Animal-Name Aesthetic
There is a specific owner personality type that names pets after other animals — a Duck, a Bear, a Rabbit. It's the naming equivalent of wearing a shirt that says SHIRT. The joke lands best on a large dog with absolutely zero rabbit-like qualities. Great Danes named Rabbit are a particular subspecies of this humor.
The Counter-Reading: It Requires Commitment
Rabbit only works if you fully commit to it — explaining it to every vet, every dog walker, every stranger at the park. Owners who find that prospect tiring might consider Bunny, which occupies the same sonic neighborhood with significantly more warmth and a longer tradition in pet naming.