Tater

Tater is an American English dialectal shortening of potato — from the earlier English tater, itself from tato, a shortened form of potato. As a pet name it is cheerful, grounded, and unpretentious — a name that suggests a round, lovable, fundamentally good-natured animal who is everyone's comfort food in living form.

Tater is the name for a dog who is best described as a good time in animal form. It is warm, Southern-inflected, and completely without pretension — the kind of name that belongs on a cheerful, stocky dog who is perpetually delighted to exist. It works especially well for short-legged breeds who are already potato-adjacent in shape: Corgis, Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, and the various terrier breeds who are exactly as round as they are long. The name also invites the natural follow-up nicknaming options (Tater Tot being the irresistible extension), giving it a whole family of related pet names built in.