Stop Naming Rabbits Thumper!
In 1942, Disney released a super cute animated movie called Bambi. One of the characters was a rambunctious rabbit named Thumper. Thumper's name stemmed from his habit of thumping one his back feet, a habit which is known for all rabbits. They do it when they are startled, scared, or unhappy. Some do it to be bossy to their humans. My rabbit, Kalona, likes to do it to demand food from me. Giving a 1942 animated rabbit the name Thumper and having him obsessively thump a back leg was cute, and honestly still is, but naming your pet rabbit Thumper is not cute.
Magic Happens Rabbit Rescue has taken in upwards of twenty rabbits named Thumper over the past ten years, by far the most common name the rescue has seen (aside from variations of Bunny like Bun Bun or Mr, Bunny. That's a blog post all on its own to come in the future). Some were long-term pets, and others were just given that name temporarily because no one could come up with anything more creative.
A 2006 poll and article by pdsa.org.uk names Thumper the number one name for pet rabbits in the UK. The rest of the incredibly uncreative top ten list also makes me roll my eyes. Though 2006 was nine years ago, I wouldn't be surprised if not much has changed. A quick look through a few other websites and articles tells me that Thumper is still on the top ten list for rabbit names in the States, usually toward the top of the list if not number one.
So what's wrong with Thumper? It's trite, boring, and unoriginal. I think beloved furry family members deserve to have names as carefully chosen and well thought out as the names of their humans. You wouldn't give your human child a name that you didn't put serious thought into (except for my mother apparently), so why would you just throw a common, boring name at your furry child without giving it consideration?
Yes, I know some people let their kids name the rabbit (or other pets), but as the adult you have the power of veto. Children likely only want to name a rabbit Thumper because of Bambi, and again... boring. Not Bambi - I love that movie! What's boring is how many rabbits have been named Thumper since 1942. I truly wish I had a number for that one!
I've named my furry children after characters from movies and such. My dog's name is Lola Bunny. Sound familiar? When she gets excited she hops around like a rabbit and does the dog version of bunny binkies. So I named her after Lola Bunny from Space Jam. I don't have anything against naming your pets after characters. I have a cat named Venom after the Marvel character and another cat named Ash after the character from the Evil Dead series (though he actually got his name because of his coloration, the fleck on his nose that looks like ash, and the fact that he was born the same day my best friend died and she was cremated, but we go with the other story because it makes my boyfriend happy). What I do have something against is naming a rabbit a name that has been given to a million (probably exaggerating) other rabbits in the past seventy-three years.
Be more original! You've killed the name Thumper, and the only rabbit it will ever be cute on is Bambi's friend.
