Why Do We Call Dogs Fido?

“Fido” is a name that has become synonymous with all things dog. There’s FidoTV, a channel devoted to dog content. Nickelodeon once held the “Fido Awards” to honor impressive canines. Even the dog-like Pokémon is named “Fidough.” In fact, Fido has become such a cliché name that people have generally stopped using it, instead opting for more popular pooch names like Luna, Bella, Max, and Charlie. 

But, at one point, Fido was a common enough name to lead to this ongoing association with dogs. The name is a spin on the Latin word fidus, which means “faithful,” so it’s a fitting moniker for humankind’s best friend.

A Presidential Pet

President Abraham Lincoln often gets credit for popularizing the name. While he did have a significant role, Lincoln’s famous Fido wasn’t the first. There’s evidence of canines with the name going back to the mid-18th century. And in 1845, Fido or the Faithful Friend was a widespread children’s book about a boy and his pet dog. 

Lincoln’s Fido came into his life in 1855. This Fido was a mutt with long ears, a short tail, and yellow fur—or “‘yaller,” as Lincoln called it. Matthew Algeo’s book Abe & Fido: Lincoln's Love of Animals and the Touching Story of His Favorite Canine Companion cites a forensic veterinarian who used photographs to speculate the dog was “predominantly Labrador retriever.”

It’s unknown how the Lincolns got Fido, but Algeo notes that it was uncommon to purchase dogs at the time, so Fido was likely a stray. Not every member of the Lincoln family felt the same level of affection for him: Mary Lincoln and Bob, the eldest son, weren’t dog lovers. But Abe and his younger sons, Willie and Tad, were Fido’s biggest fans. 

Abe Lincoln and Fido were staples in Springfield, Illinois; community members got to know them both thanks to their frequent walks around town. The dog apparently enjoyed chasing his tail and jumping on people. He also had a favorite couch: a 7-foot-long sofa custom-made for Lincoln’s tall body. During peaceful times, Fido would lie on it. And during stressful times—which for the pup meant thunderstorms or loud community parties involving fireworks and cannons—he hid under it.

The American public was introduced to Fido when Lincoln ran for president. Campaign managers propped up the pet to make their candidate seem more accessible. But when Lincoln was elected in 1861, it marked the beginning of the end of Fido’s time with the family. He was skittish around commotion and had a rambunctious side, so Mary and Abe decided the dog couldn’t join them in the White House. Instead, he was left with the Roll family, their longtime friends. As a parting gift, Fido got to keep his favorite oversized sofa. Tragically, the animal was stabbed in the chest by a local in 1866—just one year after his former owner’s assassination. 

A Friend ’Til the End

Another Fido emerged on the scene decades later; he, too, shares credit for the name’s ubiquity. This Fido was a stray dog living in Borgo San Lorenzo, Italy, during World War II. As strays sometimes do, he “adopted” a human friend—in this case, a factory worker named Carlo Soriano—and accompanied him on his daily commute to and from the bus stop. 

Soriano died in 1943 when his workplace was bombed in the war. Fido showed up at the bus stop for the next 13–14 years (depending on the source), waiting for his friend. This story was covered in Time magazine and a handful of newspapers. This Fido still gets cited as an example of canine loyalty, which helps keep the name in the lexicon.

Even if there are fewer Fidos on the scene today, the term is alive and well to refer to dogkind. And who knows? Maybe some American president and bus stop enthusiasts will revive it sometime in the future. 

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