Triplet names for pets come as whole sets of three, such as Athos, Porthos and Aramis or Penny, Nickel and Dime, for three kittens, three puppies or any three. Each set says what ties the names together.
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Pick what ties the three
A press deals three sets. The list under the button picks the tie: sayings and sets in three, food, sky and time, history and old books, or sizes, coins and medals. Its last entry, More filters, opens three cats and three dogs: Purr, Pounce and Nap is for cats, and Fetch, Sit and Stay is for dogs.
Sets that are older than any pet
Athos, Porthos and Aramis are the Three Musketeers of the novel by Alexandre Dumas, published in 1844. Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru are the three wise monkeys, and Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka are the three stars of Orion's Belt.
Questions and answers
What are good names for three kittens?
Purr, Pounce and Nap is a cat's whole day in three words. Wynken, Blynken and Nod are the three sleepy sailors of the children's poem by Eugene Field. Curds, Whey and Cream all come out of milk.
What are good names for three puppies?
Fetch, Sit and Stay, for three who know one command each. Snips, Snails and Tails comes from the nursery rhyme about puppy-dogs' tails, and Big, Bigger and Biggest suits three who are still growing.
What if my three pets are different sizes?
Use a set that runs in order: Ounce, Pound and Ton; Pebble, Rock and Boulder; Little, Middle and Big; or Penny, Nickel and Dime, three coins worth one, five and ten cents.
Why are the famous cartoon trios not here?
Trios from cartoons, films, bands, games and cereal boxes belong to the companies that made them, and this site leaves them out. The sets here come from sayings, food, the sky, history and books older than 1931.
Animal, Vegetable and MineralThe three guesses that open a game of twenty questions.
Eat, Sleep and RepeatThe schedule.
Fetch, Sit and StayThree commands, for three who know one each.
Going, Going and GoneWhat the auctioneer says, and what happens to the sandwich.
Healthy, Wealthy and WiseFrom the old rhyme about early to bed and early to rise.
Here, There and EverywhereWhere the fur is.
Hither, Thither and YonAn old way to say all over the place.
Ichi, Ni and SanOne, two and three in Japanese.
Lather, Rinse and RepeatThe shampoo bottle's three steps, for three who wash all day.
On, Off and StandbyOne is always awake, one never is, and one is thinking about it.
Purr, Pounce and NapA cat's whole day, in three words.
Reduce, Reuse and RecycleThe three Rs of looking after the planet.
Snips, Snails and TailsFrom the same nursery rhyme: snips, snails and puppy-dogs' tails.
Stop, Look and ListenThe old rule for crossing the road, for three who do none of it.
Sugar, Spice and NiceFrom the nursery rhyme: sugar and spice and all things nice.
Swim, Bike and RunThe three legs of a triathlon, in order.
This, That and The OtherFor when someone asks what the three of them got up to today.
Violin, Viola and CelloThe three instruments of a string trio.
Win, Lose and DrawThe three ways a game can end.
Yes, No and MaybeOne comes when called, one never does, one thinks about it.
Zig, Zag and ZoomHow the three of them cross the yard.
Food 12
Almond, Walnut and PecanThree nuts. That may be the right word for them.
Bacon, Lettuce and TomatoA sandwich, spelled out.
Basil, Chive and DillThree herbs from one windowsill.
Biscuit, Gravy and GritsA Southern breakfast on twelve legs.
Brie, Cheddar and GoudaThree cheeses, for three who come running at the sound of the fridge.
Corn, Bean and SquashThe Three Sisters, three crops that Indigenous peoples of the Americas plant together.
Cumin, Clove and CardamomThree spices and three Cs.
Curds, Whey and CreamThree things that come out of milk.
Graham, Mallow and CocoaThe three layers of a s'more: graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate.
Mango, Papaya and GuavaThree fruits from somewhere warmer than here.
Peaches, Plums and PearsThree fruits and three Ps.
Penne, Rigatoni and FusilliThree shapes of pasta.
Sky and time 12
Alnitak, Alnilam and MintakaThe three stars of Orion's Belt.
April, May and JuneThree months that are also three given names.
Comet, Meteor and AsteroidThree things that fly through space, and through the kitchen.
Dawn, Day and DuskOne day, start to finish.
Io, Europa and GanymedeThree of the Galilean moons, the four largest moons of Jupiter.
Land, Sea and SkyEverywhere there is to go.
Mercury, Venus and MarsThree planets, for three who orbit the food bowl.
Rain, Sleet and SnowThree kinds of weather nobody wants to be walked in.
Solstice, Equinox and EclipseThree big days in the sky's calendar.
Sunup, Sundown and StarlightFrom first light to the last.
Vega, Deneb and AltairThe three stars at the corners of the Summer Triangle.
Yesterday, Today and TomorrowThree days, for the oldest, the middle and the youngest.
History and old books 13
Aglaia, Euphrosyne and ThaliaThe three Graces of Greek mythology, as the poet Hesiod names them.
Athos, Porthos and AramisThe Three Musketeers of the novel by Alexandre Dumas, published in 1844.
Butcher, Baker and CandlestickThe three men in a tub of the nursery rhyme Rub-a-dub-dub.
Caesar, Pompey and CrassusThe three men of the First Triumvirate of ancient Rome.
Charlotte, Emily and AnneThe three Bronte sisters, English novelists of the nineteenth century.
Doric, Ionic and CorinthianThe three orders of ancient Greek columns.
Friends, Romans and CountrymenThe first words of Mark Antony's speech in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.
Huff, Puff and BlowWhat the wolf does in the tale of the Three Little Pigs.
Mizaru, Kikazaru and IwazaruThe three wise monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
Nina, Pinta and Santa MariaThe three ships of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, in 1492.
Stone, Bronze and IronThe three ages into which historians divide prehistory.
Veni, Vidi and ViciI came, I saw, I conquered: Latin words attributed to Julius Caesar.
Wynken, Blynken and NodThe three sleepy sailors of the children's poem by Eugene Field, published in 1889.
Sizes, coins and medals 16
Big, Bigger and BiggestFor three who are still growing.
Bud, Blossom and BloomThree stages of a flower.
Crawl, Walk and RunThree speeds, slowest first.
First, Second and ThirdIn order of arrival.
Good, Better and BestFrom the old rhyme: good, better, best, never let it rest.
Inch, Foot and YardThree lengths, each longer than the last.
Little, Middle and BigThe plain way to tell them apart.
Mini, Midi and MaxiThree sizes, in three short names.
Ounce, Pound and TonThree weights, for the runt and the two who eat its dinner.
Pebble, Rock and BoulderSmall, bigger and biggest, in stone.
Penny, Nickel and DimeThree coins, worth one, five and ten cents.
Pint, Quart and GallonThree measures, smallest first.
Single, Double and TripleThree hits in baseball, one base more each time.
Solid, Liquid and GasThe three everyday states of matter; a cat can be all three.
Sprout, Sapling and TreeThree stages of growing up.
Whisper, Talk and ShoutThree volumes, one of each.
How this list was compiled
Own list of 74 sets of three names for three pets, written for this page on 2026-10-02; one item is one whole set, and every line is ours. Ties: 21 sayings and sets in three, 12 food, 12 sky and time, 13 history, myth and old books, 16 sizes, coins and medals. Each set is also marked for three cats (71), for three dogs (68) or for both, which is our own judgment. 24 sets come from history, myth, a nursery rhyme, a book or a real set of three things; each was read that day in the English Wikipedia article on that set, book or rhyme (CC BY-SA 4.0), and the card says no more than the article does. The books and rhymes are all older than 1931: The Three Musketeers is from 1844 and the poem Wynken, Blynken, and Nod from 1889. Left out on purpose: every trio from a cartoon, a film, a television show, a band, a game or a brand, such as the three cereal mascots and the cartoon nephews. Sets from scripture are left out as well. Licence: The sets, the groups and the lines are our own work; the sayings, rhymes and old books they draw on are in the public domain. Facts on the cards draw on English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).