Where did this 'Fido" thing come from?

Question

I've seen it EVERYWHERE. It sounds kind of dumb, referring to a dog as 'fido'.

Also, anyone else hate the knew question and answer thing? It's driving me crazy and I've only answered two questions and asked one of my own(this one)!

Answer 1

Back in the old days, education was founded on the classics, so people knew their Greek and Latin.

Common names for dogs included "Fido," which is Latin for "I am faithful" - a good characteristic for a dog.

A very large dog was often named "Hector," after the great Trojan warrior of Homer's "Iliad."  

Since most Americans today know nothing of the classics, these names have passed from style, but the memorable "Fido" is still around as a humorous generic name for any unspecified dog.

Answer 2

From a DIDO