The Art of Naming Sheep

Having recently acquired our market lambs for the year, my sister and I now have six sheep that live at the animal pens in our backyard. Now, having six sheep is very fun, and I definitely enjoy working showmanship with them, and walking them is a different, but still enjoyable experience. However, one thing that can get a little bit tricky is keeping their names straight. Once you master that, your golden! Because we have six sheep this year, and have been doing sheep for a while, I have learned a thing or two about naming sheep. It's best if the names are cute and catchy, and, keeping that in mind, there are a few steps that I usually follow:
1. Is the sheep a ewe or a weather?
It is best to keep this in mind when you're considering names that are specific to one gender or the other. My sister wanted to name her ewe's first lamb Orion, but because she was a girl, she tweaked it to Oriana. Now that her ewe has had two lambs, she has both an Oryan and an Oriana.
2. What color is the sheep?
Some names, such as coco puff, Oreo, honey etc. are very cute and can be decided from the color of the sheep's wool. This year I named my market lamb Pooh Bear, because of his honey colored wool.
3. Consider the personality of the sheep.
Does the sheep jump around about? Maybe Tigger or hopper would be a good name. Does the sheep constantly lay down when you try to walk it on a halter? That behavior led my sister to name one lamb London (bridges falling down). This year, because her market lamb is extremely vocal, she named it Enya.
4. Don't forget about flower names.
Although names such as daisy and rose are slightly overused, they are still very cute if they fit the sheep. For something a little more fun and exotic, try unusual flower and plant names. Our breeding ewe's name is Begonia, and my sister also once had a lamb named clover.
5. Think about recent movies.
Last year, half of the sheep at the fair were named Bella or Alice. This year, because the breeding ewe that I chose was marked with a big chalk paint "A" I named her Olive in reference to "Easy A". These names are funny, and can start a conversation about the movie.
Follow these tips and you're sure to come up with something. But if all else fails, just remember that as long as YOU like the name and it sort of fits the sheep, it works!