i LOVE nicknaming my pokemon
i nickname every single one of my pokemon. i agree that it does seem like having a pet when you do, it seems to create a special attachment, to me anyways. when you get a pet, like a dog for example, you don't just call it "dog", it usually has a name. and since pokemon are more intelligent than real pets, i give them nicknames :)
some of mine are totally random, some actually have meaning. like i named my luxray "Thunder" after the song by the band Boys Like Girls. it goes like this:
"Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer
Do you know youre unlike any other?
You'll always be my thunder, and I said
Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors
I dont wanna ever love another
Youll always be my thunder
So bring on the rain
And bring on the thunder"
luxray was my favorite of all the D/P pokemon so i wanted him to have a special nickname. then i named my pachirisu "Cooper" cuz i thought it was cute, my blastoise is "Tobi", my charizard is "Jchett" (pronounced "Jet"), typhlosion is "Phlair", etc, etc, etc (it goes on FOREVER). so i guess i like to change the letters so the name looks different and unique but is pronounced the same, like "Phlair" instead of "Flair", and my blaziken is "Kannon" compared to "Cannon" cuz i thought it looked cooler :)