The word 'labrador' is Spanish in origin and actually means 'worker', especially a manual worker. It comes from the Latin word 'labore' meaing work. The English word 'labour' has a broadly similar meaning, and you can see these Latin origins in other words too, such as 'laborious' meaning difficult or tiring.

The Labrador breed of dog is named after the region of the same name in Canada, where the breed originates. In fact the name of the region has nothing to do with the Latin meaning of the word; it's named after two Portuguese explorers, called Lavrador and de Barcelos, who were the first Europeans to put the area on maps.

Since Labrador dogs are often used to retrieve game that has been shot by humans, it is believed by many people that they are so called because they are 'working dogs' but in fact this is just a coincidence.