What is the most common dog name?
What are the most common names for dogs? Well, like the answer to a lot of questions, it just depends on who you ask and where you live!
Unlike human names registered with the Social Security Administration, there is no central database that records dog names. Instead, there are many lists, from dogs registered with the AKC to lists of dogs that receive a registration box. Many groups compile lists of top dog names, but those results are based on their own databases.
Whether you want to pick one of the most popular dog names – making it easier to understand for others – or you want to avoid the most common names (so half the dog parks don’t run when you call ), we’ve provided you with a huge list of the most popular dog names!
Most popular dog names
Surveying a database of more than 740,000 insured pets, Trupanion compiled a list of the top 10. As with many US listings, Moonlight sit at the top of the pack, and Charlie and Bella round the top three. A new name on the list is TeddyEspecially interesting because Theodore just made the top 10 of the most popular baby names in America, according to the Social Security Administration!
- Moonlight
- Charlie
- Bella
- Daisy
- Milo
- Lucy
- Cooper
- Bailey
- Teddy
- Max
MetLife Pet Insurance also note that their list of most popular names has a growing number of “person” names. “There’s been a long discussion about giving pets common human names – things like Oliver, Charlie or Jack versus names like Oreo, Coco and Smokey. Based on this year’s results, many people are naming their pets like they’d name a human child – another clear sign that pets are family. ”
Here are the top 25 names in their database:
- Moonlight
- Bella
- Charlie
- Max
- Daisy
- Bailey
- Lucy
- Cooper
- CoCo
- Milo
- Friend
- Coins
- Maggie
- Lola
- Molly
- Sadie
- Stella
- Rocky
- Teddy
- Bear
- Chloe
- Ruby
- Rosie
- Zoey
- Oliver
Rover came up with their own list based on customer data – and that list showed off a few new monikers. In 2021, their top female names (including many that share the top spot with human baby names) are Bella (baby name on top), Moonlight (baby name on top), Lucy (baby name on top), Daisy, Zoe (baby name on top), Lily, Lola, Bailey, Stella and Molly. Includes top male names Max (baby name on top), Charlie, Milo, Friend, Rocky, Bear, Lion (baby name on top), Duke, Teddy and Tucker.
In fact, the names haven’t changed much over the past decade. In 2010, petMD named the top 10 puppy names chosen by their readers, 5 names for boys and 5 names for girls:
Boy Puppy Name
- Ace – Ace is a human nickname often given to dogs. Two of the most famous Aces include the canine actor, Ace the Wonder Dog, and Batman’s loyal dog, Ace the Bat-Hound.
- Aztecs – Possibly named after the Aztec civilization, Aztec is not a common nickname for children, making it a unique puppy name.
- Max – Max is Latin for “greatest” and is also a common boy name, making it a different name common human names for male dogs.
- Byron Byron is another human name, possibly from the poet Lord Byron, famous for his wildness and debauchery. Byron is a great puppy name for any delectable puppy.
- AJ – AJ has become a common human name in its own right, although the initials probably stood for something at first. Perhaps perfect for that puppy that’s a “great jumper”?
Puppy girl name
- Bella – Bella in French means “very beautiful.” Although these days puppies (and babies) named Bella may be named after the main character in the widely popular movie Sunset series of books and movies.
- Abby – Short for Abigail, Abby has always been one of the more common girl names given to babies.
- Zoey Meaning “life” in Greek, who wouldn’t want to name their puppy Zoey?
- knot – A long-loved dog name, Buttons probably comes from the phrase “cute as a button”.
- Daisy – Daisy is a flower, and was the name commonly given to girls throughout the 20th century. Daisy’s popularity was short-lived, but growing.
As you can see, there are some familiar nicknames on the list!
Do the most common names vary by state?
It’s interesting that the most common dog names vary from state to state.
One Bark’s research shows that every state except Hawaii and Mississippi has Moonlight, Bella, Charlie or Daisy as a top choice.
And what are the most popular names in those two states? In Hawaii, Kona is the first choice when, in Mississippi, Sadie get the top honors.
Similar Healthy pet insurance looked at the state of their client list state by state, and as you can see, most countries seem to be on the same wavelength when it comes to dog names:
Top dog names by state | ||||
SHIFT | NY | TX | FL | |
first | Moonlight | Moonlight | Bella | Moonlight |
2 | Charlie | Bella | Moonlight | Bella |
3 | Bella | Charlie | Coco | Max |
4 | Coco | Cooper | Daisy | Bailey |
5 | Lucy | Coco | Max | Rocky |
6 | Bailey | Bailey | Lucy | Cooper |
7 | Max | Teddy | Charlie | Lucy |
8 | Daisy | Lola | Cooper | Coco |
9 | Milo | Milo | Bailey | Charlie |
ten | Cooper | Max | Molly | Lola |
The most popular dog names in the UK
And, in case you’re wondering, the most popular dog names in the UK are pretty much the same – but do include some additional names that aren’t on the top 10 list in the US.
Tails.com, a UK dog food registry, has listed their cutest names; As you can see in the infographic below, Bella, Luna, Max, Daisy and Charlie are wagging a lot of tails across the pond.
However, you’ll find some common UK names that aren’t on the US list, including Alfie, Milo, Roxy, Rosie and Bombs.
Like in the US, in the UK, location-based popularity fluctuates a bit. Here are the top names by city. Only Edinburgh, with Dexterthere is a top name that is not on the top 20 list:
Within cities, the top list varies slightly; For example, Tails notes that these are the 10 most popular dog names in Cambridge:
- Alfie
- Bella
- Ruby
- Maisie
- Poppy
- Lola
- Moonlight
- Milo
- Molly
- Murphy
The most popular names by breed
Of course, the popularity of dog names not only varies by location, but also by breed!
Yappy.coma company that makes personalized items for dogs, studied their many customer profiles and looked at the popularity of names by breed:
Alike | Name |
Affenpinscher | Gizmo |
Akita | Storm |
American Pit Bull | Vinnie |
Basset Hound | Bertie |
Beagle | Snoopy |
Bichon Frize | Princess |
Boxer | Bruno |
Border Collie | Skye |
Border Terrier | Teddy |
Cavachon | Daisy |
King of Cavalier Charles Spaniel | Lola |
Chihuahua | Pixie |
Chow Chow | Winnie |
Cockapoo | Coco |
Cocker Spaniel | Willow |
Corgis | Candy |
Dachshund | Rolo |
Dalmatian | Pongo |
Doberman | Zeus |
Dorkie | Dixie |
English Bulldog | Winston |
English toy terrier | Elwood |
French bulldog | Rocco |
Foxhound | Ezra |
Frug (Frenchie-Pug mix) | Bear |
German Shepherd | Kaiser |
Great Dane | Duke |
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog | Heidi |
greyhound | Murphy |
Hungarian Vizsla | Oscar |
Irish doodles | Flynn |
Irish Settlers | Finn |
Jack Russell | Rocky |
Labradoodle | Molly |
Hound | Bailey |
Malti-Poo | Cookies |
Miniature Poodle | Poppy |
Old English Sheepdog | Rosie |
Pomeranian | Misha |
Pug | Doug |
Rottweiler | Tyson |
Schnauzer | Otto |
Schnoodle | Monty |
Scottish Terrier | Angus |
Springer Spaniel | Jasper |
St Bernard | Sully |
Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Diesel oil |
Weimaraner | Hudson |
Welsh Terrier | Beazley |
Whippet | Milo |
Yorkshire Terrier | Toto |
Most popular dog names vs baby names!
We’ve looked at the most common names for dogs by both place and breed – but how do those compare to the most common names for human babies? Not surprisingly, there are some similarities between baby names and human fur babies!
In the US, these are Top 10 baby names According to the Social Security Administration:
Places | Male name | Female name |
---|---|---|
first | Liam | Olivia |
2 | Noah | Emma |
3 | Oliver | Charlotte |
4 | Eli | Amelia |
5 | James | Ava |
6 | William | Sophia |
7 | Benjamin | Isabella |
8 | Lucas | Mia |
9 | Henry | Evelyn |
ten | Theodore | Harper |
In England and Wales, National Statistics Office naming them the top 10 baby names (there are a lot of similarities in the top spots):
Places | Male name | Female name |
---|---|---|
first | Noah | Olivia |
2 | Oliver | Amelia |
3 | George | Isla |
4 | Arthur | Ava |
5 | Muhammad | Ivy |
6 | Lion | Freya |
7 | Harry | Lily |
8 | Oscar | Florence |
9 | Archie | Mia |
ten | Henry | Willow |
What do you think: popular or unique?
When we looked at the list of names, the only ones we had in the family were Coco and Daisy. Coco was one of our dearest cats and Daisy was my childhood duck name (later the subject of an article called “Ducks and Dachshund“Which I wrote to Reader’s Notice.)
However, it is clear that a lot of people love the same pet names. What do you think? Do you want a more popular dog name or a different and unique name?