Popular Names for Dogs

The days of naming your new pups Fido and Scout are over. The doggie name tradition is changing and, much like the new trends in naming infants, is much more inclusive and creative.

  1. Male dogs

    • Dog names are divided by gender, and the trends are also divided this way. For male dogs, Max is the most popular name for the second consecutive year, according to a 2008 survey published on PetPlace.com. Short, fun and easy-to-pronounce names such as Buddy, Jake and Rocky took the next three spots on the list of most popular dog names.

      Names that would be just as equally suited for a newborn baby boy, such as Jack, Charlie and Cody were all in the top 10. Bear, Bailey and Buster, all more traditional pet names that begin with the letter B also made it into the top 10.

      The rest of the top 30 was a little trickier. Zeus, which is the name of the all-ruling god in Greek mythology, made the list at number 20, as did Gizmo, which is another term for gadget and is of unknown origin, at number 27. Many names seem to be going for a more aristocratic, English sound. Toby, Duke, Riley, Oscar, Winston and Oliver are also very popular.

    Female dogs

    • For lady dogs, there is also a tendency to go for human-sounding names. Molly, Maggie and Daisy are the top three most popular female dog names. Chloe made the list at number 7, as did Zoe at number 10. Both of those are among the most popular infant baby girl names.

      Bailey is the number 8 most popular female dog name (the same name is number 5 on the male side), and Lucy, Sadie, Ginger and Sophie round out the top 10. Pet owners with female dogs, however, have not completely abandoned whimsy; Princess is the 11th most popular name. Angel, Lady and Missy, which are all more traditional girl dog names, made it into the top 15.

      Nicknames are also popular for dogs. Some examples are Sasha (a common nickname for people named Natasha or Alexander), Abby (a shortening of Abigail), Roxy (for Roxanne) and Missy (for Melissa), were also among the most popular.