Most Popular Dog Names 2018 And Where They Came From

Unsplash/Anoir Chafik

Looking to get a dog this Christmas? If you’re still unsure of what you’re going to name your new furry best friend, looking at what was trendy this year might spark your creativity (or encourage you to think outside of the box a little bit).

For the sixth year in a row, Rover released a report revealing the most popular dog names of the year. For this year’s report, the dog-walking and pet-sitting app analyzed millions of user-submitted dog names provided by pup owners on Rover.com between September and October. According to the 2018 report, the most popular dog names were ones are also intended for humans.

Rover found that one in three dog owners have met a pup that shares their name. This isn’t too surprising, considering that the report said the most popular male dog names of 2018 were Max, Charlie, Cooper, Buddy and Jack and the most popular female pup names of the year were Bella, Lucy, Luna, Daisy and Lola. Most of us know at least one person with one of these names.

Unsplash/Jamie Street

Pop culture-inspired pup names were also very popular this year, with 16 percent of all dog names stemming from popular 2018 movies, musicians and members of the royal family. The popularity of the name Cardi (as in Cardi B) as a dog name rose by 1,000 percent this year, and the name Nakia from “Black Panther” also rose in popularity among pawrents, increasing by 560 percent. So did the name Gambino (as in Childish Gambino), rising by 190 percent, and the name Stormi (the same name as Kyli Jenner and Travis Scott’s daughter), increasing in popularity by 240 percent.

The Rover report points to an increase in dogs named after royal family members in 2018 as well, with a plethora of pups named Harry and Meghan. Pup names derived from “Guardians of the Galaxy” members also became more popular, with Drax being a very popular dog name this year. Doggos named after characters from HBO series “Westworld” were also on the rise and, as always, Harry Potter-themed dog names weren’t lacking.

Surprisingly, only 5 percent of all dog names from the report were food-inspired this year. Our increasing obsession with brunch was clear, as more foodie dog pawrents chose to name their pups Biscuit, Muffin and Waffles. Booze-themed names like Guinness and Whiskey are also up by 17 percent this year, but the name Rosé is no longer welcome at the cool table — it has decreased in popularity by 44 percent.

Unsplash/Vincent van Zalinge

If you’re wondering how dog owners find the perfect name for their pup in the first place, here’s some insight. According to a recent survey conducted by Rover, three out of four pet parents waited to pick their dog’s name after meeting him or her to make sure it matched their personality. When adopting a pup, 38 percent of dog owners chose to change their dog’s name from the name given by the shelter or previous owner. And 81 percent of all pet parents give their dogs nicknames.

Who’s ready to take a trip to the shelter?

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