Associated Press
Rover.com, a network of pet sitters and dog walkers, unveiled the results of its popular dog names of the year. For the fourth year in a row, human and food-inspired names are among the year’s most popular, while names inspired by Pokémon Go, “Hamilton” and “Stranger Things” stood out as the new trends of 2016.
The top baby names of the year were among the most popular dog names, and dogs with celebrity baby names like Apple and Shiloh rose 8 percent.
“Decades ago, dogs were simply our pets and the names we chose for them, like Spot or Rover, demonstrated that. As that relationship has evolved, pet owners have begun to think of themselves as ‘pet parents,’ and dogs are part of their families,” said Rover CEO Aaron Easterly. “As the bond between people and their pets grows, we’ve seen a shift in how pets are named.”
According to a Harris Poll survey, 95 percent of pet parents consider their dog a part of the family, so it’s no surprise dogs are named more like human family members than pets. In fact, 28 percent of dog names are decidedly human, a number that has been steadily increasing over the years, and is up 2 percent from last year.
Pet parents often look to popular culture for inspiration when naming their dog. A recent survey of dog owners found 53 percent, including 75 percent of Millennials, named their dog after a movie or TV character, book character or celebrity.
Pokémon dog names had been steadily trending down — but thanks to the huge popularity of Pokémon GO, they’re back on the uptick. Dog names inspired by “Stranger Things” are also on the rise. Names like Eleven and Barb are up 12 percent.
Hamilton had a breakout year on the stage and with pet parents. The name is on the rise in Washington, D.C. (96 percent), Boston (88 percent), New York (15 percent) and Philadelphia (35 percent).
Pet parents are naming their dogs after their favorite snacks with junk food-themed names on the rise, increasing 2 percent in 2016. Health food names declined 17 percent year over year.
Dogs named Kale are most popular in Portland, Oregon, and dogs named Quinoa are most popular in Los Angeles. Coffee-themed names like Kona, Espresso and Mocha are declining nationally, but continue to rise in Seattle.
More at www.rover.com/blog/dog-names.
Top 10 male names
Max
Charlie
Buddy
Cooper
Jack
Rocky
Bear
Duke
Toby
Tucker
Top 10 female names
Bella
Lucy
Daisy
Lola
Luna
Molly
Sadie
Sophie
Bailey
Maggie
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