Here are the most popular pet names of 2021, according to one poll

Celebrities, sports figures continue to inspire names, according to this report

Stock image. (Pexels)

Did you get a new pet this year? If so, what did you name it?

Oh yeah?

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It’s quite possible you weren’t the only one who thought of that name.

Based on submissions and a survey of 1,000 pet owners, Rover released a report detailing some popular and trending pet names for 2021.

Below are some highlights from the release. For the full report, click or tap here.

And hey, let’s be real — this is just an unofficial poll.

So, we want to join in on the fun, and conduct our own unofficial poll! Help us by dropping your new pet’s name in the comments below.


Top dog names

Here were the top dog names of 2021, according to submissions from Rover’s readers.

Female: Bella, Luna, Lucy, Daizy, Zoe, Lily, Lola, Bailey, Stella, Molly

Male: Max, Charlie, Milo, Buddy, Rocky, Bear, Leo, Duke, Teddy, Tucker

Top cat names

Here were the top dog names of 2021, according to submissions from Rover’s readers.

Female: Luna, Bella, Lily, Lucy, Nala, Kitty, Chloe, Stella, Zoe, Lola

Male: Oliver, Leo, Milo, Charlie, Max, Simba, Jack, Loki, Ollie, Jasper

Top trending dog names

Inspired by Disney+, Grogu from “The Mandalorian” was the No. 1 trending dog name, up 4,000%. Raya from “Raya and the Dragon” was up 436% and Wanda from “WandaVision” are up 143%.

Celebrity-inspired pet names

  • After the passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, fans paid tribute by naming pets after him. Dogs named Bozeman were up 1,063%, while cats named Chadwick were up 400%.
  • Cats named Oprah went up 76%.
  • Cats named Yeezy went up 513%.

Sports/Olympics-inspired names

  • DK, in honor of Seattle Seahawks wideout DK Metcalf, was the top trending dog name inspired by football, at 563%.
  • Kittle, in honor of San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, was up 63% among dog names.
  • Mahomes, in honor of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was also up 63% among dog names.
  • The top football-inspired named cat was Gronk, in honor of Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski.
  • Naomi (after tennis player Naomi Osaka), Simone (after gymnast Simone Biles) and Katie (after swimmer Katie Ledecky) were the most popular Olympics-inspired names.

Food-inspired names

  • Caviar was up 800% among dogs.
  • Dijon was up 700% among dogs.
  • Baguette was up 600% for cats.
  • Raclette was up 300% for cats.

Space-themed names

  • Elon (after Elon Musk) trended up 343% among cats.
  • Solstice was up 213% among dogs.
  • Aster was up 195% among dogs.
  • Nebula was up 80% among dogs.

What creative name did you come up with for your pet? Let us know in the comments below.


About the Author:

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.

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