The most popular dog names of 2019

DUESSELDORF, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 09: A dalmatian during the Spirit of Düsseldorf: De Retematäng by HA Schult on November 9, 2018 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Florian Ebener/Getty Images for HA Schult)
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 09: A dalmatian during the Spirit of Düsseldorf: De Retematäng by HA Schult on November 9, 2018 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Florian Ebener/Getty Images for HA Schult)
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BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 10: A Yorkshire Terrier sits patiently as it is judged on the fourth day of Crufts Dog Show at National Exhibition Centre on March 10, 2019 in Birmingham, England. First held in 1891, Crufts is said to be the largest show of its kind in the world. The annual four-day event features thousands of dogs, with competitors travelling from countries across the globe to take part and vie for the coveted title of ‘Best in Show’. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 10: A Yorkshire Terrier sits patiently as it is judged on the fourth day of Crufts Dog Show at National Exhibition Centre on March 10, 2019 in Birmingham, England. First held in 1891, Crufts is said to be the largest show of its kind in the world. The annual four-day event features thousands of dogs, with competitors travelling from countries across the globe to take part and vie for the coveted title of ‘Best in Show’. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

What are the most popular dog names of 2019 for female dogs?

What are the most popular dog names of 2019 for female dogs? There was a little bit of change this year as compared to last, though mostly names just shuffled positions.

Still, two new names cracked the Top 10, which meant that Stella (2018 No. 10) and Maggie (2018 No. 9) got pushed out.

Unless otherwise stated, all etymology comes from the 1998 book The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World, by Bruce Lansky.

No. 10 – Bailey

2018 ranking: No. 8

Down a little from last year, Bailey comes from French and means “steward.” Though it’s a unisex name (for male dogs it ranked No. ), it tends to be thought of as more of a feminine name.

No. 9 – Sadie

2018 ranking: No. 6

Though losing popularity this year, Sadie is a good general dog name, possibly helped by Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson. According to the website BabyCenter, it started as a English nickname for Sarah, which means “princess,” before becoming a name in its own right.

No. 8 – Molly

2018 ranking: No. 7

Down a bit, Molly is an Irish derivative for Mary, which means “bitter” in Hebrew.

No. 7 – Lola

2018 ranking: No. 5

Down several spots this year, the name Lola could be a shortened version of the Spanish Carlotta, Dolores or Louise, though we always leap to Lola Bunny from Space Jam or Phil Coulson’s car in Agents of SHIELD. 

No. 6 – Zoe/Zoey

2018 ranking: No. 14

Skyrocketing up from No. 14 in 2018, Zoe (also sometimes spelled Zoey) is Greek for “life,” which seems like a great name for a dog (or a daughter). It’s also the name of the dog of The Gifted actress Emma Dumont, and Denny’s daughter in both the novel and the movie versions of The Art of Racing in the Rain.

No. 5 – Lily

2018 ranking: No. 15

Also sailing up the list like wildfire, Lily is a common flower, and is possibly influenced by the popularity of actress Lily James (2015 Cinderella, Baby Driver, Yesterday). Also, it could have risen in popularity due to Lily and Teddy, a pair of British Golden Retrievers who are well-known among the Dogs of Twitter (their handle is @GoldenLily2017).

No. 4 – Daisy

2018 ranking: No. 4

Another flower name, Daisy is a good general all-purpose name for dogs, possibly helped by Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley.

No. 3 – Lucy

2018 ranking: No. 2

Down a bit this year, Lucy comes from Latin and can mean “light” or “bringer of light.” It’s possible that its popularity has spiked due to Pretty Little Liars actress Lucy Hale, though we prefer to think it’s because of Lucy Van Pelt from Peanuts.

No. 2 – Luna

2018 ranking: No. 3

Up slightly this year, Luna is Latin for “moon,” which is also where we get the word “lunatic.” Hopefully your Luna isn’t one.

No. 1 – Bella

2018 ranking: No. 1

For at least the third year in a row, Bella reigns supreme as the top choice among the most popular dog names of 2019. It’s a shortened form of Isabella, which is the Spanish form of Elizabeth.  It might also be a reference to Phineas and Ferb’s Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, who owns a vvery shaky Chihuahua named Pinky.