What are the most popular dog names of 2020 for female dogs?
Falling outside the Top 10 of most popular dog names of 2020 for female dogs were Zoe/Zoey (2019 No. 6) and Lily (2019 No. 5), which in 2020 end up at No. 14 and No. 15, respectively.
As previously mentioned, etymology notes come from Bruce Lansky’s book The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World, unless otherwise stated.
No. 10 – Chloe
2019 rank – Outside Top 10
Chloe sneaks in at No. 10; it comes from Greek for “verdant” or “blooming,” which is a nice theme, especially this year, which was rather short on hope. Since many people adopted puppies this year, it seems like an appropriate moniker.
No. 9 – Bailey
2019 rank – No. 10
After dropping to No. 10 last year, Bailey made a slight improvement to No. 9 this year. It’s a unisex name that originally came from French and means “steward.” In the world of internet doggos, one of Canadian football player John Rush’s dogs is named Bailey.
No. 8 – Molly
2019 rank – No. 8
“Molly” is an Irish/Scotch derivative of “Mary,” which is Hebrew for “bitter.” Molly is sort of an old-fashioned kind of name, with generally positive associations.
No. 7 – Stella
2019 rank – Outside Top 10
Stella is literally Latin for “star,” and for many people, their dogs are shining lights in their lives, so it seems like a very good fit. It’s also kind of old-fashioned, which seems to be coming back into vogue recently when it comes to human names.
No. 6 – Sadie
2019 rank – No. 9
Sadie is a derivative of Sarah, which is Hebrew for “princess.” This is fitting, and it sounds pleasant and way out of the past. While not as likely now that the Duck Dynasty craze has cooled off a great deal, it could also be a reference to Sadie Robertson.
No. 5 – Lola
2019 rank – No. 7
Lola is, according to Lansky, Spanish and a derivative of Carlotta, Dolores and Louise, which all sound more like cows than canines. (They mean, incidentally, “little and womanly,” “sorrowful” and “female warrior,” respectively.)
Lola is more thought of as mysterious and capable, thanks to Space Jam‘s Lola Bunny and Phil Coulson’s car of the same name in Agents of SHIELD.
No. 4 – Daisy
2019 rank – No. 4
Daisy, of course, is a pretty wildflower, and besides that, it’s a classic traditional name that sounds doggish. In pop culture, it could refer to classic Disney character Daisy Duck, or much more likely for the current times, Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley.
No. 3 – Lucy
2019 rank – No. 3
Lucy comes from Latin for “light” or “bringer of light,” continuing this theme of positivity and hopefulness.
Lucy could also be named after Peanuts character Lucy Van Pelt, or depending on the owners’ age, actresses Lucille Ball, Lucy Lawless (Xena, Parks and Rec) or Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars).
No. 2 – Luna
2019 rank – No. 2
Like Stella, Luna is literally Latin for “moon,” and since dogs bark at the moon fairly often, it kind of makes sense.
No. 1 – Bella
2019 rank – No. 1
Bella is a shortened form of Isabella, which comes from Italian translation of Elizabeth, which means “consecrated to God” in Hebrew. Bella could also be a reference to Lizzie’s pop star doppelganger in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Kirsten Stewart’s main character in the Twilight series or Isabella Garcia-Shapiro from Phineas and Ferb.