What were the most popular dog names of 2020?
What were the most popular dog names of 2020?
As always, Rover.com collects the data annually, and they released it in late November, just after Thanksgiving.
Two new names cracked the Top 10 for most popular female dog names this year, while two male names also shook up the Top 10 in 2020. There wasn’t any movement among the top names, but there was some shuffling throughout the Top 10 overall for both boys and girls.
Also, for the first time, Rover’s survey broke down the Top 10 most popular cat names for both males and females, which we’ll also look at, because our feline friends are just as great (also, our editorial assistant cat Rags insisted we mention it.)
Unless otherwise mentioned, the etymology details come from the 1998 book The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World, because the pawfect name is very very important.
And if you’re curious, here are our recaps of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 name rankings as well.
But now, we’ll start our countdown…
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.
What are the most popular dog names of 2020 for male dogs?
Teddy (2019 No. 10) and Duke (2019 No. 9) both fell out of the most popular dog names for male dogs in 2020.
No. 10 – Jack
2019 rank – No. 7
Jack is a nickname for John/Jonathan, which is Hebrew for “gift of God,” though often thought of as an English name. And dogs are certainly good gifts in our lives, so it makes sense.
This often goes to action heroes, like jack Ryan (John Krasinski, Harrison Ford and others), and it could also be a reference to 24‘s Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), or the Jack of Lost, or possibly even Bill Pullman’s character in the amazing romcom While You Were Sleeping.
No. 9 – Rocky
2019 rank – No. 5
Rocky just sounds tough. It’s probably a reference to the boxers Rocky Marciano (he actually existed) and Rocky Balboa (fictional), or possibly the 1960s actor Rock Hudson. Also, Wesley once had a guinea pig named Rocky.
No. 8 – Bear
2019 rank – No. 9
A bear is, of course, a colossal fuzzy animal. Since some guard dogs vaguely resemble them, that’s probably how they get this name. Could also be a reference to the NFL’s Chicago Bears, or British adventurer/TV personality Bear Grylls.
No. 7 – Leo
2019 – Outside Top 10
This comes from Latin for “lion,” with possibly the same vague inspiration as Bear? That, or it’s after actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Either way, this is a little puzzling.
No. 6 – Oliver
2019 rank – Outside Top 10
With Arrow ending this year, that likely led to a spike in new puppies named after Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen. According to Lansky, Oliver either comes from Latin and straightfowardly means “olive tree,” or it’s Scandinavian in origin and means “kind and affectionate.”
No. 5 – Milo
2019 – No. 6
Milo is a German alternative form of Miles, which means “soldier” in Latin and “merciful” in German. (Also, “millstone” in Greek, apparently.) Those are good traits in a dog, so it would be a good choice.
On the other paw, Milo always feels more like a cat name than a dog name, though it could work for dogs in novels written during the 1920s.
No. 4 – Buddy
2019 rank – No. 4
Buddy is a colloquial synonym of “friend,” along the lines of “pal.” So it’s pretty much one of the default dog names when you need something generic. Baby Name Wizard speculates it may have originally been toddlerspeak for “brother.”
Buddy the Golden Retriever from the Air Bud franchise is the most famous canine holder of the name, and famous humans named Buddy include rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly and actors Buddy Ebsen (The Beverly Hillbillies) and Buddy Hackett (The Love Bug, The Little Mermaid).
No. 3 – Cooper
2019 rank – No. 3
A cooper was someone who made barrels; like Bailey, it’s one of those last names that has gradually morphed into a first name, though since the time of eighteenth-century poet and hymn writer William Cowper the spelling has changed slightly.
Modern-day Coopers might be named after actor Gary Cooper (High Noon, The Pride of the Yankees) or the character of The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons).
No. 2 – Charlie
2019 rank – No. 2
Charlie is a shortened form of Charles, which means “farmer” in German or “strong and manly” in English. Our friend Charlie Labrador is one of many dogs of social media with this name, and other famous Charlies include the actors Charlie Chaplin and Charlie Sheen, and Charlie Brown of Peanuts.
It can also be used for girls sometimes as a nickname for Charlotte, as in the Disney Channel sitcom Good Luck Charlie, or George’s Poodle friend Charkie in the Curious George TV series.
No. 1 – Max
2019 rank – No. 1
Max is a shortened form of Maximilian, which comes from Latin for “greatest.” So it’s very fitting that it reigns yet again as the most popular dog name for males. (It could also come from Maxwell, which is English for “great spring,” but that doesn’t make as good a storyline.)
More to the point pop culturally from our pawspective here, Max is also the name of Goofy’s son, and the name of the Grinch’s dog as well.
What were the most popular cat names of 2020 for female cats?
So, there you have the most popular dog names of 2020 for both boys and girls. But what about their cat siblings?
Since Rover catalogued the Top 10 cat names of 2020 for both males and females, we’ll rank them as well. Again, human names are all the rage, for some reason…
Cat owners really should have been more creative when it came to naming their pets, especially the female felines out there…ack. But again, unless otherwise stated, the following etymology comes from Bruce Lansky’s book The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World.
No. 10 – Sophie
Sophie is a nickname for Sophia, which comes from Greek for “wisdom.” Since cats certainly possess a certain well of wisdom that they rarely reveal to us silly humans, this seems like a solid choice.
No. 9 – Stella
Again, Stella is literally the Latin word for star, and it makes less sense for a cat to be named after a star than a dog if you think about it. (Unless it’s a house cat who enjoys watching TV through the window, but even that seems like a stretch.)
No. 8 – Cleo
Cleo is a terrific feline name, though it’s also the name of one of Clifford’s best friends in the early 2000s PBS TV series.
It’s much more likely to be a reference to Egyptian queen Cleopatra, however, which makes sense as the ancient Egyptians considered cats to be deities.
No. 7 – Chloe
Chloe seems like more like a cat name than a dog name, possibly because of Lake Bell’s character (an overweight but generally pleasant feline neighbor of Max and Duke) in the Secret Life of Pets movies.
Since Chloe can mean “verdant,” this doesn’t exactly fit with cat personalities, except if you think that it could be referring to their tendency to being green with envy anytime perceived unfairness in the world doesn’t benefit them.
No. 6 – Nala
Nala is Simba’s mate in The Lion King, so it makes sense that this would be a popular cat name over the past two decades or so, especially given the live-action reboot last year that featured Beyonce voicing the role.
No. 5 – Lily
Again, a Lily is a pretty wildflower, the end. Lily cats might also be named after Alyson Hannigan’s character from How I Met Your Mother, too.
No. 4 – Kitty
I (Wesley) would complain about all the cats unimaginatively named Kitty, but that’s the name of my sister’s cat, and we have two porch cats that are just called “(primary marking) Kitty,” so maybe I shouldn’t judge here.
No. 3 – Lucy
Lucy kind of feels timeless for a cat, which could explain why it’s so incredibly popular and never seems to go out of style. And of course, it also brings to mind Lucy Van Pelt, who would make a very good cat, so there’s that as well.
No. 2 – Bella
Bella just sounds elitist and aloof, unlike a lot of other Isabella/Elizabeth cousins like Beth, Izzie, Liz, etc. So it works in that way, while also sounding adorable for tiny kittens and good-natured mama cats. Also, one of my friends has a fuzzy tortoiseshell named Bella.
No. 1 – Luna
As previously mentioned, “Luna” comes from Latin for moon, and it fits the feline nature better than it does for canines; given the natural tendency for cats to be a little more aloof and independent.
What were the most popular cat names of 2020 for male cats?
People don’t name cats very imaginative things, so our most popular dog names of 2020 list ends with most of the top dog names also repeated here. Again, etymology from Bruce Lansky’s Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World. Also, male cats seem to be named from movies, which isn’t a bad thing, just odd.
No. 10 – Jasper
According to Lansky, this is from French meaning a “green ornamental stone,” or an English form of Casper, which is either Persian for “treasurer” or German for “imperial.” While that is rather hazy, the mystery fits, and Jasper could work well for a barn cat.
No. 9 – Tiger
Tigers are enormous, beautiful and dangerous. Also, it’s really basic, but that’s okay – there’s always far more female names to choose from than male names..
No. 8 – Loki
Loki is the Norse god of mischief, which makes it a perfect name for a cat, even if Tom Hiddleston’s Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character wasn’t a fan favorite. Since he is, that makes it even better.
No. 7 – Jack
…Who names their cat Jack? People lacking in imagination or baby name books, we would guess.
No. 6 – Max
A famous feline Max is part of Alice and Martin Provensen’s classic picture book The Animals of Maple Hill Farm; he was fond of mischief.
No. 5 – Simba
Simba is the protagonist of The Lion King, with dialogue voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas/Matthew Broderick (and music done by Jason Weaver of Smart Guy and Joseph Williams of rock band Toto) in the 1994 animated original Jaydon McCrary/Donald Glover in the 2019 live-action remake.
For the same reasons provided why Nala is popular, these also apply to Simba’s enduring popularity. Also, Simba is Swahili for “lion,” so it’s doubly fitting.
No. 4 – Charlie
Charlie is a fine name for a cat, though rather plain. It sounds like it belongs to a generic cartoon character, in a way.
No. 3 – Milo
He is also the orange co-protagonist of the 1990s British/Japanese movie The Adventures of Milo and Otis (a classic kids VHS rental from movie stores), alongside Otis the Pug.
No. 2 – Leo
Besides possibly being a reference to actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Leo is much more likely to come from the Latin word for “lion,” which ties in well with the trend to call boy cats after their other big cat cousins.
No. 1 – Oliver
Oliver could have gotten a boost from Arrow’s end, or it could have benefitted from the main character in Oliver and Company being a cat.