How should you call your dog? Whether it’s silly or serious, most pet parents are influenced by names that remind them of their favourite things or trending pop culture moments.
To see what pet parents picked for their pups in 2023, we dug into Rover’s database of millions of pet parents to uncover the most popular dog names across the country. Take a look to see how the things that matter most to us show up in how we choose to name our pets.
Top 10 Male Dog Names
- Milo
- Teddy
- Buddy
- Alfie
- Max
- Charlie
- Bailey
- Reggie
- Bruno
- Hugo
Top 10 Female Dog Names
- Luna
- Bella
- Lola
- Poppy
- Daisy
- Coco
- Ruby
- Molly
- Rosie
- Willow
Dog names inspired by the films of 2023
This year was all about Barbie, which is trending up 1,079%. Ken is trending up 79%, followed by Alan (64%), Dolly (16%), and Sasha (16%). And in the Barbie/Oppenheimer race, Einstein is down -35%.
Names inspired by the live action Little Mermaid are part of our world
- Sebastian is up 55%, followed by Ariel (15%) and Eric (5%). Scuttle is new to the list this year.
Pet parents are living in a world of pure imagination
Possibly in homage to the new Wonka film premiering later this year, Violet is up 15% and Willy is up 12%. Everyone’s favourite Golden Ticket Holder, Charlie, is down -3%. Willy Wonka is also on the list this year.
Names inspired by Pixar’s Elemental are rising in temperature
- Ember is up 20% and Fern is up 15%. Ripple is also climbing up the list this year.
Hi Barbie! Dog names inspired by the movie are trending up
Hi to all the dogs named Barbie! Inspired by the hit movie directed by Greta Gerwig, the name Barbie is trending up 1,079% for dogs, while Dolly is up 16%. Other Barbie movie-inspired dog names include Ken (up 79%), Allan (up 64%), and Sasha (up 4%).
Television-inspired names are highly rated in 2023
Pet Parents 💚 Love Island
- Mitch is up 8%, followed by Leah, Sammy, Zach, and Ella.
However, some names are giving pet parents the ick, including Molly, Jess, and Ty, which are all trending down.
Did these Married at First Sight names catch your eye?
- Bronte is up 40%, followed by Mel, Ollie, and Hugo. Harrison, Jesse, Rupert, and Duncan are all trending down this year.
Which Succession-inspired dog names come out on top?
The final season of Succession came out this year and our data shows that the women of the show (plus cousin Greg) inspire pet names the most. Kendall is on the rise, while Logan and Roman are trending down.
We are happy to report that there are no dogs named Waystar.
La dolce vita? Pet names inspired by White Lotus are trending up
- Valentina is up 119%, followed by Harper and Mia. Albie and Daphne are trending down this year.
Wednesday might be altogether creepy but dog names inspired by the series are cute
The name Wednesday is up 24%. Other names inspired by the streaming series include Enid, Gomez, and Fester.
TV presenter dog names
- Dermot (279%)
- Linda (179%)
- Craig (179%)
- Laura (139%)
- Katie (84%)
- Graham (79%)
- Ruth (54%)
- Brenda (50%)
- Chris (45%)
- Kelly (40%)
- Phil (-37%)
The votes are in: pet names inspired by politics
- Penny the highest ranking political figure this year, followed by Boris holding on to second place. Liz is up 178%. Dom is down -579%, followed by Rishi at -46%.
The sportiest names on the list
Women’s football-inspired names
- Russo (579%)
- Jill (191%)
- Rachel (129%)
- Klara (54%)
- Georgia (45%)
- Nikita (37%)
- Beth (15%)
- Fran (12%)
- Millie (6%)
- Leah (5%)
Men’s football-inspired names
- John (106%)
- Kevin (80%)
- Kane (32%)
- Sterling (9%)
- Jack (-1%)
- Harry (-2%)
- Pep (-21%)
- Phil (-37%)
Women’s sport-inspired dog names score big
Despite narrowly missing out on winning the Women’s World Cup, the UK’s Lionesses inspire our name choices. Millie, Lucy, and Ella are the most popular women’s football names.
Meanwhile, Russo (+579%), Jill (+191%), and Rachel (+129%) are also trending upwards in popularity.
Royal names for regal dogs
Royal-inspired dog names
- Charles (90%)
- Charlotte (2.5%)
- Milly (2.4%)
- Louis (-0.38%)
- Kate (- 9%)
- George (-11%)
- Will (-21%)
- Camilla (-21%)
Cammy is new to the list this year, while H is trending down -62% and Meghan is down by -117%.
Are gender-neutral dog names on the rise? Find out
Top gender-neutral dog names
- Jean (1077%)
- Taylor (123%)
- Lou (63%)
- Chris (45%)
- River (29%)
- Jamie (29%)
- Ali (14%)
- Sammy (5%)
- Robin (1%)
- Sam (-0.1%)
Gender neutral names for dogs are also rising in the ranks. The most popular is Charlie, followed by George, Riley, Sam, and Dylan.
The dog name Jean is also trending up a massive 1,077%, followed by Taylor (up 123%), and Lou (up 63%).
Top 5 popular dog breeds & their trending names
Is there a link between dog breeds and the names we give them? For the top five most popular breeds in the UK, we noticed some trends. First up is the mixed breed, whose most popular trending names are: Taz, Chance, Hera, Rover, and Timmy.
Next is the friendly and outgoing Labrador Retriever, whose most popular names are: Lana, Narla, Margo, Roy, and Robyn. The Cockapoo is the third most popular breed and people love to name these friendly, social dogs Flora, Diego, Barnie, Jesse, and Kevin.
The Cocker Spaniel takes fourth in our most popular breeds list, and these smart, happy pups are most often named Ada, Bilbo, Spencer, Copper, and Hank. Last but not least is the personality packed French Bulldog, whose top trending names are Rodney, Casper, Bernie, Meeko, and Mollie.
The Top Pet Names 2023 report was developed by Rover between September and October 2023. Results are based on analysis of millions of user-submitted pet names provided by owners on Rover.com. This report is not endorsed or sponsored by any of the brands, celebrities and businesses mentioned within.
Interested in learning more about services on Rover?
Dog Boarding | Pet Sitting | Dog Walking | Doggy Day Care | House Sitting