Top Dog Names of 2018 [Infographic]

by Jessi Larson

The results are in! We’re excited to announce the top dog names of 2018, as determined by the 4.3 million new dog owners who used our site so far this year.

My Dog’s Name provides thousands of options for names and allows users to save their favorites while they search. To determine the most popular dog names in 2018, we compiled the most selected names of the year. 

What we found surprised us – but for reasons you might not think.

Once again, the name Bella topped the list of female dog names. The name became popular over a decade ago when the Twilight series was released and featured a protagonist named Bella. Twilight mania has long subsided, but the name Bella is still the top choice for new dog owners.

We have a few theories about why this is. Old-fashioned, stylish names have been in vogue for quite some time now for children and pets alike, and Bella certainly fits this criteria.

Another reason could be that 95% of people today say their dog is part of their family and because of this, human names are becoming increasingly popular for pups.

If you have thoughts on why Bella’s popularity has endured for so long, comment below.

As for the top male dog names, the list was a mix of cute (Milo, Charlie, Biscuit) and tough (Axel, Duke, Diesel), with a few that were both, like Bear, the top male dog name of 2018.

Curious to see what other names topped the charts? Check out the lists below.

We’re also excited to share our top dog names infographic – which is pretty fun to look at, if we say so ourselves. It even includes new information about the top dog breeds, millennial dog ownership trends and more.

Top 50 Dog Names

Top Dog Names Infographic

Here’s our infographic from all the data on our top dog names. Feel free to reuse this with a link back to this blog post!

2018 Top Dog Names

Top Female Dog Names

In addition to Bella standing firm in the top position, the names Abby, Daisy, Luna and Bailey rounded out the top 5 list in the exact same spots as last year.

Despite this repetition, there were a few surprises in the list of top 10 female dog names. Coco, for instance, shot up from the 14th spot up to 7th, most likely due to the popularity of the Disney animated movie of the same name.

Another interesting trend is that Bambi cracked the top 10 for the first time since we launched the site in 2013.

Top Male Dog Names

The list of top male dog names in 2018 had a huge shocker: Max is no longer in the top 10 for new dogs for the first time since we started the site. Even more curiously, it wasn’t even in the top 25.

For reference, Max topped was 1st in 2015 and ranked 10th in 2016 and 2017. We’re not sure what’s behind the name’s precipitous drop, other than changing tastes.

The rest of this year’s list featured tried-and-true favorites like Bear, Charlie, Milo and Buddy.

Top Dog Names by Category

My Dog’s Name gives you the ability to search for awesome dog names within categories that are relevant to you and your pup. After all, we started this site after we got our dog Toby and the only option was to wade through endless A-Z lists. Our goal was to create a better experience for new pet owners and allow them to sort by their favorite styles and themes to find the best name more quickly.

Of all our categories, the most popular by far is “Cute.” It makes sense: cute canines deserve cute names! Second in popularity is the “Tough” category, especially for male dog names. Many new pup parents are drawn to strong-sounding names for their new pets.

Top names in the “Sports” category ranged from classic athletes like Ali, Babe and Dotti to powerful athletic words like Boomer, Blitz and Champ.

Once again, the “Funny” category had a food focus, with names like Bacon, Brownie and Waffles.

Movies and TV shows always provide great inspiration for dog names. We were surprised to see Barney – name of both the big purple dinosaur and the bumbling sheriff from The Andy Griffith Show – rise to 7th place.

When it came to geeky dog names, Star Wars is still reigning supreme with Chewie (short for Chewbacca) topping the list once again and Finn (from the new movies) moving up to the second spot.

Most Popular Dog Breeds

The AKC released their 2018 list of the most popular dog breeds which included:

1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd
3. Golden Retriever
4. French Bulldog
5. Bulldog

This year the French Bulldog jumped from the 6th spot up to 4th, right ahead of the regular Bulldog. The move bumped the Beagle out of the top 5 most popular breeds for the first time in nearly two decades.

If you’re interested in finding the perfect breed for you and learning more about breed traits, check out our dog breed selector.

Dog Ownership Trends

Dog owners share an increasingly close bond with their pups these days. In fact, in a survey by Purina, 95% of dog owners said they consider their dog to be part of the family.

This close bond also has mental health benefits, with 62% saying their dog helps them destress and 55% reporting that their dog provides emotional support.

The canine bond is even closer with millennials. In the survey, 77% of millennial respondents said they feed their dog before themselves. And 55% said they’ve bought their dog a birthday cake before.

What To Do With These Top Dog Names

Picking a name for your dog is quite a fun process, between searching through name options, brainstorming ideas and discussing the best choices with your family and friends.

It’s also a very important decision since your new dog will have this name for the rest of their life.

The purpose of our top dog names list is to give you insight into what’s popular these days and share trends you can use. Or if you want a completely unique dog name that no one else has, you’ll know to avoid these options.

Use our dog name search to find thousands of unique dog names. 

As always, we thank you for using My Dog’s Name! We’re proud of our site and love helping new pup parents find the perfect name for their new dogs.

Can I share this infographic?
If you would like to share our Top Dog Names infographic on your website or social sites, go for it! We just ask that you credit it to My Dog’s Name with a link to our site.

About My Dog’s Name
Founded in October 2013, My Dog’s Name provides a fun, interactive experience for new dog owners looking for just the right pet name. The site allows users to sort names by preferred style and interests. More than 4 million people use My Dog’s Name each year when picking a name for their dog.