Top Dog Names – Most Popular Names by Category
Last updated: by Jessi Larson
The results are in! We’re excited to announce the top dog names of 2020, as determined by the 8.3 million 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 2020, we compiled the most selected names of the year.
The 2020 results were quite shocking! Bella has consistently been the top female dog name since our site started in 2013. But in 2020, it was dethroned: Daisy took the number one spot, with Bella falling to fourth place.
The top male dog names also had a number of surprises. Buddy came out of nowhere to claim first place after not being in the top 10 last year.
Curious to see what other names topped the charts? Check out the lists below and learn more about what is trending now.
Top 10 Female Dog Names
- Daisy
- Luna
- Lola
- Bella
- Roxy
- Olive
- Gigi
- Willow
- Dixie
- Nala
Top 10 Male Dog Names
- Buddy
- Charlie
- Milo
- Bear
- Axel
- Duke
- Max
- Rocky
- Cooper
- Asher
Top Dog Names Infographic
Here’s our infographic from all the data we gathered. Feel free to reuse this with a link back to mydogsname.com!
Most Popular Dog Names Video
50 Most Popular Dog Names
Top Female Dog Names
- Daisy
- Luna
- Lola
- Bella
- Roxy
- Olive
- Gigi
- Willow
- Dixie
- Nala
- Poppy
- Abby (Abigail)
- Hazel
- Piper
- Harper
- Gracie
- Lucy
- Violet
- Athena
- Koda
- Angel
- Lady
- Honey
- Coco (Cocoa)
- Ava
- Raven
- Addie
- Bailey
- Harley
- Fifi
- Aurora
- Xena
- Nyx
- Aspen
- Ellie
- Millie
- Sadie
- Cookie
- Pearl
- Stella
- Yuki
- Rose (Rosie)
- A.J.
- Mia
- Pepper
- Princess
- Winnie
- Bambi
- Maggie
- Akira
Top Male Dog Names
- Buddy
- Charlie
- Milo
- Bear
- Axel
- Duke
- Max
- Rocky
- Cooper
- Asher
- Finn
- Diesel
- Leo
- Thor
- Chewie
- Bruno
- Scout
- Alfie
- Blue
- Hunter
- Archie
- Apollo
- King
- Rex
- Blaze
- Lucky
- Echo
- Gizmo
- Barkley
- Shadow
- Gunner
- Bailey
- Percy
- Brutus
- Bolt
- Spike
- Arlo
- Tank
- Yoshi
- Fang
- Biscuit
- Bane
- Maverick
- Odie
- Spud
- Rambo
- A.J.
- Oliver
- Atlas
- Alaska
2020 Dog Ownership Trends
It’s an understatement to say that 2020 has been a year like no other. Surprisingly, the pandemic has had a major impact on pet ownership – in a good way.
With people stuck at home, dog adoption surged from March-June. In a Nielson survey in July, 20 percent of respondents said they adopted one or more dogs or cats between March and June. This was up from less than 5 percent over the same time last year.
At My Dog’s Name, we experienced a nearly 33 percent increase in dog name searches year-over-year for that time period. From March-June 2019, 3.658 million people were looking for names for their new dog. That jumped to over 4.859 million this year.
It makes sense: Dogs are a big commitment, and people who normally would be away from the house for long periods now find themselves working from home with much more time on their hands.
Ultimately, an unexpected effect of the pandemic is that more shelter dogs than ever before are getting adopted, and many dogs are enjoying extra time with their owners.
About the 2020 Top Female Dog Names
For years there was no stopping the name Bella. It’s consistently ranked number one for female dog names since we started our site in 2013. But not anymore.
In 2020, Daisy ranks as the most popular female dog name. The name has been in the top 10 for years and finally took the number one spot.
Bella has now moved down to fourth place after Luna and Lola, two names that have continually risen in popularity.
Newcomers in the top 10 female dog names include Olive, Gigi and Dixie.
About the 2020 Top Male Dog Names
In comparison to female names, popular male dog names have varied greatly throughout the years. In 2020, the number one male dog name is Buddy – a name that didn’t even make the top 10 last year.
The previous winner, Bear, moved down to the fourth spot. Consistently popular names Charlie, Milo and Duke stayed in the top 10, and old favorites Max, Rocky and Cooper reappeared on the list.
The two newbies to crack the list are Axel and Asher. Interestingly, the name Archie – made popular by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son born in 2019 – plummeted from fourth place last year to the 21 spot in 2020.
Most Popular Dog Names by Category
My Dog’s Name gives you the ability to search 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 names. Many new pup parents are drawn to strong-sounding names for their new pets.
Top Cute Dog Names
- Angel
- Bailey
- Scout
- Pearl
- Hazel
- Lucky
- Yuki
- Zoey
- Baby
- Alfie
Top Tough Dog Names
- Shadow
- Echo
- Harley
- Alaska
- Thor
- Diesel
- Storm
- Hunter
- Koda
- Rex
Top Sports Dog Names
- Tiger
- Aspen
- Boomer
- Ranger
- Barkley
- Ali
- Babe
- Blitz
- Champ
- Archer
Tiger jumped to the top of the most popular sports-themed dog names this year.
Favorites like Boomer, Barkley, Ali, Champ and Archer remained in the top 10, while newcomers Aspen, Blitz and Babe emerged as popular picks.
Top Food Dog Names
- Cocoa
- Peanut
- Biscuit
- Cookie
- Oreo
- Pepper
- Nugget
- Honey
- Brownie
- Bean
Dog names inspired by food are always a favorite among certain pet parents. They’re sweet and silly – just like so many dogs.
This year, Cocoa was the top choice in this category, followed by adorable names Peanut, Biscuit and Cookie.
Top TV & Movie Dog Names
- Blue
- Daisy
- Angel
- Milo
- Bruno
- Harper
- Marley
- Lady
- Minnie
- Nala
TV shows and movies always provide great inspiration for dog names, and every year we can count on Disney names to make this list. In 2020, Lady, Minnie and Nala all cracked the top 10 for most popular TV and movie dog names.
Geeky Dog Names
- Gizmo
- Finn
- Chewie
- Princess
- Alpha
- Akira
- Cosmo
- Gidget
- Pixel
- Leia
Another popular category among pet parents is geeky dog names. This year the name Gizmo topped the chart in this category.
Star Wars names are always a favorite, and this again proved to be true with Finn, Chewie and Leia all in the top 10.
Most Popular Dog Breeds
The AKC released their 2019 list of the most popular dog breeds which included:
- Labrador Retriever
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- French Bulldog
- Bulldog
The list of the top 5 most popular dog breeds remained the exact same as the previous year.
Yet again, for a record 29th year, the Labrador Retriever claimed the number one spot.
If you’re interested in finding the perfect breed for you and learning more about breed traits, check out our dog breed selector.
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 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.
More Great Ideas
Use our dog name search to find thousands of unique names or check out our most popular categories:
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 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.
Teach Your Dog Its Name!
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18 Comments
Lindsay Pevny
Interesting! I’d have guessed Bella and Cocoa, I didn’t realize names like Buddy and Max were still popular.
ruth glasberg
my girlies name was not there ,Truffles
Kathi Parks
My puppy’s name is Boomer but not sure why it’s a sports name. Boomer is an 9 month old Shichon.
Kyle Larson
Boomer is in the sports category because of the famous NFL quarterback & announcer Boomer Esiason… but it’s a great name regardless of the sports affiliation!
Carol Lynn Layman
My beautiful German Shepherd was named Raquel Denise Layman-yes I gave her our last name as she was a member of our family
Trudi
My doxies name is Gus. (Gustav Oskar… long haired black/tan Tweenie dachshund). Guess that’s not a popular name.
Evie M Harbord
My two shepherds are mako and blue, after sharks:)
Asoka W
My male dog is Pele and female is Mel ,but their names weren’t on the list .
Beth Rosin
Diva Doodlebug – My 5lb Mi-Ki (Maltese/Papillon/Japanese Chin. Check them out!!)
Sir Sebastian of Waddles-A-Lot. – A Pembroke Welsh Corgi. R.I.P.)
Haku
I named my dog Tiger, because he looks like one!
Denise
I have Alaskan malamute/husky mixes. Bear and Sasha.
CanadaVet
This reminds me of my friend who named his pet dog based on the color… since it’s black.. he used to name his pet as “blackie”
minmarketing
My male dog is Pele and female is Mel ,but their names weren’t on the list .
Haley
My Dog is named Zero!
Alan D Learned
We just lost the love of our lives, a red-beaver-colored Pom with a paint-brush tail named Schatzi. She lived up to her German name which translates to “Darling” and/or “Treasure”. I was somewhat surprised I did not see this name included in your site’s collection of Pommy names…
Richard Paolucci
Thank you for sharing your post about top dog names of 2020. Great selection of names for different categories. Nice pictures and diagrams also. I will bookmark this site for reference.
PCCC5A
I named my male dog is Mouse because he was as small as a mouse.
dog hotel
Thank! I’ve been looking for cool names for dogs for 3 days now and I never thought it could be so difficult … Well, really, how people can quickly choose a beautiful and suitable name. This should be right for your dog. I have already chosen 3 names, but it’s hard for me to stop between them. But you have a really really cool list, I liked a lot of names from it. And it’s also very nice that this year our statistics on how many dogs are taken from shelters has risen so much) This is very cool!