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Top Dog Names of 2023

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We’re excited to announce the top dog names of 2023, as determined by the 1.9 million dog owners who used our site over the past year.

Luna is the #1 female dog name, and Bear is the #1 male dog name. Are you curious to see what other names topped the charts? Check out the lists below and learn more about what is trending now.

The Top 100 Dog Names

Top Female Dog Names

  1. Luna
  2. Daisy
  3. Willow
  4. Bella
  5. Hazel
  6. Poppy
  7. Olive
  8. Coco
  9. Lola
  10. Bailey
  11. Raven
  12. Nugget
  13. Nala
  14. Pepper
  15. Harley
  16. Dakota
  17. Cookie
  18. Peanut
  19. Honey
  20. Angel
  21. Harper
  22. Dixie
  23. Nyx
  24. Brownie
  25. Biscuit
  26. Squirt
  27. Moon
  28. Sadie
  29. Bean
  30. CocoCocoa
  31. Gracie
  32. Ash
  33. Pearl
  34. Echo
  35. Lucy
  36. Marshmallow
  37. Winnie
  38. Roxy
  39. Piper
  40. Aurora
  41. Rascal
  42. Autumn
  43. Marley
  44. Alaska
  45. Gigi
  46. Minnie
  47. Athena
  48. Lady
  49. Millie
  50. Midnight

Top Male Dog Names

  1. Bear
  2. Charlie
  3. Buddy
  4. Max
  5. Milo
  6. Scout
  7. Rocky
  8. Duke
  9. Oreo
  10. Tiger
  11. Asher
  12. Shadow
  13. Cooper
  14. Teddy
  15. Finn
  16. Leo
  17. Ziggy
  18. Lucky
  19. Chewie
  20. Ace
  21. Apollo
  22. Archie
  23. Ghost
  24. Rex
  25. Atlas
  26. Blue
  27. Blaze
  28. Odie
  29. Axel
  30. Bruno
  31. Winston
  32. Moose
  33. Gizmo
  34. Aspen
  35. Bandit
  36. Oliver
  37. Barkley
  38. Diesel
  39. Alfie
  40. Chase
  41. Hunter
  42. Bacon
  43. Buster
  44. Benji
  45. Thor
  46. Storm
  47. King
  48. Maverick
  49. Murphy
  50. Jack

Most Popular Dog Names Video

About the Top Female Dog Names

Luna has held the top spot for three years now. It surpassed Daisy in 2021.

Before 2020, Bella claimed first place for female names for an entire decade. Now Bella is the fourth most popular pick, while Daisy has moved down to second place.

Consistent favorites Lola, Willow, and Olive also stayed on the list of top 10 girl dog names.

The names Nugget, Pepper, and Mabel are new to the chart.

About the Top Male Dog Names

Bear ranked at the top of the male chart for the second year in a row. Last year, Asher ranked number one, but it has dropped to number 11.

The previous winner, Buddy, moved down to the third spot.

Popular names Milo, Duke, Rocky, and Charlie stayed in the top 10 and were joined by newcomers Oreo and Tiger.

cute dog in grass

Most Popular Dog Names by Category

My Dog’s Name gives you the ability to search categories that are relevant to you and your pup. Our goal is to create a better experience for new pet owners and let you search for your favorite styles and themes.

Let’s take a look at the most popular categories and which names rose to the top.

Top Cute Dog Names

Cute dog names is the most popular category. And it makes sense since adorable canines deserve a cute name.

Here are the most popular selections in this category.

  1. Willow
  2. Bear
  3. Scout
  4. Dixie
  5. Lucky
  6. Roxy
  7. Poppy
  8. Alfie
  9. Arlo
  10. Gigi

Top Tough Dog Names

The tough dog name category is also popular, especially for male names. Many dog owners like a strong-sounding name for their pup, and these were the top picks.

  1. Thor
  2. Koda
  3. Harley
  4. Max
  5. Echo
  6. Nyx
  7. Midnight
  8. Diesel
  9. Hunter
  10. Storm

Top Sports Dog Names

People love to watch and play sports, and this can be reflected in a sporty dog name. Sports lovers were big fans of these ideas this year.

  1. Barkley
  2. Aspen
  3. Tiger
  4. Blitz
  5. Archer
  6. Champ
  7. Huntress
  8. Knight
  9. Ranger
  10. Babe

Top Food Dog Names

The food dog name category is also popular, and new dog owners were inspired by these tasty ideas this year.

  1. Olive
  2. Biscuit
  3. Pepper
  4. Honey
  5. Spud
  6. Sage
  7. Bailey
  8. Coco
  9. Oreo
  10. Kona

Top TV & Movie Dog Names

TV shows and movies provide fun inspiration for names. The following names are the most popular picks of the year.

  1. Nala
  2. Shadow
  3. Bruno
  4. Xena
  5. Fang
  6. Lucy
  7. Lady
  8. Maverick
  9. Harper
  10. Rambo

Geeky Dog Names

Last – but not least – are nerdy dog names. Star Wars names are always a favorite, and this again proved to be true with Finn, Chewie, and Leia all in the top 10.

  1. Finn
  2. Zelda
  3. Alpha
  4. Chewie
  5. Akira
  6. Yoshi
  7. Gizmo
  8. Princess
  9. Gidget
  10. Leia

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.

top dog names 2023 infographic

What To Do With These Ideas

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 an important decision since your new dog will have this name for the rest of its life.

Our list aims 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.

The AKC released their 2022 list of the most popular dog breeds, which included:

french bullddog
1. French Bulldog
lab dog
2. Labrador Retriever
golden retriever
3. Golden Retriever
german shepherd
4. German Shepherd
Poodle
5. Poodle

For 30 years, the Labrador Retriever claimed the number one spot, but it was beaten out by the French Bulldog.

The Bulldog was replaced by the Poodle in the fifth spot a couple of years ago.

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

More Great Ideas

Use our dog name search to find thousands of unique 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.

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 5 million people use My Dog’s Name each year when picking a name for their dog.

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Check out more articles about: Dog Names

18 Comments

  1. Lindsay Pevny

    Interesting! I’d have guessed Bella and Cocoa, I didn’t realize names like Buddy and Max were still popular.

  2. ruth glasberg

    my girlies name was not there ,Truffles

  3. 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!

  4. 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

  5. Trudi

    My doxies name is Gus. (Gustav Oskar… long haired black/tan Tweenie dachshund). Guess that’s not a popular name.

  6. Evie M Harbord

    My two shepherds are mako and blue, after sharks:)

  7. Asoka W

    My male dog is Pele and female is Mel ,but their names weren’t on the list .

  8. 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.)

  9. Haku

    I named my dog Tiger, because he looks like one!

  10. Denise

    I have Alaskan malamute/husky mixes. Bear and Sasha.

  11. 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”

  12. minmarketing

    My male dog is Pele and female is Mel ,but their names weren’t on the list .

  13. Haley

    My Dog is named Zero!

  14. 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…

  15. 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.

  16. PCCC5A

    I named my male dog is Mouse because he was as small as a mouse.

  17. 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!

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