Top Dog Names of 2020 [Infographic]

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 dog names trends.

Top 10 Female Dog Names

1. Daisy
2. Luna
3. Lola
4. Bella
5. Roxy
6. Olive
7. Gigi
8. Willow
9. Dixie
10. Nala

Top 10 Male Dog Names

1. Buddy
2. Charlie
3. Milo
4. Bear
5. Axel
6. Duke
7. Max
8. Rocky
9. Cooper
10. Asher

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 mydogsname.com!

Most Popular Dog Names Video

50 Most Popular Dog Names

Top Female Dog Names

1. Daisy
2. Luna
3. Lola
4. Bella
5. Roxy
6. Olive
7. Gigi
8. Willow
9. Dixie
10. Nala
11. Poppy
12. Abby (Abigail)
13. Hazel
14. Piper
15. Harper
16. Gracie
17. Lucy
18. Violet
19. Athena
20. Koda
21. Angel
22. Lady
23. Honey
24. Coco (Cocoa)
25. Ava
26. Raven
27. Addie
28. Bailey
29. Harley
30. Fifi
31. Aurora
32. Xena
33. Nyx
34. Aspen
35. Ellie
36. Millie
37. Sadie
38. Cookie
39. Pearl
40. Stella
41. Yuki
42. Rose (Rosie)
43. A.J.
44. Mia
45. Pepper
46. Princess
47. Winnie
48. Bambi
49. Maggie
50. Akira

Top Male Dog Names

1. Buddy
2. Charlie
3. Milo
4. Bear
5. Axel
6. Duke
7. Max
8. Rocky
9. Cooper
10. Asher
11. Finn
12. Diesel
13. Leo
14. Thor
15. Chewie
16. Bruno
17. Scout
18. Alfie
19. Blue
20. Hunter
21. Archie
22. Apollo
23. King
24. Rex
25. Blaze
26. Lucky
27. Echo
28. Gizmo
29. Barkley
30. Shadow
31. Gunner
32. Bailey
33. Percy
34. Brutus
35. Bolt
36. Spike
37. Arlo
38. Tank
39. Yoshi
40. Fang
41. Biscuit
42. Bane
43. Maverick
44. Odie
45. Spud
46. Rambo
47. A.J.
48. Oliver
49. Atlas
50. 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 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 names. Many new pup parents are drawn to strong-sounding names for their new pets.

Top Cute Dog Names

1. Angel
2. Bailey
3. Scout
4. Pearl
5. Hazel
6. Lucky
7. Yuki
8. Zoey
9. Baby
10. Alfie

Top Tough Dog Names

1. Shadow
2. Echo
3. Harley
4. Alaska
5. Thor
6. Diesel
7. Storm
8. Hunter
9. Koda
10. Rex

Top Sports Dog Names

1. Tiger
2. Aspen
3. Boomer
4. Ranger
5. Barkley
6. Ali
7. Babe
8. Blitz
9. Champ
10. 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

1. Cocoa
2. Peanut
3. Biscuit
4. Cookie
5. Oreo
6. Pepper
7. Nugget
8. Honey
9. Brownie
10. Bean

Dog names inspired by food are always a favorite among certain dog owners. They’re sweet and silly – just like so many dogs.

This year, Cocoa was the top choice in this category, followed by adorable dog names Peanut, Biscuit and Cookie.

Top TV & Movie Dog Names

1. Blue
2. Daisy
3. Angel
4. Milo
5. Bruno
6. Harper
7. Marley
8. Lady
9. Minnie
10. 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

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

Another popular category 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:

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

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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!

Jessi Larson

Jessi is a marketing strategist for Fortune 50 companies who loves to research and write about all things dog. She is the proud mom to Toby, a giant Labrador Retriever who thinks he’s a lapdog. He inspires her to be a better pet parent and to share advice with other dog owners.