The 40 Most Popular Pet Names of 2021

If you’re hoping to name your new pet something special, go ahead and bypass Luna, Bella, Lucy, Stella, and Lola—those five names are among the most popular monikers for female cats and dogs. For males, Leo, Milo, Charlie, and Max topped the most popular names for both cats and dogs. And considering how many of those names are also popular for humans, you might want to cross them off your list of potential baby names, as well.

In short, popular names are popular names, regardless of what species you’re naming.

That said, some do seem to be a better fit for one creature over another. Based on data from pet-sitting and -walking service Rover, Loki is the eighth most popular male cat name, but only 22nd on the dog list—suggesting that Tom Hiddleston's mischievous Marvel antihero has more of a feline personality than a canine one. And people predictably tend to name their small cats after the big cats from The Lion King: Simba and Nala both made the top 10 for cats, but not dogs.

While the top 10 lists don’t reveal many surprises, Rover’s analysis uncovered plenty of other entertaining trends. This year saw an uptick in pets named Brady in Tampa, Florida, while its popularity decreased in Boston—perhaps a result of Tom Brady’s 2020 move from the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On the food front, Baguette experienced a 600 percent increase in popularity as a cat name; and Caviar for dogs jumped 800 percent between 2020 and 2021. Pet owners paid homage to musicians old and new: Somewhere in the U.S., there are cats named Dua Lipa and Aretha Franklin, and dogs named Britney Spears. Thanks to Bridgerton, someone christened their pup “Lady Whistledown.” It wasn’t the only television-inspired moniker—Grogu (a.k.a. Baby Yoda) from The Mandalorian and Wanda from WandaVision also spiked.

Explore Rover’s other trends here, and see the top 10 lists below.

Top 10 Female Cat Names

1. Luna
2. Bella
3. Lily
4. Lucy
5. Nala
6. Kitty
7. Chloe
8. Stella
9. Zoe
10. Lola

Top 10 Female Dog Names

1. Bella
2. Luna
3. Lucy
4. Daisy
5. Lola
6. Sadie
7. Molly
8. Bailey
9. Stella
10. Maggie

Top 10 Male Cat Names

1. Oliver
2. Leo
3. Milo
4. Charlie
5. Max
6. Simba
7. Jack
8. Loki
9. Ollie
10. Jasper

Top 10 Male Dog Names

1. Max
2. Charlie
3. Milo
4. Buddy
5. Rocky
6. Bear
7. Leo
8. Duke
9. Teddy
10. Tucker