Names are a big part of dogs’ lives. Most dogs will come to their owners once their name is called and they will likely remember their names for the rest of their lives.
This year, due to the Covid-19 restrictions and an increase in working from home, pet adoption has boomed. This combined with dogs become increasingly part of our family has led to some unique names for dogs in 2020, according to a survey from Rover, the network of pet-sitters and dog walkers.
Rover’s eight annual report of the year’s most popular pet names highlights the cultural impact of Covid-19, all the way down to how Americans are naming their pets.
“This year’s data confirms that regardless of species, breed or sex, our pets are truly a reflection of our passions, our day-to-day realities and an enduring sense of humor,” the report stated.
The Covid-19 pandemic gave rise to names such as Covi, Rona and Corona as well as names like Fauci.
Meanwhile, lockdown has led to a rise in streaming shows and film and with that has come pet names that are a reflection of that.
The name Geralt, from The Witcher, was up 9,308% (the number one trending dog name in 2020), Mando, of The Mandalorian on Disney+, was up 2,658% (the number two trending dog name of 2020), and Tiger King’s “Carol” [Baskin] is trending up 46% in dog names.
“Examining the trends in pet names provides a snapshot of the year gone by and 2020 has never been a better example, with cultural events, new everyday realities, shifting sentiments and emerging icons really influencing how pet parents name their pets,” Kate Jaffe, trend expert for Rover, said. “Unique stressors, like coronavirus, coupled with people increasingly working from home, has led to a boom in pet adoption rates and a strengthening of the human-pet bond, so it’s no surprise that the days of simply naming a dog Fido are long gone.”
Among the top ten names for female dogs include: Bella, Luna, Lucy, Daisy, Lola, Saidy, Stella (new to the top 10), Molly, Bailey and Chloe.
The top ten names for male dogs include: Max, Charlie, Cooper, Buddy, Milo, Oliver, Leo, Bear, Rocky and Jack.
The survey also showed that the humanization of pets continued in 2020.
The majority, or 58%, of pet parents said their pet either has a human name or they would consider a human name in the future. The majority of respondents (62%) also said they have anywhere from a few nicknames to too many to count.
Music, games, and pun-inspired names were also trending, as well as pets named after recently passed away Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and recently passed NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant.
The report was developed by Rover between September and October 2020. Results are based on analysis of millions of user-submitted pet names provided by owners on Rover.com. Secondary data was collected by a Rover survey conducted via Pollfish among 1,000 US adult pet owners in October 2020.
