(NEXSTAR) – When it comes to naming our pets, lots of Americans favor ever-popular choices such as Max, Charlie, Milo or Luna, recent studies have shown. But other, more offbeat names have been gaining steam over the last year, even if they’re not yet popular enough to dethrone the classics.
Rover, an online marketplace for pet owners, has released the results of its 11th annual “Most Popular Pet Names” report, detailing not only the most common pet names across the country but also the top-trending names that pet owners are increasingly embracing in the United States.
For instance, the three top-trending dog names in the United States for 2023 are “Kelce,” “Wednesday” and “Oak,” with Kelce seeing a 135% increase in popularity over the last year, and Wednesday and Oak trailing behind with popularity spikes of 92% and 90%, respectively.
For cats, the three top-trending names were “Norbert,” “Soju” and “Snoop,” with Norbert experiencing a 156% jump, Soju seeing 131% more usage, and Snoop enjoying a 117% spike in popularity. (For its nation-wide rankings, Rover only included trending names which had a minimum of 50 new entries in 2023.)
| Top-trending dog names | Top-trending cat names | |
| 1. | Kelce | Norbert |
| 2. | Wednesday | Soju |
| 3. | Oak | Snoop |
| 4. | Lainey | Choco |
| 5. | Minnow | Fuzz |
| 6. | Smoky | Tsuki |
| 7. | Estrella | Knox |
| 8. | Emme | Munch |
| 9. | Robbie | Luffy |
| 10. | Chia | Maizey |
While top-trending names such as “Kelce” or “Norbert” might be rising the fastest in popularity, they’re still far from the most popular names overall. Perhaps as expected, the top choices in the U.S. have remained pretty consistent with studies conducted in recent years by both Rover and the American Kennel Club:
| Top Male Dog Names | Top Female Dog Names | Top Male Cat Names | Top Female Cat Names | |
| 1. | Charlie | Luna | Oliver | Luna |
| 2. | Max | Bella | Milo | Bella |
| 3. | Cooper | Daisy | Leo | Lily |
| 4. | Milo | Lucy | Charlie | Lucy |
| 5. | Buddy | Lily | Loki | Nala |
| 6. | Teddy | Lola | Max | Callie |
| 7. | Rocky | Zoe | Simba | Kitty |
| 8. | Bear | Sadie | Jack | Cleo |
| 9. | Leo | Stella | Ollie | Willow |
| 10. | Duke | Bailey | Jasper | Stella |
Depending on where you live, however, the dog- and cat-owners in your neighborhood might be yearning for different, and daresay more whimsical names for their furry friends.
In Austin, for example, the top-trending name for dogs is actually “Martini” (+615% over 2022), while cat owners in 2023 are loving “Monkey” (+921%). But over in New York City, the top-trending names were “Clyde” for dogs (+808%) and “Sandy” for cats (+846%), according to Rover. (Rover’s city-specific trending lists did not require a minimum of 50 entries per name.)
The results of Rover’s report, released Tuesday, were compiled using data provided by “millions” of the site’s users, per the site. More information from the reports (for both dogs and cats), including the most popular breeds of 2023 and a pet-name “generator,” can be found at Rover.com.
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