There was a time when dogs had “dog names” like Fido, Rex, and Scamp. It seems that hardly anybody names their dogs Champ, Bullet, or Whitey anymore.
These days, the coolest dog names might be the same as their owners' names. Dog names now come from the names of presidents, actors, actresses, singers, and fictional characters from movies, books, or cartoons. Naming a puppy has never been more complicated!
Popularity of Dog Names Changes Slowly
Still, the list of popular dog names is relatively stable. Each year, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) analyzes data from close to half a million insured pets to determine the most common names. “The same ten names appeared on 2009 and 2008’s list of Top Ten Dog Names, with only the positioning of each name changing slightly,” according to Curtis Steinhoff, senior director of corporate communications for VPI in a media release dated January 4, 2009.
Although "Max" had been the top dog name for six years in a row, 2009 saw a change, when "Bella" gained the top spot as most popular dog name, notes VPI. Even so, it was a close thing, as Bella won by just over 400 dogs.
“I was shocked to see Max bumped from No. 1!” said Steinhoff. “Max has been the most popular dog name for so long, I didn’t think anything would take him down." Steinhoff attributes Bella's current popularity to "a certain vampire book/film series that’s pretty popular these days”.
Top Names for Male Dogs in 2009
According to VPI, though, Max is still the favorite name for male dogs. In fact, the top ten names for male dogs remains the same as 2008, with only the order a bit different.
Meanings are simplified from Quick Baby Names
- Max – From the Latin for "greatest"
- Bailey – "Law enforcer" (slang for bailiff; also the outer wall of a castle)
- Buddy – Slang for "friend"
- Rocky – "Gives rest"; nickname for Rocco, but remember the Stallone movies?
- Jake – "He who supplants", whatever the heck that means.
- Charlie – Serf, churl. Here, boy.
- Jack – A diminutive of John.
- Toby – Diminutive of Tobias, “God is good”
- Cody – From Irish Codyr; “helpful”
- Buster – A nickname, possibly from Bud
Dog Names = People Names
Now, most of those look suspiciously like the names of male people.
- Some, like Jake, Buster and Charlie, have declined since the 1930s as boys' names – it appears that Jake, Buster and Charlie have gone to the dogs.
- Others, like Cody, Max, and Bailey, have seen a resurgence as people names in the last decade or two. Perhaps they'll drift out of use for dog names.
And in Conclusion...
Yes, there was a time when dogs had “dog names” and men had “guy names”.
These days, though, a person could call out “Hey, Cody!” and have three guys, two girls and a couple of dogs turn to look.
Thomas Alan Gray - Tom has been writing for over 30 years; curiosity leads him to dig into a wide variety of topics.
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