What’s in a unique dog name? A whole lot of thought and care — and debate with fellow household members.
These days, some interesting trends are emerging in the puppy-naming space. “It doesn’t come as a huge surprise to see that most of the trending dog names from 2023 and 2024 are dignified human names,” Brett Reynolds, CPDT-KA, a certified professional dog trainer and director of dog care at The Dog Stop, tells TODAY.com. Per Reynolds, it’s also interesting to note that pet name trends also tend to mirror baby name trends — serving as “further proof of our growing infatuation with our fur babies.”
Janice Costa, the owner of Canine Camp Getaway, a vacation camp for dogs, expands on that sentiment, sharing that she believes the initial trend of dog names following people names (Lucy instead of Lassie, Frankie instead of Fluffy) began when dogs started to become viewed as the new kids. “These days, we cook for them, dress them, travel with them and celebrate their birthdays, so it’s no surprise that naming them has taken on a more important role,” she says. But while human names like Bella, Molly and Max have long topped the most popular dog names lists, more creative dog names have come into the fold.
As Reynolds further comments, the “Fidos” and “Chompers” of the world appear to be falling to the wayside, while distinguished “Bellas” and “Maximillians” are rising in popularity. Whether you choose a more traditional dog name or follow the trends, coming up with the right name for your fur-ever friend isn’t easy. Ahead, we’ve shared the best cute dog names across categories like food-inspired dog names, nature-inspired dog names, literary-inspired dog names, sports-inspired dog names and more.
Food-inspired dog names
- Waffle
- Skippy
- Cookie
- Olive
- Nacho
- Ginger
- Tater
- Bagel
- Biscuit
- Brownie
Nature-inspired dog names
- Lake
- Ocean
- Blossom
- Grove
- Dale
- Fern
- Fir
- Sky
- Sunny
- Thunder
Flower-inspired dog names
- Dahlia
- Rose
- Tulip
- Lily
- Violet
Celebrity-inspired dog names
- Fido
- Colin from Accounts
- Clifford
- Major
- Champ
- Lassie
- Mr. Big
- Comet
- Elvis
- Miles
- Fala
- Otis
- Scooby-Doo
- Sinbad
- Toto
- Coco
- Buck
- Santa’s Little Helper
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Duke
Sports-inspired dog names
- Mickey
- Babe
- Magic
- Shaq
- Serena
- Bolt
- Tiger
- Ali
- Kobe
- Jordan
City/state dog names
- Brooklyn
- Memphis
- Davos
- London
- Paris
Book/author-inspired names
- Gatsby
- Holden
- Tintin
- Argos
- Beezus
- Buck
- Snoopy
- Ribsy
- Sherlock
- Gromit
Celestial names
- Sol
- Leo
- Apollo
- Orion
- Comet
- Venus
- Stella
- Cosmo
- Astro
- Luna
Disney names
- Pluto
- Pongo
- Perdita
- Goofy
- Nana
Human names
- Sigmund
- Marshall
- Stella
- Oliver
- Toby
- Bella
- Charlie
- James
- Sam
- Phoebe
Classic names
- Rover
- Peanut
- Ruby
- Fluffy
- Bailey
- Rosie
- Scout
- Sadie
- Max
- Rocky
