Top Dog Names 2020 Announced!

The most popular dog names of 2020 are in! Rover revealed that Bella and Max led the pack of dog names for another year.

The entire Top 5 for each sex remained the same from 2019 to 2020, with the exception of Lola and Milo rising into the fifth spot. There were three new additions to the Top 10s — Stella and Maggie replaced Lily and Zoe for female dogs. On the male side, Tucker ousted Teddy.

Top Female Dog Names

1. Bella =

2. Luna =

3. Lucy =

4. Daisy =

5. Lola +2

6. Sadie +3

7. Molly +1

8. Bailey +2

9. Stella +2

10. Maggie +2

Top Male Dog Names

1. Max =

2. Charlie =

3. Cooper =

4. Buddy =

5. Milo +1

6. Bear +2

7. Rocky -2

8. Duke +1

9. Tucker +2

10. Jack -3

Fastest Rising Female Dog Names

1. Nova +17

2. Winnie +13

3. Aspen +11

4. Dolly +11

5. Koda +11

6. Paisley +10

7. Georgia +9

8. Kona +9

9. Millie +8

10. Gigi +5

11. Honey +5

12. Nala +5

13. Poppy +5

14. Willow +5

Fastest Rising Male Dog Names

1. Kobe +36

2. Archie +31

3. Benji +22

4. Oakley +22

5. Theo +22

6. Koda +14

7. Maverick +13

8. Cash +12

9. Otis +9

10. Ace +8

11. Bandit +7

12. Benny +7

13. Henry +7

14. Luke +7

Fastest Falling Female Dog Names

1. Callie -34

2. Zoe -30

3. Lexi -22

4. Shelby -16

5. Peanut -15

6. Jasmine -14

7. Missy -14

8. Sugar -14

9. Holly -10

10. Lily -10

11. Roxy -10

12. Sasha -10

Fastest Falling Male Dog Names

1. Chewy -40

2. Remy -36

3. Marley -19

4. Beau -17

5. Riley -16

6. Cody -15

7. Prince -12

8. Rusty -12

9. Jake -10

10. Sam -10

11. Bailey -9

12. Roscoe -9

Names new to the Dog Top 100 include Cali, Frankie, Grace, Juno, Lilly, Rose, Roxie, and Zoey for girls, and Bo, Bubba, and Ruger for boys.

Names that left the Top 100 for female dogs include Arya, Baby, Blue, Charlotte, Diamond, Macy, Nina, and Sandy. On the male side, Brutus, Chico, and Samson left the charts.

Dog Name Trends

2020 was a popular year to adopt a dog due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which inspired some pet parents in their choice of name. Covi, Covie, Rona, and Corona all trended upward in 2020, and Rover observed one instance of a dog named Dr. Fauci.

The tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna influenced dog owners. Kobe was the fastest-rising male dog name, while Gigi and Gianna each significantly rose in rank among female dogs. Kobe, Gigi, and Gianna were also fast-rising baby names of 2020.

Pop culture, as always, remains a common source inspiration for pet names. Popular celebrity namesakes include Archie, Keanu, Lizzo, Kanye, and RuPaul. Certain TV shows have proven especially impactful — Ramona, Tinsley, and Sonja are all trending up thanks to the Real Housewives of New York, while Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe each got a boost from Friends.

Pet owners seem to love video games as well — Midas from Fortnite is newly stylish, along with Hanzo (Overwatch), Shep (Animal Crossing), and Griggs and Gaz (Call of Duty)

Nature names are on the rise, particularly Willow, Poppy, Hazel, and Ivy for girls, and Oakley for boys. Vintage names are also fashionable, with sweet nickname names like Winnie, Millie, and Penny increasing in use among female dogs, and clunky-quirky choices such as Otis, Walter, and Bruce rising for males.