Picking a puppy name can almost be as tricky as naming a baby and whilst the moniker we choose may be sentimental - or in many cases selected by our children - when it comes to naming your new companion, it’s useful to know the most – and least – popular names to choose from.
In wake of the news that Stacey Solomon has recently expanded her brood with the addition of rescue puppy Teddy, one of the world’s leading animal insurers - Agria Pet Insurance - has shared the 2021 pet names and trends that have shot up the charts.
Over the last five years, puppy names in the UK’s top ten have largely stayed consistent with Bella, Willow, Daisy and Lola leading the charge for female pets, whilst Teddy, Milo, Buddy and Reggie maintain the top spots for male dogs.
At the other end of the scale, female names with the biggest fall from grace include Roxi, Libby and Peach, in addition to male names Spike, Nacho and Alan.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, 2020 saw the rise of COVID-themed names with Corona and Covid entering the charts and although these failed to appear in 2021, new additions to the list include Pfizer and Zeneca.
Interestingly, Boris’s fame as a pet name was to be short-lived, with the moniker experiencing a 39 per cent drop year-on-year. However, Captain Tom Moore has secured a sentimental place in the nation’s heart with the name’s Captain and Tom rising in popularity. In fact, there were over 1000 per cent more puppies named Captain and over 350 per cent more named Tom registered in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic!
Fashion brands have historically been a female puppy name favourite, and this year is no different. However, there has been a notable shift in the most-chosen luxury label. 2021 appears to be Fendi’s time in the spotlight as, although zero puppies received the name in 2020, 48 were listed in 2021. The fashion house takes the mantle from Chanel, which fell in popularity from 28 puppies in 2020, to zero in 2021.
Space-themed names have also seen a comeback, with names such as Rover, which experienced a 60 per cent uplift year on year.
Tom Vaughan, Head of Marketing at Agria Pet Insurance, said: “It’s fascinating to see the shift in pet names each year and the impact popular culture and every day life can have on the names we give to our family pets. Like we often see with baby names, there will always be ‘classic’ big names that appear on the list, but the pandemic appears to have had a significant role to play in this all-important decision over the last few years – as we can see with not just virus or vaccination-themed names, but through people that have made a lasting impression on society, too.”
Top 10 male puppy names:
- Teddy
- Milo
- Buddy
- Puppy
- Reggie
- Cooper
- Loki
- Max
- Charlie
- Bailey
Top 10 female puppy names:
- Bella
- Willow
- Daisy
- Lola
- Ruby
- Poppy
- Rosie
- Mabel
- Bonnie
- Nala
For more information, visit: https://www.agriapet.co.uk/
