Years ago, popular names for dogs were not like they are now. Dogs were given names representing them, such as Rover, when the dog tended to wander, or Spot, which was for pups with spots.
In the 1960s and ’70s, dogs had nobility-inspired names such as Duke, Lady, Prince, or Princess, according to America’s oldest pet cemeteries.
In 1985, people started giving their canines more humanlike names. Since then, dogs have names of people, such as Max and Luna.
Now, almost all of the most popular dog names in the United States are more traditionally human names, according to research from U.S. News & World Report.
The most popular names in the United States
Dog Names in the U.S.Photo byDog Names Screenshot
About 5% of dogs in the country share their name with “Twilight” heroine Bella Swan and beloved “Harry Potter” character Bellatrix Lestrange.
The most popular names of dogs in Virginia
Stacker consulted U.S. News & World Report’s data to find out the most popular names of dogs in Virginia, where this writer lives. Notice that all five names are also on the list of popular dog names in the United States. Four of the names have the same ranking.