Most Popular Dog Names in 2022

Fetching Names for Pooches

If you acquired a pandemic puppy in the last year or so, then you’re a member of a huge club. Dog adoptions have gone gangbusters since the start of COVID times, with approximately 23 million Americans adopting a pet during this period, according to the ASPCA. All these new pets need to be named, so the site Rover, which connects dog owners with dog walkers, looked into their databases of over a million pet owners to discover the 100 most popular dog names of 2021. Some old favorites made the list, but so did some surprising new names that are totally of the moment.

Dog jumping in autumn — Vincent Scherer/istockphoto

No. 1: Max

This timeless moniker takes the top spot for male dog names yet again this year.

Man and his dog — AleksandarNakic/istockphoto

No. 2: Charlie

Another strong and simple male-dog name, Charlie is in second place for the second year in a row.

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Big ears, upside down. — Fenne/istockphoto

No. 3: Milo

Milo is moving on up. The name jumped from fifth place last year to third place this year.

Shallow focus on the eyes of a beautiful pedigree miniature poodle puppy. — Nickbeer/istockphoto

No. 4: Buddy

The perfect name for your best friend, Buddy continues to be the fourth most-popular boy dog name.

Related: 13 Free Perks of Owning a Dog

Chocolate Labrador Retriever — THEPALMER/istockphoto

No. 5: Rocky

Rocky finally made the top five, moving up from seventh place last year.

Young Woman Spending Quality Time With Her Dog Outside — RyanJLane/istockphoto

No. 1: Bella

This pretty name is No. 1 for female dogs yet again this year.

Lovely lablador lying on the bed. Cute kind dog resting on the couch — Andrii Borodai/istockphoto

No. 2: Luna

Lovely Luna remains in second place for the second year in a row.

American Akita Golden Purebred Dog on the grass — marcelinopozo/istockphoto

No. 3: Lucy

This playful yet classic moniker continues to hold steady in third place.

A Pug walks across a meadow — Fischer S./istockphoto

No. 4: Daisy

Daisy remains a top five name choice for another year.

Beagle tired sleeping on couch yawning — Przemysław Iciak/istockphoto

No. 5: Zoe

Zoe is a new name to the top five female dog-names list, jumping into fifth place after not even being in the top 10 dog names last year.

Anthony Fauci — NIAID / Wikimedia Commons

Pandemic-Themed Name: Fauci

Fauci has gone to the dogs. The name jumped up in popularity by 270% in 2021.

Pandemic-Themed Name: Zoom

Zoom fatigue is clearly not setting in as a pet name. The moniker is up by 443%.

Corona Quick Test Chopsticks — Lisa Nentwich/istockphoto

Pandemic-Themed Name: Covid

You can’t come up with more of a pandemic puppy name than this one. Covid as a choice for a dog name is up by 35%.

Eiffel Tower in Paris, France — Nikada/istockphoto

Travel-Themed Names

Maybe it’s because traveling abroad feels like a distant post-pandemic goal; whatever the reason, travel-oriented names for dogs are on the rise. In particular, Eiffel is the fifth most trending dog name of the year- its popularity has gone up a whopping 1,363%.

Boy Band Names

The Korean boy band BTS is inspiring pet names. Devoted fans are picking the names Suga, Kim, V, and Jin for their pups. Suga as a dog name is up by 113%.

Related: 10 Cheapest Dog Breeds to Own

Food Names

Cauliflower pizza is more popular these days, and so is Cauliflower as a name. The cruciferous veggie used as a dog name is 163% more trendy.

Political Names

Presidential pups are of the moment. The name Biden is up 863% this year. Also popular are Joe (up 24%) and Harris (up 17%).

Related: Presidential Pets: A Look Back

Siri, Apple's voice-activated digital assistant — Wachiwit/istockphoto

Tech Names

Calling out “Hey Siri” is taking on a new meaning. They’re part of our daily lives, so it’s no surprise that tech-oriented names would transfer to dogs. Amazon as a name went up in popularity by 363%. Google went up 63%, and Siri is up by 131%.