Pet owners take inspiration for names from film, music, books and food

by Michael Broad · November 17, 2022

Rover.com are able to draw upon millions of user-submitted pet names over the past 10 years to tell us about the most popular cat and dog names of 2022. And it appears that people often take inspiration from popular films to find a good name for their cat or dog.

When a person adopts a cat or dog there is this moment when they need to find a name which they consider attractive and suited to their companion animal’s character and appearance. Not infrequently, on the Reddit.com website, for instance, you will see people who have adopted a cat asking their fellow social media users for suggestions on names. It’s quite a big moment for some people although I always believe that you can vary the name slightly as the years go by.

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‘Luna’ is the most popular female cat and dog name 2022 according to Rover.com and other sources. Image: MikeB based on images deemed to be in the public domain.

Often rescue cats are renamed so I don’t think it actually affects the cat that much. I would have thought that it affects dogs more because they are more sensitive to a sound of a particular call and the call is dependent upon the name.

Nonetheless, we are told by Fox News that the name Mirabel increased in popularity by 1,485% after the release of the movie “Encanto“. The names Isabella (95%) and Bruno (26%) also increased in popularity.

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The film Top Gun: Maverick, which is currently in the theatres has, for example, increased the popularity of the name Cruise by 50% for dogs.

Currently on television you can see the series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner. This popular series has had an influence on pet names. For example, “Yellowstone” has trended upwards by 485% for dogs. The following names also increased in popularity: Dutton (294%), Teeter (125%), Rip (100%), John (81%), Beth (64%) and Kayce (31%).

From this film, Dutton has become a popular cat name with an upward trend of 682%.

So, films have a major influence, perhaps the biggest influence upon cat and dog names. Music also plays a role with names such as Bieber increasing in popularity by 185% and Styles (Harry Styles) increasing in popularity by 25% for dogs. In respect of cats, Kitty Gaga increased in popularity by 382% while Meghan increased by 51% and stallion by 85%, all for cats.

Books also play a role, and the Harry Potter series has had an impact on pet names. Luna in that series was known for being quirky and kind. These are two traits that people are particularly attracted to in dogs mainly and also in cats.

And food, as mentioned, plays a role with comfort foods such as Roll (182%), Green Bean (162%) and Casserole (102%) increasing popularity cat names.

Here’s the 2022 list of most popular dog and cat names for females and males

Female cats:

Luna
Lily
Bella
Lucy
Nala
Callie
Kitty
Cleo
Willow
Chloe

Male cats:

Oliver
Milo
Leo
Charlie
Max
Loki
Simba
Jack
Ollie
Jasper

Female dogs:

Luna
Bella
Daisy
Lucy
Lily
Zoe
Lola
Sadie
Bailey
Stella

Male Dogs:

Max
Charlie
Cooper
Milo
Buddy
Rocky
Bear
Teddy
Duke
Leo

Luna is flying high as a female companion animal name.

Luna such an overwhelmingly popular female dog and name. Apparently, Luna reigns supreme as the number one dog naming 35 American states. In the remaining 15 states Luna was beaten by Bella (in seven states), Charlie (in three states), Daisy (one), Max (one), Lucy (one), Sadie (one) and Kona in one state.

There is also an attraction to names which end in “a”. I’ve mentioned Bella and Koda and there’s also Stella, Lola and Nova. I guess they just sound nice when they end with an ‘a’.

Luna has been a very popular human baby name for years. It means the moon. It is a name which originates in Latin and is an Italian and Spanish given name to human babies. In Roman ethology Luna was a divine personification of the moon. I think, though, that the current inspiration and popularity comes from Harry Potter rather than the Latin origin ?.

Here are some more articles about cat names: