What’s in a name? When it comes to dogs or cats, apparently, current events factor into the equation.
Rover, the online marketplace for people to buy and sell pet care services, released its annual list of the most popular and trending names for dogs and cats, and there are some themes.
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Some of the favorites are listed below.
Pandemic-themed names
The onset of the pandemic gave people some new ideas for pet names. This really kind of makes sense, doesn’t it?
“Covi” was up 1,159%, “Rona” was up 69%, “Corona” was up 24% and “Fauci,” after Dr. Anthony Fauci, also became a trending name.
Streaming TV show names
- Geralt, from “The Witcher,” is the No. 1 trending dog name (up 9,308%).
- Mando, from “The Mandalorian” on Disney+, is the No. 2 trending dog name (up 2,658%).
- Carole, from “The Tiger King,” is up 46%.
Gaming names
Midas, Blaze and Banshee from Fortnite; Hanzo from Overwatch; Ship of Animal Crossing; and Griggs, Gaz and Ghost from Call of Duty are some names that have trended upward this year for both dogs and cats.
Names after musicians
- Lizzo trended up 458% for dogs and 100% for cats.
- Taylor Swift trended up 92% in 2020 for dogs.
- Kanye is up 33% among dog names.
Names after sports stars, Ginsburg trend up
- After his tragic death earlier this year in a helicopter crash, people have been apparently naming their pets in honor of Kobe Bryant. Kobe was up 16%, Mamba 111% and Black Mamba 58% for dog names. Kobe’s daughter Gianna, who also died in the crash, trended up 20%.
- Many dog-owners named their furry friends after soccer star Neymar, as that name trended up 58%.
- Dogs named Ruth or Ruth Bader trended up 19%, while cats named Ruth trended up 16% as a tribute to the late Supreme Court justice, who died in September.
Marijuana-inspired names are common
- Ganja at 685%, Hash at 58%, Stavia at 33%, Haze at 21% and Dank at 13% are all marijuana-themed names that trended up in dogs.
- For cats, Hash at 100%, Cheeba and Ganja at 50% each, Indica at 39% and Mary Jane at 11% were some of the top-trending names.
To check out the full report for the most popular or trending names for dogs, click or tap here; for cats, click or tap here.
Did you get a new pet this year? Did said pet end up with one of the names listed above? We’d love to hear in the comments section below.