Much like Halloween displays at drugstores, it feels like end of the year listicles come out earlier and earlier each year. So here we are in mid November (yes, it really is already mid November, we’ll blink and it’ll be New Year’s Eve) and online pet superstore Chewy is touting the top 10 dog names of 2025. The company’s “pet expert,” Ciara Lavelle, explained to HuffPost that the list was assembled by reviewing the data customers entered in their profiles: dog’s name, age, and breed. So far, so simple. In addition to the top 10, Lavelle shared some larger trends they’re seeing in pup names, with categories like celebs, TV, movies, and, an all-time classic, food. Here forthwith, I present to you now the 2025 best in show of canine names:
1. Bella
2. Luna
3. Daisy
4. Lucy
5. Max
6. Charlie
7. Bailey
8. Cooper
9. Buddy
10. SadieEven if your pup’s name doesn’t fall within the top 10 most popular, there’s a chance their moniker is still part of a larger movement.
According to Lavelle, there are some “really fun dog name trends” going on this year; for example, food-inspired names are growing in popularity. “Cheeto and Pickles both rose about 25% in popularity since 2024, and Brisket is up 68%,” Lavelle said.
The popularity of the film “Wicked,” the first part of which was released in November 2024, also inspired some pup names, she noted. The name Elphaba, which is the name of the Wicked Witch of the West (played by Cynthia Erivo), has grown in popularity by 200% since last year, along with its nickname Elphie. The name Glinda, which is the name of the Good Witch (played by Ariana Grande), has grown by 175% this year.
A few other pop-culture names were favored this year, too. “Plenty of pups were named in homage to Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away earlier this year. We’re seeing a 15 bump in dogs named Ozzy,” Lavelle said.
The popularity of this past season of “The White Lotus” also inspired 2025 dog names. “Remember the ‘Piper, no!’ meme from the last season of ‘The White Lotus’? We can’t prove there’s a connection, but Piper has a pet name is up 33% since last year,” added Lavelle.
…It is important to remember that your dog’s name isn’t something that only our pup will hear. “You’re going to be yelling it at the dog park and responding to it at the vet’s office, so if you decide on something silly, be prepared to own it,” Lavelle said.
As long as you pick a respectful, not-offensive name, you really can’t go wrong.
“No matter what you choose, your dog will love it,” said Lavelle — “because it’s how they’ll be called by their favorite person.”
Did anyone else have a good little witch’s cackle over all the times Lavelle used the word “popularity” in relation to names inspired by Wicked? Though I dare say that Glinda would be steamed to find out her name is 25% less popular than Elphaba’s! I personally haven’t encountered any Glindas or Elphies in my travels, but the trend makes sense. I’m sure there was an uptick in dogs named Elsa and Anna after Frozen came out. On the TV side of things, I’m a little stunned that White Lotus is a big source. Sure, “Piper, no!” really works for a dog. But I would totally look to The Gilded Age for names over White Lotus. Like, a bulldog named Bertha, or a toy poodle named Aunt Ada (the ‘Aunt’ must be included!).
As for the official top 10, is anyone surprised to see Bella rank #1? I’m not! We hear that name all the time at our vet. If finding your pup’s moniker on this list brings you joy, paws up for you! If you’re like me, though, then you relish having a name that’s heard less often. Obviously, the names my dogs go by here — My Guy and dearly departed My Girl — are aliases to protect their identities as international floofs of mystery. But I can confirm that at least one of their real names fits into the trends outlined by Lavelle. (…And I think we all know it’s the food trend.)
Photos credit: Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF Foto/Avalon, Nacho Frade/Europa Press/Avalon, Diego Radamés/Europa Press/Avalon, Pixabay, Helena Lopes and Hilary Halliwell on Pexels
I’m more of a cat person, but the neighbour’s dog is called Klara. 🥰
Also a cat person. Had a tabby named Daisy once. Such a lovely cat.
Cat person here too. Would love to see the cat list and how it differs (or not).
I would have a pup named Piper just so when doggo does something wrong I could go “Piper, noooo!”
Okay, so we’ve got a Max and a Bailey at home so we’re not unique, lol. And an Enzo and an Emmy.
I have a Bailey and a Cooper but I didn’t name either of them. My chi is Gomez…he was adopted around Halloween and I wanted an appropriate name. 🙂 I did have a Daisy. I named her that because she was just called Mama dog when I got her. I decided she needed her own name. I lost her 4+ years ago…in face Gomez was the next one to join the family after I lost my Princess Daisy.
These names are all a bit too cutesy for my tastes. I love when pets have old people human names like Walter, Norman, Archie, Maybelle, Myrtle etc. My neighbors’ chonky cat is named Victor and it cracks me up every time. He’s such a Victor.
My neighbor has this really hyper and cute dog but when I first met them while walking, they said the name was Sheldon. And I was thinking oh wow great name for a dog. But I was mistaken and Sheldon was actually the human’s name.
A co-worker’s dog was named Robert Johnson. First & last names must be said, and always Robert not Bobby or Bob. 🤷♀️ I thought it was adorable. Apparently her dog was named by its previous owner, a military man. She adopted it when it turned out the military family was going to be stationed overseas & couldn’t take the dog with them. Their last name was Johnson.
My male boston is Henry…John Henry Holliday from Winona. 🙂
I had two foster failures over the Summer and kept their names. My TWC was named Liberty Since she already answered to it and I finalized her adoption July 4, it made sense to keep the name (and, yeah, she has all the nicknames associated with those Liberty Mutual ads you’d expect). My APBT already answered to Stella, which is a pretty common name for dogs – I do find myself calling her Stella Bella or Stellabell (which is why LibbyBibby’s middle name is also Bell instead of Mutual)
We have a Bella. for the record she is named after Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks’ debut solo album, which I think makes it less cutesy, lol.
Our lab is hunter, after Hunter S. Thompson, but I call him Baby all the time and that’s what he responds to mostly. So on walks I’m all “Baby, here.” When he’s in trouble (i.e. won’t come in from the yard where he wants to retrieve until he dies) I say “Hunter Baby.”
so yeah be careful lmao.
Fully fooled me, I thought My Guy and My Girl were their actual government names. I’ve seen a bunch of pet names over the years, I didn’t even raise an eyebrow at those!
My pets are in the “uncommon but not unheard of” level of pet name popularity, and funnily enough my cat’s name seems to be more popular for dogs. Strange how people all seem to have the same idea for things sometimes!
We just adopted our girl lab mix we named Lexi yesterday! I feel like I hear her name a lot so I’m surprised it’s not on the list.