The Most Popular Dog Names, Counted From 362,000 Real Licences
Most “top dog names” lists come from pet insurance customers or app users. We wanted the real thing, so we counted names from public dog licence records: 328,004 dogs licensed in New York City between 2014 and 2025, plus 34,376 dogs licensed in Seattle. We removed placeholder entries such as “Unknown” and “Name not provided”, removed breed words typed into the name box, and counted each dog once, even when its licence was renewed.
Fast facts
- 362,380 dogs counted, with 37,520 different names.
- Bella is the most common dog name (3,704 dogs), just ahead of Luna (3,281) and Max (3,164).
- 63.3% of dogs in our name list have a name that is also a common human name.
The top 20 dog names
| Rank | Name | Dogs | Mostly given to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bella | 3,704 | girls |
| 2 | Luna | 3,281 | girls |
| 3 | Max | 3,164 | boys |
| 4 | Charlie | 2,898 | boys |
| 5 | Coco | 2,716 | girls |
| 6 | Lola | 2,280 | girls |
| 7 | Rocky | 2,187 | boys |
| 8 | Lucy | 2,124 | girls |
| 9 | Milo | 2,105 | boys |
| 10 | Teddy | 2,001 | boys |
| 11 | Daisy | 1,915 | girls |
| 12 | Buddy | 1,708 | boys |
| 13 | Bailey | 1,617 | both |
| 14 | Lucky | 1,594 | boys |
| 15 | Leo | 1,447 | boys |
| 16 | Toby | 1,442 | boys |
| 17 | Princess | 1,415 | girls |
| 18 | Chloe | 1,409 | girls |
| 19 | Penny | 1,376 | girls |
| 20 | Oliver | 1,350 | boys |
The “mostly given to” column uses the NYC records, which note each dog’s sex. Bailey is the only name in the top 20 that is split almost evenly between boys and girls.
Girls’ names are softer, boys’ names are shorter
Among female dogs, the leaders are Bella (3,435), Luna (3,017), Lola, Coco and Lucy. Among males it is Max (2,924), Charlie (2,208), Rocky, Milo and Teddy. The girls’ names lean towards gentle sounds and “a” or “y” endings; the boys’ names are short, punchy and often end in “o” or “y”. Many of them are popular baby names too: in 2020–2024 Oliver was the 3rd most common boys’ name, and Luna the 11th most common girls’ name.
Every borough has its own favourite
| Borough | Top five dog names |
|---|---|
| Manhattan | Charlie, Luna, Bella, Lucy, Max |
| Brooklyn | Bella, Luna, Max, Charlie, Coco |
| Queens | Bella, Max, Luna, Coco, Rocky |
| Bronx | Bella, Max, Luna, Coco, Rocky |
| Staten Island | Bella, Max, Coco, Rocky, Buddy |
Manhattan is the only borough where Charlie comes first. Staten Island is the only one where Buddy makes the top five.
How to use this list
If you want a name your dog will share with half the park, pick from the top 20. If you want something recognisable but rarer, our unique dog names list only includes names that between 8 and 30 licensed dogs share. You can also generate dog names filtered by breed, gender and first letter, with the real count shown for every name.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular dog name?
Bella, with 3,704 dogs in our licence data, just ahead of Luna (3,281) and Max (3,164).
Where does this dog name data come from?
Public dog licence records: 328,004 dogs licensed in New York City between 2014 and 2025, and 34,376 in Seattle.
Do most dogs have human names?
Yes. 63.3% of the dogs in our name list have a name that is also a common human name.
Sources
- NYC Dog Licensing Dataset, NYC Open Data, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
- Seattle Pet Licenses, City of Seattle Open Data.
- Counts by NameGeneratorHQ. Each dog counted once; placeholders and breed words removed.
