Here are the Most Popular Pet Names in 2023

You might be running into a lot of Charlies and Lunas this year if you live in the United States, at least when it comes to furry friends. A new study found that Luna and Charlie top the list of the most popular pet names nationwide.

The 2023 Pet Names Study, registered on the pet-sitting service, TrustedHousesitters, analyzed over 50,000 pet names registered on the TrustedHousesitters platform, sorting them by popularity, region and pet type. Looking at the thousands of pet names registered at the time of data analysis in 2023, they not only revealed the pet names owners are loving across the US, but also cultural trends across each state. 

When it comes to cats, Luna was the most popular name in 15 different states, ranging from Maine to Washington. Meanwhile, among dog owners, Charlie was the most popular dog name, besting last year’s Cooper. Also making the top five for dog names are Max, Cooper, Buddy, and Jack. And, after Lucy, the most popular girl dog names are Bella, Luna, Daisy, and Lola.

As for felines, it actually didn’t vary much from their canine counterparts. The five most popular boy cat names for 2023 are Charlie, Leo, Max, Milo, and Jack. The five most popular girl cat names are Luna, Lucy, Bella, Sophie, and Stella.

National 2023 highlights:

  • The five most popular food-inspired pet names in the nation are Pepper, Ginger, Honey, Cookie, and Peanut.
  • Roughly 13% of cats are named after a food or drink item.
  • The most popular city a dog is named after is Aspen; and the most popular city a cat is named after is Salem.  
  • The five most popular character names for cats are Tigger, Simba, Zelda, Chester, and Thor.
  • The five most popular character names for dogs are Winnie, Zeus, Gizmo, Thor, and Mickey.

Naturally, the names we bestow upon our four-legged friends reflect the world we live in – and even our favorite foods, drinks, and literary heroes! The research shows that our pets’ names can give a real glimpse into who we are as pet people — our hobbies, interests, and culture — and we’re sure our furry friends would appreciate our efforts.


Photo Credit: Michael Kraus / Shutterstock.com