We love having our finger on the pulse of the hottest pet name data, and while keeping tabs on the most popular puppy and kitten names of the year is certainly a good start, we like to take it a step further each year and look into which names are the trendiest.
What’s the difference between a popular puppy name and a trendy one, you ask? Simple. We determine the most popular puppy names by looking at the number of pups born in a single year and the names they were given.
To calculate the trendiest names, we take a longer view and look at pet names over the space of ten years to see which ones have increased in popularity.
To do this, we worked with Nationwide Pet Insurance, who provided us with the most popular male and female puppy names of 2005. Then, we compared the dog names on the 2005 list to our 2015 popular puppy name list to see which names were on the rise. Those that climbed the most ranked as the trendiest names of the year!
Stella, Dixie, Penny, Zoey and Mia
The five female puppy names that gained the most ground based on their position on the 2005 popular puppy names list were Stella (up 23 spots), Dixie (up 22), Penny (up 21), Zoey (up 20) and Mia (up 16).
Leo, Diesel, Duke, Bentley and Cooper
The male puppy names saw some big jumps over the last 10 years, as well: Leo is up 24 spots, Diesel climbed 22, Duke is up 14, Bentley improved eight places and Cooper came up six. But, wait! There's more!
Luna, Piper and Nala
Many of the names that made the top 25 most popular puppy names list weren't even on our radar back in 2005. Luna, the No. 5 most popular puppy name, is the strongest example of a name on a huge upward trend in the last decade, while Piper (No. 20 most popular) and Nala (No. 21 most popular) are also clearly on trend.
Jax, Zeus, Milo, Blue, Thor, Gunner and Tank
Even more male top 25 puppy names in 2015 failed to appear on the 2005 list. Jax (No. 8 most popular), Zeus (No. 9), Milo (No. 17), Blue (No. 19), Thor (No. 20), Gunner (No. 21) and Tank (No. 24) are all quite popular these days, but weren't seen much 10 years ago.
Honorable Mention, Female Puppy Names
While the following names didn't quite crack the top 25 most popular names list in 2015, they were in the top 45 despite not even being common enough to make the list in 2005. Ellie (No. 26 most popular), Willow (No. 32) and Elsa (No. 34) are all names we'll be watching over the next year or two.
Honorable Mention, Male Puppy Names
Other male puppy names to keep an eye on are Bruno (No. 27 most popular), Lucky (No. 30), Ace (No. 32), Loki (No. 34) and Bo (No. 35). These, too, weren't often in use a decade ago, but are now widely popular!
Trending Names — and Why People Love Them
As we examined our list of trending names, we noticed a few… well, trends among them.
Celebrities, Characters and Pop Culture: Many of the names that are increasing in popularity can be found in books, movies and TV shows. Luna Lovegood is a character in the Harry Potter books and movies; a main character in Orange Is the New Black goes by Piper; and Jax was the name of a main character in the hit TV show Sons of Anarchy. The adorable Frenchie on Modern Family is named Stella; you most likely recognize Thor and Loki as characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and Penny is a beloved main character on the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Bruno’s rise in popularity may have something to do with Bruno Mars’ hand in one of the year’s biggest musical hits, Uptown Funk; Bo is almost definitely tied to the name of the first family’s first dog; and, of course, there’s Elsa, the ice queen of Frozen herself!
Masculine and Feminine Tones: With a few exceptions (like Piper, Willow, Blue and Lucky), the trendiest names tend to be strongly masculine or feminine. Zeus, Thor, Gunner, Diesel, Tank, Bruno and Ace are all fairly macho monikers, and Luna, Stella, Dixie, Penny, Zoey, Ellie, Mia or Ella are traditionally female names.
Have you seen an uptick in any of these names in your area? Be sure to come back in a few days when we share the puppy names on a downward trend!
