Popular dog names for your new pup

If you’re becoming a new pet parent soon, we know just how daunting it can feel to choose what to call them. And your pooch only deserves the top dog name, in other words, a name that suits their quirks, cute habits and smushable coat of fluff. 

But it’s not just their adorable looks and quirky personality you’ve got to consider. The name you choose will need to be recognised by your pup, no matter who calls them at the dog park. It’s got to be a name that you, your family, friends, and the pet lover who arrives for house and pet sitting can reproduce.

So, to make your search a touch easier, we’re exploring some of the most popular dog names around at the moment. And if your pooch is truly unique or you simply want to side-step the more common dog names, scroll down for names inspired by the favourite films many a childhood, and check out these black dog names…

Popular girl dog names

Are you welcoming a female pup into your home soon? Even if they’re fluffy, stout, slender or spotty, it can be a challenge to find a name to suit your unique new pooch. So, here are a few popular girl dog names that we could find. And if you need more inspo, check out these popular female dog names UK.

• Piper
• Stella
• Gracie
• Lady
• Winnie
• Zoe
• Lily
• Maggie
• Beau
• Princess
• Nala
• Ginger
• Pepper
• Chloe
• Mary
• Rosie
• Rudy
• Sadie
• Ivy
• Blue
• Ellie 
• Sophie
• Golden
• Penny
• Mia
• Roxy
• Bella
• Lucy
• Daisy
• Coco
• Bailey

Popular boy dog names

Maybe you’re after the most popular dog names for your new male pup? Here’s some inspiration to give you one less job as a new dog owner!

• Bentley
• Oscar
• Duke
• Finn
• Murphy
• Jax
• Marley
• Louie
• Toby
• Winston
• Leo
• Jack
• Loki
• Diesel
• Bear
• Koda
• Spot
• Otis
• Romeo
• Oreo
• Blaze
• Ranger
• Ace
• Cody
• Jake
• Simba
• Kobe
• Harry
• Prince
• Sam
• Bandit
• Jackson
• Buster
• Henry
• Star
• Harley
• Willow
• Diego
• Archie
• Rex
• Joey
• Ozzy
• Bruce
• George
• Samson
• Shadow
• Porter
• Jasper
• Kona
• Baxter
• Levi
• Storm
• Wally
• Oakley
• Pablo
• Scooby
• Benny
• Rusty
• Chip
• Zeus
• Tyson
• Nova
• Apollo
• Dexter
• Chester
• Chase
• Digital
• Gizmo

Or, find even more inspiration with these popular names for male dogs in the UK.

Good dog names

Is your pooch destined for greatness, do you plan to ace those puppy training classes, or do you simply want to set up a positive, self-fulfilling prophecy for your new pooch? Well here’s all the good dog names you’ll need. And in case you’re wondering how we’ve decided that these are ‘good dog names’, well just take a look at those meanings!

• Abigail - meaning Father’s Joy, Hebrew
• Ace, meaning  one, Latin
• Agatha, meaning good, Greek
• Aggie, meaning lamb, Latin
• Alice, meaning noble kind, Latin
• Ariana, meaning very holy one, Greek
• Bonamy, meaning good friend, French
• Boone, meaning good, French
• Caitlin, meaning pure, English
• Denali, meaning the great one, Kuyokan Athabascan
• Ellery, meaning cheerful, Latin
• Eudocia, meaning good present, Latin
• Evangeline, meaning good news, Greek
• Glenda, meaning clean and good, Welsh
• Major, meaning greater, Latin
• Makato, meaning sincerity, Japanese
• Mirabel, meaning lovely, Latin
• Noam, meaning delight, Hebrew
• Tavi, meaning good, Aramaic
• Yoko, meaning honoured child, Japanese

Common dog names

The best names for dogs are the most popular dog names for a reason! If you feel like playing it safe this time and would rather avoid a potentially regrettable unique dog name that you’re ashamed to shout in your local park, we really don’t blame you. So, here find a few common dog names that really do make up the bread and butter of the dog-naming world.

• Buddy
• Max
• Charlie
• Lucy
• Leo
• Teddy
• Nala
• Lily 
• Kona
• Piper
• Mia
• Oliver
• Milo
• Bella
• Max
• Lucy
• Winnie
• Riley
• Coco
• Molly
• Ivy
• Stella
• May
• Hank 
• Buddy
• Tucker
• Jack
• Bailey
• Milo
• Zoe
• Rocky
• Luna
• Charlie
• Duke
• Winston
• Bear
• Teddy
• Loki
• Archie
• Tucker
• Bruno
• Molly
• Bentley
• Lucy
• Cooper
• Stella
• Lexi
• Aspen
• Juno
• Xena
• Daisy
• Oscar 
• Jax
• Peanut

Popular dog names from films and TV shows

Some of the most popular names for dogs are inspired by the natural world around us, humans we know and physical characteristics of our new four-legged cutie. But if you’re bored of the obvious, many of the best names for dogs can be found on what’s in front of you right now (i.e. in front of your sofa). Take some inspiration from your favourite TV shows and films you grew up with to name your new pooch, and it turns out that some of these are the most popular dog names going. Before we get stuck into these names though, have you seen our blog on popular dog names from the TV show Paw Patrol?

• Angel – Lady and the Tramp II 
• Annette – Lady and the Tramp 
• Baxter – Anchorman
• Beethoven – Beethoven
• Binky Barnes – Arthur
• Blacktoe – Star Trek
• Bielle – Alice in Wonderland
• Boomer – Independence Day
• Brain – Inspector Gadget
• Brian – Family Guy
• Brinkley – You’ve Got Mail
• Bruiser – Legally Blonde
• Bruno – Cinderella
• Buster – Toy Story
• Cinnamon – The Big Bang Theory
• Clifford – Clifford the Big Red Dog
• Copper – The Fox and the Hound
• Daisy – Snatch
• Daphne – Look Who’s Talking Now
• Dollar – Richie Rich
• Dug – Up
• Duke – The Secret Lives of Pets
• Dinah – Pluto
• Dixie – Fox and the Hound 2
• Einstein – Back to the Future
• Everest – Paw Patrol
• Fang – Harry Potter
• Fifi – Rugrats
• Fly – Babe
• Frank – Men in Black
• Freckles – 101 Dalmatians
• Goofy – Mickey Mouse
• Gromit – Wallace and Gromit
• Lady – Lady and the Tramp 
• Lafayette – The Aristocats
• Little Brother – Mulan
• Lockjaw – The Fantastic Four
• Lucky – 101 Dalmatians
• Marley – Marley and Me
• Marshall – Paw Patrol
• Max – How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
• Max – The Terminator
• Maximillian – The Bionic Woman
• Milo – The Mask
• Nana – Peter Pan
• Napoleon – Aristocats
• Odie – Garfield: The Movie
• Otis – Lady and the Tramp II
• Otto – Robin Hood
• Patch – 101 Dalmatians
• Peg – Lady and the Tramp
• Penny – 101 Dalmatians
• Pepper – 101 Dalmatians
• Percy – Pocahontas 
• Perdita – 101 Dalmatians 
• Pete – Mickey Mouse
• Pluto – Mickey Mouse
• Pongo – 101 Dalmatians
• Pippin – Jaws
• Pizza – X-Men: Apocalypse
• Poochie – The Simpsons
• Puffy – There’s Something About Mary
• Quark – Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
• Queequeg – The X-Files
• Reggie – Lady and the Tramp II 
• Rolly – 101 Dalmatians
• Rex – Babe
• Rocky – Paw Patrol
• Rollo – Outlander
• Rowlf – The Muppets
• Rubble – Paw Patrol
• Ruby – Lady and The Tramp II
• Scamp – Lady and The Tramp
• Samantha – I Am Legend
• Sandy – Annie
• Scooby-Doo – Scooby-Doo
• Slinky – Toy Story
• Snowy – The Adventures of TinTin
• Spike – Rugrats
• Stitch – Lilo and Stitch
• T-Bone – Clifford The Big Red Dog
• Toto – The Wizard of Oz
• Tramp – Lady and The Tramp
• Trusty – Lady and the Tramp
• Zero – The Nightmare Before Christmas

Top tips for choosing the best name for your dog

• Express your interests. Got a favourite TV show, selection of fantasy novels, or epic film series? Explore the names of your favourite characters (or even dogs, of course), to choose the top dog name for your new four-legged cutie.
• Consider their personality. Does your pooch love to chase their tail, eat their biscuits from left to right, or take joy in chasing the local pigeons? Take some inspo from their quirks and little habits to make their name ‘feel like them’.
• Let their appearance inspire you. Are they fluffy, short-haired, spotty or stout? Take a good look into those puppy dog eyes - it’s sure to inspire you.
• Imagine shouting it across a dog park. If the thought of saying the name of your prospective pooch sends chills down your spine, avoid!
• Keep it short and sweet. As well as being easy to say, your new pup’s name will need to sit at no more than two syllables to function as a dog name that does the job, i.e. encourage your four-legged friend to run back to you.
• Make sure it doesn’t sound like a command. The last thing you want is to confuse your new buddy, so make sure their new name doesn’t sound like any commands you plan on teaching them.
• Does it nickname well? Chances are, you’ll end up nicknaming your pooch, no matter how much you love their name. So, have a play and see what you can come up with!

Still searching for your top dog name?

You might be stuck for choice after reading this list. So with fresh eyes, check out these female and male dog names for your pup.