Dogs are part of the family, and naming them can be a big decision for some households. Now a new study has shown where Brits are being influenced when it comes to naming their four legged friends.
Rover.com, a network of five-star pet sitters and dog walkers, conducted research into dog names. Their report has examined what’s trending for UK dog names in 2019, and some of the results are surprising.
Traditional and ‘old fashioned’ names have seen a surge in popularity recently, despite them being less popular among new parents. Gertrude, for example, was up by a whopping 300%.
Other traditional names include Malcom (150%), Clive (100%) and Nigel (60%). For female dogs, names like Shirley (67%) and June (50%) were also very popular.
But the most popular name of all was Bella, closely followed by Poppy in second place. Both of these names are also traditional, so it seems people are favouring these names more for their dogs.
In third and fourth place were Alfie and Lola, followed by Max and Charlie in fifth and sixth place.
Read more: The most popular dog names for 2020 have been revealed
Seventh and eighth place went to Luna and Bailey, followed by Teddy and Buddy to round off the most popular overall names.
But royal influence seems to be big too, with Queen seeing a 44% global increase in popularity and Archie seeing a 39% one. The latter is influenced by Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s baby, who was born earlier this year.
Other influences come from TV, with many Brits favouring some of the Love Island contestants for their pets. Anna saw a huge 450% increase, Anton saw 200% and India saw 180%.
Blockbuster film The Lion King also influenced dog owners, with Nala and Simba up by 30% and 19% respectively.
Speaking about the results Kate Jaffe, Trend Expert for Rover said, “Dogs are considered fully-fledged members of the family by nine out of ten pet parents in the UK, so choosing a name for our canines can be as difficult as it is for our children.
“Our dogs and the names we give them are part of our self-expression, which is why we see such strong influence from the things that Brits love - everything from favourite foods to small screen stars.”
