By: Karl Salkowski

Pets have lived alongside humans for millennia. Pets provide a variety of mental and physical benefits. According to Health.ucdavis.edu pets have been found to help lower stress and anxiety, ease feelings of loneliness, and give a sense of purpose to pet owners. That’s not all. Pets have also been proven to help owners establish healthy routines. 60% of dog owners meet the recommended weekly amount of exercise compared to 31% of people without a dog.

Names are very important for how we go about our lives. They contribute to how our communities see us and how we see ourselves. According to Students.ubc.ca names carry deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections. Because of how important they are, lots of thought is often put into assigning them.

Human names often follow patterns or trends. This is why you may associate some names with older or younger people. The same is true for pets. Name popularity rises and falls over time.

According to various sources including Akc.org, Amcny.org, and Embarkvet.com, these are the top dog and cat names in 2024:

Female dog names:

1. Bella
2. Chloe
3. Luna
4. Daisy
5. Lucy

Male dog names:

1. Milo
2. Charlie
3. Buddy
4. Leo
5. Max

Female cat names:

1. Luna
2. Nala
3. Lola
4. Willow
5. Coco

Male cat names:

1. Milo
2. Oliver
3. Charlie
4. Loki
5. Oreo

There are many similarities between the most popular dog and cat names. Milo and Luna seem to be the most popular pet names overall, but not very far behind them are the names Lucy and Charlie.

Although the most popular pet names are very different from the most popular human names, there are still some similarities. Pet names and human names tend to stay popular for similar amounts of time. For example, according to Amcny.org the name Max has been one of the most popular male dog names for over a decade from between 2013 and 2023. Overall, names are extremely important to how we perceive and connect with our pets.