Rover.com has released its tenth annual Top Pet Names Report. Pet names reflect the passions and preoccupations that defined the year. This year’s report draws from millions of user-submitted pet names provided by Rover pet parents over the last decade. It also breaks down the popular pet names and influential trends leading up to 2022.
Top Pet Names
Just like the trends that influenced them, the names we give our pets evolve to reflect the world.
“Looking back at the last ten years of pet names data, we can see that the humanization of pets has become an increasingly influential macro trend for pet naming conventions,” said Kate Jaffe, trend expert at Rover. “Rover’s database reveals how names we lovingly choose for our pets reflect our passions and lifestyles. And often serve as a time capsule for the moment we welcomed them into our families.”
Related: Pit Bull: From America’s Sweet Heart to Public Enemy. And Back Again.
The year 2020 introduced Covid-19 pandemic-inspired names. Names like Covi, Rona, and Fauci and those continued to trend upward in 2021, as the pandemic dragged on. According to new data from 2022, a return to “normal” might be on the horizon. Pandemic-inspired names like Rona and Covid trending down. Instead, it’s now the widespread availability of Covid-19 vaccines driving inspiration in 2022. With the name Pfizer trending up 185% for dogs. As a cat name, Covid is still trending up (62%) along with Dr. Fauci at 82%.
More 2022 Highlights
Each year, Rover’s Top Pet Names Report unveils the people, places, and events that defined the previous 12 months. This year is no different, with unique names and trends inspired by 2022. Spoiler alert — nostalgia was big this year.
Streaming Services Rein Supreme
- Apparently, we do talk about Bruno. Disney’s 2021 debut of “Encanto” took pet names by storm in 2022, with Mirabel (1,485%), Isabela (93%), and Bruno (26%) among the top 10 trending Disney and Pixar-inspired names for dogs.
- “Yellowstone” took over living rooms in more ways than one in 2022. The name Yellowstone is trending up 485% for dogs, with Dutton (294%), Teeter (125%), Rip (100%), John (81%), Beth (64%), and Kayce (31%) also trending up. The top trending “Yellowstone”-inspired name for cats is Dutton, up 682%.
Retro Pop: What’s New is Old
- Presumably inspired by the sequel that filled theaters in 2022, the name Cruise (53%) is the top dog when it comes to trending Top Gun-inspired names. In fact, 36 years after the movie’s original debut, the names Goose (12%), Maverick (6%), and Cyclone (18%) were trending up for dogs in 2022.
- This year’s return of the 90s came with renewed interest in names inspired by iconic stars from the last decade of the 20th century. Dogs named Julia Roberts (135%), Robin Williams (85%), Samuel L. Greyhound (85%), and Brad Pitt (51%) are trending up this year.
- Following this year’s film biopic, the name Elvis Presley is trending up 51% for dogs and 82% for cats in 2022. Meanwhile, Elvis Pugsley is up 85% for dogs while Elvis Purrsley is trending by 32% for cats.
In Memoriam
- The top trending names associated with the beloved celebrities who passed away in 2022 include: Ivana (285%), Betty (32%), Estelle (18%), and Meatloaf (16%) for dogs and Judd (319%), Betty (47%) and Russell (32%) for cats.
- Following the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth, the dog names Elizabeth and Lilibet are trending up 35% and 282%, respectively. The Queen’s corgis are also trending, with Bramble up 182%, Laurel up 37%, Rose up 24%, Holly up 14%, and Willow up 9%.
- In-memoriam of the late Jeopardy host, the cat name Alex Trebec appeared on the list for the first time in 2022.
Music-Inspired Names Take Center Stage
- A return to live music came with a surge of pet names inspired by artists who took the main stage in 2022. The names Bieber (185%) and Styles (25%) are trending up for dogs, while Kitty Gaga (382%), Meghan (51%) and Stallion (85%) are trending for cats.
- Made popular again by the “Stranger Things” season 4 theme song, “Running up that Hill”, the name Kate Bush was new to the list for dogs in 2022.
- Are cat parents more likely to be self-described Billie Eilish fanatics, or “Eyelashes”? Both Eilish (182%) and Billie (13%) are trending up for cats in 2022.
Related: Fur-baby boom? 7 in 10 Gen Z adults would rather have pets than kids
Comfort Foods, Niche Flavors, and Seltzer
- Comfort and nostalgia reign supreme for fast-food-inspired names in 2022 thanks to new and returning limited-time menu items. The dog names Taco Bella, Spicy Nugget, McGriddle and Crunchwrap debuted for the first time in 2022.
- The top-trending comfort-food cat names this year are Roll (182%), Green Bean (162%), Casserole (102%), and S’More (102%).
- The ongoing hard seltzer craze bubbled up some trending pet names this year: The name Truly is trending up 74% for dogs while the name White Claw is up 32% for cats. For the first time, the dog name Seltzer appeared on the list in 2022.
- Ghost Pepper made the list for the first time for dogs in 2022.
Sports Headlines
- The 2022 FIFA World Cup has USMNT-inspired names Gio (17%), Reyna (5%) and Weston (13%) trending for dogs.
- Among MLB fans the name Shohei is up 185% for dogs. Shohei Ohtani, nicknamed “Shotime,” is the perhaps the most famous pitcher and hitter since Babe Ruth.
- The NBA Champion Warriors showed out this year. Warrior (40%) was among the top sports-inspired dog names of the year, and both Klay (37%) and Steph (22%) jumped as well.
- The dog names Felix, Serena and Sylvia are trending up for dogs in 2022. This year also put the dog name Stormy Sue on the map. It’s no surprise that these names are popular, as sports legends Allyson Felix, Serena Williams, Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird are all retiring this year.
