These Are the Most Popular Dog Names from 2021

Would you name your dog Dr. Fauci or Baguette? This year, many pet parents did just that!
Leah Lopez Cardenas, Senior SEO Editor for Daily Paws By Leah Lopez Cardenas November 30, 2021 Advertisement Pin FB More Tweet Email Send Text Message Print

Rover's Top Dog Names 2021 list was just released and on it are some adorable classics and some (ahem) very creative options. While Max and Bella once again took the top spots, the way the pandemic is changing our way of life inspired pet parents to give their pups some pretty odd monikers like Pfizer, Dr. Fauci, and Zoom.

Did your pup's name make the list of most popular dog names this past year? Check out the options from the list below and see if you can spot any of your favorites. At the very least, some of the more questionable names that made the list of top picks might give you a laugh.

dog sitting with couple on bench – most popular dog names of 2021 Credit: Shestock / Getty

Top 10 Male Dog Names 2021

The top two boy dog names are the same as last year, but the name Leo rose up from 13th place last year into the top 10. Poor Cooper, on the other hand, fell from his 3rd place spot from last year all the way out of the top 10.

Max
Charlie
Milo
Buddy
Rocky
Bear
Leo
Duke
Teddy
Tucker

RELATED: 260 Clever Name Ideas for Boy Dogs

Top 10 Female Dog Names 2021

The names Zoe and Lily made the list, up from 36th and 15th place last year, but Sadie and Maggie dropped out of the top 10.

Bella
Luna
Lucy
Daisy
Zoe
Lily
Lola
Bailey
Stella
Molly

RELATED: 266 Creative Girl Dog Names for Every Letter of the Alphabet

Dog Names Inspired by Our Favorite Celebrities in 2021

The tragic loss of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman inspired tributes across the country, as did the widespread support for the #FreeBritney movement. Excitement around K-Pop band BTS and the Friends reunion reflected in the way pet parents named their dogs this year, too.

Chadwick Boseman
Britney Spears
Taylor Swift
Yeezy
Oprah
Suga
Kim
V
Jin
J-Hope
Halsey
Dua Lipa
Aretha Franklin
Phoebe Buffay
Joey
Chandler
Ross
Gunther

RELATED: 165 Celebrity Dog Names for Pets Who Are Too Cool for School

Funniest Top Dog Names 2021

Unfortunately the pandy had a big impact on literally everything, including what many pet parents named their dogs. Other influences for some of the more peculiar name choices included the space race, emerging technology, and pop culture.

Fauci
Pfizer
Zoom
Siri
Google
Doge
Bitcoin
Elon Musk
Bezos
Solstice
Aster
Nebula

RELATED: 150 Funny Dog Names for Your Hilarious Pet

Dog Names Inspired by Athletes and Olympic Medalists

After a one year delay, the 2020 Summer Olympic games in Tokyo gave us some breakout superstars. There were also a few past favorites who won gold for the USA once again. Since we watched every pulse-pounding minute with our pups next to us on the couch, it's no surprise these names took some of the top spots on the most popular dog names 2021 list. (Have you ever honestly heard of anything cuter than a golden retriever named after gold medal gymnast Suni Lee?! We didn't think so.)

Suni
Naomi
Simone
Katie
DK (Metcalf)
Kittle
Mahomes
Gronk
Tom
Brady

RELATED: 150+ Famous Dog Names for Your Prestigious Pup

Most Popular Food Names for Dogs in 2021

For some reason, pet parents were really into their French food this year (who can blame us?) And the general high demand for vegan-friendly meat alternatives also inspired some pretty interesting monikers.

Bean(s)
Tofu
Almond
Cauliflower
Paneer
Tempeh
Caviar
Dijon
Baguette
Raclette

RELATED: 153 of the Cutest Food Names for Dogs That Like Snacks as Much as You Do

Disney Dog Names Based on Disney+ and Netflix Smash Hit Shows

As we collectively spent a majority of time this year in our homes watching a lot of TV, it's no surprise that our favorite shows influenced how we named our furry friends. For example, Grogu from The Mandalorian was up 4,000 percent year-over-year in popularity. And while they were not on Rover's list, we can assume the names Loki, Sylvie, Hawkeye, Vision, Agatha, Sam, and Bucky (and Sebastian) were also popular picks this year for obvious reasons.