Most Popular & Trending Pet Names of 2025
If you've ever yelled your pet’s name at the dog park and watched three other dogs turn around, congratulations, you're officially on trend! Pet names tend to follow cultural waves just like baby names, fashion, and, oddly enough, breakfast foods. In 2025, those waves are bigger, bolder, and a little more personality-packed than ever.
Using insights from Rover’s latest breakdown of trending pet names, you can see exactly what pet parents across the country are loving right now. Find out why these pet names are everywhere in 2025, what they reveal about us as pet-obsessed humans, and how each trend fits into the bigger naming picture.
The Most Popular Dog Names of 2025
Dogs continue to dominate the pet name charts, and this year’s list proves that some names simply refuse to go out of style.
Top Male Dog Names
Classic dog names remain popular, especially those that evoke a sense of friendliness and familiarity.
Charlie, Max, Cooper, Milo, and Bailey are everywhere. These names are popular because they're easy to say, recognizable to dogs, and widely loved. Up next were Teddy, Bear, Rocky and Buddy.
Top Female Dog Names
For female dogs, names that feel sweet yet confident are leading the pack.
Luna is at the top, showing no signs of slowing down. Bella remains popular, followed by Daisy, Lucy, and Coco. Lola, Lily, Sadie, Penny and Zoe also made the top 20.
The Most Popular Cat Names of 2025
Cat names have always had a little more flair, and 2025 is no exception. Cats are mysterious, expressive, and sometimes chaotic, and their names reflect that energy perfectly.
Top Male Cat Names
Milo is a fan favorite this year, and honestly, it fits almost every cat. Leo, Oliver, Charlie, and Loki are also topping the charts.
Top Female Cat Names
Luna claims the crown for female cat names in 2025, followed by choices such as Lily, Bella, Lucy, and Willow.
Trending Pet Names 2025
Wondering what weird and wonderful dog names have been popular this year? Here are some of the biggest trends of 2025:
Future Retro
Midwest heavily influenced dog names this year, whereas for cat names, it was all about Y2K!
- Dade was the biggest mover - up a huge 931% for dogs.
- Up next for Midwest dog names was Packard (+530%), Sadie Girl (+481%) and Ted Lasso (+431%).
- Trending Y2K cat names were led by Amiga (+631%), followed by Ozone (+531%), Jpeg (+282%) and Bitcoin (+232%)
Pop Culture
This category always has a big impact on trending pet names, and 2025 was no exception.
- The highest trending name for dogs in this category? Forrest Gump, up by 631%.
- Next up: Boq (+531%), Gracie Lou Freebush (+530%), Galinda and Willie Wonka, both with a 331% increase.
- A huge increase for Bill Murray, up 1031% for cat names.
- Other trending kitty names in this category include Mary-Kate and Sandy Cheeks (each +531%), Fat Louie (+481%) and Jack Sparrow (+431%).
Food
What delicous picks were there in this year's food category? Let's find out!
- Top of the tastebuds for dog owners: Hoji was up 930%.
- Another popular choice was Asiago (+531%), followed by these options all up by 531%: Baby Cakes, Benihana, Bisquick, Hashbrowns and Mr. Biscuit.
- Heading up the list of trending food cat names were Adzuki, Nutter Butter and Toffy, all up 631%.
Nature
There were a lot of pet owners that chose to look away from their screens and instead head to the natural world for inspiration.
- Top of the list for dogs was Hopi (+681%).
- Other dog names included Stonie (+481%), Harvest (+281%) and all up 231% were Surya, Reishi, and Poplar.
- Grimmy was popular for cats, up by 932%.
- Orion (+432%), Skywalker (+182%) and Moonshadow (+149%) were more trending cat choices.
New Pet Names
As ever, there were some interesting new pet name additions or names that didn't quite make the trending list this year!
Future Retro
Dog names: Big Mack, Tucker Joe, April May, Davy Crockett and Yukon Cornelius.
Cat names: Proton, Lo-fi, Okami, C-3PO and Unity.
Pop Culture
Dog names: Amelia Pond, Patch Adams, Edward Cullen, and our personal favorite - Dr. Indiana Bones!
Cat names: Regina George, Mr Bigs, Ramona Flowers and Blair Witch.
Nature
Dog names: Wild Thing, Earthquake, Snowcap and Peachtree.
Cat names: Aeon, Luna Ray, Skya and Silverbelle.
Food
Dog names: Mr. Beefy, Soondae, Cheez-It and Oreo Beignet Jackson.
Cat names: Cacao, Mochaccino, Muffin Man and Snacktime.
Don't forget, if you're bringing home a new pet this year, the trends can be a great source of inspiration, but they're not rules!
Trending pet names lists are a reminder that naming your pet should be fun, not stressful. Try saying the name out loud. Imagine it on a vet chart. Picture yourself calling it across a crowded park. If it feels right, it probably is.
Did your pet's name make the list of the most popular or trending names? Let us know in the comments!
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Karen
January 09, 2026
You didn’t list any of my pets names. I had a cat that was named Widget. I’ve also had Shere-Khan, Tai Pan, Chewbacca, Bagheera, Lazarus (dog), and Sushi (dog).