The Year’s Dog Names in Review

The late, great rocker is Petfinder.com’s most well-liked celebrity pet name. The site’s top dog name overall? Buddy. “Every year I look forward to this ranking,” says Betsy Banks Saul, cofounder of the online adoption database. “Buddy and Max will probably always be popular, it’s always a blast to see just how original people get when naming their pets,” she says.

 A name that continues to go up the site’s ranks for both dogs and cats is Bella, the name of a character from the "Twilight" series of books and films. Bella jumped from No. 6 to the No. 4 spot for dogs, and from No. 4 to No. 3 for cats. Saul says unusual and pop culture names for adoptable pets aren’t just fun, they’re practical. “We often hear that adoptable pets get more attention on both Petfinder.con and in the shelter when they have interesting names,” she says. “Therefore, for many reasons, we encourage as much originality as possible.”
                                      2010 Top 10 Most Popular Dog Names
                                                    1. Buddy (1019)
                                                    2. Max (822)
                                                    3. Daisy (755)
                                                    4. Bella (716)
                                                    5. Lucy (705)
                                                    6. Jack (673)
                                                    7. Molly (639)
                                                    8. Charlie (616)
                                                    9. Sadie (594)
                                                    10. Rocky (564)