THE TOP PET NAMES FOR DOGS AND CATS FROM 2021 ARE CUTE FOR HUMANS TOO
Source: Stuff (Extract)
Posted: January 14, 2022
We put a lot of thought into naming our babies, and that holds equally true for furry family members.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that the top names for cats and dogs registered with pet insurer Southern Cross in 2021 could be used for human babies too.
The top names include George, Molly, Charlie, Milo, Archie, Daisy, and Luna.
Luna was the most popular female name for both dogs and cats.
In cats, it was followed by Molly, Coco, Lola, Lulu, Lily, Ivy, Cleo, Nala and Tilly.
In dogs, it was followed by Coco, Daisy, Bella, Poppy, Millie, Frankie, Rosie, Molly, and Maggie.
Nelson dog owner Katie Woller called her bull mastiff cross Luna after two different friends suggested it.
“We thought we had chosen a really unique name,” she says, adding they are still happy with it.
“We decided it works as it can also be short for lunatic which as a puppy she very much can be at times.”
Auckland couple Ben and Lea Harris from Birkenhead, named their new Maltese terrier Luna after a child in a popular TV medical drama.
“We couldn’t decide on a name when we first got her, but we were watching a television show together that we both enjoy, New Amsterdam. It had a character called Luna and that’s where we got our inspiration from,” Lea said.
The top spot shows not a lot of variability in Kiwi pet naming in recent years: Luna has been the most popular female name for cats for six years running, and for five consecutive years for dogs.
Loki (cats) and Charlie (for dogs) took home the top male pet spots this year, knocking Archie off the 2020 podium for both cats and dogs.
Loki is thought to have been popularised by Marvel’s Thor comic and film franchise – which was how Marie Gibson from Wellington arrived at the name for her domestic shorthair cat.
It was a family decision, Gibson says.
“We’re all big fans of the Thor movies, and the Marvel cinematic universe. Loki is Thor’s half-brother and the Norse god of mischief, so it seemed a perfect fit for our mischievous cat.”
Both names have featured highly in Southern Cross’ top 10 list in previous years.
Some of the year’s more quirky pet names found on Southern Cross’s New Zealand paperwork include Lord Archie, Cucumber, Crumpet and Cheddar Cheese.
In December, Stuff Homed teamed up with the SPCA to help rehome pets before Christmas – featuring unusual names such as Gizmo the rooster, cute bunnies Chubby and Caramel, shy Panda the cat and a pair of horses called Neil and Nigella.
In the USA, pet names like Pfizer, Zoom, Covid and Fauci jumped in popularity in 2021, according to Rover, an online petcare store. Siri and Google also trended up in the past year.
But their top names were as traditional as the Kiwi ones, with Bella, Luna, Max, Lucy, Charlie, Milo, Oliver, Leo and Loki headlining the lists.
Top names of pets born in 2021 Source: Southern Cross Pet Insurance
Top female dog names
- Luna
- Coco
- Daisy
- Bella
- Poppy
- Millie
- Frankie
- Rosie
- Molly
- Maggie
Top male dog names
- Charlie
- Teddy
- Archie
- Milo
- Loki
- Bear
- Rocky
- Ollie
- Buddy
- Max
Top female cat names
- Luna
- Molly
- Coco
- Lola
- Lulu
- Lily
- Ivy
- Cleo
- Nala
- Tilly
Top male cat names
- Loki
- George
- Charlie
- Milo
- Bear
- Leo
- Simba
- Ziggy
- Ted
- Tigger
