Pets Get Their Names from Pop Culture in 2025

In 2025, pet owners in the United States are still big fans of giving their dogs and cats names from movies, TV shows, and music. This trend has been going strong for over ten years. The company Rover, which takes care of pets when their owners are away, looked at the names given to new pets. They found out that the most popular names, like Luna and Charlie, have not changed much in the past year. Instead, they focused on names that are becoming more popular. To find the top trending names, Rover looked at pets younger than two years old. They added to their database between August 2024 and September 2025. The names were put into different groups, like top names overall, names by state, and names from entertainment, sports, and food. Rover also asked 1, 000 pet owners how they chose their pet's name. They found that 33% of people had a name in mind before they even got their new pet. And 45% of people based the name on their pet's personality or appearance. For male puppies, the top trending names were Caesar, Mufasa, and Oswald. For female puppies, the top names were Elphie, Tsuki, and Rumi. All of these names increased by more than 100% in the last year. Elphie saw the biggest jump, with a 244% increase. For kittens, the top male names were Tater, Milton, and Stewie. The top female names were Priscilla, Snowball, and Pickle. In different states, people chose names based on their surroundings. In the western United States, names like Aspen, Boots, Remington, and Bandit were popular for puppies. For kittens, names like Ducky, Sunny, and Ranger were chosen. In the Southwest, names like Chiquita and Cocoa were popular for pets. In the Midwest, names from pop culture like Simba, Loki, Butters, and Nimbus were chosen. Looking ahead to 2026, Rover thinks that names from the new Wicked movie, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and the TV show Severance will become more popular. They also think that names from Taylor Swift songs, like Ophelia, Elizabeth Taylor, and Opalite, will be used more. Rover is also keeping an eye on new trends, like names from blind box toys, such as Labubu and Zimono.