Pet owners increasingly choose ‘human’ names

At one time, pet owners named their pets from a traditional pool such as Rover, Whiskey, Fluffy, Shep and Spot or hitched their pets to a four-legged star with names such as Lassie or Rin Tin Tin. Not any more.

Today, people are more likely to choose traditional human names for pets or have children who co-opt popular Disney and other storybook characters. For the third year in a row, the No. 1 name for both dogs and cats is Max, according to data from Veterinary Pet Insurance. The only other name that graces lists of both the 10 most popular dog and cat names is Lucy. Whether you want to stand out from or stand with the crowd, you’ll want to consider the following top 10 pet names.

Dogs

1. Max

2. Bailey

3. Buddy

4. Molly

5. Maggie

6. Lucy

7. Daisy

8. Bella

9. Jake

10. Rocky

Cats

1. Max

2. Tigger

3. Smokey

4. Tiger

5. Chloe

6. Shadow

7. Lucy

8. Angel

9. Oliver

10. Simba