For particularly devoted pet parents, choosing what to name your furry friend can be as serious a decision as deciding what to name your child. After all, there's a lot of meaning in a name — some hope to choose one that reflects the dog's personality, while others simply want to pay homage to a piece of pop culture that they particularly love.
Recently, pet sitter and dog walker service Rover.com analyzed its database of over a million dogs all across the country to compile a list of the most popular names this year. According to People, this is the site's sixth annual report on the subject.
While certain canine classics held strong — 2017's top names Max and Bella remained in the No. 1 spots this year — other dog-naming trends proved just how much we as pet owners are influenced by celebrities, movies, and TV shows.
So without further ado, here are this year's 10 most popular male dog names and 10 most popular female dog names.
Top 10 Male Dog Names 1. Max
In addition to the list of top picks, Rover.com also provided some interesting info about its findings and dog name trends it noticed.
2. Charlie
You'll notice that plenty of the names on the list work equally well for humans, too. Five of the male names in the top 10 and four of the female names were also among BabyCenter's Top 100 Baby Names of 2018!
3. Cooper
Apparently, over 36% of all dog names are "human" names.
4. Buddy
"Retro" dog names are up 17% from 2017, as they are with baby names.
5. Jack
Hipster names gaining in popularity include Soy, Inari, Oak, Brew, and Bae.
6. Rocky
Pet parents find inspiration for dog names everywhere.
7. Duke
In 2018, names inspired by pop culture (including TV shows, movies, and music) represented 16% of all dog names.
8. Bear
The names of celebrities' babies are also rising in popularity as dog names.
9. Tucker
Stormi saw a rise of 240% from 2017 to 2018. We've got Kylie Jenner to thank for that!
10. Oliver
And fans honored their favorite musicians by naming their pups after them — the name Cardi saw a jump of 1,250%!
Top 10 Female Dog Names 1. Bella
Certain sci-fi movies also inspired quite a few dog names, including Guardians of the Galaxy. The name Drax rose 186%.
2. Lucy
Names of fictional villains were also popular among dog owners this year — Pennywise increased 500% this year, and Thanos is up 215%.
3. Luna
In addition to Luna and Stormi, other popular celebrity baby names for dogs included Stella, Jack, Milo, and Leo.
4. Daisy
People apparently also really loved the names of Westworld.
5. Lola
Maeve rose 127%, and Dolores increased 87%.
6. Sadie
Pet parents more inclined toward classic names found inspiration among royalty.
7. Molly
The top "royal" dog names in 2018 were (in order of popularity) Sophie, George, Prince, Charlotte, and Harry.
8. Bailey
Meghan also rose in popularity 129%. People just can't get enough of Meghan Markle!
9. Maggie
Rover.com found that 5% of all the dog names in its database were food-themed, with brunch-related names in particular up 12%.
10. Stella
Biscuit, Cinnamon, Muffin, Waffles, and Beans were some of the most popular picks.
Is your furry friend's name on this list? Let us know in the comments!
