Most Popular Dog Names Across the U.S.
According to the 2025 American Pet Products Association’s National Pet Owners Survey, 68 million U.S. households own a dog, and each of these pets needs a name. The top three most popular dog names nationwide are Luna, Bella, and Charlie. Luna and Bella have swapped positions from the 2023 data, with Charlie rising from fifth place to third. Max and Daisy round out the top five, though they’ve dropped from third and fourth to fourth and fifth, respectively.
Top 10 Dog Names in the U.S.
- Luna
- Bella
- Charlie
- Max
- Daisy
- Lucy
- Coco
- Milo
- Cooper
- Teddy
The names Luna and Bella likely reflect the influence of “Harry Potter” fans, as both are names of female characters in the series. They may also indicate multilingual households, as “luna” means moon and “bella” means beautiful or pretty in both Spanish and Italian. Charlie, Max, and Daisy remain popular due to their appearance in various films and TV shows.
State-by-State Popularity
While Luna tops the list in multiple states including California, Colorado, and New York, other states have different preferences. For instance, in Alabama, Bella is the most popular name, while in Alaska, Spot takes the top spot. Some states share similar tastes in dog names, such as neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts, which both have Luna, Bella, and Daisy in their top three.
Variations in Naming Trends
Only six states have a most popular name that doesn’t make the nationwide top 10. These states are Utah, South Dakota, Montana, Kansas, Hawaii, and Alaska. Eight states have a top-three name that doesn’t appear in the national top 100: Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Food and Flower Names
Food names like Pepper, Oreo, and Honey remain popular nationwide but only appear in the top three for two states. Flower names such as Daisy and Lily are also common, with Daisy placing in the top three in 10 states.
Methodology
The 2025 popular dog names report analyzed approximately 80,000 data points from a third-party pet insurance industry partner. The data included dog names and state residence, filtered by state and ranked to show the most popular dog names in each state.
