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Like human names, pet names go in and out of fashion with trends driven by pop culture – hot artists, celebrities, TV shows and even computer games.
Right now, the passing of iconic musicians Prince and David Bowie has given the popular pet name charts a good shake-up, as a study of 600,000 names registered with UK pet insurer AnimalFriends found.
Bella topped the list for both cats and dogs (likely due to the rise of Victoria’s Secret angel Bella Hadid), knocking Alfie off the perch for the first time since 2014 (sorry to all the Alfies out there).
However surprisingly the legend of Bowie, who died January 2016 from cancer, lives on with pets being named in his honour. The name Bowie has dramatically risen the ranks from number 780 in 2015 to 456.
Meanwhile fellow legend Prince, who died April 2016, is also being immortalised with the name jumping from the 171st spot to number 143.
“Popular culture is having a huge effect on the names we choose for our furry friends, which gives a good indication of how important film and music is to pet owners,” says AnimalFriends marketing director Westley Pearson.
Other trends inlude Stars Wars and Marvel-inspired names Chewie and Thor. Pokemon Go saw Eeevee makes it debut and Nintendo’s Zelda also knabbed a spot on the list.
Naturally the more traditional names held their ground.
The top 10 pet names
1. Bella
2. Poppy
3. Alfie
4. Charlie
5. Lola
6. Buddy
7. Max
8. Teddy
9. Daisy
10. Ruby
Top 5 dog names
1. Bella
2. Poppy
3. Alfie
4. Charlie
5. Lola
Top 5 cat names
1. Charlie
2. Oscar
3. Bella
4. Alfie
5. Poppy
