To all the human parents of Charlie, Bella and Luna, you did it! You picked three of the most popular names in the country for your pooch. U.S. News & World Report just released the results of data they analyzed to determine the most popular pup names in the country. Sounds good, but what about us? These are the most popular dog names in every New England state, below.
Did you know that some 69 million households in the United States have a dog? That is according to the American Pet Products Association, as reported by U.S. News & World Report. Picking a pet name can be as challenging as choosing a name for your human baby! The new publication Reports’ 360 Reviews discovered the top dog names after analyzing “811,798 data points from a third-party pet insurance industry partner in September and October of 2023. The 800,000+ data points analyzed included dog names and state residence, which was filtered by state and ranked to show the most popular dog names in each state.”
Long gone are the days were Fido, Lucky and Rover ruled the streets. Those dog names didn’t even scratch the top 100 list. Apparently, this year, we Americans are huge fans of “name references from books in modern pop culture and ancient mythology.”
The #1 Dog Name in America
Bella is the top dog name in 37 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, according to the findings. More interesting fun facts: Food-related names showed up quite a bit. The most popular in this category are: Oreo, Pepper, Peanut, Cookie and Honey. Do you think “Chowder” ranked high in New England? Probably not.
So, let’s get to the New England States. I’ll break down each state, in alphabetical order and the top 5 dog names in each state, below. There will be some cross-over, of course. But, there will aslo be some unique to each state.
Connecticut
Nutmeg did not rank in the top 5 of the Nutmeg state. But it sure would be a good name, wouldn’t it? Connecticut, known for it’s rural and suburban beauty, proximity to Boston and New York, Yale University, the insurance industry, and the home of ESPN, went traditional for the most part with it’s dog names.
1. Bella
2. Luna
3. Lola
4. Charlie
5. Daisy
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Maine
Known for it’s stunning coastlines, national parks, skiing, history and lobster, the Pine Tree State, like all the New England states leans modern traditional with dog names. How can Moose not be a favorite dog name here? What about Lobster? Ok, not such a great name for a pet. It’s the home of LL Bean, wouldn’t Bean be an adorable moniker for a pup? Didn’t rate here in the great state of Maine.
1. Luna
2. Bella
3. Willow (tie)
3. Bailey (tie)
4. Daisy (tie)
4. Cooper (tie)
4. Lucy (tie)
5. Maggie
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Massachusetts
Seriously, no Fenway? No Brady? Do I hear a “Harvard, Pilgrim?” None of the fore-mentioned made the cut of our Bay State’s big dog names. But these 5 did! Mostly, they follow suit, but “Buddy” is a stand-out.
1. Luna
2. Bella
3. Buddy
4. Milo
5. Lucy
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New Hampshire
The Granite state known for it’s majestic White Mountains, lakes, wildlife, skiing, hiking and Canobie Lake Park, did not have a “Pumpkin” in the dog race ([pumpkin is the state fruit). But these top 5 pooch names rank the highest.
1. Bella
2. Bailey (tie)
2. Luna (tie)
3. Daisy
4. Max
5. Charlie
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Rhode Island
What a missed opportunity for pet owners not to name their dogs “Rhody” from the state known as “Little Rhody.” The Ocean State followed suit with most of New England in naming their dogs Bella and Luna, but a stand-out here was Coco. The beautiful little state of Rhode Island is known for it’s beaches, seafood, and adorable coastal towns. It’s known for it’s mansions in Newport, Brown University, coffee milk and it’s funny accent. Well, it’s a mixture of Boston and New York, so it’s sounds “funny” to us Bostonians. Here are the top dog names…
1. Bella
2. Max
3. Luna
4. Coco
5. Lola
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Vermont
The Green Mountain State has some of the top dog names, and in addition two more unique names on the list, Rosie and Bear. Bear makes sense. I was thinking Ben or Jerry would have been popular. Beautiful mountain views, Maple syrup, outstanding skiing, locally sourced foods and Lake Champlain make Vermont what it is. Hey, Champlain would be a good puppy name. Just saying. But here’s the most popular dog names (and no Maple on the list)…
1.Luna
2. Bear
3. Finn
4. Daisy (tie)
4. Molly (tie)
5. Bella (tie)
5. Charlie (tie)
5. Cooper (tie)
5. Piper (tie)
5. Rosie (tie)
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