Online company Rover.com recently released its ninth annual popular pet names of the year. ‘Fauci’ saw a 270% increase in popularity while ‘COVID’ rose to 35%. ‘Zoom’ also recorded a 443% rise as a result of the teleconferencing app’s widespread use.
The company stated in its blog post, “To better understand the stories these names have to tell us about the people, places, and stories that defined the past year, we dug into our database of over a million pet parents on Rover to reveal the most popular dog names of 2021.”
It added, “We uncovered everything from ever-popular dog names to newly trending ones and some completely unique names we never saw coming.”
Kate Jaffe, Director of Brand Marketing of the Company, said that some owners might choose a name that they just think reflects their pet’s unique personality. But, at the end of the day, what they are trying to do is to acknowledge the bond they have with their pets and give them names that epitomize their pet’s special personality.
Pandemic-Inspired Names
An increase in pet adoption during the COVID-19 crisis has inspired several dog names related to the pandemic and other current events.
With lots of people working from home, shelters across the country find themselves keeping up with the increased demand for pets. But, deciding the name of your new dog can be challenging.
As Americans see more of Dr. Anthony Fauci in the news as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor of then-President Trump and now President Biden, Dr. Fauci’s influence has seeped into the mainstream American culture.
The use of his name as a pet first trended in 2020, with a few pet owners naming their dogs and cats ‘Fauci.’ In September 2020, Beverly Hills 90210 star Jennie Garth was an early trendsetter naming her rescued Chihuahua ‘Dr. Fauci’.
Former Congresswoman Donna Shalala also named her dog after the doctor. Asked for a reason, she stated, “He’s resilient with a happy face, and he has Tony’s personality completely. He only barks at huge dogs.”
Other unique names related to the pandemic they found were ‘Pfizer,’ ‘Vax,’ and ‘Dolly Parton,’ who donated money to COVID vaccine research.
Other Trending Names
The names of celebrities have always been trending every year. ‘Boseman’ after the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, increased by 1,063% while ‘Chadwick’ by 400%.
‘Britney,’ named after the famous singer who has been in the news lately for her conservatorship battle, is also trending.
Nicole Ellis, a certified professional celebrity dog trainer at Rover.com. said, “People feel like they’re living a little bit with a celebrity, and for most of us, our pets are our celebrities in our lives and what makes us so happy and excited.”
‘Grogu’ was also trending after the popular Jedi character in the TV series “The Mandalorian.” The top three female dog names are Bella, Luna, and Lucy, while male dog names are Max, Charlie, and Cooper.
