17th July 2006

UK dog owners are increasingly transferring a passion for fashion to their favourite pooches, with famous labels such as Chanel, Gucci, Prada and Bentley proving popular names for man’s best friend.

The survey of 14,000 dogs, conducted by Oscar Pet Foods – the UK’s leading pet food delivery company, found that the British public is turning its back on traditional names such as Rover and Rex and opting for something a little more refined.
 
Although all-time favourite ‘Max’ still leads the pack as the most popular name with 11 per cent of the vote, Sam, Meg, Ben, Holly, Charlie, Oscar, Barney and Millie closely follow.
 
Pets in the noughties are not only being given fashionable names, but inspiration is also being drawn from the things that surround us in every day life including confectionary (Rolo, Cadbury and Twix), food (Branston, Chips, Brie), literature and films (Mr Darcy, Merlin, Charlie Brown) and even favourite tipples such as Stella, Boddington, Guinness and Tia Maria - making a game of fetch down the pub quite confusing!
 
People have always taken inspiration from celebrities and many babies are named after celebrity icons. With the trend inevitably being passed down to British pets, top of the list is Travis followed by Kylie, Britney, Jordan and even Stevie Wonder. Sport stars also feature with likes of Tyson, Beckham, Lennox and Rio featuring in the sporting top 10.

It appears that celebrities are also getting in on the act, Joss Stone has named her dog Dusty Springfield and Paris Hilton has called her Chihuahua, Tinkerbell after the infamous fairy in Peter Pan.  Other celebrities with famous dog names include The OC's Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody who have a dog called Penny Lane, Jake Gyllenhaal who has dogs named Atticus and Boo Radley and Sara Cox who has Snoop after the rapper Snoop Doggy Dog.
 
While researching pet names Oscar Pet Foods, which feeds over 40,000 animals a year, also discovered a few unconventional names that most of us would not want to be caught shouting in the local park. These include Chickens, Big Nose, Jimmy Riddle and Wart.
 
Dr David Sands, Oscar Pet Foods Animal Behaviourist, says: “When it comes to choosing a dog’s name it is very important that you choose the right name. The best way is to pick a name that the pet can easily recognise, a reason why perhaps Max is the nation’s number one choice.
 
"Animals also respond better to one or two syllable names so choose a name that is easy to call out such as Oscar or Meg, which both feature in the top ten. A pet’s name will get used dozens of times during a day; to call a pet, to praise a pet and to scold a pet.  Names that are too long may be difficult for the dog to recognise and names that sound like commands like ‘stay’ and ‘fetch’ may also be confusing - for example Joe can sound like ‘no’.                  
 
“Pet names can be fun and personal to you, but just remember that whatever you call your pet this is often a representation of yourself. If you are happy shouting Big Nose when on your Sunday morning stroll and the dog responds well to this, then feel free to get creative and choose a name that suits you.”
 
 
MOST POPULAR DOG NAME
1 Max
2 Molly
3 Sam / Sammy
4 Meg / Megan
5 Ben
6 Holly
7 Charlie
8 Oscar
9 Barney
10 Millie / Milly

MOST POPULAR BRAND-RELATED DOG NAMES
1 Diesel
2 Bentley
3 Levi
4 Oakley
5 Gucci
6 Kenzo
7 Porsche
8 Prada
9 Chanel
10 Coco

MOST POPULAR CELEBRITY DOG NAMES
1 Travis
2 Kylie
3 Keano
4 Jordan
5 Lennon
6 Stevie Wonder
7 Britney
8 Jimmy Five Bellies
9 Clinton

MOST POPULAR SPORTS STAR DOG NAMES
1 Tyson
2 Rio
3 Lennox
4 Fergie
5 Beckham
6 Rooney
7 Keegan

MOST POPULAR FICTIONAL CHARACTER DOG NAMES
1 Casper
2 Merlin
3 Charlie Brown
4 Lassie
5 Gromitt
6 Gulliver
7 Mr Darcey
8 Frodo
9 Kojak
10 Indiana

MOST POPULAR ALCHOLOIC DRINKS DOG NAMES
1 Tia
2 Brandy
3 Guiness
4 Stella
5 Hooch
6 Becks
7 Sherry
8 Whiskey
9 Smirnoff
10 Boddingtons

MOST POPULAR CONFECTIONARY DOG NAMES
1 Rolo
2 Toffee
3 Cadbury
4 Treacle
5 Chocolate
6 Wispa
7 Fudge
8 Twix
 

MOST POPULAR FOOD RELATED DOG NAMES
1 Branston
2 Chips
3 Mustard
4 Pumpkin
5 Noodle
6 Peanut
7 Brie
8 Ketchup

MOST UNUSUAL DOG NAMES
1 Dyson
2 Hoover
3 Midland Fuel
4 Chickens
5 Silly
6 Wart
7 Big Nose
8 Van Dog
9 Lettuce
10 Tuppence

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