Here Are The Top Pet Names And Trends In Greater Boston

BOSTON — Before you know it, many cats in Greater Boston within earshot may come running to the call, "Swiftie! Here kitty, kitty, kitty." Or the command, "Kelce, fetch!" may send any number of dogs on a chase for a football or, more likely, a frisbee or stick.

Those trending pet names were inspired by the current "it" couple — mega pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — and also by the other Kelce brother, Jason, the Philadelphia Eagles' center. That's according to the 11th annual Top Pet Names Report, a breezy analysis of customer data by Rover.com, an online pet care products business.

In fact, the folks at Rover say Kelce is the top-trending dog name in America. Among cat owners, Swift was the top trending name, up 133 percent from 2022, and Taylor was up 21 percent. Swiftie made the list for the first time. Cat names Este and Karma, inspired by the artist’s songs, are also popular.

References to the "Barbie" movie that colored the world pink earlier this year spritzed this list, too. So did sports figures, comfort foods and alcohol. Still, longtime favorites dominated.

In Greater Boston, the top five dog names for 2023 are, respectively, Luna, Rosie, Coco, Lola and Millie for females and Charlie, Milo, Cooper, Teddy and Louie for males.

The top five cat names for 2023 are, respectively, Milo, Frankie, Mochi, Bean and Oscar for males and Luna, Nala, Remi, Rosie and Kitty for females.

Nationally, the top five dog names for 2023 are Charlie, Max, Cooper, Milo and Buddy for males, and Luna, Bella, Daisy, Lucy and Lily for females. The most popular cat names weren't broken down by gender nationally. The top 10 are, respectively, Luna, Milo, Oliver, Leo, Bella, Charlie, Lily, Kitty, Lucy and Loki.

The analysis offers an encyclopedia's worth of insight into the names people choose for their companion animals.

"The names we give to our pets reflect what's happening in the world around us — from trending TV shows, important public figures and even social media trends," Kate Jaffe, trend expert at Rover, said in a news release. "A lot happened in 2023 and the names we lovingly chose for our pets reflect the most memorable moments. From strong female leads to blockbuster hits, our favorite comfort foods and nostalgic pop culture icons, this year's list suggests we're all after a little extra comfort right now."

The number of cat owners naming their felines Barbie increased by 23 percent, Barb was up 93 percent, Allan was up 43 percent and Ken was up 1 percent. Greta was up 18 percent, a reference to "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig. Ken is trending up 79 percent for dogs and the dog name Mattel appeared on the list for the first time.

Other celebrity names trending in 2023 include Wednesday (Addams) and Rapinoe and Dunn, referencing members of the U.S. Women's World Cup Team. Rapinoe and her wife, WNBA icon Sue Bird, were new to the list.

Names many of us grew up with are still popular. Alanis (Morissette) is up 547 percent, Drew Barrymore is up 297 percent for dogs, and Ginger Spice is up 47 percent for dogs, along with Spice Girl, which is new to the list this year. Also new to the list are dogs named Leonardo Dogcaprio, Shania Twain, Richard Gere, Fergie, Shakira and Arvil.

Jewell is trending up 64 percent from last year for dogs, a nod to WNBA star Jewell Lloyd of the Seattle Storm. Others include Celtic for the Boston NBA team, Mariner for the Seattle MLB team and Eagle for the Philadelphia NFL team.

Trae — either MLB's Trae Turner or the NBA’s Young — is trending, along with Lamb, a namesake of the NFL's CeeDee Lamb, and Field, named after the NFL's Justin Fields.

Names like Twitter, Elon and Musk, all trending upward, reflect technology. Threads, Instagram's innovation, appeared on the list for the first time, along with AI, which was up 97 percent for dogs.

People also name their pets after alcohol The name Beer was up 330 percent for dogs last year. Among cats, Prosecco was up an intoxicating 793 percent.

Food-related dog names on the rise include Green Bean, Cheerios, S'More and Tiramisu, Some new ones for dogs are Gogurt, Pop-Tart, Cornichon, Pudding Pop, Pupsi, Sojuu, Bubble Gum, Breadcrumb, Chili Cheese, Chocoflan, Eggsy Benedict and Everything Bagel.

New cat names include Maple Syrup, Pastrami, Calzone, Burrata, Boursin and Provolone.