Yahoo News It's official: Brits are calling their dogs the same names as their babies
It has emerged that traditional dog names are taking a backseat to make way for human monikers for our pets, as nine out of the top 10 names given to the nation’s kittens and puppies are shared by Britain’s newborn babies.
Data on the names of more than 100,000 UK cats and dogs, analysed by pet wellbeing specialist ITCHpet.com, has revealed that we’re drawing our pets ever closer into the family environment and treating them just like our children by giving them the same names. The database uncovered which names are leading the pack, revealing a ‘baby boom’ in human newborn names for our pets.
That means the days of hearing a dog owner yelling “Rover!!” at the local park might be far behind us. Serene Sunday mornings are now far more likely to be interrupted by someone calling for Poppy, Max, Teddy, Lola or Alfie.
According to the data, Bella is the most popular dog’s name in Britain today, and the second most common cats’ moniker. The same name appears in the top 100 newborn baby names list. Second for dogs is Poppy and third was Lola.
Buddy was the only name out of the dog’s top 10 not to feature among common human names.
When it comes to cats, Luna was top with Bella second and Lola third. Poppy and Charlie came fourth and fifth respectively, despite the fact they rank 21st and 5th on names parents are choosing for their newborns.
The results emerge at a time when the human birth-rate has hit an all-time low in the UK – and as an increasing number of Brits are counting their pets as "one of the family".
Charlotte Harper, co-founder of ITCHpet.com, said: “Pet humanisation – or anthropomorphism as it’s scientifically known – is becoming common because owners are increasingly wanting to provide their pets with human-like products or experiences.
"Giving them human names is us subconsciously drawing them ever closer into the family environment and treating them as children, which is obviously of great benefit to the pet, and for the family’s general wellbeing.
"But above all it is really important to remember a dog or a cat is not as self-sufficient as a 12-year-old child.
"They have entirely different needs and require a high level of care to protect them from developing health issues, such as those caused by fleas and worms."
The data is based on customer information gleaned between July 2019 and 25th January this year.
See the top 20 dog names and correlating top 100 baby names 2019 below:
1. Bella (No.50 - Girl)
2. Poppy (No21 - Girl)
3. Lola (No72 - Girl)
4. Max (No22 - Boy)
5. Buddy
6. Teddy (No28 - Boy)
7. Daisy (No38 - Girl)
8. Ruby (No26 - Girl)
9. Alfie (No15 - Boy)
10. Charlie (No5 - Boy)
11. Coco
12. Luna (No32 - Girl)
13. Milo (No80 - Boy)
14. Molly (No43 - Girl)
15. Marley
16. Roxy
17. Rosie (No17 - Girl)
18. Bailey
19. Tilly (No41 - Girl)
20. Buster
See the top 20 cat names and correlating top 100 baby names 2019 below:
1. Luna (No32 - Girl)
2. Bella (No50 - Girl)
3. Lola (No72 - Girl)
4. Poppy (No21 - Girl)
5. Charlie (No5 - Boy)
6. Milo (No80 - Boy)
7. Simba
8. Daisy (No38 - Girl)
9. Molly (No43 - Girl)
10. Tilly (No41 - Girl)
11. Gizmo
12. Coco
13. Smudge
14. Tigger
15. Shadow
16. Kitty
17. Willow (No19 - Girl)
18. Nala
19. Oscar (No12 - Boy)
20. Oreo
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