Unpopular Dog Names And Cat Names

From Vetstreet's Kristen Seymour:

Miss Kitty, Whiskers, Lucky and Scooby may seem like adorable — not to mention popular — names for a feline or canine. But just like baby names, the kind of monikers we pick for our pets ebb and flow with the times.

After mining Vetstreet's records to determine the top cat and dog names that have been trending up over the past 12 years, we decided to also take a look at pet names that have drastically dropped off the popularity list.

For some added insight about these down-trenders, we turned to Laura Wattenberg, author of The Baby Name Wizard and creator of babynamewizard.com, to help us divine why Brandy and Snowball have fallen off the favorability track to make room for all the Lolas and Coopers now in the pet world.

Pets Are People Too
While analyzing the trendiest pet names, we discovered that owners often find inspiration in human baby name books when selecting a name for their pet. According to Wattenberg, this explains why description-centric picks — Snowball, Pepper, Shadow — are on the decline. "Some of these falling names were once in the hall of fame of popular names," says Wattenberg, citing examples like Tabitha, Tigger, Sheba and Miss Kitty. "For cats, in particular, the trend toward more humanlike naming shows that cats are really becoming a major part of the family."

News Flash: The Eighties Are So Over
Another significant connection between many of the names on the downward-trending list: A lot of them were tremendously popular in the 1980s. Monikers like Misty, Samantha, Katie and even — ruh-roh! — Scooby. The folks at VH1 may love waxing nostalgic about the era of acid-washed jeans and metal bands, but when it comes to pet names, America has clearly moved on. Sorry, Spike.

Sounds Like . . .
In addition to the meaning behind a name and the connotations it may hold, we also have to take into account the actual sound. Wattenberg points out that many of the cat picks in decline have light, crunchy sounds, such as Whiskers and Alex. Names rising in popularity are warmer and softer, including Lola and Cooper. Another theory to ponder: Owners are opting for cuddlier names because they're more attached than ever to their pets.

(Names presented as male/female. Make sure to scroll down to see the top cat picks!)

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More from Vetstreet.com:
Top Ten Most Popular Puppy And Kitten Names
Most Obnoxious Pet Names
7 New Wacky Pet Products We Love
Pet Owner Confessions About Letting Pets Take Over Their Beds

Comments

[Spiral Architect]

06:31 PM on 03/21/2012

These are all popular names..not "unpopular"

[apennylane2007]

07:58 PM on 03/07/2012

I would rather hear those unpopular names than the over used Bella. It seems everyone is naming their pet Bella. Every single time it seems. All you hear is one name Bella. Enough already. I rather hear Bubba the cat or Samantha the dog, all but not another Bella.

[alguien]

10:33 PM on 03/05/2012

there are 2 dogs on my street named lucky and one of the luckys lives with another dog named scooby.

[KateInMT]

02:27 AM on 03/05/2012

My sister had a boxer she named Shorts.

[Kalikat]

02:17 AM on 03/05/2012

I don't care if my cats name is trendy or untrendy I called him what I wanted and I love it..."HuckeyBuckey"

[Tulka2]

12:08 AM on 03/05/2012

If i had a cat, i would name him Mr. Pamuk, but his friends would call him Kitty.

[Freevo]

12:04 AM on 03/05/2012

We had a tough little cat that my son named Arnold, after Arnold Schwarzenegger, we called him Arnie, He was the weakest of the litter but very tough and bold. When we took him to be neutered we learned he was a she. So Arnie became Sweetie Pie.

[mlaiuppa]

11:57 PM on 03/04/2012

All of the dogs around my parents' neighborhood seemed to be called Duke, Hunter or Tucker.

Used to be Max was the most popular boy dog name.

[jozey57]

11:09 PM on 03/04/2012

Kitty Kitty Walter Mitty is a female black cat. Loves her name. Doesn't care about trends so why should I. When I say "Walter", she's right there. Occasionally does a tightrope act on the curtain rods. Very entertaining.

[Jessica Ann Stallings]

09:18 PM on 03/04/2012

My cat's name is Shadow because he almost literally IS my second shadow--he follows me everywhere in the house, and doesn't like closed doors between us. He especially hates it when I leave the house. Oh, man, the fit he threw when my husband and I got back from Burning Man a couple of years ago...

I really don't care what's popular or not. I name my pets names that fit their personality, or because I like the name. I've named two cats after Jhonen Vasquez characters.

[apennylane2007]

08:01 PM on 03/07/2012

Had a rabbit by the name Shadow. He was my favorite. We also had two other bunnies. One was Ted Bunny who turned out to be a female, she became Teddina. Then there was Daisy who turned out to be Dayso. LOL Ted and Dayso had bunnies too, after we gave them away.

[theone26]

08:03 PM on 03/04/2012

I kept a classic dog name for my first dog: Butch, then I had Deborah, Bleu and Boe. Cats were Shiba, Mini(was the tiniest thing i ever saw), and Jazz. I think the name is the owners preference but sometimes your pet can have a reaction to the name just like kids to show if they like it or not. Bleu and Boe were originally Thunder and Lightening...I noticed they barely responded to those names which I thought were "cool". After about 2 months they settled with those names compared to 5 months of the others.

[pamihami]

07:14 PM on 03/04/2012

2 mutts...Willie Frank and Polly, 2 cats....Chuck and Jeff. :)

[dalfrey]

06:43 PM on 03/04/2012

While Fido may seem like an arcane name for a dog ,try out the name Phydeaux !!!
I used to have a Labrador named Bo, but when he misbehaved once, one of my friends called him Bozilla ,so he was Bo , Bosey when he was affectionate , and Bozilla when he was errant

[keeniisite]

06:13 PM on 03/04/2012

Booker the dog, Cookie the cat, and 3 goldfish, Peace Love and Happiness.

[felide]

05:40 PM on 03/04/2012

who' s to decide what i name my pet exept for me.! ? most ' trendy '' my rear end .!! and naming a pet is fun !! it's not like naming your child because a human baby has to live with a responsible name. but with a pet you can have fun .! i once had a painted turtle named DARIUS what a beautiful name.. everyone i knew always named a turtle tom, shelly , myrtle, ect. a black cat doesn't have to be a midnight or smokey, '' nightshade '' is origanal... and stormy is great for a gray cat or dog . let your kid name a pet too. and most of all remember this,.. if the animal shelter ALREADY named your pet, don't be afraid to change it's name. i'm going to give '' zangetsu '' a good cuddle.