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animals

Own a Charlie or Luna? Top pet names of 2021 in Austin released

Own a Charlie or Luna? Top pet names of 2021 in Austin released

Milo, which is the third most used dog name in Austin, walks along the I-35 pedestrian bridge. (Aimée Knight/Austonia)

Austinites love their pets and even more so, they love to name them Charlie and Luna, according to the latest report.

The two names topped both top male and female categories for dogs and cats in the annual end-of-year report from Rover, a site for dog care. While the names Charlie and Luna topped the Austin lists, they came in second nationally. Luna goes on another year of reigning, while Charlie climbed up to the top spot this year.

Top dog names of 2021 in Austin

Male:

  • Charlie
  • Max
  • Milo
  • Teddy
  • Rocky

Female:

  • Luna
  • Bella
  • Lucy
  • Lola
  • Daisy

Top cat names of 2021 in Austin

Male:

  • Charlie
  • Loki
  • Leo
  • Max
  • Sammy

Female:

  • Luna
  • Lucy
  • Ginger
  • Bella
  • Zoe

But that's not to say the year's events and other factors didn't have an impact on how people named their furry friends. Here are some notable trends seen this year in Austin pet names.

  • Food-inspired names: Hershey is up 1,030% for dogs, while Sushi is up 944% and Bean is up 544% for cats.
  • Alcohol-inspired names: Tequila is up 630% and Merlot is up 330% for dogs.
  • Olympics: Manny, after Puerto Rican skateboarder Manny Santiago, is up 730% for dogs. Amber, inspired by U.S. Women’s Skeet Shooting Gold Medalist Amber English, is up 730%.
  • Pop-culture: Dogs named Greta are trending up 930%, which could be inspired by rock band Greta Van Fleet.
  • COVID: For the first time in Austin, the dog names Rona and Zoom made the list.
  • Austin weather: Storm is the most popular new-to-the-list name for cats. Snow was also new to the list.
Nationally, even more creative names were seen for the first time, including Britney Spears, Dua Lipa, Bitcoin, Elon Musk and Bezos.
“Each year our annual top pet names report showcases what cultural moments made an impact and clearly, the pandemic was a big factor. From sports to the TV shows we binge-watched, our pets' names were shaped by a truly unique year,” said Kate Jaffe, trend expert for Rover. “With the continuation of work from home, our bonds with our pets have grown even deeper.”
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