Luna, Milo, and more: These popular baby names are also making big tracks in the dog world

What’s in a name? Ask any expecting parent, and they’ll surely answer, “A lot.” Choosing what to name a child is no small matter. In fact, recent data collected by BabyCenter found that half of new parents disagreed about what to name their babies, and nearly 1 in 10 new moms felt regret over the name they settled on. There are simply so many factors to consider when it comes to choosing the perfect moniker—from familial and cultural traditions to potential nicknames, originality, meaning, and gender neutrality—that it’s a wonder new parents are ever able to settle on one.

In addition to those common considerations, parents today have yet another thing to consider: whether or not a pet parent would swoop in and call dibs on their selected name. With birth rates reaching a historic low and pet ownership rates on the rise, there’s now a huge amount of crossover between those categories. Millennials and Gen Zers, who are less interested in having babies but together make up nearly half of pet owners, are now giving the names they may have once intended for their human children to their fur babies.

To find out just how closely the lists of top baby names and top pet names align, Spokeo analyzed data from the Social Security Administration and the American Kennel Club. The overlap might surprise you.

Dog owners take a page from baby name books

Of the top 100 names for girl dogs, 98 appeared on the Social Security Administration’s list of popular baby girl names. (The only exceptions were Mocha and Cookie). Among the most popular crossover names were Luna, Lucy, Willow, Stella, and Sadie.

Luna, holding the #1 spot for girl dogs and the #10 spot for babies, saw a big jump in popularity since 2003, cracking the top 50 for girls in 2017. This resurgence (the name was also popular in the early 1900s) can likely be attributed to the release of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” in 2003, which introduced readers to a character named Luna Lovegood. Another popular baby and pet name with possible character ties is Willow. The name first entered the top 1,000 list in 1998, a year after Willow Rosenberg was introduced on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” In 2022, the name peaked, reaching #37 on the SSA rankings.

On the other hand, Lucy, Sadie, and Stella are classic, popular names often chosen for their meanings. In use since the Middle Ages, Lucy derives from the Latin word “lux,” meaning “light.” Stella, also used continuously since the Middle Ages, means “star” and has been the pick of celebrities like Matt Damon and Ellen Pompeo. And finally, Sadie is a diminutive of Sarah, a name with Hebrew origins that means “princess” or “noblewoman.”

Owners of male dogs are slightly more creative

Of the top 100 names for boy dogs, 92 appeared on the SSA’s list of popular boy names. (Exceptions include Moose, Smokey, Tank, Whiskey, Oreo, Bandit, Goose, and Coco).

Milo has seen ups and downs in popularity. It has been in the top 1,000 list since the 1900s. The name saw a huge jump in 2001 and the following years as actor Milo Ventimiglia landed his breakthrough role on “Gilmore Girls” (which he followed up with equally popular runs on “Heroes” and “This Is Us”). The name, which has been chosen by parents since ancient Greek times, has several meanings, from “beloved” to “merciful.” Another name with ancient origins (this time, in Rome), Max is short for “maximus.” Meaning “greatest,” the name has been chosen by celebrities like Jennifer Lopez (whose child is named Maximilian but is often called Max) and Christina Aguilera.

Rounding out the top five, Charlie, Cooper, and Finn all have European origins. A Germanic name, Charlie means “free man” and is often selected by parents hoping to bestow their children with a free, wild spirit. Finn is Irish and means “fair.” The name belongs to one of Ireland’s beloved mythological figures, Fionn Mac Cumhail, also known as Finn MacCool. And finally, Cooper is an English name that means “barrel maker” and is beloved by pet and human parents for its sharp nickname, Coop.

Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Paris Close.

This story was produced by
Spokeo and was produced and
distributed in partnership with
Stacker.