The folks at Rover, the pet-sitting app, have scoured its database of customers and delivered 2023’s most popular pet names in DC.
The names occupying the top five spots for cats and dogs are pretty tame, sharing a lot of similarity with the most popular baby names in the US (Hello, Luna).
Top names for DC’s good boys were:
- Charlie (#1 nationwide)
- Milo
- Teddy
- Max (which, after 10 years at the top of the national list, was dethroned by Charlie)
- Ollie
While the lady pooches were called:
- Bella
- Lucy
- Luna (#1 nationwide)
- Lola
- Rosie
Female cats (called “queens,” by the way) were dubbed:
- Luna (#1 nationwide)
- Pepper
- Lily
- Coco
- Bella
And tomcats were named:
- Leo
- Oliver
- Milo
- Jack
- Henry
However, the app also noted some trending names, which show what new DC pet parents are naming their fur babies.
Data was collected between September and October 2023, which was a time of considerable excitement about the Washington Commanders, and it seems that is reflected in the data. “Terry,” as in wide receiver Terry McLaurin, made the list of trending names for the first time. Off the field and on the ice, the Capitals’ T. J. Oshie seemed to inspire this season, as “Oshie” rose 60 percent.
When Jill Biden welcomed a grey tabby into the first family, she named the presidential pet “Willow,” after the first lady’s hometown of Willow Grove, PA. DC cat owners seemed to have followed this trend of tree names, as “Maple” was the #1 highest trending cat name, up 621 percent from last year. The more obscure “Bonsai” rose 9 percent.
“George” is up 8 percent, but that might have less to do with the founding father and more to due with the recently expelled congressman-turned-Cameo star, since “Santos” is also up 5 percent.
Some Washingtonians are going for daily walks with the president, but it’s not Joe Biden. 48 percent more people simply named their dogs “President.”
Not all names are so easy to explain, however. The highest trending dog name in DC was “Astro” which rose an astro-nomical 1,215 percent from last year. The Houston Astros did win the World Series in 2022, but that was last year… and in Houston. It’s also been a banner year for “Juan,” which is up 103 percent.
Local names weren’t as unhinged as some of the nationally trending monikers. Don’t think COVID-19 is over just because Americans are naming their dogs “Fauci” 54 percent less, because the terribly unfortunate names “Virus” and “Covid” are up 197 percent and 42 percent, respectively. No one’s going to want to play catch with Virus!
For pollsters who want to read the cat-name tea leaves, “Joe” is nationally up 21 percent, “Kamala” is up 126 percent, “Donald” is down 3 percent, and “Mitch” is down 18 percent.
Also in the mix: shout-outs to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. There are cats out there called “Ruth Bader Ginspurrg” and “Baby Ruth Bader Kitsberg,” and a dog named “Ruth Bader Ginsbark.”
Hunter is a cat-loving Coloradoan who enjoys history, Halloween and board games. He studied audio production and radio storytelling at Hofstra University before moving to DC in 2022. During his editorial fellowship with Washingtonian in the fall of 2023, he ran Halloween Hunter, a section featuring local stories for the spooky season.
