Are You a Dog Person or a Cat Person? A Comprehensive Guide

Choosing your boy dog’s name is important, as it’s a name you and your new puppy will be living with for a long time, so it deserves some thought. A good boy dog name can actually enhance your dog’s responsiveness and improve communication between you over a lifetime. We’ve compiled the top 100+ most popular boy dog names from American Kennel Club’s purebred registration and mixed-breed enrollment data for 2023 to help you get inspired.

Trending Male Dog Names
Just like baby boy names, boy dog names rise and fall in popularity. The number of dogs named after “Frozen” characters rose 900 percent the year after that movie came out, so it’s possible that for a while you probably met more than one “Olaf” at dog daycare.

Names from streaming series, TV, movies, and books are always popular, plus whatever (or whoever) is in the news. Top picks include:

Travis (of football and pop-superstar relationship fame)
Ken (of “Barbie” fame)
Allen (also of “Barbie” fame)
Loki (Disney universe of characters, and Norse mythology)
Thor (Marvel universe, and also Norse mythology)
Simba (Disney)
Bruno (of “Encanto” fame)
Rocket (of “Guardians of the Galaxy” fame)

Food and drink are always favorite themes, too. You might meet a “Whiskey,” “Mochi,” or “Oreo” on your daily walks. And at least 20 percent of dogs have traditionally human names like “Max,” “Cooper,” or “Charlie,” which figure high in our list. Music icons sometimes influence dog names, too, with “Bowie,” “Ziggy,” “Ozzy,” and “Prince” all making an appearance.

Sports figures are a perennial favorite (the year Derek Jeter retired from the New York Yankees, “Jeter” was in the top 10 male dog names), so it’s not surprising to see “Kobe” on the list. Outdoor activity-inspired names like “Moose” or “Harley” are another popular theme.

How to Choose the Right Male Dog Name
Dogs have an easier time hearing hard consonants and long vowels, so a name like “Lucky” or “Benny” will be easier for him to distinguish from other sounds. Most dog training experts recommend a one or two-syllable name that you can say quickly. It’s also commonly recommended that you avoid male dog names that sound like commands, for example, “Kit,” which sounds like “sit,” or “Bo,” which sounds like “no.”

Pick a name for your boy dog that you like to say (and that you won’t be embarrassed to yell across the park or put on a dog ID tag). You’ll be saying your boy puppy’s name a lot over time, as a quick attention grabber or just as part of their overall training and socialization.