The Most Popular Pet Names of the Last Century

Dog and cat owners treat their pets like family, so picking out the right name for an animal companion is a big decision. If you're looking for some pet name inspiration, check out naming trends from history. These are the most popular pet names by decade from the past century.

The video consultation platform FirstVet analyzed pet names from Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York to put together these lists of America's favorite cat and dog names. For the last 115 years, Princess has reigned as the top title for pets overall. Other royal names in the round-up include Duke, King, Lady, and Queenie.

FirstVet attributes the popularity of several names to pop culture trends over the years. Max became America's favorite dog name following the release of Mad Max in 1979, and the name Smokey began climbing the ranks with cats around the same time Smokey Robinson was climbing the charts in the 1980s.

To see the breakdown of popular dog and cat names by decade, check out the lists below. For a more recent snapshot of pet naming trends, here are the most popular dog names of 2019.