‘Marvel’ movies resulted in 37% more dogs being named Iron Man last year and a 30% increase in dogs named Star Lord.
In fact, data from dog chew brand Tasty Bone has revealed that nearly one in five (19%) dogs has been named after a film character in the last year. Marvel and DC characters are particularly favoured, with names such as Jarvis and Loki popular, as well as Harley, which could further surge in popularity next year after the release of ‘Birds of Prey’ featuring arch villain Harley Quinn.
The final instalment of the Avengers franchise smashed box office records in April and a new TV show about the villain Loki has just been announced by Marvel, which could mean a further increase in popularity for this name next year.
Luke also featured in the Tasty Bone database after another ‘Star Wars’ film came out last year and, with ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ scheduled to be released in December, the name is also likely to increase in popularity next year.
DISNEY
Disney-inspired names are also common, with Coco becoming the second most popular dog name in 2018, shortly after the film of the same name was released. ‘Frozen 2’ is set to hit screens next month (November) and, while Elsa charted at number 85 last year with 2% of dogs having the name, this is likely to increase next year.
Two per-cent of Tasty Bone customers have also named their dogs Simba and the name Lady placed 47 in a popular dog name list last year. With the release of live action remakes of ‘Lion King’ and ‘Lady and the Tramp’ this year, it’s expected that even more owners will favour these names for their new pooch.
The ‘Twilight’ craze led to Bella topping the pet name charts for both dogs and cats the year the final instalment was released – and this is still the second most popular puppy name seven years later and owners have picked other names from the saga such as Jake and Jasper.
Charlie was in the top 10 for the previous two years and, with the long-awaited release of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ later this year, this name is expected to top the charts once again.
CELEBRITIES
Celebrities have also had a major influence on our dog names. The rise of Cardi B in 2018 led to three times more dogs being given the name and a total of one in seven dogs share their names with a celebrity. Millie Bobby Brown’s award-winning performance this year in ‘Stranger Things’ is expected to bring pup name Millie back into the limelight – it was the 10th most popular dog name two years ago.
Maggie Smith’s return to the big screen as Lady Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey is sure to put this pet name back in the limelight, and help it make a comeback from the top five in 2015.
The predicted name trends for 2020 are:
1. Charlie
2. Loki
3. Harley
4. Elsa
5. Bella
6. Luke
7. Simba
8. Lady
9. Millie
10. Maggie
Camille Ashforth, senior brand manager at Tasty Bone, said: “We collate lots of dogs names at Tasty Bone and it’s so interesting to look at the trends in names and the meanings behind them. Celebrities, film characters and cartoons are all very popular. We looked at the most exciting film releases over the next few months and early 2020 to predict what we think will be very popular names among potential dog owners – we hope our list also gives new dog owners some inspiration for their four-legged friend.”
