Here Are The Top 3 Names For MD Dogs, U.S. News Says

MARYLAND — Call “Bella” in Maryland, and who knows might come running — a French bulldog, a labrador or golden retriever, or a corgi or poodle.

Bella is the most popular dog name in Maryland, according to an analysis by U.S. News & World Repot of the 2205 American Pet Products Association’s National Pet Owners Survey. Luna and Milo were the first- and second-most popular names in the Free State.

About 68 million U.S. households have a dog, according to the survey. Nationally, the most popular names are:

1. Luna
2. Bella
3. Charlie
4. Max
5. Daisy
6. Lucy
7. Coco
8. Milo
9. Cooper
10. Teddy

Luna and Bella switched places from the 2023 data, and Charlie moved up two places from fifth. Max and Daisy dropped in popularity, but still made it into the top five.

Also, according to U.S. News:

• Lucy moved up from eighth to sixth, while Coco dropped from sixth to seventh.
• Milo moved up a spot to come in at eighth place, and two newcomers in the top 10, Cooper and Teddy, came in at ninth and 10th, respectively.
• Buddy and Bailey fell out of the top 10 entirely, going from seventh and 10th to 11th and 12th in turn.

The top two dog names reflect the popularity of the “Harry Potter” franchise. Luna Lovegood is a Ravenclaw student and close friend of Harry Potter known for her eccentric personality, while the antagonist Bellatrix Lestrange is a Death Eater and fanatical follower of Lord Voldemort.

Charlie, Max, and Daisy are straight out of the classics:

The main character in 1989’s “All Dogs Go to Heaven.” Before that, Charlie Dog was a recurring wise-guy type of character in the “Looney Tunes” between 1941 and 1958.

Disney may be responsible for the surge in popularity of the name Max, Prince Eric’s pup in 1989’s “The Little Mermaid,” but also as the son of Disney cartoon character “Goofy” in the 1990s TV show “The Goof Troop.” More recently, the protagonist of “The Secret Life of Pets” and its sequel is a pup named Max.

Daisy’s long-term popularity can be traced back to the pup in the “Blondie” film series spanning the late 1930s to early 1940s. More recently, the puppy Daisy had a lasting impact as the catalyst to the plot for the first “John Wick” film in 2014.