Sporting legends and music icons have inspired the greatest number of Australian dog names in 2020 so far, new research reveals.
A study conducted by pet food company Hill’s Nutrition found the nation’s most popular moniker for pups is now Kobe, the first name of late basketball star Kobe Bryant who died tragically in a plane crash on January 26.
Close behind were Walter and Dixie, an ode to the American country group now known as the Chicks.
And perhaps it’s no surprise that in a year characterised by isolation, TV also heavily influenced naming trends, with Elsa – the protagonist princess in Disney’s Frozen – and Shelby, the surname of the notorious gangster family in Netflix‘s Peaky Blinders, both featuring inside the top 10.
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Sporting legends and music icons influenced dog naming in Australia in 2020 (stock image)
Also on the list were more traditional dog names like Bear and Boomer.
Touchingly, Gigi – the nickname of Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna who died with him – also scraped inside the top 10 in ninth.
Demand for ‘fur babies’ has surged since the start of the COVID pandemic in March, with a staggering 6.2million Google searches related to ‘dog adoption’ and ‘getting a new dog’ in the first half of 2020 alone.
That’s a 111 percent rise in interest compared to the same period in 2019, data shows.
And as pets continue to play an increasingly important role in the lives of many Australians, it’s interesting to note the crossover between top-trending dog and human names.
In an ode to late basketball legend Kobe Bryant (pictured left on the court in 2012), Kobe was the most popular dog name closely followed by Dixie, the former name of the iconic country band now known as the Chicks (right, in 2014)
The cavoodle – a hybrid of a cavalier King Charles spaniel and a toy poodle (pictured in Sydney on April 8, 2020) – was Australia’s favourite breed
Roughly 30 percent of the top 25 dog names are also popular for babies, with Hunter and Daisy a favourite choice for both.
In terms of breed, the cavoodle – a hybrid of a cavalier King Charles spaniel and a toy poodle – took pole position as the country’s top pick.
Animal lovers in New South Wales favoured bulldogs over other pedigrees, while Tasmanians as well as South and West Australians preferred herding dogs and residents of the Northern Territory plumped for greyhounds.
Meanwhile Golden Retrievers, pugs and Pomeranians remained popular Australia-wide.
Source: Daily Mail AU
