Move over Bella and Fido — pet names trending in 2025 are straight out of Hollywood, your favorite childhood VHS tapes, and even the pantry.
According to a new report from Rover, pop culture and nostalgia are driving this year’s most creative pet-naming trends.
Rover’s annual report shows Tater is the fastest-growing male kitten name, jumping 92% in popularity while Priscilla takes the cake for the fastest-growing female kitten name — up 73%.
Nearly half of the 1,000 pet parents surveyed chose names based on their pet’s personality or appearance, while entertainment emerged as the single largest source of inspiration, according to the report.
“Pet parents said entertainment (33%), breed (20%), humor (17%), nature or space (16%), and food (12%) were sources of cat name inspiration,” Rover reported.
“The biggest thing in cat names is Y2K, influenced by the cyclical nature of fashion culture on the internet,” Rover wrote.
Cat names trending that are “much more chronically online,” include Amiga, Ozone, Jpeg, Bitcoin and Shego.
Pop culture-inspired cat names include Bill Murray, Mary Kate, Fat Louie, and Jack Sparrow.
“Grab your popcorn,” Rover notes. “Regina George, Mr. Bigs, Ramona Flowers, Catherine the Great, and Blair Witch are all new to the trending list in 2025.”
Rover said it expects to see many of 2025’s trending names back on the leaderboard in 2026, especially names inspired by “Wicked” and “K-Pop Demon Hunters.”
Food-inspired names continued trending in 2025, with distinct preferences emerging between species.
Dog owners favor savory options, with Hoji up 930%, followed by Asiago, Mr. Biscuit and Pancetta while cat owners lean toward sweet names like Adzuki, Nutter Butter and Macaron.
Generative AI was used to draft this story, based on information provided by Rover.com. It was reviewed and edited by MassLive staff.
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