There are many contradictions in this city. Some New Yorkers will douse themselves in hand sanitizer after shaking hands with a stranger but pick up their dog’s fecal matter as if the turds are fallen fruits. Such a New Yorker might respond to a cashier’s greeting in silence, moments before turning to their dog who won’t sit and saying: “We’ve discussed this, haven’t we?”
But these aren’t contradictions if you consider your canine to be a true member of your family. No wonder, then, that human names are so common among New York City’s 81,542 registered dogs (of a total pooch population that’s closer to 600,000 – so lots of owners are willing to risk a fine and not get a license).
The most common name in the database is Bella (1,195 dogs). Interestingly, the name Isabella also appears high on the list of New York human baby names – 1,015 girls were given the name last year, according to the Social Security Administration.
Max is the second most common dog name (1,153 dogs) and is also a popular name for baby boys (258 boys born in New York last year were given the name “Max” and another 228 were given the name “Maxwell”).
You can search the database for yourself here, including which names are popular in which neighborhoods (“Theodore” in the Upper West Side and “Spanky” in Queens) and which breeds are most popular (this city sure loves a Yorkie).
