Foodie pet names are on the rise, with unusual options including Baguette, French Fry, and Cream Cheese
Have you ever looked at a pet and thought, “What an adorable little baguette!” Well, it turns out, you’re not alone, as a new study has revealed that food plays a big role when naming pets, with over 1 in 10 (12%) of our furry friends are named after food or drink.
TrustedHousesitters has released its 2023 Pet Names Study, which analysed over 50,000 pet names registered on its platform and found that food-inspired names are surprisingly popular for both cats and dogs.
The 2023 top food-related names for cats:
- Pepper
- Coco
- Olive
- Ginger
- Pumpkin
- Oreo
- Peanut
- Cookie
- Mochi
- Pickles
The 2023 top food-related names for dogs:
- Pepper
- Ginger
- Olive
- Honey
- Cookie
- Peanut
- Mochi
- Maple
- Oreo
- Biscuit
13% of cats were named after a food or drink, with cat owners more likely to pick foodie names than dog owners. While popular names, including Pepper and Coco, take the top spot for cats, many owners opt for more unusual options; Miso, Bean(s), Sushi, Kiwi, Mango, Taco, Cheeto, Cheddar, Basil, and Chilli feature in the top 50 food-related pet names for cats, with one owner even naming their cat French Fry.
11% of dog names are food or drink inspired. Popular foodie names for dogs include classics such as Pepper, Ginger, and Olive. However, many dog owners also get creative when picking a name for their furry friend. Some of the more unusual food-inspired names found for pooches include Dulce de Leche, Cream Cheese, Snickers and Baguette.
The five most popular drink-related names for pets all relate to alcohol, with Cosmo, Whiskey, Brandy, Guinness, and Julip coming out on top. Unique drink-inspired options, including Shiraz, Tequila and Boba also made the list.
TrustedHousesitters Head of Community, Angela Laws, commented:
“While working with pets and pet owners worldwide for over 14 years, I’ve always been exposed to the up-and-coming popular names. But it’s been even more exciting to see what our data has to say about 2023 pet names in this study. One of the most interesting finds is how food has influenced pet name trends this year, with some wonderfully unique options making the list!”.
To explore the full 2023 Pet Names Study findings, please visit TrustedHousesitters here, or learn more about food names for dogs and food names for cats on the blog.
About TrustedHousesitters
TrustedHousesitters is a global petcare travel exchange with a unique, pet-loving community of 165,000 members. Pet sitters stay in owner’s homes in exchange for looking after pets. Founded in Brighton in the UK in 2010, the exchange operates in more than 140 countries and has organised nearly 10 million nights of pet sitting. TrustedHousesitters offers pet sitters exploration, experiences and real homes; it offers pet owners freedom and peace of mind. The company exists to inspire, champion and empower people to experience the world differently – all made possible by the love of pets.
A good third of these names could relate to colour rather than food. That’s obvious with a cat named Ginger, but applies too, for example, to a dog called Honey.
One of my students has a cat called Falafel. And I saw one on an adoption page who was called, erm, Lumpy Custard.