Want to know the most popular pet names and breeds? We crunched the numbers from nearly 250,000 pet insurance quotes this year. The results may surprise you!
Naming your cat or dog is tricky. After all, you're going to have to call out to them in public. But perhaps you can take inspiration – or safety in numbers – from our list of the most popular pet names in America. Taking data from nearly 250,000 pet insurance quotes in 2022 through the Petted.com website (the biggest price comparison site for pet insurance in the US), we can reveal the most popular names, breeds and states for dogs and cats. Is yours on the list?
What's the most popular pet name?
It’s official: Bella is still the most popular name for dogs in the United States! Bella’s position at the top of the list of most popular dog names was never in doubt – it was way out in front of second-placed Luna. In fact, 1% of all dogs who have got a quote through Petted this year are called Bella. Max, Daisy and Charlie make up the rest of the top five dog names.
For cats though, the roles were reversed: Luna was the most popular cat name, way out in front of second-placed Bella, with little to separate Kitty, Milo and Leo in third, fourth and fifth-place respectively.
What are the most popular dog breeds?
What are the most popular dog breeds in the US? Well, it seems there’s no getting away from Chihuahuas and Labradors.
Chihuahuas have a lot going for them: as well as a life expectancy of 12 to 20 years, they’re loyal, smart, easy to groom, and great for town and city life. Labradors, with their affectionate nature and gentle temperaments, make great pets whatever your circumstances, especially if you have kids, and it’s hardly surprising that the similar Golden Retriever also proved popular, coming in fourth behind the ever-dependable German Shepherd.
Which states have the most pets?
When it comes to pet insurance, four States are clearly the most popular: California, Florida, New York and Texas. But of those, California is the winner: so far this year, 14% of all our pet insurance quotes have come from the Sunshine State – pretty much double the amount of New York and Texas put together.
In fact, Californian pet parents (who will do anything for their pets as this video shows) got more quotes in 2022 so far than those in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico combined.
So California is the most popular State for pet insurance. But what if we go more local? Our data shows that the zip code with the most pet insurance quotes in the state is 94102 in central San Francisco, taking in the Hayes Valley and Tenderloin districts. This area – with a population of 31,176 – searched over three times more pet insurance quotes than the whole of Wyoming's population of 582,233.
San Francisco alone accounts for 2.4% of all pet insurance quotes through Petted so far in 2022. And 94102 was not only the most popular zip code for pet insurance generally, but also for male dog insurance. The most popular zip code for female dog insurance, however, wasn't in San Francisco. That was 99208, the northern part of Spokane, Washington, about 200 miles east of Seattle.
It was a completely different geographical story for cat insurance. The most popular part of America for feline quotes was 60657, the Lake View area of central Chicago. The East Coast just loves cats, it seems. Long Island, New York (11101) was the most popular zip for male cat insurance, while 34668, Port Richie near Tampa, Florida, led the way for female cat insurance.
Coming back to Wyoming, it led the list of the least popular states for pet insurance, with South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Alaska and Nebraska joining it. But it wasn’t just expansive states that had a lower take-up of pet plans: Vermont and Rhode Island also made the list.
What's the most popular age to get pet insurance?
It’s a great idea to get puppies and kittens insured as soon as possible, and luckily a lot of pet parents out there agree: 34% of all quotes this year have been for dogs and cats under a year old. But it’s never too late to get pet insurance, with some great plans out there for senior pets. Some people clearly know that: 11 people got quotes for dogs and cats that were 21 years old!