Female Dog Names

The 10 most popular female dog names

The American Kennel Club builds its yearly ranking from its purebred registrations and its Canine Partners mixed breed enrollments. The 2025 list, published in November 2025, is the most recent one, and the top four girls' names are unchanged from the year before. Rover's 2026 report, based on millions of names submitted by pet owners, tells the same story: Luna first, Bella second, and the same set of names filling the top of the list.

1. Luna: Latin for moon. The number one girl dog name in the AKC 2025 list and in Rover's 2026 report, in the US and in most of the countries Rover tracks.
2. Bella: Italian for beautiful. The long time number one before Luna overtook her, and still second in the AKC 2025 list.
3. Daisy: From the Old English word for day's eye. A flower name that has stayed near the top for years.
4. Lucy: From the Latin word for light. A warm human name that works just as well called across a dog park.
5. Ruby: The red gemstone. Ruby jumped from 16th in 2024 to 5th in the AKC 2025 list, the biggest climb in the girls' top 10.
6. Willow: The tree with the long drooping branches. Soft sounding, nature rooted, and rising fast.
7. Maggie: Short for Margaret, meaning pearl. Friendly and unfussy, and easy to call out.
8. Penny: Short for Penelope, and also a small copper coin. Bright, short, and hard to mishear.
9. Nova: Latin for new star. A modern sounding name that has climbed into the top 10 on both the AKC and Rover lists.
10. Sadie: From the Hebrew name Sarah, meaning princess. Sweet but sturdy, and a regular in the top 10.

Trending upward, and worth watching if you want a name that feels current: Rumi, up 71 percent in Rover's 2026 report, the fastest rising dog name in the US this year. It sits outside the AKC top 10 for now, but it is the name most likely to climb next.

How to pick the right name for your girl dog

A name is the word you will say more than any other for the next decade or more, so it is worth a little care. Five checks cover most of it:

• Keep it to one or two syllables if you can. Dogs pick out short, clear sounds fastest. Luna, Bella, Ruby and Sadie all land in two beats. Longer names are fine if you keep a short version for everyday use.
• Say it out loud, several times, at park volume. A name that looks lovely on paper can be awkward to shout. If you feel silly calling it across a field, your dog will hear that hesitation every day.
• Keep it clear of commands. A name that sounds like sit, stay, no or come will confuse training. Kit, Beau and Ray are the classic traps; check your shortlist against the words you actually use.
• Test it for a day before you commit. Live with your top two or three names for a day each. The right one usually starts to feel like it was always hers.
• Let the whole household agree. Everyone who calls the dog should use the same name and the same pronunciation. Nicknames are fine, but one main name keeps things simple for the dog.

And if you are still torn, try our name my dog tool, or browse the classic names, cute names, tough names and funny names lists for more ideas.