If you named your pooch Bella after the heroine of the popular “Twilight” series, you should know that you are not as original as you might think.
New York City’s Health Department just released the list of the most popular dog names of 2015 and it turns out that at least 1,127 Bellas are happily wagging their tails and marking their favorite corners in New York City. Max was the name of choice for male dogs, and their owners registered 1,073 of them.
Bella has been the number one name for the last seven years, bumping Max from its prime spot in 2008 (yes, 2008 was the year the “Twilight” movies debuted). We have to wonder: is it too hard to yell Katniss at a dog run?
Out of 84,054 dogs currently licensed in New York City, 21 percent live in Queens, which makes it the borough with the third most dogs after Manhattan (35 percent) and Brooklyn (25 percent).
Other popular names for female dogs were Lola, Lucy, Daisy, Coco, Princess, Chloe, Molly, Luna and Sophie. Boy dogs were named Rocky, Buddy, Charlie, Lucky, Teddy, Toby, Jack, Oliver and Milo.
The Health Department also released an interactive map, which allows you to explore most unique dog names per neighborhood. According to the map, most unique dog name in Whitestone is Chip; Zeus in Jamaica; Cinnamon in Woodhaven; and Junior in Ridgewood.
The department reminds dog owners that according to NY State law all dogs should be licensed, even though currently only about 20 percent of the dogs in NYC have been registered.
The benefits of the dog license include an easier reunion in case your dog gets lost via the dog eLocator system, as well as happy off-leash running in NYC Park dog runs with a proof of current dog license and rabies vaccination.
Dogs can be licensed easily online. The dog license costs $8.50 per year for spayed or neutered dogs or $34 per year for non-spayed or neutered dogs.
