Ireland’s Top 10 Puppy Names

And for the second year running, the most popular puppy name is…

Luna!

Top 10 Puppy Names

The Irish owned pet-retailer has surveyed over 1,600 pet-parents in Ireland as part of its annual Puppy of the Year competition. The survey has unveiled that across the nation, the top-ten most popular names for man’s best friend are:

1. Luna
2. Bailey
3. Teddy
4. Bella
5. Millie
6. Toby
7. Coco
8. Cooper
9. Bonnie
10. Buddy

Luna keeps the crown as Ireland’s most popular dog name; Bailey remains in second place, with Teddy moving up two spots. Bella dropped from third last year to fourth, and Cooper fell 4 places-from 4th last year to 8th this year!

New puppy names making an appearance on the Top Ten list this year are Buddy, Lola, and Coco.

What Were the Less Common Puppy Names?

Whilst the list of entrants included the popular Nalas, Milos and Daisys, the poll showed a rising trend for names as Gaeilge with interesting Irish names like Púca, Síog, Céilí, Nollaig, Misneach and Bán.

Many of the county’s new four-legged friends are named after gods and mythical characters, for example, Xena, Ares, Lucifer, Zeus, Loki, Pluto and Apollo.

Pet parents also gave a nod to designer brands, Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, plus some well known celebrity names like Lady Diana, Bowie, Stevie Nicks, Gerry Springer and, er…Pablo Escobar.

Puppy names inspired by fantasy TV shows are on the rise, such as Arya (Game of Thrones), Padmé & Obi (Star Wars), Dobby (Harry Potter) and Wanda (Marvel).

Those who dream of living somewhere a bit sunnier could inspiration from Sahara, Rio, Aruba and Malibu who all feature on the Puppy Name list too.

Petmania Puppy of the Year 2022

Entries have now closed for Puppy of the Year 2022, but you can still follow along by voting for your favourite puppies online-Round 1 Voting closes 9th October and Round 2 opens 6pm 10th October. The Grand Final will take place in Kilkenny on Saturday 29th October.

The Grand Prize

The Petmania Puppy of the Year will be pampered for a whole year with over €1,500 of prizes to be won. The champion puppy will also become a brand ambassador for Petmania with a 12 month contract and will star in its own professional photoshoot. The winning dog will enjoy year-round pampering with a 12-month care plan at their local Petmania Grooming Studio, which will see the winning pup enjoy a complimentary treatment every month for a whole year. Petmania’s nutrition partners for the Puppy of the Year 2022 BETA will ensure that the top-dog dines in style for a whole year.

BETA Puppy Food has been created to offer tailored nutrition. The range has been specially formulated with selected natural ingredients and prebiotic to support a puppy’s digestive health. As nutrition partner for the Petmania Puppy of the Year, BETA will present our overall winner with a 12 month supply of food.

Petmania has also teamed up with Blue Book Hotels to offer the winning puppy the chance to chill out in comfort in one of many hotels located around Ireland along with his/her two favourite humans. This luxury staycation includes two nights’ accommodation with breakfast and one dinner.

Emily Miller from Petmania said, 

 “It’s such a delight to meet so many adorable puppies as part of the Puppy of the Year Competition and to welcome a new pack of pups to the Petmania Puppy Club. We look forward to getting to know them more and helping them, and their families navigate through all of the milestones in their first year. From vaccinations and nutrition to training and wellness, we’re here to ensure that every puppy has the chance to get a great start with free expert care and advice.”

Orca – Top of the Pups 2021

Orca was named Petmania Puppy of the Year in 2021 beating off ruff competition! He came out as top dog ahead of a talented pack of 1,500 pooches that entered the annual competition. 26,500 members of the public voted for the finalists but Orca stole the judge’s hearts with his unique back story and heroic exploits!

Jo told us, 

“Since becoming Puppy of the Year, Orca has become a bit of a celebrity. He is treated like royalty in the Sligo branch where he loves the staff. He goes for his monthly groom which was part of his winnings. This is great as he is in the sea so often it keeps his skin and fur in tip-top condition. He won 12 bags of food that he likes to share with his siblings Chicken, Popperz Piglet and Elmo. He had a photo shoot in December which, with a seven-month-old puppy, was quite challenging for Richard the photographer! Orca is a very loveable busy puppy that has a life of love and fun, he brings smiles to peoples’ faces wherever he goes.”