Choosing a name for your four-legged friend is no small task.
According to Pet Insurance Australia (PIA), Aussies are leaning towards soft, human style monikers for their dogs more than ever.
If you’ve spotted a Luna running across Bar Beach or a Teddy napping under a café table on Darby Street lately, you’re seeing a trend in action.
PIA’s newly-realised rankings show that Luna is once again the country’s most popular female handle, while Teddy takes the top spot for males.
Here in Newcastle and the wider NSW, pets are now considered part of the family and PIA spokesperson Nadia Crighton says this emotional shift is clear in the national dataset.
“Their names reflect the joy, personality and love they bring into our homes,” she explained.
“Names like Luna, Daisy, Teddy and Milo feel warm and affectionate, you could easily find them on a kindergarten roll.
“It shows just how loved our pets really are.”
The way we name our dogs says a lot about how our pets fit into modern family life.
Australia’s most popular dog names for 2025
Female:
- Luna
- Daisy
- Coco
- Ruby
- Bella
- Nala
- Winnie
- Lola
- Willow
- Millie
Male:
- Teddy
- Milo
- Charlie
- Archie
- Leo
- Murphy
- Alfie
- Buddy
- Max
- Bear
Newcastle and NSW top dog names for 2025
Newcastle dog owners are very much on-trend, with Luna and Milo topping the local rankings.
Female: Luna, Bella, Daisy, Ruby, Coco, Millie, Nala, Molly, Maple, Willow
Male: Milo, Teddy, Rocky, Charlie, Murphy, Alfie, Archie, Buddy, Bear, Max
What’s driving the trend?
PIA’s 2025 data points to several clear cultural trends shaping how Aussies name their pets.
Names like Nala, Coco and Archie are boosted by movies, children’s streaming shows and media personalities.
There has been a rise in “soft names”, with “those ending in -ie, -y or -a are exploding in popularity”, according to Ms Crighton.
“They sound gentle, friendly and suited to family homes.”
Australians are increasingly treating their dogs like children, which shows up in majority of these names reflected.
Retro labels such as Millie continue to surge.
“There is also the aesthetic appeal, such as short, playful names that work well on Instagram and fit modern naming trends,” Ms Crighton said.
“Whether it’s a timeless classic like Charlie or a quirky favourite like Maple, the way Australians name their dogs says so much about how deeply we value them.”
Pet Name Data cited is Pet Insurance Australia portfolio data of pets born in the 2024-2025 calendar years (up to and including 13 November).
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