Top US girl dog names

Got a new pooch in your pack? Choosing the perfect girl puppy name can be tough. Luckily, there are so many options to choose from when it comes to female dog names, from truly unique to simply cool.

To help you find the perfect name for your own fur baby, we’ve put together a list with the best girl puppy names sourced from TrustedHousesitters' own canine archives. These cute female dog names should give you more than enough inspiration to get going. Fancy something traditional, like Bella or Luna? Or perhaps a super-strong female dog name like Juno or Artemis? Or maybe something a little more obscure is more your puppy’s style? Either way, with this list of the top US female dog names to choose from, you’ll be able to find the perfect moniker for your precious pooch in no time! Without further ado, let's get into this ultimate list of dog names.

Top 50 US Girl Dog Names

We’re a nation of pet lovers, and a recent article published by FinancesOnline (with data provided by the American Pet Products Association) suggests that there are now 63.4 million dog-owning households in the US. Now, that's a lot of snoots to boop!

Drawing on TrustedHousesitters’ own member data, we’ve taken a look at the top 50 US girl puppy names to give you a few ideas for cute, strong and unique female dog names for your own fur baby. And here they are:

1. Bella
2. Lucy
3. Luna
4. Maggie
5. Daisy
6. Molly
7. Lola
8. Sophie
9. Lily
10. Stella
11. Sadie
12. Penny
13. Rosie
14. Coco
15. Gracie
16. Pepper
17. Lulu
18. Riley
19. Chloe
20. Ruby
21. Zoey
22. Abby
23. Lilly
24. Harley
25. Roxy
26. Piper
27. Annie
28. Zoe
29. Ginger
30. Ellie
31. Lady
32. Emma
33. Millie
34. Honey 
35. Sunny
36. Mia
37. Maya
38. Juno
39. Willow
40. Hazel
41. Blue
42. Lucky
43. Layla
44. Maddie
45. Lexi
46. Pippa
47. Nala
48. Izzy
49. Cookie
50. Cleo
    

That’s a lot of great girl dog names to choose from, but maybe you’d rather follow your state’s trends? If so, read on!

Female dog names by the state

Nationwide recently surveyed over 750,000 of their pets to determine what the most popular puppy names were by US state. So, let's find out: what are Americans calling their pet dogs?

1. Alabama: Bella
2. Alaska: Lucy
3. Arizona: Bella
4. Arkansas: Duke
5. California: Luna
6. Colorado: Luna
7. Connecticut: Luna
8. Delaware: Luna
9. Florida: Luna
10. Georgia: Bella
11. Hawaii: Bella
12. Idaho: Bella
13. Illinois: Charlie
14. Indiana: Luna
15. Iowa: Bella
16. Kansas: Bella
17. Kentucky: Bailey
18. Louisiana: Stella
19. Maine: Cooper
20. Maryland: Bailey
21. Massachusetts: Luna
22. Michigan: Luna
23. Minnesota: Luna
24. Mississippi: Bella
25. Missouri: Cooper
26. Montana: Sadie
27. Nebraska: Max
28. Nevada: Bella
29. New Hampshire: Bella
30. New Jersey: Luna
31. New Mexico: Buddy
32. New York: Luna
33. North Carolina: Bella
34. North Dakota: Louie
35. Ohio: Lucy
36. Oklahoma: Bella
37. Oregon: Bella
38. Pennsylvania: Luna
39. Rhode Island: Cooper
40. South Carolina: Bella
41. South Dakota: Luna
42. Tennessee: Bella
43. Texas: Bella
44. Utah: Luna
45. Vermont: Ruger
46. Virginia: Luna
47. Washington: Luna
48. West Virginia: Molly
49. Wisconsin: Luna
50. Wyoming: Luna

As you can see, Luna and Bella reigned supreme as the most popular puppy dog names across the US. Luna, in particular, took the top spot as the most popular name in 18 out of 50 states, while Bella was the most popular name in 16 states. That’s a lot of cute girl puppies with those names!

Other female dog names that popped up across the USA include Bailey, Stella, Sadie, and Molly.

Most unique US dog names

While we were scouring the TrustedHousesitters’ archives for our top female dog names, there were a few unique dog names that caught our eye! Here are just a few of the more unusual girl puppy names that Trusted pet owners have bestowed upon their four-legged friends:

1. Anubis
2. Baguette
3. Beckham
4. Beyonce
5. Chandler
6. Dilly Pickles
7. Firefox
8. Henry (the 8th)
9. Legend
10. Norma Jean
11. NumNum

There were also a few dogs whose names really stood out to our data wizards! Anyone want to come forward as having named their dog Mr. Bean, John Wayne or Daenerys Targaryen?

When did dog naming begin?

Everyone knows that cats were revered in Ancient Egypt – but what about dogs? Well, even though man’s best friend wasn’t regarded as quite as divine as his feline pet buddies, it turns out Ancient Egyptians also dearly loved their puppy dogs. And so, much like the earliest cat to ever be given a name (as we recently uncovered in our blog post on the top cat names in the US), one of the earliest dogs to ever be officially named also originated from this period.

Abuwtiyuw (probably pronounced Aboo-tee-yuh), believed to be a royal guard dog, is one of the earliest domestic dogs on record to be given a name. He lived between the Sixth Dynasty (2345–2181 BC) and was a much-loved companion to his master, who, as reports suggest, was so upset when his dog passed, he ordered him to have a prestigious ceremonial burial.

Ever since this first instance, there have been thousands of documents that named beloved four-legged buddies alongside friends and family. Which goes to show: dogs really are man's best friend — and have been for quite some time! And as unexpected as it may seem, even the names of our fur babies haven’t changed all that much over the years. One of the most popular female dog names in medieval times, for example, was Bellina – the diminutive form of Bella –, while people in the 17th century liked to name their girl puppies Beauty, which literally translates to Bella in Italian.

How to choose a dog name

But how do you choose the perfect moniker for your paw-fect pal? While you'll want to choose a name that suits your girl dog’s personality to a tee, here are some helpful hints and tips to keep in mind:

1. Keep it simple! Evidence shows that dogs are more likely to recognise and respond to names with two syllables.
2. Experts also suggest that words beginning with a hard consonant – like K, T or R – are good for training methods, which is why dog names such as Rover and Charlie are so popular!
3. Avoid any names that could be misheard by your dog as a command. For example, any words that rhyme with ‘sit’, ‘stay’, ‘come’ or ‘heel’ should be avoided.
4. If you have more than one dog, it’s best to choose girl dog names that are as different as possible to make sure your puppies know who you’re calling.
5. Similarly, avoid a name that is also used by a close friend or family member. This could be confusing (for both them and your dog!)

Need some more doggy naming inspiration? Check these out:

• Ultimate girl puppy names list
• Unique female dog names to stand out from the pack
• Fancy female dog names

Welcoming a new fur baby to the family is very exciting, as is picking a name for the little pooch. And now that you’re practically a top-tier expert on the topic of female dog names, we’re sure you’ll find a name for your girl puppy that both you and her will love!

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And if you still need more dog name inspiration, then why not ask the members of our Community Forum? With both owner and sitter members connecting online, our forum is a friendly place to share advice, find support, and discuss all things house sitting, pets, travel, and more.