Rover on the Ropes? Gen-Z Say Classic Dog Names Are Set For A Renaissance

• Only 1 in 7 dog owners even consider a traditional name such as Rover, Rex or Patch.

• Of the traditional names, Max is the lone survivor, with a third of Brits saying that they would still choose it. Beethoven got just 7 %.

• 31% let the dog's personality lead the naming process, and 1 in 4 are guided by appearance or breed.

• Londoners are the most nostalgic, with 25% considering classic names, 15% higher than South East, West Midlands and Northern Ireland.

• Despite the slump, two-thirds of all owners – and a huge 80% of 16-to-24-year-olds – believe classics will bounce back, with half expecting it "within the next few years."

A nationwide survey of UK dog owners from online pet-supply retailer ePaws.co.uk reveals that while old-school monikers like Rover and Rex have almost vanished from today's dog parks, younger owners are convinced they're due for a revival.

The data show that while traditional names are not currently used or even considered by 85% of dog owners, 70% of respondents believe those names will make a comeback, and most notably, 80% of Gen Z. 

It's no secret that we're a United Kingdom of dog lovers, and a third of us say that naming decisions are mostly driven by the dog's personality, which beats out external references and shows how "human" we perceive our pets. But still, appearance/breed (25%), references to family members (16%) and pop culture like TV movie characters (15%) are each more common than choosing a traditional name. 

Regionally, Londoners are the most nostalgic of us, and 1 in 4 will still consider classic names, compared with less than 10% in Wales, the South-East, West Midlands and Northern Ireland.

Surprisingly, the 25-44 bracket is twice as likely as over-55s to look at traditional names (22% vs 7%), which flips the assumption that only older owners like "old-school" names. In fact, the over-55s largely labelled traditional names "too old-fashioned" (35.6%) or stated that "popular culture has moved on" (35.6%). 1 in 4 say classic names are not unique enough, with 1 in 5 simply finding them boring.

Despite this, 35 % of respondents say they would still use the classic name Max today, with 41% expecting more traditional names to have a revival within the next few years, although 15 % believe they will never return at all.

"Traditional dog names are short, easy to call, and easy for dogs to recognise. I hope this research gets people talking and maybe even brings some of those classic names back into the mix." 

– Simon Joseph, CEO of ePaws

You can view the full report at: https://epaws.co.uk/blogs/news/are-traditional-dog-names-a-thing-of-the-past