No one can really explain why, but we seem to love to pick human names for dogs. Think about pets you had as a kid, your pets now, or your friend’s pets–you probably know several Jacks, Stellas, or Bruces. Somehow, people names for dogs just suit their personalities better than traditional pet names. 

Some people names for dogs seem to really fit their breed. For example, Bulldog names such as Iggy, Brick, and Bones or German Shepherd dog names like Chase or Wolverine fit so well.

If you’ve ever picked out a dog’s name, you know that it can be just as hard as picking out a baby’s name. It has to be just the right fit, so it’s definitely a process. 

Start by narrowing down a list of human names for dogs that you like. We can take you the rest of the way with a list of the most popular people names for dogs. The only thing we can’t guarantee is whether your dog will learn their name or come to you when they hear it!

Most popular people names for dogs

How do we know these are the most popular? First, we found the Social Security Administration’s list of the most popular baby names of 2022. Then we ran those names through the Washington Post’s “How human is your dog’s name?” tool. 

The tool rates each name from “more dog” and “mostly dog” on one end to “mostly human” and “more human” at the other end. In the middle are all the names given equally to both dogs and people. Now, you just need to decide if you want rare human names for dogs or the most popular people names for dogs. 

Totally human names for dogs:

• Alexander
• Benjamin
• Daniel
• Eleanor
• Evelyn
• Jacalyn
• James
• Michael
• Noah
• Theodore
• William

Mostly human names for dogs:

• Abigail
• Ava
• Camila
• Charlotte
• Emma
• Henry
• Isabella
• Liam
• Lucas
• Mateo
• Olivia
• Owen
• Sophia

Names shared equally among dogs and humans: 

• Aria
• Asher
• Carter
• Ezra
• Hazel
• Hudson
• Jack
• Jackson
• Levi
• Luke
• Mia
• Sebastian

Human names that have become more popular with dogs:

• Amelia
• Aurora
• Chloe
• Harper
• Layla
• Leo
• Lily
• Luca
• Maggie
• Mila
• Oliver 
• Penelope
• Riley
• Ruby
• Scarlett
• Stella
• Violet
• Zoe

Names that have gone almost completely to the dogs:

• Luna
• Nova
• Ellie
• Willow
• Maverick
• Ivy
• Zoey
• Lucy
• Max
• Milo
• Buddy
• Rocky

Best celebrity human names for dogs

You may not be looking for the most popular people names for dogs. In that case, how about a name that’s probably only shared with one very famous person–a celebrity? Here are our top people names for dogs inspired by celebrities:

• Bella (Hadid, Ramsey, Thorne)
• Beyonce
• Billie (Eilish)
• Bjork
• Daisy (Ridley) 
• Dolly (Parton) 
• Drew (Barrymore)
• Dua Lipa
• Gigi (Hadid)
• Greta (Thunberg)
• Jenny (Ortega)
• JoJo (Siwa)
• Keanu (Reeves) 
• Leonardo (DiCaprio)
• Lil Nas X
• Margot (Robbie) 
• Mindy (Kaling) 
• Paris (Hilton)
• Prince 
• Rashida (Jones)
• Rihanna
• River (Phoenix)
• Scarlett (Johansson) 
• Sylvester (Stallone)
• Vin (Diesel) 
• Winona (Ryder)
• Zendaya (Coleman)

Coolest human names for dogs based on popular characters

But what if you’re going for a cooler vibe? Pick people names for dogs based on a character from your favorite show. Check out this list of awesome TV and movie character human names for dogs:

• Anakin (Skywalker) – Star Wars
• Barbie – Barbie movie
• Buffy (Summers) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Captain Jack (Sparrow) – Pirates of the Caribbean 
• Dwight (Schrute) - The Office 
• Elsa – Frozen
• Ferris (Bueler) – Ferris Bueler’s Day Off
• Gene (Belcher) - Bob’s Burgers
• Han (Solo) – Star Wars
• Homer (Simpson) - The Simpsons
• Inigo (Montoya) – Princess Bride
• Katniss (Everdeen) – Hunger Games
• Leia (Organa) - Star Wars 
• Marty (McFly) – Back to the Future
• Mirabel (Madrigal) - Encanto 
• Rue – Hunger Games and Euphoria
• Sabrina - Sabrina the Teenage Witch / The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 
• Tony (Stark) - Iron Man 
• Tyler (Durden) – Fight Club
• Walter (White) – Breaking Bad
• Wanda (Maximoff) - Wandavision / Avengers: Infinity War
• Wednesday (Addams) – Wednesday / The Addams Family
• Westley – Princess Bride
• Willy (Wonka) - Charlie & the Chocolate Factory 
• Woody – Toy Story