Hobbits and wizards send pet lovers potty
- but traditional names are nation’s favourite

Gandalf, Hobbit, Harry, Hedwig and Voldemort all feature in this year’s annual pet names survey, showing how popular culture continues to influence how people choose to name their pets.

More traditional pet names top the list of favourites in the annual pet names survey, conducted by Frontline. Charlie and Sam hold the top spot as the nations most popular dog names whilst the Nation’s favourite cat names are the reliable Tigger and Charlie.

Apart from film references to both The Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter, there is also a trend for owners to name their pets after TV celebrities. It’s not unusual to find dogs named after soaps characters Little Mo and Billy and cats with ‘tasty’ names such as Nigella, Delia and Oliver.

Pet owners still remain loyal to their favourite drinks with tipple-related cat names Guinness, Stella and Vodka and thirst quenching dog names Coca Cola and Sprite.

Other unusual pet names found by the survey include cats called Woof, Mackerel, Fat Cat and Mouse and dogs called Lollipop, Screech and Flymo.

“Popular culture continues to have a major influence on what we name our pets, which is why we are seeing a trend towards animals being named after film stars and TV characters,” commented Rachel Smithson, Merial’s Veterinary Technical Manager.

The Nation’s Top Ten Most Popular Cat and Dog Names:

Top 10 dog names for 2002 followed by last years top 10

1. Charlie  1.Sam
2. Sam  2. Jess
3. Holly  3. Lucy
 4. Jack  4. Buster
5. Cassie  5. Holly
6. Ben  6. Pippin
7. Benji  7. Ben
8. Ollie  8. Max
9. Max  9. Sophie
10. Coco 10. Benji