2020 Gave Us A Lot Of Food-Themed Pet Names

Every month or two, my dogs get up to some really naughty nonsense that leads me to scream "NO MORE PETS!" and vow never to adopt another living thing. This always passes pretty quickly, which is why I keep a running list of pet names for when I inevitably add to my furry family. And as any animal lover knows, nothing's cuter than a food-related pet name—as evidenced by Rover's newly released list of the top pet names of 2020, which includes a whole lot of food-inspired monikers.

To nail down the list, Rover used its database of 26 million user-submitted pet names. The pet care service also surveyed 1,000 American pet owners via Pollfish between September and October. The results speak to users' two great loves: food and pets.

Out of the top 100 names for female dogs, the most popular food-themed entries were Pepper, Ginger, Olive, Honey, Cookie, Mocha, Sugar, and Peanut. Oreo and Peanut were the only food names that made the top 100 for male dogs. Interestingly enough, food-inspired names gained significantly more traction in feline society. For male cats, the food names in this year's top 100 were Oreo, Pumpkin, Pepper, Peanut, Mango, and Bean. For female cats, that list included Olive, Pepper, Pumpkin, Ginger, Oreo, Cookie, Bean, Peanut, Peaches, and Honey. (Loving the popularity of "Bean" here, as all cats famously look like beans.)

In terms of trending names, this year was a big one for carbs. Rover found that Roti, Tart, and Arepa all increased in popularity alongside Pumpernickel, Crackers, Waffles, Croissant, and Toast. Sourdough also showed up for the first time this year, which makes sense. A few boozy names are also trending upward including Pinot Noir, Whiskey Girl, Whiskey Bear, and Pinot G. Still no word on the general popularity of my beagle's preferred nickname: Little Orange Creamsicle Baby.