Most Popular Dog Names of 2010

And the winner is … Bella! (Now the question is what to name her companion: Edward or Jacob?)

For the second consecutive year, Bella has topped Veterinary Pet Insurance’s (VPI) annual list of the top 10 names for dogs. According to its website, VPI, the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, sorted through its database of more than 485,000 insured pets to determine last year’s most popular pet names.

Nearly every dog name on VPI’s list of Top 10 Pet Names doubles as a popular human name.

These are the top 10 most popular dog names for 2010:

1. Bella
2. Bailey
3. Max
4. Lucy
5. Molly
6. Buddy
7. Maggie
8. Daisy
9. Charlie
10. Sophie

“Given that pets are considered family members, it makes sense that pet owners are selecting human-oriented names like ‘Max’ or ‘Charlie,’” said Curtis Steinhoff, director of corporate communications at VPI.

But not all the pet names in VPI’s database are as common as Bella and Max. Thousands of VPI policyholders gave their pets names that aren’t shared by any other pet on record, such as “Pickle Von Corndog” and “Admiral Pancake.” Check out VPI’s Top 10 Most Unusual Pet Names of 2010 to see some of the more creative names.

PHOTO: danaysh.com

Amelia LeRutte

Amelia Lerutte is a public relations and social media expert, and a pack leader to a couple derpy Boston Terriers, a lovable Leonburger and a Keeshound. When not writing or promoting the i Love Dogs brand, Amelia is an avid NHL fan, ice hockey player and video gamer.