What a cute little pooch: Does your dog's name top the list of most popular in Tennessee?

Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean
·4 min read
Wilbee Snuggs, earns his name as a top snuggle option for owner Carlene Castleman. Wilbee is a 126-pound pit bull that Castleman rescued.
Wilbee Snuggs, earns his name as a top snuggle option for owner Carlene Castleman. Wilbee is a 126-pound pit bull that Castleman rescued.

When Carlene Castleman rescued her 126-pound Pitbull, naming her was easy.

She looked at the hulking dog and thought Wilbee Snuggs was apt — because there will be snuggles.

Castleman was an outlier. Most Americans, especially those in Nashville, tend to narrow their list of name choices down a top three before deciding on a winner, most experts say.

Finding the most popular names

Bark, which created BarkBox in 2012 as a monthly subscription box of toys and all-natural dog treats, has been at the forefront of tracking names. Cassie Cotter, a consumer expert analyst at Bark, said the company combed through 10 years of customer data and purchasing trends from dog parents to determine the most popular names.

"Luna is the top name in Tennessee," Cotter said. "Pit bulls are the top breed."

Kayla Nicholson has a Luna and a Bella, two of the most popular dog names.

"I didn't realize how common of a dog name it was when naming her," Nicholson said of Bella. She found the pup abandoned in a dumpster near a Kroger store in Springfield and decided to keep her. She kept telling the dog how beautiful she was, and Bella stuck as a term of beauty, she said.

More: The most popular dog names of 2022: Max and Luna top the list, Fezco is the trendiest

Rover, another dog name tracking site, reports Kora as among Tennessee's most popular names. Former Tennessean state government and politics reporter Adam Friedman has a 3-year-old corgi named Kora.

Like Bark, Rover agreed that Luna had taken over as top name, surpassing Bella, which reigned for 10 years as Rover's most popular name.

Other top names that rank nationally and locally are Max, Cooper, Daisy and Charlie.

This reporter is well within the trend of popular names with a 13-year-old malshi named Bella. Her two offspring are E.J. and Nessie, both taken from the "Twilight" movie franchise, though Bella was named before my wife fell in love with the books and movies.

The Tennessean staff has a wealth of good boys and girls, from children's reporter Rachel Wegner's Happy to music reporter Melonee Hurt's golden doodle Ranger and Tennessean storytelling columnist Brad Schmitt's rescue LeeLee.

Paying homage to Music City

Nashvillians can get creative with naming their pets. We know. We asked.

Some owners opted for a nod to the city they live in, with a name like Nash, or a famous singer to honor Music City.

Janet Cooksey has a westie named Dolly Parton. Tory Peck Grissom gushed about her pooch, George Straight. And Naomi Patton takes Taylor, a 14-year-old Shiba Inu named after pop icon Taylor Swift, everywhere.

Naomi Parton and 14-year-old Taylor, named after pop icon Taylor Swift, have lived many eras together, much like Swift's hit album. The Shiba inu was a city slicker in Chicago and a hipster southern living in East Nashville.
Naomi Parton and 14-year-old Taylor, named after pop icon Taylor Swift, have lived many eras together, much like Swift's hit album. The Shiba inu was a city slicker in Chicago and a hipster southern living in East Nashville.

"She’s been by my side through boy drama, a baby and even cancer," Patton said. "She’s going deaf now but always has a sweet smile for everyone."

Unique names for good boys and girls

Ansley Patton loved her dachshund Avett so much, she got a tattoo of her dog's name and face on her right triceps.

"I wanted a new tattoo, and it just seemed obvious that he should be tattooed on me. I’m a dog lover and have had dogs all my life and will have many after him, but we just have a special connection and there won’t be another like him," Patton said.

Along with Castleman's Wilbee Snuggs, one name that stood out was Sir Reginald Von Ragamuffin III from Ali Grimsley, who named the 13-year-old cockapoo, a cocker spaniel and poodle mix, and said the pooch is royalty to her and her family.

Sometimes a dog finds a human, like Brytney Dawn, who was rescued by a stray. Dawn found Wanada, an 8-year-old schnauzer mix, under an apartment stairwell and named her after the popular Marvel Comics character.

"I had full intention on rehoming her... but the first night she stayed with me, I decided she wasn't going anywhere," Dawn said. "She's been with me for six months now, and she's truly the best thing that's ever happened to me. She inspired me to open up my own pet care business."

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton, Taylor (Swift): Are they popular Tennessee dog names?