Dogs get human names as they become part of family

Traditional dog names like Fido, Patch and Rover appear to be a thing of the past and are being largely replaced by human names, according to a new report.

Published: 7:42AM BST 28 Jul 2009

Owners are being influenced by celebrities, sports stars and their favourite snacks, with names like Dizzee Rascal, Ronaldo and Kit Kat proving popular choices, the survey found.

The poll also indicated that dogs are increasingly being thought of as part of the family with the entire top 10 consisting wholly of human names.

The most popular name was Molly, with Poppy and Charlie making up the top three.

James Furse, managing director of Greenbee Pet Insurance, which conducted the survey of more than 12,000 names, said: "With the top 10 dog names all human names, it's clear that more and more people are thinking of their dogs as another member of the family, rather than just a pet."

The top 10 were:

1. Molly
2. Poppy
3. Charlie
4. Max
5. Alfie
6. Millie
7. Jack
8. Rosie
9. Daisy
10. Ruby

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5922647/Dogs-get-human-names-as-they-become-part-of-family.html