These Are Now The Most Popular Dog Names In Minnesota

You probably won't be surprised when I tell you that dogs are very popular in the United States, and dog ownership in the country is quite common.

According to reports, in over 42% of U.S. households, a total of 56.3 million, you'll find at least one dog, and many have more than one dog, like I currently do.

When it comes to naming dogs, I've always been a fan of unique names. I once had an Australian Herder named Anchorhead Bob, so trust me when I say I like can think out of the box, but you should've seen the ears on this awesome dog!

A lot of dog owners, however, tend to land on the same handful of names, which is exactly what a new study set out to measure — ranking the most popular dog names in every state and across the country.

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How The Study Sniffed Out The Winners

The list comes from an analysis run in June 2026 that sorted through more than half a million registration records provided by a pet insurance partner, covering dogs signed up between January 2022 and June 2026.

Researchers filtered every name by the owner's home state, then ranked them to see which pups' names rose to the top in each corner of the country.

Most Popular Dog Names In Minnesota

In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the three most popular dog names are:

• Luna
• Bella
• Lucy and Max (tie)

So while Bella runs the table nationally, Minnesota owners handed the crown to Luna, a name that means "moon" in both Italian and Spanish. Bella still landed a strong second, and it took a tie between Lucy and Max just to fill out third place.

The Most Popular Dog Names In America

Zoom out to the full map and Bella dominates, but she doesn't win everywhere. A handful of states go their own way, and a few pick names you won't find anywhere near the national top 100. Here's the No. 1 dog name in every state:

• Alabama — Bella
• Alaska — Buddy
• Arizona — Bella
• Arkansas — Lucy
• California — Luna
• Colorado — Luna
• Connecticut — Luna
• Delaware — Bella
• Florida — Bella
• Georgia — Bella
• Hawaii — Koa
• Idaho — Bella
• Illinois — Max
• Indiana — Bella
• Iowa — Bella
• Kansas — Luna
• Kentucky — Bella
• Louisiana — Bella
• Maine — Buddy
• Maryland — Bella
• Massachusetts — Luna
• Michigan — Bella
• Minnesota — Luna

SEE NOW: These Items Are Now Banned From The 2026 Minnesota State Fair

• Mississippi — Bella
• Missouri — Bella
• Montana — Barron
• Nebraska — Luna
• Nevada — Bella
• New Hampshire — Luna and Pepper (tie)
• New Jersey — Bella
• New Mexico — Luna
• New York — Luna
• North Carolina — Bella
• North Dakota — Jack
• Ohio — Bella
• Oklahoma — Buddy
• Oregon — Bella
• Pennsylvania — Bella
• Rhode Island — Luna
• South Carolina — Bella
• South Dakota — Bella
• Tennessee — Bella
• Texas — Bella
• Utah — Luna
• Vermont — Bella and Roxy (tie)
• Virginia — Bella
• Washington — Luna
• West Virginia — Bella and Max (tie)
• Wisconsin — Bella
• Wyoming — Milo

SEE NOW: These 8 Minnesota Cities Now Rank Among The Best Places To Live In America

Whether you lean classic like most of the country or you're an Anchorhead Bob type like me, the takeaway is the same: a good dog name says as much about the owner as the pup. If you've got a great one, or a wonderfully weird one, let us know about it.