Charlie held #1 for years. Luna closed the gap and passed in 2023. Meanwhile, nature names surged and traditional human names dropped. Here's how it played out.
By Onslow's Team · July 17, 2026 · Data: City of Toronto Open Data, 2020–2026
The short version
Luna and Charlie swapped places in 2023. Milo climbed from #14 to #4. Bella hasn't moved from #3 since 2020.
Luna crossed Charlie in 2023. Dashed line = name was outside the top 10 in 2020. Bella held steady at #3 throughout.
2020
Charlie's last year on top
Charlie held #1 with 553 dogs. Luna was close behind at #2 with 413. Bella, Max, and Coco rounded out the top 5.
2023
Luna takes #1
Luna overtook Charlie for the first time with 508 dogs to Charlie's 494. Milo broke into the top 5. Oakley began its climb.
2025
Luna pulls away
Luna hit 549 registrations, her highest ever. Charlie dropped to 491. Bowie and Moose continued climbing as nature names gained ground.
2026
The gap widens
Luna leads with 349 dogs (partial year). Charlie sits at 279. The nature-name trend continued to grow. Jake's freefall hit #153.
Where each name sat in 2020, and where it sits now. Longer arrows mean bigger moves.
The names climbing fastest are nature words (Oakley, Hazel, Moose) and quirky nouns (Ziggy, Bowie). The names falling are traditional human names: Jake, Princess, Dexter. Toronto dogs are getting less human names and more dog names.
Rank change 2020–2026, of roughly 200 dog names tracked. Source: City of Toronto Open Data.
5 of 10
top dog names also appear in the top cat names: Luna, Charlie, Max, Milo, and Coco.
↑ 76 Oakley
The biggest climber. Hazel (+68), Ziggy, Bowie, and Moose are also surging. Nature names are in.
↓ 105 Jake
The biggest faller. Princess (-92), Dexter, Sasha, and Casey are also dropping. Human names are out.
Luna
#1 for dogs since 2023 and #1 for cats since 2021. The most dominant pet name in Toronto, period.
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Data: City of Toronto Open Data, Licensed Dog and Cat Names. Top 200 names per year, 2020–2026.