Choosing the right pet to join your family is just the start; you then have to choose a name! 

Debates between family members can go on for days until you all decide on the perfect name for your new kitten or puppy, so what do other people choose? We took a look at surveys by pet service providers and one of our favourite animal charities, Blue Cross, to get a feel for current trends in names.

A recent study by Gudog revealed the 10 most popular dog names from their UK database as:

1. Bella
2. Alfie
3. Poppy
4. Charlie
5. Lola
6. Max
7. Milo
8. Bailey
9. Molly
10. Ruby    

While GCCF's research into their database shows the top 10 cat names for moggies in UK are:

1. Luna
2. Teddy
3. Bella
4. Simba
5. Coco
6. Willow
7. Mia
8. Milo
9. Poppy
10. Blue

Blue Cross have compiled a list of top male and female dog names from the thousands of pets they’ve helped in their re-homing and veterinary centres: 

Top male dog names: 

1. Max
2. Charlie
3. Buster
4. Alfie
5. Buddy
6. Marley
7. Toby
8. Milo
9. Archie
10. Rolo

Top female dog names

1. Bella
2. Poppy
3. Daisy
4. Millie
5. Molly
6. Rosie
7. Lola
8. Roxy
9. Tilly
10. Lexi

And their top 10 unisex dog names are: 

1. Pepper
2. Sasha
3. Gerbil
4. Bear
5. Honey
6. Patch
7. Fudge
8. Ash
9. Alex
10. Billie

Gerbil took me by surprise in this list! 

And what about our cats? Blue Cross also had a look at the most common cat names:

Top 10 female cat names

1. Poppy
2. Bella
3. Misty
4. Molly
5. Daisy
6. Tilly
7. Luna
8. Lily
9. Willow
10. Coco 

Top 10 male cat names

1. Charlie
2. Felix
3. Finley
4. Buddy
5. Ralph
6. Oscar
7. Milo
8. George
9. Tigger
10. Alfie

Top 10 unisex cat names

1. Pumpkin
2. Smudge
3. Boo
4. Bubbles
5. Fudge
6. Fluffy
7. Fuzzy
8. Patches
9. Tabby
10. Socks

If you are choosing a name for your pet, you could take inspiration from the nation’s pets or go for something completely different. Personally, I like using less common names with my cat called Wilbur and my dog called Digby. 

Or you could choose a very human name such as Keith, Allen, Barry or Darren for the boys and Sylvia, Beryl, Joyce or Audrey for the girls, just to be different!   

Whatever the name you go for, be it Daisy, Milo, Twinkle Toes, Fish Biscuit or Spartapuss (more real choices from Blue Cross records!) make sure you’ve chosen their cat or dog insurance, too, so you can keep them safe and healthy no matter what scrapes they get into.