PR Newswire
Ozzy, Elvis, Busted or Posh – would you name your pet dog after a celebrity or famous person? Well the majority of us would, according to a recent survey of 1,000 Brits, commissioned in the lead up to the Pro Plan Pup of the Year Final (6th January) – the most prestigious puppy competition in the UK and a precursor to Crufts.
And it seems the more retro the name the better! As we teeter on the brink of 2005, it appears we would rather be back in 1985, with 43% of all respondents saying that they would name their pet pooch after Sylvester Stallone’s character in the 80’s hit Rocky or otherwise Rambo. Interestingly, the majority of respondents who said this were aged between 16 and 24 years. 29% of 25 to 34 year olds said that they would name their dog after Black Sabbath’s lead singer and reality TV show star, Ozzy Osbourne and 23% of 45 to 65 year olds opted for Elvis – however this age group was also keen on naming their dogs Rocky or Rambo too (21%)!
When given the choice between naming their dog after a current or past celebrity, Brits seem to plump for celebrities or famous people of the past – just 9% of all people surveyed said they would name their pet after Victoria Beckham, aka “Posh” and just 4% said Busted – this figure was surprising low amongst 16 to 25 year olds.
Claire Parry-Baggott from Pro Plan says, “We were really surprised by these results, as we thought big celebrities like Busted and Britney would be popular name choices, particularly amongst younger people.”
The survey also revealed how dogs’ names have changed over the decades. Fifty years ago dogs had traditional names such as George, Thomas and Arthur. Thirty years ago the most popular names for dogs included Jasper, Brandy, Rex and Molly. Today, with the influence of popular culture, the most popular names include Snoop (after the rapper Snoop Doggy Dog), Harley, Diesel, Tyson and Jake.
Claire continues, “On the 6 January we’re holding the Final of Pro Plan Pup of the Year, which will see 31 dogs (selected from 10,000) competing for this year’s title. At this competition you see some very close personal relationships between owner and pooch, and some owners do name their dog after a celebrity or famous character. For example one of the dogs to qualify this year is called Nemo, after the character in the Disney classic, “Finding Nemo”. So look out for the winner of Pro Plan Pup of the Year – it will be interesting to see what the dog’s name is!”
Top 5 Dog Celebrity Names:
1. Rambo or Rocky
2. Ozzy
3. Elvis
4. Posh
5. Britney
