Milo pushes Baloo off the throne
Sulzbach/Ts. Nine years in a row: That's how long the name Balu remained at the top among male dogs. Now he has been pushed from the throne by Milo. However, there was absolutely nothing to worry about with the dog and cat ladies. Here the name Luna remains the undisputed queen. Simba secures the crown again among the tomcats.
The animal protection organization TASSO eV, which operates Europe's largest free pet registry, has once again evaluated the most popular dog and cat names among Germans for 2024. When it comes to naming it, it becomes clear that pet owners have been inspired by Roman goddesses, Disney classics and Marvel blockbusters for years. Popular girl names and boy names can also still be found in the dog and cat rankings. “If we look at the top 10 statistics for dogs and cats overall, it can be said that Germans are creatures of habit, at least when it comes to naming their favorite animals. There are simply clear favorites who have been defending their position for years. It's all the greater a surprise that the boy's name Milo has now overtaken the Disney classic Baloo after so many years. Who knows, maybe Luna will be kicked out of first place at some point,” says TASSO leader Philip McCreight.
Big surprises with the dogs
Among male dogs, Balu has to admit defeat to first place after nine years in a row. Milo wins and relegates him to second place. Places three to eight are still occupied by Charly, Buddy, Bruno, Rocky, Loki and Leo. Sammy and Lucky swap places and take ninth and tenth place.
However, there are no surprises with the bitches. Luna has been at the top of the top 10 statistics for more than ten years now. Nala and Bella defend second and third place again. Frieda moves up to fourth place and relegates Maja to fifth place. Emma and Amy are back in sixth and seventh place. Lilly makes it to eighth place, relegating Lucy to ninth place. Like last year, the name Kira takes tenth place.
Two cat names returned to the ranking
Luna will again secure first place among the cat ladies in 2024. Nala defends second place, followed by Lilly in third place. Lucy and Mia remain in fourth and fifth place. Coco moves up to sixth place and relegates Bella to seventh place. Mimi slides to eighth place, followed by Mila, who was also in ninth place the year before. After a year's break, Frieda is back in the top 10 ranking. After seven years, Maja no longer makes it into the ten most popular cat names.
Simba is at the top of the tomcat category for the sixth year in a row. Leo secured second place again. After only one year in third place, Balu is relegated to fourth place by Charly. Findus and Loki once again take fifth and sixth place. Milo moves up to seventh place and promotes Felix to ninth place. Sammy remains unchanged in eighth place. Mogli is back in the top 10 after a year's break. For this, Max has to move out of the ranking.
The numbers are based on animals newly registered with TASSO in Germany between January 1st and December 31st, 2024.
The TASSO year 2024 overview*
Total registered animals: More than 11.5 million, including 6.3 million dogs and 5.1 million cats. Pet owners: More than 7.5 million
In 2024…
… newly registered dogs: 341,000
… lost dogs: 28,700
… rehomed dogs: 25,000
… newly registered cats: 401,000
… lost cats: 87,600
… rehomed cats: 70,000
* The numbers refer exclusively to the animals registered with TASSO. Only the cases that have been reported to us are included. The numbers are rounded.