Are you feeling anxious about what to name your new male puppy? Perennial classics like Max, Buddy or Charlie may be the obvious fit for your four-legged best friend. But if his personality deserves a more stylish and trendy moniker, the editorial team at BringFido has your back. To prevent you from barking up the wrong tree, we’ve made our predictions for the best new male dog names for 2022.
To create this list, we dug into popular culture for options that fit the characteristics of a good dog name. They’re short and distinctive, won’t easily be confused with common command words, and look good embroidered on a collar. But it is just as important to pick a name for your pup that you like, as you’ll be saying it a lot over the years!
10. Denver
We foresee lots of pet-friendly travel in 2022, and destinations have always been a great choice for dog names. Colorado ranks number 5 on our list of most dog-friendly states in the USA, and its capital is both a great place to visit and a wonderful name for an adventurous and outdoorsy pup. If you need any more incentive, there’s also Americana singer-songwriter John Denver, who is an ideal eponym. Travel-related honorable mentions that will certainly make a great name choice for boy dogs in 2022 include Tacoma, Nash (Nashville), and Stowe.
9. Elvis
If your pooch is effortlessly cool, naming him after The King is an iconic choice. With the Elvis biopic coming out soon, there will certainly be a rise of adorable Elvis puppies in 2022. Retro dog names are always in vogue, and Elvis’s vintage appeal, paired with its preferred two-syllable pronunciation, make it an excellent option for pups - especially those with extra wiggly hips. If you do christen your dog Elvis, make sure you bring him to the pet-friendly Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo to honor his namesake.
8. Tom
When you’re looking for a VIP (Very Important Puppy) name with a lot of personality, look to the stars! Handsome celebrities sporting this moniker include actors Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Tom Holland (Spiderman), sports heroes Tom Daley (Olympic gold medalist) and Tom Brady (NFL quarterback). And of course, there’s always Tom Hanks (America’s Dad).
7. Tofu
Famous Pug fortune-teller Noodle is an inspiration for adorable pooches named after food. Although Jelly, Pinto, Nacho and Macaron were all hot contenders, with the popularity of Meatless Mondays and the fact that vegetarian meat substitutes are having a moment in our culture, we’d argue that the best trendy food name for dogs in 2022 is certain to be Tofu.
6. Krypto & 5. Ace
Numbers six and five on our list are a dynamic duo, sourced from the upcoming flick “DC League of Super Pets” coming to theaters in May. An animated feature based on the pets of the DC universe is the perfect place to look for super dog names in 2022. Krypto is Superman’s dog, and is voiced by indefatigable cultural icon Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Ace the Bat-Hound is voiced by everyone’s bestie, comedian Kevin Hart. The film will undoubtedly bring us many puppy Kryptos and Aces this year.
4. Tiger
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the 2022 Lunar New Year kicks off the Year of the Tiger. The king of all beasts, the tiger is thought to symbolize new beginnings. Those born in the Year of the Tiger are said to be adventurous, enthusiastic, brave and courageous, making it a flawless choice for any plucky canine that comes into your life this year.
3. Sprocket
Sprocket is the perfect name for fluffy pups who make friends with everyone, including silly creatures from outer space. The reboot of Jim Henson's much-loved 1980s puppet classic “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” debuted in January 2022 on Apple TV+. Fans of the original and new watchers alike are again falling in love with Sprocket, Doc’s very clever and shaggy Sheepdog.
2. Brady
There’s one “Tom” on our list whose last name is sure to be a winning choice for football fans around the country. Tom Brady recently announced his retirement from the NFL, and what better way for fans to honor his career than to name their sporty Labradors and agile Collies after the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback and dog lover? The phonetic structure of the name has the characteristics of popular male dog names like Bailey and Buddy, but with the added cool-factor of one of the greatest professional athletes of his generation.
1. Bruno
If we learned anything from the influx of puppy Elsas over the last decade, it’s that a Disney/Pixar musical is the ultimate place to source popular pet names. At the start of 2022, the franchise’s newest film, Encanto, graced us with the breakout hit “We Don't Talk About Bruno.” It became only the second Disney song to make the Hot 100 Chart and the first of all time to reach the number one spot. Not only is the song catchy, the character Bruno himself is charmingly disheveled with floppy dark hair and soulful brown eyes - sounds like the description of an absolutely adorable boy dog!
Want to know what's trending with female dog names? Read our predictions here.