10 German names to call your pet

In 2022, Luna was the most popular name for dogs and cats in Germany, according to Tasso e.V, Germany’s central pet registry with 11 million animals on the books nationwide. Tasso also publishes the most popular pet names and dog races annually. Luna has been at the top of their list for a decade. The word Luna means "moon" in Latin and was also the name of the Roman moon goddess.

Cats are the favorite pet in Germany, and Mimi, which is said to be of French origin, is the most popular name for female felines. Of the 34.7 million pets in German households in 2021, around 16.7 million of them were cats, according to Antje Schreiber of the Central Association of Zoological Specialists.

What do these names have in common? They are all the names of animated Disney film characters. Simba and Nala are from 'The Lion King,' and Baloo is the easygoing bear from 'The Jungle Book.' According to Tasso, Loki, the name of a Marvel character, has gained popularity for male cats, as more people name their four-legged friends after heroes that inspire them.

It makes sense to think about a pet's personality when deciding on its name. Rocky is a popular name for cats in German households; the moniker is associated with the movie character played by Sylvester Stallone, a small-time boxer who fights a heavyweight champion. A feisty cat with a big personality could be a suitable candidate for the Rocky title.

It's common to use a dog name that has one or two syllables and ends with a vowel. But, says Joanna Nurzyńska from Dogabel, a doggy daycare in Berlin, it doesn't guarantee that a dog will automatically respond to your call. "Whatever you teach a dog is what they listen to. It's easier to yell ‘Bruunnoo,' but if you teach your dog to return with 'come back here' they will react to that as well,"

Findus, a popular name for male cats, is in honor of the feline from "Pettersson and Findus," a famous Swedish children's book series by Sven Nordqvist. The story follows the friendship between an old man and his mischievous cat, and is set in a farm in rural Sweden in the 1950s. The book was especially well-liked in Germany and was turned into a Swedish-German animated TV series.

A common name for human females, Emma has also recently become a popular moniker for female dogs in Germany. The name is derived from a Germanic word meaning universal. Other examples of popular human names appropriated as pet names are Amy, Maya and Frida. Ernest Abel of Wayne State University says that dogs and cats are much more likely to receive human names than caged pets.

Just like people, pets also have nicknames. 'Schatz,' which literally means treasure, is likely the most common German term of endearment for children, lovers, and of course pets. You'll also hear locals gushing about certain animals, and humans, using the name 'Süßer,' which translates into English as cutie or sweetie.

English words such as Lucky and Buddy are also well-liked as dog names in Germany. Dogs are named for luck across diverse cultures, according to the Wag Walking dog walking website, with the Persian dog name Behrooz meaning "good fortune," and Felix meaning both "fortunate" and "happy" in Latin.

Here, a German search and rescue dog appropriately named Hope arrives in Gaziantep, Turkey in early February 2023 to help find survivors of the devastating earthquake in the south of the country that also destroyed swathes of Syria across the border. Hope is a member of International Search and Rescue Germany and is a pet with a very important job to do.