Where have all the Rexs and Rovers Gone?
Take a walk through your local park and it’s unlikely you’ll hear the shouts of a “Rover” and a bark in return. No, today you’re more likely to hear an “Odin” or “Bella” followed by the pounding of little paws behind you. But what happened to the Rovers, the Rexs and the Beethovens? Have they died out like the Garys, Pauls and Johns?
To understand the changing trends of naming our pets, more specifically dogs, we commissioned a study of 1,000 dog owners in the UK to understand how they went about naming their own four-legged friend, alongside their overall sentiment towards the traditional dog names of the past.
And it made for interesting reading. And not entirely grim reading for future little Patchs or Dukes!
What are we most likely to name our dog after?
Today, only one in seven dog owners actually even consider the more traditional names, instead a third of us base our pet’s name entirely on its personality, while a quarter of us let its appearance or breed dictate the direction of a name.
In fact, we are more likely to name a dog in honour of a family member or TV character than we are a traditional name. Although, sadly, there were no owners within the study that had named their dogs Pat Butcher or Steve McDonald. There was, however, a Loki, Daffy, Tarzan and Simba, all famous fictional names.
When it comes to traditional dog names, Londoners are most likely to consider traditional names, with the percentage doing so jumping to a quarter, significantly higher than anywhere else. Less than 10% of people in Northern Ireland, the rest of the South East, the West Midlands and Wales consider traditional names, with the latter being under 5% of the population.
Perhaps where sentiment towards traditional dog names is most interesting is within age demographics. While you might be forgiven for thinking that older generations would be more likely to consider traditional names, it’s actually those aged between 25 and 44 who do most frequently, almost a quarter doing so, compared to just 7% of over 55s.
In fact, throughout the study, it was clear that over 55s were shunning tradition, most likely to look towards personality and appearance, while when given a list of traditional names, such as Max, Duke, Rex, Patch and Rover (including several more), almost half said they wouldn’t consider any of them, significantly higher than any other age bracket.
Why is it that we’re shunning tradition?
The reason for that is largely down to them being considered too old fashioned, as well as popular culture moving on. A third of over 55s said that about both reasons, while a quarter suggested they were too boring.
That was the general trend, with the public as a whole considering Rover and Rex just too old school. A quarter of people also suggested that they were not unique or special enough, something that was evident in what people are naming their dogs today. Among the participants, names of their own dogs included Bonbon Chanel, Bracken, Xavier, Gerrard (no prizes for the football team they support) and Dazzle Dragon.
The changing of popular culture is also evident, with the ‘traditional’ perhaps being what we’re seeing on the television, hearing on the radio or supporting on the football pitch. Alongside this, there were lots of names that are indeed popular with children too, such as Lucy, Oliver, Betty and Charlie.
In perhaps the most difficult reading for those with traditional dog names, less than one in 10 still believed that names like Max, Rex and Rover were still popular. A nail in the coffin?
Can we expect to see traditional dog names ever again?
Well, not quite. In fact, 35% of people did say they would consider Max as a name for a dog, while, importantly, 70% of dog owners do believe that traditional names will make a comeback.
Which makes sense. Today, if you look at the most popular baby names, we’re seeing a return of names like Ava, Henry, Dorothy and even Doris making a comeback according to reports. So, the same may happen with dog names.
What suggests this will likely be the case is that it’s those under the age of 35 that believe it most. A total of 80% of those under the age of 24, essentially the next generation of dog owners, think that traditional names will make a comeback, compared to just over 50% of over 55s, with one in five believing they’ll never return.
So, it’s perhaps not all bad for the Rex’s of this world, and while they may be a dying breed at present, around 50% of Gen X think that they’ll return in the next couple of years, meaning shouts of “Rover” in the park might be a little closer than you think!