Most popular male dog names

A dog's name is one of the most important words they'll learn because it lets man's best friend know what their owner has something to say to them. Everyone, especially animal training experts, has their own opinions on how dogs should be named. Some suggest sticking to one or two syllables to quickly get a dog's attention. Others think owners should choose a distinctive name so your canine companion knows who you're talking to on a trip to a crowded dog park. Some people even say you shouldn't name your new best friend a "people" name.

Of course, no one truly agrees and rules are made to be broken. Giving dogs human names has been on the rise for years, especially as more and more young people put off having kids or start using furry friends as a test runs for their future family. As for trying to keep your dog's name unique, estimates from the 2017–2018 American Pet Products Association survey reveals that approximately 48.5% of households own at least one pet dog. There are an estimated 89.7 million dogs owned across the nation. That means a lot of good boys are going to need names, and there are bound to be some favorites across the board no matter how hard you try to be distinct. Sometimes popular names are the perfect fit for your newest addition.

Can't figure out whether your new best friend is a Bruno or a Jake? Perhaps we can throw you a bone: Stacker tallied data from Rover in order to rank the 50 most popular male dog names of 2017. The ranks are listed along with their 2016 rank for context, as well as their change in rank between 2016 and 2017.

Read on for inspiration on what to name your new dog.

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1 / 50

#50. Gunner

Rank in 2017: #50
Rank in 2016: #67
Change in rank: +17

2 / 50

#49. Thor

Rank in 2017: #49
Rank in 2016: #51
Change in rank: +2

3 / 50

#48. Sammy

Rank in 2017: #48
Rank in 2016: #44
Change in rank: -4

4 / 50

#47. Ace

Rank in 2017: #47
Rank in 2016: #50
Change in rank: +3

5 / 50

#46. Apollo

Rank in 2017: #46
Rank in 2016: #54
Change in rank: +8

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6 / 50

#45. Jasper

Rank in 2017: #45
Rank in 2016: #49
Change in rank: +4

7 / 50

#44. Blue

Rank in 2017: #44
Rank in 2016: #45
Change in rank: +1

8 / 50

#43. Bandit

Rank in 2017: #43
Rank in 2016: #39
Change in rank: -4

9 / 50

#42. Beau

Rank in 2017: #42
Rank in 2016: #40
Change in rank: -2

10 / 50

#41. Cody

Rank in 2017: #41
Rank in 2016: #32
Change in rank: -9

11 / 50

#40. Sam

Rank in 2017: #40
Rank in 2016: #34
Change in rank: -6

12 / 50

#39. Loki

Rank in 2017: #39
Rank in 2016: #47
Change in rank: +8

13 / 50

#38. Diesel

Rank in 2017: #38
Rank in 2016: #37
Change in rank: -1

14 / 50

#37. Bruno

Rank in 2017: #37
Rank in 2016: #38
Change in rank: +1

15 / 50

#36. Baxter

Rank in 2017: #36
Rank in 2016: #35
Change in rank: -1

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16 / 50

#35. Hank

Rank in 2017: #35
Rank in 2016: #33
Change in rank: -2

17 / 50

#34. Moose

Rank in 2017: #34
Rank in 2016: #42
Change in rank: +8

18 / 50

#33. Lucky

Rank in 2017: #33
Rank in 2016: #29
Change in rank: -4

19 / 50

#32. Finn

Rank in 2017: #32
Rank in 2016: #43
Change in rank: +11

20 / 50

#31. Oscar

Rank in 2017: #31
Rank in 2016: #30
Change in rank: -1

21 / 50

#30. Ollie

Rank in 2017: #30
Rank in 2016: #36
Change in rank: +6

22 / 50

#29. Henry

Rank in 2017: #29
Rank in 2016: #31
Change in rank: +2

23 / 50

#28. Jackson

Rank in 2017: #28
Rank in 2016: #25
Change in rank: -3

24 / 50

#27. Bailey

Rank in 2017: #27
Rank in 2016: #26
Change in rank: -1

25 / 50

#26. Harley

Rank in 2017: #26
Rank in 2016: #27
Change in rank: +1

26 / 50

#25. Buster

Rank in 2017: #25
Rank in 2016: #23
Change in rank: -2

27 / 50

#24. Gus

Rank in 2017: #24
Rank in 2016: #28
Change in rank: +4

28 / 50

#23. Riley

Rank in 2017: #23
Rank in 2016: #21
Change in rank: -2

29 / 50

#22. Dexter

Rank in 2017: #22
Rank in 2016: #18
Change in rank: -4

30 / 50

#21. Jake

Rank in 2017: #21
Rank in 2016: #15
Change in rank: -6

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31 / 50

#20. Murphy

Rank in 2017: #20
Rank in 2016: #24
Change in rank: +4

32 / 50

#19. Louie

Rank in 2017: #19
Rank in 2016: #20
Change in rank: +1

33 / 50

#18. Zeus

Rank in 2017: #18
Rank in 2016: #19
Change in rank: +1

34 / 50

#17. Jax

Rank in 2017: #17
Rank in 2016: #17
Change in rank: 0

35 / 50

#16. Winston

Rank in 2017: #16
Rank in 2016: #22
Change in rank: +6

36 / 50

#15. Leo

Rank in 2017: #15
Rank in 2016: #16
Change in rank: +1

37 / 50

#14. Teddy

Rank in 2017: #14
Rank in 2016: #14
Change in rank: 0

38 / 50

#13. Milo

Rank in 2017: #13
Rank in 2016: #13
Change in rank: 0

39 / 50

#12. Bentley

Rank in 2017: #12
Rank in 2016: #12
Change in rank: 0

40 / 50

#11. Toby

Rank in 2017: #11
Rank in 2016: #9
Change in rank: -2

41 / 50

#10. Duke

Rank in 2017: #10
Rank in 2016: #8
Change in rank: -2

42 / 50

#9. Oliver

Rank in 2017: #9
Rank in 2016: #11
Change in rank: +2

43 / 50

#8. Tucker

Rank in 2017: #8
Rank in 2016: #10
Change in rank: +2

44 / 50

#7. Bear

Rank in 2017: #7
Rank in 2016: #7
Change in rank: 0

45 / 50

#6. Rocky

Rank in 2017: #6
Rank in 2016: #6
Change in rank: 0

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46 / 50

#5. Jack

Rank in 2017: #5
Rank in 2016: #5
Change in rank: 0

47 / 50

#4. Buddy

Rank in 2017: #4
Rank in 2016: #3
Change in rank: -1

48 / 50

#3. Cooper

Rank in 2017: #3
Rank in 2016: #4
Change in rank: +1

49 / 50

#2. Charlie

Rank in 2017: #2
Rank in 2016: #2
Change in rank: 0

50 / 50

#1. Max

Rank in 2017: #1
Rank in 2016: #1
Change in rank: 0

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