Anime Characters Dominate Top Trending Pet Names of 2026
The top-trending dog and cat names in the United States are dominated by anime characters from franchises such as KPop Demon Hunters and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. Characters from The Odyssey and Star Wars: Andor also made the cut.
Names derived from movies and TV shows were the third highest trend in US pet names behind the categories of cottagecore and vintage revival, according to Rover.
The site reveals the top two trending dog names of 2026 are Rumi (KPop Demon Hunters) and Lumi (Lumi and the Great Big Galaxy).
Among dogs, Rover’s top trending movie/TV pet names are Telemachus (The Odyssey), Kleya (Andor), Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights), Fiyero (Wicked: For Good) and Jinu (KPop Demon Hunters).
The top five trending names for cats are Giyu (Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle), Shinobu (Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle), Jinu (KPop Demon Hunters), Derpy (KPop Demon Hunters), and Nessa (Wicked: For Good).
“New names inspired by the big screen this year include Dek (from Predator: Badlands), Reze (from Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc) and Slurp (from Wednesday) for dogs. New for cats are Kamek (from The Super Mario Bros. Movie), Kleya (from Andor) and Makima (from Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc),” according to Rover.
For more anime coverage, find out the latest on the KPop Demon Hunters movie sequel and read up on why Obsession star Inde Navarrette studied Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer to learn screenwriting.
What’s your pet’s name? Let us know in the comments.