Naming your pooch? Bella is area’s top dog

When Emily Halpin adopted her playful black pit bull-labrador mix from a shelter, the Hilliard resident decided to keep the name workers there gave her: Bella.

“We thought it was best not to change it so we did not confuse her,” the 31-year-old said.

It happened to be about the same time as when the “Twilight” movies came out, and Halpin thinks that the name probably was inspired by that of the series’ main character.

It also happens to be the most popular dog name in Franklin County this year — and for the past five years running. Out of 89,000 active dog licenses, 1,427 dogs are named Bella, according to the Franklin County Auditor’s office.

Second on the list is Lucy, with Max in third. Rounding out the top 10 dog names are Daisy, Charlie, Buddy, Sadie, Bailey, Maggie and Molly.

As might be expected, Ohio State University has inspired the names of many dogs. Popular names on the list included Brutus, Buckeye, Bosa, Beanie and Tressel. Emily Halpin of Hilliard adopted Bella, which has the most popular canine name in Franklin County.

1. Bella 2. Lucy 3. Max 4. Daisy 5. Charlie

6. Buddy 7. Sadie 8. Bailey 9. Maggie 10. Molly

There also are names stemming from the state of Ohio — including Bexley, Linden and Cleveland — and some that were drawn from pop culture, such as Oprah, Thanos, Scooby and Snoopy.

Others truly were one of a kind. Only one dog in all of Franklin County had the name of Lord Chess. Ditto for Sir Oreo and Ms Wiggles.

Alexis Mcdaniel, marketing manager of Columbus Humane, suggests naming a dog with something it will easily recognize, and avoiding a name that sounds too close to simple commands. “Joe,” for example, isn’t ideal because it sounds similar to “no.”

“Dogs tend to respond better to names with one or two syllables,” Mcdaniel said.

Andrew Kohn, the community relations director at Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center, said a dog’s name should reflect its personality, but it also should have personal meaning to the owner. Kohn has three dogs: Grover (his child named the pet), Auggie (named after the breed of the dog) and Bob Evans (reflecting that his family lives near a farm).

The shelter once named a dog Banana Bread, which received mixed reactions from visitors who either said they loved the name or thought it was crazy.

“It’s all about finding the right name that works for you,” Kohn said. “It doesn't matter what other people think about it.”