One of the most important decisions you’ll ever make in life is adopting an animal in need. But your new forever friend is going to need a name, and it can be tough to choose. Luckily, the world is full of creative people who think outside the box and offer inspiration to new pet parents.
‘Petfinder Names’ is a brilliant X (formerly Twitter) account that features some of the most unconventional and funny animal names ever found on ‘Petfinder,’ the popular pet adoption website. We’ve collected some of the best ones to make you smile. Scroll down for some heartwarming goodness and wit.
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‘Petfinder Names’ currently boasts a whopping 337.7k followers on X. The account has been amusing internet users on the social network by posting unconventional animal names for more than 4 years, since it was founded in April 2021.
If you’ve spotted an amusing pet name over on ‘Petfinder’ or a similar adoption site, you can send the ‘Petfinder Names’ team a message or email, and they might just end up featuring it.
Just needs to be buddies with the Certified Forklift Driver listed earlier
‘Petfinder’ is the largest online pet adoption website in North America. According to their website, they currently list over 250,000 adoptable pets from a whopping 11,000 shelters and rescue groups across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The site is continuously updated. Meanwhile, ‘Petfinder’ even allows you to get email notifications for when “new pets matching your search criteria are added to the site.”
During a previous in-depth interview, Bored Panda had reached out to Jea, the mastermind behind the brilliant ‘Petfinder Names’ social media project. Earlier, they told us all about the inspiration behind the account, its sudden popularity, as well as their thoughts on naming your pets.
What started as a “silly” idea soon went massively viral.
"I started this account as a silly little thing on the side. I spend so much time browsing Petfinder and started to see some hilarious names, and I thought they would be fun to share!" Jea told Bored Panda earlier.
"I figured I would get some followers and people who enjoyed it, but it has blown up exponentially!” They added that they thought that the surge of followers soon after creating the account was incredible.
Back then, Jea, the creator of ‘Petfinder Names,’ said that the most unusual animal name they’d stumbled upon was a cat by the name of Golfball Sized Hail. “But there are too many to count, and I'm sure they'll just keep getting weirder!" they said.
"My best advice in finding a unique name would be to literally just start writing down random things you see or identify. For example, my nickname for my cat is Dumptruck, and I intend on naming my next pet Chainsaw."
Based on data from Trusted Housesitters, the most popular cat names in 2025 are the following:
- Luna
- Charlie
- Lucy
- Bella
- Leo
- Oliver
- Max
- Lily
- Milo
- Loki
- Cleo
- Kitty
- Olive
- Willow
- Sophie
- Ollie
- Pepper
- Coco
- Shadow
- Gracie
- Oscar
- Chloe
- Rosie
- Jack
- Frankie
... Now I'm picturing someone stuffing this cutie into the filter compartment in a pitcher ...
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the top 10 most popular names for girl dogs in 2025 include:
- Luna
- Bella
- Daisy
- Lucy
- Ruby
- Willow
- Maggie
- Penny
- Nova
- Sadie
Meanwhile, AKC notes that the most popular boy dog names this year are:
- Max
- Hank
- Teddy
- Cooper
- Gus
- Bear
- Duke
- Maverick
- Charlie
- Finn
We can’t wait to hear your thoughts, Pandas! Once you’ve upvoted your favorite names and pet pics, let us know in the comments which ones made you laugh the most and why.
How did you decide on the names for your beloved pets? How did you decide which animal to rescue? What is the most creative pet name that you’ve ever heard? Let us know in the comments!
Baja blast has the blaze on it's nose, there's a blaze on the Baja blast logo.
I appreciate threads like this and encourage everyone to volunteer. If you can't donate or just drop off some kitty litter and food. Do something to help.
I once knew a cat named Cellar Door. I also had a cat called Scotia (as in Nova Scotia) just because I liked the sound of it.
Donnie Darko reference? “This famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the English language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, that Cellar Door is the most beautiful.”
Load More Replies...My first cat was called Jerry, it just seemed like a good idea at the time (I was 6, cut me some slack). My second was called Victoria after queen Victoria's eldest daughter who was also called Victoria but nicknamed Pússy. She also got called Lady Bogadilla de Bogs, because she loved to drink from the toilet.
I appreciate threads like this and encourage everyone to volunteer. If you can't donate or just drop off some kitty litter and food. Do something to help.
I once knew a cat named Cellar Door. I also had a cat called Scotia (as in Nova Scotia) just because I liked the sound of it.
Donnie Darko reference? “This famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the English language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, that Cellar Door is the most beautiful.”
Load More Replies...My first cat was called Jerry, it just seemed like a good idea at the time (I was 6, cut me some slack). My second was called Victoria after queen Victoria's eldest daughter who was also called Victoria but nicknamed Pússy. She also got called Lady Bogadilla de Bogs, because she loved to drink from the toilet.
