Luna has overtaken Charlie as Christchurch's favourite dog name in 2026.
Christchurch City Council’s latest registration data shows a mix of classic favourites and human names. This year 421 Lunas were registered with the council, while Charlie was a close second with 420 dogs sporting the name.
Poppy was next with 394 and the ever-popular Bella rounds out the top four with 390 pooches.
Ruby (342) Daisy (338) Max (326) Molly (300) Frankie (288) and Archie (284) round out the top 10.
Food names are surprisingly popular with 73 Basils, 56 Cookies, 24 Tacos and five dogs called sausage.
And it seems dogs with very human names are also popular. Christchurch has 30 dogs called Kevin, 24 Trevors,15 Garys and 25 Colins.
When it comes to dog breeds labradors dominated the list with 5026 registered, ahead of the second-placed Staffordshire Bull Terrier on 2,964
Border Collie (2,606), Golden Retriever (1,843) and Miniature Schnauzer (1,548) round out the top five.
Working and farm dogs are strongly represented, with 2606 border collies and 1270 huntaways featuring.
While poodles are more popular collectively than many people might expect.
Miniature poodle (659) toy poodle (596) standard poodle (350) together they total 1,605 dogs, which would place them among the most popular breed groups overall.
Corgis are having a moment. Combined, the Welsh Pembroke Corgi (74) and Welsh Cardigan Corgi (52) total 126 dogs, narrowly edging out Yorkshire Terriers (127).
There are some very rare breeds with just one registered dog, including the Bolognese, Eurasier, Pumi, Sussex Spaniel, Tenterfield Terrier, Great Swiss Mountain Dog, and Korea Jindo.
Animal Services Manager Lionel Bridger said it’s always interesting seeing what people call their best friend.
“The top few names tend to stay the same but it’s great seeing the more creative names people give their dogs.
“I think some people struggle to pick a name because we have a few dogs called, Boy, Big Boy or Good Girl.”
Lionel said whether it's a Labrador called Luna, a Border Collie called Scout or a tiny dog with a larger-than-life name, the diversity of names and breeds shows there really is a dog for everyone in Christchurch.
"Dogs are an important part of many Christchurch households, and this data offers a light-hearted snapshot of the pets that bring so much companionship, fun and character to our communities."