While some dog parents make fairly conventional choices when it comes to naming their pets, others prefer more original monikers. A major source of inspiration is popular culture, with pets increasingly being named after characters from films, television series, and video games.

“Fido” and “Lassie” are out: the trend in dog naming is to be original, according to the latest report on the subject from the petcare website Rover.

Dog parents want to give their furballs a unique character by giving them names that reflect their passions and interests. This year, the top dog names in the United States are “Charlie” for a male and “Luna” for a female.

Fans of children’s literature may have picked up on the references to Roald Dahl’s children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, and Luna Lovegood, the eccentric witch created by J K Rowling in the “Harry Potter” saga.

Unsurprisingly, the huge success of the Greta Gerwig-directed “Barbie” movie has inspired doggo lovers: “Ken” is trending up 79%, while “Barb” is up 12%. “Allan”, “Barbie” and “Greta” also show up, the report observes.

Video games also give rise to dog names – many pooches in the US were christened “Princess Peach” this year, in tribute to the character from Nintendo’s “Mario” franchise.

And music, too, is giving dog owners ideas. Americans are feeling nostalgic, it seems, having opted for names that refer to the leading singers of the ’90s.

Their favourites? “Alanis” – of Morissette fame – and “Ginger Spice” from the Spice Girls!