Nationwide fetches the top nominees for Wacky Pet Names

If you have ever brought a new pet into your life, then you know the art of naming them is highly personal. Some find inspirations from sports, a favorite city, or even pop culture, while others might quickly land on a quirky trait. Nationwide Pet Insurance’s annual Wacky Pet Names campaign celebrates the silly names given to newly enrolled pets. Some of this year’s contenders include: Billy Dog Thorton, Kirkland Signature Brand, and Ferret Bueller.   

Voting for the wackiest dog, cat and exotic pet names is open April 15-19, 2025 at petinsurance.com/wackypetnames. Cast your vote from the pet’s profile page—you can vote once daily for each category.  If voting buttons don't appear, please clear your browser history and refresh the page.  

This year’s nominees include dogs and cats as well a pot belly pig, hedgehog, snake, guinea pig, rat, parrot, conure, rabbit, and ferrets. A winner for each category among dogs, cats and exotic will be announced on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.  

Pet naming tips from previous Wacky Pet Winners  

• Think outside the box—use human names, character names. Inspiration comes when you least expect it.  
• Don’t be scared if you don’t have a perfect name for them the day that you bring them home, wait to see what their personality brings. 
• For many, a good go-to for pets is to have cute food names, but you should also consider things that are within pop culture that you like that might get a reaction. 
• Don’t stick to one right off the bat, explore different options and let your pet’s personality figure some of it. 

 To explore pet health insurance coverage for dogs, cats and many avian or exotic pets, visit petinsurance.com. 

The pets with the most votes in each category will each receive a professional photo shoot with their pet and a Purr & Mutt gift card. See Official Rules—Wacky Pet Names