The "Twilight Phenomenon" strikes four-legged friends

(AFP/Ronaldo Schemidt)

"Bella" was 2009's most popular name for US dogs, according to a leading American pet insurer.

"Max," the most popular dog's name for six years running, was beaten to first place by the name "Bella", shared with the protagonist of the hit US vampire series Twilight. The survey of 475,000 pets, conducted by Veterinary Pet Insurance, the largest provider of pet insurance in America, showed that "Max" did remain the US's most popular cat name however.

"Chloe" took second place amongst the felines, with Bella the third most popular. Newcomer "Angel" bumped old favouite "Charlie" from the list altogether, whilst children's favorite "Tigger" dropped four places to number seven.

Top 10 Dog and Cat Names of 2009
Data from Veterinary Pet Insurance

Dogs

1. Bella
2. Max
3. Bailey
4. Lucy
5. Molly
6. Buddy
7. Maggie
8. Daisy
9. Chloe
10. Sophie

Cats

1. Max
2. Chloe
3. Bella
4. Oliver
5. Tiger
6. Smokey
7. Tigger
8. Lucy
9. Shadow
10. Angel