Gisborne Herald
  • Gisborne Herald Home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Gisborne
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Hawke's Bay

Media

  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Gisborne Herald

Gisborne’s most popular pet names: Luna overtakes Bella in top spot

Gisborne Herald
31 Oct, 2025 03:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Luna is the most popular pet name in Gisborne, as it is across the rest of the country, but Tofu made a surprise appearance at ninth in the region's most popular cat names.

Luna is the most popular pet name in Gisborne, as it is across the rest of the country, but Tofu made a surprise appearance at ninth in the region's most popular cat names.

The name Luna reigned supreme as the pet name of choice for Kiwis over the last year, including in Gisborne.

This week, the New Zealand Companion Animal Register (NZCAR) released the most popular pet names from the past year.

Luna was the most popular pet name across New Zealand for the seventh year in a row, topping the list in 14 out of 16 regions.

The top three most popular names in Gisborne were Luna, Bella and Buddy.

In 2024, Bella was Gisborne’s most popular pet name, while Luna was placed third.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Luna and Bella are in first and second place respectively on the all-time top 10 pet names recorded in Gisborne by NZCAR.

Luna may have been the country’s favourite pet name for the past seven years but Bella retains the crown as the most popular name overall, with more than 14,000 animals registered, compared with 13,000 for Luna.

NZCAR houses over 1.4 million animal microchip registrations and recorded more than 110,000 new animal registrations in the past year alone.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

NZCAR manager Sarah Clements said regional data revealed a “fun and creative streak” when it came to naming pets.

Some of the more “distinctive” names noted by NZCAR included Tofu in Gisborne, which was the ninth most popular name for cats over the last year in the region.

“While some names never go out of fashion, what we love seeing each year is the imagination and affection that shines through in how people name their animals,” said Clements.

“The names people choose can give us a fascinating glimpse into what’s capturing Kiwis’ hearts and minds – from pop culture trends to local icons.

“It’s also fantastic to see so many pet owners ensuring their animals’ microchips are registered on the NZCAR, helping them to be easily reunited if they’re ever separated.”

There was a noticeable rise in pets named Ozzy following the death of “Prince of Darkness” Ozzy Osborne.

The influence of stage and screen was strong with:

  • Six Elphaba and four Glinda (after Wicked) 
  • 77 Bluey, 40 Bingo, 104 Chilli and 118 Bandit (from Bluey) 
  • 95 Maverick, 98 Goose and eight Rooster (from Top Gun) 
  • 50 Thor and 273 Loki (from the Marvel universe).

The use of te reo Māori names is also on the rise, with registrations including:

  • 191 Tūī 
  • 34 Kiwi 
  • 24 Kea 
  • 13 Ruru 
  • 15 Koru 
  • 18 Kōwhai 
  • 16 Aroha 

Top pet names Gisborne

  1. Luna
  2. Bella
  3. Buddy
  4. Max
  5. Molly
  6. Nala
  7. Archie
  8. Belle
  9. Billy
  10. Bonnie

Top dog names Gisborne

  1. Bella
  2. Buddy
  3. Max
  4. Molly
  5. Archie
  6. Belle
  7. Bonnie
  8. Bruno
  9. King
  10. Luke

Top cat names Gisborne

  1. Luna
  2. Coco
  3. Daisy
  4. Harley
  5. Mischief
  6. Nala
  7. Alem
  8. Scout
  9. Tofu
  10. Wednesday

Top pet names nationwide

  1. Luna
  2. Milo
  3. Charlie
  4. Daisy
  5. Bella
  6. Coco
  7. Poppy
  8. Nala
  9. Willow
  10. Molly
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Gisborne Herald

Gisborne Herald

'Rewarding': School principal retires after 38-year career

31 Oct 03:39 AM
Gisborne Herald

Veterans honoured at Gisborne remembrance service

31 Oct 02:00 AM
Gisborne Herald

No serious injury after car hits building in Gisborne

31 Oct 12:33 AM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Gisborne Herald

'Rewarding': School principal retires after 38-year career
Gisborne Herald

'Rewarding': School principal retires after 38-year career

'As I step away, I know the school is in good hands.'

31 Oct 03:39 AM
Veterans honoured at Gisborne remembrance service
Gisborne Herald

Veterans honoured at Gisborne remembrance service

31 Oct 02:00 AM
No serious injury after car hits building in Gisborne
Gisborne Herald

No serious injury after car hits building in Gisborne

31 Oct 12:33 AM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Gisborne Herald
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Gisborne Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP