Labrador Retriever Top Dog in U.S. for 25 Years

If you have a yellow Labrador retriever named Max or Bella you have one of the most common dogs in the United States, according to the American Kennel Club.

Labrador retrievers have officially been America’s favorite dog breed for a quarter of a century, according to ranking released by the AKC Monday. The AKC also released lists of most the popular colors by breed and most common dog names in 2015.

Labs were first registered by the AKC in 1917 and gained popularity through the 1920s and 1930s. The good-natured dogs became a family favorite and starred in film classics such as “Old Yeller.”

German shepherds have come in second place on the AKC list for the past several years and golden retrievers have held a steady third place.

French bulldogs made an impressive leap from 11th most popular breed in the U.S. in 2013 to sixth in 2015. Frenchies are also the most popular dog breed in New York City.

Most popular dog breeds from highest to lowest: Labs; German shepherds; golden retrievers; bulldogs; beagles; French bulldogs; Yorkshire terriers; poodles; Rottweilers; and boxers.

See the full list of rankings >>>

Among the least popular dogs were English foxhounds in 184th place, harriers in 183rd place and Norwegian lundehunds in 182nd place.

The AKC found some interesting trends in dog names across the country. According to the registry data the percentage of owners that gave their dogs “human” names more than doubled from 21 percent to 49 percent between 2014 and 2015.

Popular dog names appeared to link closely with pop culture. In 2015, there was a rise in dog names from “The Hunger Games” (Effie, Prim, Katniss and Cinna), “Harry Potter” (Luna, Harry and Dobby) and “Star Wars” (Chewbacca, Chewie, Luke and Leia).

In 2014, dogs were more likely to be named after characters from “Twilight” or “The Walking Dead.”

Six percent of all dog names on the list were food or drink-related, including “Ginger, Pepper, Guinness and Brandy,” according to the AKC.

Most popular male dog names in 2015: Max; Charlie; Buddy; Copper; Jack; Rocky; Toby; Duke; Bear; and Tucker.

Most popular female dog names in 2015: Bella; Lucy; Daisy; Molly; Lola; Sadie; Maggie; Sophie; Chloe; and Bailey.

See the full list of most popular dog names >>>

Photo via Flickr