Tennessee pet owners honor local legends in Rover’s 2025 trending names report

In 2025, pet-sitting and pet-care site Rover released its annual “Trending Pet Names” report and found that Tennesseans are naming their animals after local icons, including former Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt and football great Peyton Manning, with names such as Summit and Manning appearing among pet names in the state. The Yahoo report on the findings highlighted how local culture is shaping pet-name choices.

What the list shows about local identity

The Rover report, released in 2025, highlights how pet owners in Tennessee are drawing personal and regional meaning into the names they choose. The report specifically points to Tennessee legends as inspirations, and lists pet names that echo those figures — for example, Summit for a dog, in tribute to Pat Summitt, and Manning for a dog, inspired by Peyton Manning. The report also noted Willie as a cat name appearing in the state’s trends.

Reporter Allison Kiehl of the Tennessee Connect Team covered the findings for Yahoo, situating the Rover analysis within the state’s ongoing affection for its sports and cultural figures. Her coverage explains how these names surfaced in Rover’s regional data and what they suggest about local naming preferences.

Examples from the Tennessee list

Among the animals called out in the state-level trends are Summit (dog), Manning (dog) and Willie (cat). Those specific names — taken directly from the Rover data as reported in 2025 — reflect how personal admiration, family tradition and regional pride can become part of pet identity in Tennessee.

Rover’s broader analysis of trending pet names across regions helps explain where and how particular names gain traction. The company compiles names from pet profiles and bookings on its platform, then identifies regional patterns that point to cultural touchstones. For readers interested in the methodology and national patterns, the Rover report offers additional context and examples beyond Tennessee.

Local icons in pet-name form

Pat Summitt, named in the Rover report as a source of inspiration for the dog name Summit, is one of the most celebrated coaches in women’s college basketball history. Summitt led the University of Tennessee Lady Vols to multiple national championships and retired with 1,098 career wins — a stat that helps explain why her legacy still resonates across the state.

Peyton Manning, another clear touchstone, enjoyed a Hall of Fame career as an NFL quarterback and brought national attention to Tennessee during his time with the Tennessee Titans and later as an ambassador for the sport. Naming a dog Manning signals admiration for athletic achievement and a fondness for home-team heroes.

Willie, appearing as a cat name in Rover’s Tennessee data, could reflect multiple inspirations: country music legends like Willie Nelson, local community figures named Willie, or simply a classic, friendly name that fits a mellow cat. The report doesn’t assign motives, but the recurrence of these names points to shared cultural references.

How name choices play out in real life

In shelters and rescue groups across Tennessee, volunteers often see naming trends mirror the wider community. Adoption events around sporting milestones or university homecomings sometimes inspire themed names — a litter adopted the week of a Lady Vols anniversary might produce a Summit or Pat-themed pup, while kittens found near a stadium tailgate could be christened Manning as a nod to gameday spirit.

Pet owners also bring family traditions into naming. A dog named Manning might be a nod to a grandfather’s love for football; a cat named Willie could be tied to a grandparent’s old vinyl collection. Those private associations make a pet’s name simultaneously personal and public.

Practical advice for naming a pet

If you’re thinking of honoring a local figure when you name a new pet, a few practical tips can help. Keep the name short and distinct — one or two syllables typically work best for training and recall. Test how the name sounds when called in a loud, excited tone as well as in a calm voice.

Avoid names that sound too similar to common commands (for example, “Kit” and “Sit”) and consider how the name will appear on veterinary records and microchip registrations. Search online to make sure the name doesn’t carry unintended connotations, and think about nicknames your family might use.

For rescue pets, some shelters recommend waiting a few days before settling on a permanent name. That allows the animal’s personality to emerge — sometimes the perfect name presents itself in the way a dog wags or a cat behaves when it feels comfortable.

What the trends mean for communities and commerce

These naming patterns have ripple effects beyond conversation. Local pet shops, groomers and merchandisers sometimes create commemorative collars, bandanas and tags that reference popular names and local heroes. Social media also amplifies the trend: owners sharing photos of Summit or Manning wearing a university-colored bandana can spark viral attention and reinforce the connection between pets and place.

Local journalists and community groups have taken notice, using the Rover findings to tell stories about identity, fandom and the small rituals that bind people to place. The Knoxville News Sentinel and other outlets echoed the Rover data while adding local anecdotes from shelters and pet owners.

What to look for next

Rover’s annual trending names reports provide a recurring look at how pet-name fashions evolve. While the 2025 Tennessee results emphasized Summitt- and Manning-inspired choices, future reports will show whether the same local references persist, fade or are replaced by new influences. Readers interested in tracking those shifts can consult Rover’s published list and regional write-ups for successive years.

As the practice of naming pets after regional figures continues, these choices offer a small but telling reflection of local culture and personal affection. Whether a pet is a dog named Summit, a dog named Manning, or a cat named Willie, the names reveal ties between owners, place and personality — and occasionally make for a good story at the neighborhood dog park.

Source

Original reporting: view the original article.

The Rover report and local coverage together show how Tennesseans continue to celebrate state figures through the everyday, affectionate act of naming their pets.