Squarely built and carefully clipped, Deborah Donovan's 45-pound black standard poodle has been known to turn a few heads on the sidewalk.

So many that Donovan and her husband, Joe, couldn't help but name their pet Radar.

"He's our Romeo." Donovan said. "He's a magnet for human beings."

The Ellicott City couple, who "didn't want a typical name" for their dog, chose one shared by only two other registered pooches in Howard County: a mixed-breed and a sheep dog.

But had they chosen to call their poodle Max, they might have been disappointed to hear that 115 other owners had the same name in mind.

A database analysis of Howard's 8,629 registered dogs with current licenses shows Max at the top of the list, followed by Molly, Maggie and Buddy (which tied for third) and Shadow.

Labrador retrievers and mixed-breed dogs tend to be most popular, followed by German shepherds and beagles.

Of the county's 2,354 licensed cats, Shadow and Tiger are on top, followed closely by Tigger, Smokey and Molly.

Howard's name bank of registered pets, a mix of the popular - and most unusual - dog and cat names, shows many people are leaving behind old standbys like Spot, Rover and Socks.

"People often name pets after people who are important to them, [and] after places." said George Greenfield, author of The Complete Book of Pet Names. "But I think the most important thing to finding a name is when it resonates with you."

Elkridge resident David Cunningham, who owns three cats and a beagle-Doberman mix named Jasmine, said he makes sure the names he chooses properly suit his animals.

He said he calls one cat D'Artagnan, after the character in The Three Musketeers, because the feline is fearless.

"My wife and I let our pets' personalities name themselves." Cunningham said. "I just like to have the name fit the being. It's more aesthetic that way."

Even before Mike Irwin picked up his stout English bulldog from the breeder, Irwin said his wife had the perfect name in mind: Rocky.

"In the [Sylvester Stallone] movie, Rocky had a bulldog. So we just called him Rocky." said Irwin, an Ellicott City resident. 'Actually, he's getting a sister' in a few weeks.

What will Irwin call the family's new white bulldog?

"Adrian ." he said, smiling, after Rocky's girlfriend and wife.

Sometimes, pet owners can't seem to put their fingers on why they chose a particular name.

Paul Guillet of Ellicott City can't explain why his wife chose Abby for the couple's 18-month-old golden retriever mix. But 23 other dog owners in Howard County had the same idea.

"We went to the computer" for suggestions, Guillet said. "As soon as she saw "Abby," she said, "That will be it."'

Nor can Ellicott City resident Carol Johnson say why she chose to call her 15-month-old Akita-Labrador mix Sadie.

"Just popped into my head." Johnson said, "And it worked."

Some believe the move toward more "human" names - such as Abby and Sadie - suggests that people are thinking of their pets as family.

California-based Veterinary Pet Insurance recently analyzed a database of more than 220,000 names for dogs, cats, hamsters, birds and others to find the most common names.

VPI's list of top male names includes Max, Buddy, Jake, Rocky and Bailey, and for females, Molly, Maggie, Daisy, Lucy and Sadie.

"You still have Spot, Sparky and Spunky." said VPI spokes woman Michelle Desai. But "we feel as though people are treating their pets as part of the family."