Abby ranks at #109 with 952 entries and is one of the most consistently friendly-coded female pet names in the rankings. There is almost no version of Abby that reads as serious or aristocratic. The name lands warm, casual, and slightly suburban — and that texture is exactly why owners pick it.
The diminutive register, female edition
Abby belongs to the same diminutive-affection family as Benny and Buddy, just on the female side. The -y ending is doing relationship work, not just naming work. Owners who reach for Abby usually want the dog to feel like family from the first utterance. The formal version (Abigail) almost never appears in pet rankings, which confirms that owners want the diminutive specifically.
One counter-reading: NCIS introduced a forensic specialist named Abby Sciuto in 2003, and the character ran through 2018. The show was consistently top-rated through that window, which gave the name a quiet ambient lift among adult viewers during their peak pet-adoption years. Most owners would not credit the show, but the timing fits.
The breed concentration is small-to-medium
Abby spreads across cocker spaniels, beagles, mixed breeds, and small terriers without concentrating tightly on any one. The breed distribution is broader than Bella's or Ella's, which fits the suburban-friendly texture of the name. Compare with the main pet rankings for adjacent picks.
The human Abigail has been a top-50 SSA baby name for decades. The Abigail baby name page shows the formal version's trajectory.