Koko ranks #314 with 373 entries and is one of the more sonically distinctive picks on the lower-mid chart. The repeated K-K shape gives it instant recall, and the gender-neutral classification reflects how owners pick it equally for males, females, and the genuinely-not-saying.
The famous-namesake question
Most American owners associate Koko with the gorilla who learned sign language (1971-2018), and that connection lends the name a quiet, gentle, intelligent register. A smaller cluster references Koko Taylor, the blues singer, or the Japanese reading of the name (here, child). The animal-namesake connection is strongest for primate-adjacent picks: small monkey-faced breeds like Affenpinschers, Brussels Griffons, and short-faced cats.
Sound fit and breed lean
Two identical syllables (KO-ko), hard stop on both. The doubled consonant gives the name a percussive recall that cuts through park noise effectively. Pomeranians and small fluffy breeds wear it especially well, and the name reads as toy-sized by default unless deliberately placed on a larger dog.
The cute-name ceiling
Worth flagging: Koko sits firmly in cute-name territory, and that limits how seriously it reads on a 90-pound Shepherd or a working dog. Owners who want flexibility across life stages sometimes pair it with a more formal middle name. The Koko entry shows the gender-neutral split clearly, with no single owner segment dominating the cluster.