Smokey ranks at #175 with 588 entries, and the name does the same descriptor-by-color work that Cocoa does, only with a different palette. Owners reach for Smokey when the animal arrives gray or with a smudgy dark coat, and the name lands quickly after meeting them.
The gray-coat naming convention
Smokey clusters with Shadow, Ash, and Storm — names that all describe gray-to-charcoal coats from slightly different angles. Smokey reads as the warmest of the four, with a friendliness that Shadow and Storm lack. That warmth is part of why the name lands disproportionately on cats, where the gray-tabby pattern is so common, and on Weimaraners and gray-coated mixed breeds.
One counter-reading: Smokey Robinson, Smokey Bear (the US Forest Service mascot since 1944), and Smokey from Friday are real cultural anchors that a subset of owners reach for explicitly. The Smokey Bear connection in particular shapes a small but identifiable cluster of owners who pick the name for golden-brown bears-of-a-dog rather than for the gray-coat register.
Spelling variants and search behavior
Smokey and Smoky are both used, with Smokey being more common in pet naming and Smoky more common as the adjective. Both spellings end up at the same dog. The name does not cross meaningfully to baby naming, which is consistent with most color-descriptor pet names and keeps the pet-naming slot uncomplicated. The two-syllable shape (SMOH-kee) reads warmly and projects well across distance, which makes it a practical pick as well as a literal one. Smokey works particularly well for senior pets where the gray has come in with age rather than being present from the start.