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If you are looking for inspiration to name a pet rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, mouse or reptile, here are some choices that were popular in 2015 - some of which are firm favourites year after year.
RABBITS 
Rabbits are often named for appearance and behaviour, such as Floppy, Flopsy, Snowball, Happy, Hoppy/Hoppity, Patches, Fluffy, Marshmallow, Ginger, Thumper, Bouncer, Speedy, Nibbles, Honey/Honey Bunny and Snuggle. Famous rabbits are another option, Bugs Bunny, Cottontail, Energizer Bunny, Peter Rabbit, Rabbit (the character from Winnie the Pooh), Roger Rabbit and the White Rabbit.
When it comes to others making it on to popularity lists, it seems some letters are preferred over others, for example, Bs as in Bambi, Barbie, Basil, Bella, Big Boy, Big-Ears, Binky, Bluebell, Boo Boo, Buddy, Bun Bun, Bunnicula, Bunzilla and Buttercup.
Ps and Cs also score highly: Panda, Peaches, Peanut, Penny, Pickles, Pinky, Pippin, Pookie, Poppy, Prince, Princess and Pumpkin, and Caesar, Champion, Charlie, Chewbacca, Clover, Cocoa, Coffee, Cola, Cookie, Cosmo, Cupid and Cutiepie.
GUINEA PIGS AND HAMSTERS 
The naming trend with these small pets includes ones that describe appearance and behavioural traits, such as Fuzzball, Teddy and Fluffy, but there are also a number of creative names.
For example, topping one creative name list is Caviar or Cavy for a guinea pig. The name is inspired by the scientific name for this animal, Cavia porcellus. Not surprisingly, another making the same list is Porky, a play on Porcellus, with another being Sir Pigglesworth.
Guineazilla is another choice, referring to this rodent's giant ancestor, the Phoberomys pattersoni, which, according to research, may have stood as tall as three metres, weighing in at a hefty 700kg. This ancestor could also be the inspiration for modern names such as Patterson, Soni and Romy.

Breeds of guinea pigs and hamsters with longer fur that seem a bit "mad scientist" in appearance have led to Einstein and Doc, being top choices, and this wild-haired appearance could inspire some owners to opt for Boris (Boris Johnson), Donald (Donald Trump) or even Hong Kong legislator Leung Kwok-hung, aka Long Hair. Celebrity pun names include the Gwen Stefani fan who came up with Guinea Stefani.
Hamlet is a favourite for hamsters, with the association being obvious, and guinea pigs with the association being that ham comes from pigs, despite them not being related to swine.
Royal monikers can be a fun choice. These are often behaviour-based and have associated short forms, such as Nipsey (short for Sir Nips-a-Lot) and Scratchy (short for Sir Scratch-A-Lot).
Both hamsters and guinea pigs can easily become overweight, so Jabba, as in the Star Wars character, Jabba the Hutt, is chosen by some owners, who hopefully are seeking professional advice to trim down these overweight pets.
MICE
Owners of mice consider these rodents to be cute and this is often reflected in their choice of name, such as Honey, Dewdrop, Binky, Dinky, Pickle, Tickles and Nibbles. Others that are popular include Angel, Jack, Spot, Oreo, Biscuit, Chomper and, not surprisingly, the most famous of animated mice, Mickey, Minnie and Jerry, as in Tom and Jerry.

REPTILES 
When it comes to names for pet reptiles, top choices for snakes are often linked to the mythology and literature that feature them, so this can be a good starting point for ideas. Owners may also take into consideration the size of the snake. For example, large snakes tend to have imposing names, such as Asmodeus, Hydra, Kraken, Ouroboros, Nagini and Titanoboa.
Mid-size snakes seem to attract cuter names, such as Coils, Linguine, Noodles, Squiggles and Worm. Popular names for small snakes feature a mix of mythical, historical, literature and behaviour-driven names. These include Cleopatra, Medusa, Gorgon, Slytherin, Snape, Striker, Sir Hiss and Rumplesnakeskin.
LIZARDS 
Top names for lizards are often related to mythical lizards and dragons. For bigger lizards, there is Godzilla, Pendragon, Reptar and Sharptooth, and for the smaller ones, Dragonbait, Rango, Speedy Gonzales, Izzy and Littlefoot. Other names being chosen are Abraxas, Claws, Draco, Kimono, Puff, Raptor and Spike.
TURTLES AND TORTOISES 
The names making the charts rhyme with turtle, such as Myrtle, Squirtle and Yurtle, while others reveal a pop culture or literature tie-in, such as Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo after the Mutant Ninja Turtles. Other more obvious choices are Slider and Scarlett (red-ear slider), Speedy and Racer (tongue-in-cheek) for the slow movers, Peek-a-Boo (for the shy types), Hare (hare and tortoise) and Snappy and Monstro (for tiny ones). 
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Stuck for a pet name? Here's a little inspiration

Pet owners can have lots of fun naming their pets. Photos: Thinkstock

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Stuck for a pet name? Here's a little inspiration

Felix Paige