MAX KING OF DOG NAMES IN SAN FRANCISCO STUDY.

Byline: Associated Press 

It used to be that dogs were named based on a physical or personality trait. Hence Spot or Rover.

Those days are over, according to a computer analysis conducted by the San Francisco Examiner.

Of 12,706 dogs registered in San Francisco, 137 share the most common name - Max. In fact, most of the top 10 names, for both male and female dogs, are suitable for humans, too. Among them: Buddy, Sam, Rocky, Lucy, Molly, Maggie, Buster, Toby and Barney.

``It may seem silly to get into discussing pet names, but it tells you a lot,'' said Leonard Ashley, an English professor at Brooklyn College who studies names. ``It's not trivia. It's human behavior. Mankind names things - and names show the psychology behind it all.''

Exactly what that psychology reveals is up for debate.

Some suggest that people are beginning to view their pets as family members. And Ashley points out that the rise in leash laws is what's put a choke on Rover, while a decline in Latin students has dampened enthusiasm for Fido (Latin for faithful). San Francisco had just five Rovers and one Fido.

One undisputed fact: Dogs who bite are most often named Rocky. According to health department statistics compiled from 1994 to 1997, seven bites were perpetrated by a Rocky. Next were Mugsy, Max and Zeke, each with six bites.