Here are the most popular dog breeds of 2023, according to the AKC

By FOX TV Digital Team
Published  March 20, 2024 11:02am EDT
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AKC top dog: French Bulldog knocks off Labrador Retriever for most popular breed | LiveNOW from FOX

After three decades, the French Bulldog has beat out Labrador Retriever for the most popular dog breed, according to the AKC's rankings. Brandi Hunter Munden with the American Kennel Club joined LiveNOW's Lexie Petrovic to discuss the rise in interest in Frenchies.

French bulldogs, more affectionately known as "frenchies," have topped the list as the most popular dog breed in America for the second year in a row, according to the American Kennel Club. 

The AKC released its 2023 dog breed rankings Wednesday, confirming that the frenchie has held its lead and toppled labrador retrievers’ 31-year-reign as the most popular dog in the U.S. 

The AKC said 98,500 French bulldogs were registered last year, after a whopping 108,000 in 2022.

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"Part of the French Bulldog’s appeal is their playful, smart, and adaptable nature. They’re easy to bring anywhere, and great companions for a variety of lifestyles," AKC said on its website. 

A 4 and a half-year-old French bulldog named Pier. French bulldogs were named the most popular dog breed in the US in 2023, according to the American Kennel Club (Photo by Omer Taha Cetin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

You’ll want to take these stats with a grain of salt: Registration is voluntary, the AKC releases few raw numbers, and the popularity rankings measure only the club's roughly 200 recognized breeds. 

They don't include doodles, other deliberate hybrids or everyday mixed-breed dogs, though those can be registered as "all-American dogs" for such sports as agility and obedience.

Most popular dog breeds of 2023

Here are the top 20 most popular dog breeds in the U.S., according to the American Kennel Club. 

A 4 and a half-year-old French bulldog named 'Pier.' French bulldogs were named the most popular dog breed in the US in 2023, according to the American Kennel Club (Photo by Omer Taha Cetin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
SILVER SPRING, MD.MARCH 11: Archie the Labrador retriever catches some rays in a sunny spot in columnist John Kelly's back yard. The dog seems to favor the only spot that has produced a daffodil so far this spring. Hopefully, more are on the way. (John Kelly/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
JERSEY CITY, NJ - JUNE 16: A man sits with his golden retriever dog in front of the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building as the sun sets in New York City on June 16, 2023, in Jersey City, New Jersey.  (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW PRESENTED BY PURINA -- 2023  -- Pictured: (l-r) 2023 National Dog Show Herding Group Winner, German Shepherd named "Heathcliff"; Lenny Brown, Handler -- (Photo by: Bill McCay/NBC via Getty Images)
La Habra Heights, CA - June 07:  Janice Slattery votes in the California primary election as her poodles, Randy and Trucker-T, wait at The Park in La Habra Heights Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Stevenson Ranch , CA - July 12: Rylee and husband Coleman Vanderhorst's 10-month-old mini dachshund Oakley McQueen Vanderhorst will be competing at the 26th running of the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals at Los Alamitos Race Course on Saturday, July 15, 2023.  (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
ODINTSOVO, RUSSIA - 2024/02/17: The English bulldog is comfortably placed in the trunk of a Mini Cooper during a flash mob. Fans of the Mini Cooper brand in Moscow and the region joined the international flash mob "I LOVE MINI" for the ninth time. (Photo by Alexander Sayganov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 20: Melanie D.G. Kaplan, scratches the belly of Hammy, her 13-year-old beagle, at home in Washington, DC on April 20, 2023. (Photo by Shuran Huang for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 21:  A Rottweiler, the 8th most popular breed of 2016, is shown at The American Kennel Club Reveals The Most Popular Dog Breeds Of 2016 at AKC Canine Retreat on March 21, 2017 in New York City.  (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 15:  Carlee, a German Shorthaired Pointer, is posed for photographers after winning the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show's Best In Show award at Madison Square Garden February 15, 2005 in New York City.  (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
  1. French Bulldog
  2. Labrador Retriever
  3. Golden Retriever
  4. German Shepherd Dog
  5. Poodle
  6. Dachshund
  7. Bulldog
  8. Beagle
  9. Rottweiler
  10. German Shorthaired Pointer
  11. Pembroke Welsh Corgi
  12. Australian Shepherd
  13. Yorkshire Terrier
  14. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  15. Doberman Pinscher
  16. Cane Corso
  17. Miniature Schnauzer
  18. Boxer
  19. Great Dane
  20. Shih Tzu

The AKC says there’s been some movement in the top 10 from 2022 to 2023. Dachshunds are up three spots, while rottweilers and bulldogs went down two spots and one spot, respectively. 

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The beagle and German shorthaired pointer maintained their ranks year-over-year. 

Less popular breeds that went up in the 2023 rankings include the papillion, the great pyrenees, the basenji and the Finnish lapphund. 

Least popular dog breeds

A five year old Sloughi is introduced during the 2017 Westminster Kennel Club Meet The Breeds at Madison Square Garden on January 30, 2017 in New York City.  (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

The five least popular of the 200 AKC breeds were: 

196. Azawakh

197. Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen

198. Norwegian Lundehund

199. English Foxhound

200. Sloughi

The Norwegian lundehund was the least popular breed in 2021, but it has since moved up in the ranks.