The French Bulldog holds the AKC's top spot for a fourth straight year as the most-registered breed in America.
Quick answer: 1. French Bulldog, 2. Labrador Retriever, 3. Golden Retriever, 4. German Shepherd Dog, 5. Dachshund, 6. Poodle, 7. Beagle, 8. Rottweiler, 9. German Shorthaired Pointer, 10. Bulldog.
Every year the American Kennel Club tallies purebred registrations across the country and publishes an ordered list of America's most popular dog breeds. This is that ranking for 2025: the ten breeds that dominate the AKC registry, from the reigning French Bulldog down to the Bulldog. The AKC releases only rank order — not raw per-breed registration counts — so this list follows the club's published ranks exactly. It's a snapshot of what dogs Americans are actually registering right now, useful for anyone curious about breed trends, weighing a new companion, or tracking how the perennial favorites keep shuffling near the top.
The AKC's most-registered breed in 2025, its fourth consecutive year at No. 1 after overtaking the Labrador Retriever in 2022. Compact, low-exercise, and apartment-friendly, it has ridden a wave of urban demand to the top of the registry.
The Lab held the AKC's No. 1 spot for a record 31 consecutive years before the French Bulldog overtook it, and it has settled at No. 2 in both 2024 and 2025. Its all-around temperament keeps it a fixture near the summit.
The Golden Retriever held steady at No. 3 from 2024 to 2025, unchanged in the AKC popularity rankings.
A longtime fixture near the top of the AKC rankings, the German Shepherd held its No. 4 position from 2024 to 2025.
The Dachshund rose from No. 6 to No. 5 in 2025, pushing the Poodle out of the top five.
The Poodle slipped from No. 5 to No. 6 in 2025, leaving the top five after trading places with the Dachshund.
The Beagle held its No. 7 position from 2024 to 2025, unchanged in the AKC popularity rankings.
The Rottweiler held steady at No. 8 from 2024 to 2025 in the AKC rankings.
The German Shorthaired Pointer rose from No. 10 to No. 9 in 2025, swapping places with the Bulldog.
The Bulldog slipped from No. 9 to No. 10 in 2025, swapping places with the German Shorthaired Pointer.
| # | Name | breedGroup | akcRank2025 | previousRank2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French Bulldog | Non-Sporting | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Labrador Retriever | Sporting | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Golden Retriever | Sporting | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | German Shepherd Dog | Herding | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Dachshund | Hound | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | Poodle | Non-Sporting | 6 | 5 |
| 7 | Beagle | Hound | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Rottweiler | Working | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | German Shorthaired Pointer | Sporting | 9 | 10 |
| 10 | Bulldog | Non-Sporting | 10 | 9 |
Breeds are ordered by their 2025 AKC breed-popularity rank, derived from American Kennel Club purebred registration statistics for the 2025 registration year, where rank 1 is the most-registered breed. Inclusion criteria: the ten highest-ranked breeds in the AKC's official 2025 popularity list are included; only AKC-recognized breeds appear in that ranking. The AKC publishes rank order only and does not release raw per-breed registration counts, so items are ranked directly by the AKC's published rank rather than by an underlying count. To drive the bar chart, each breed's metric is a transparent rank inversion — score = 202 minus rank (the AKC ranked 202 breeds in 2025) — so that rank 1 produces the tallest bar and the score descends with rank. This score is a display transform of the published rank, not an independent measurement.
The French Bulldog is the AKC's most popular breed in 2025, its fourth consecutive year ranked No. 1 in purebred registrations. It overtook the Labrador Retriever for the top spot in 2022.
The AKC ranks breeds by the number of purebred dogs registered with the club during the registration year, with rank 1 being the most-registered breed. The AKC publishes the rank order only and does not release the raw per-breed registration counts.
No. The Labrador Retriever held the AKC's No. 1 spot for 31 consecutive years but was overtaken by the French Bulldog in 2022. It ranked No. 2 in both 2024 and 2025.
The top four breeds were unchanged. The Dachshund rose from No. 6 to No. 5, swapping with the Poodle, and the German Shorthaired Pointer rose from No. 10 to No. 9, swapping with the Bulldog.
More like this: all Animals & Nature rankings · browse every topic