It seems Max and Molly have gone to the dogs.

In the past, people have tended to name their pets after a physical or personality trait - hence Spot or Rover. But an Examiner computer analysis has uncovered a new trend: Human names are all the rage for canines.

Of 12,706 dogs registered in San Francisco, 137 are named Max; alas, there is only one Fido. And of the 10 most popular dog names in San Francisco, seven are suitable for humans; in Marin, all but one are. Molly, Jake, Lucy and Sam are big in both counties.

The study of names has a name as well - onomastics.

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

A survey of several hundred dog owners in New York and Los Angeles conducted last year by Kal Kan, a dog food manufacturer, echoed The Examiner's findings: people names are in vogue and Max is No. 1. "More and more, pets are true family members," said a company spokeswoman. In three years as a groomer for Pets Unlimited, a nonprofit pet hospital in San Francisco, Allison has noticed a micro-trend. "We're seeing a group of yuppies coming up with more serious names, like Wallace and Miles," she said. "We're also seeing a lot of Zacks and Zoes."

Although the pet database is littered with a cat entry here and there, cat registration is not required in San Francisco. But anecdotally, evidence from observers and from parts of the country that do register cats suggests they tend to get more traditional animal names, such as Tiger, Misty, and yes, Kitty.

Pet observers agree on some generalizations. For example, men give manly names, and women don't. "With men, you tend to see more macho names, like Spike," said a receptionist at All Pets Hospital in San Francisco. "With women, we get a lot of girl names - Samantha, Natasha, things like that." But there are exceptions.

One seemingly undisputed fact: Dogs who bite are most often named Rocky. According to Health Department records, of about 375 dog bites recorded from 1994 to 1997, seven were perpetrated by a Rocky. Next were Mugsy, Max and Zeke, each tied with six bites. Onomastician Ashley noted that the rise of leash laws put a choke on Rover and the decline of Latin students has squashed Fido, from the Latin for faithful. San Francisco has just five Rovers and one Fido. When children are allowed to choose the name, Disney can have a big influence. In San Francisco alone, "The Lion King" has spawned 17 Simbas. Some owners name the dog based on the breed's country of origin. "This is new in the last generation or two - if it's a German breed of dog, people want to give it a German name, as if it could speak German" stated Ashley. In the next breath, he insisted that a Weimaraner he once had really could pronounce its name, or at least part of it - Wolfgang. Some choose names based on personal reasons. A San Francisco attorney named his dog based on a childhood vendetta. In eighth grade, he got into a heated name-calling argument with a friend, Alistair. "I got so angry at him, I told him, "I'm going to name my dog after you!' " he recalled. Twenty years later, he got a golden retriever and named her Allie.

All in all people do seem to be putting a lot more thought into naming their canine companions. And the results can be very interesting indeed!