The 20 Most Popular Cat Names In The US
Thinking of adopting a new kitty? Bringing a new cat into the family is exciting in itself, one of the best parts is getting to pick a name! Our pets’ names can say a lot about us—for instance, if you meet someone with a cat named Luke Skywhisker, there’s a good chance that they are a fan of a certain space saga.
So if you’re looking to find a new best feline friend, we’ve gathered 20 of the most popular—and some of the funniest—cat names in the US for some inspurration. This list was compiled by Healthy Paws Pet and Insurance Foundation and includes the 10 male and 10 female cat names that were most popular in 2017.
Scroll down for some name ideas that will be purr-fect for any feline!
Top 10 Male Cat Names
Oliver.
Thanks to the Disney classic Oliver and Company, which is derived from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, Oliver is ideal for ginger cats. It has a Latin origin and means "olive tree."
Loki.
Loki is known as the god of mischief in Norse mythology, and thanks to the Avengers, he's more popular than ever. If you name a cat Loki, though, be prepared: it might be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Milo.
Milo is of German origin and means "soldier" or "merciful."
Simba.
The Lion King pretty much instituted Simba as a classic cat name. It is originally of Swahili origin, and fittingly means "lion." You can give your kitty their very own mane and crown them the king of your living room!
Jack.
Jack is a durable, cheery everyman form of John. How did John get to Jack? It went from John to Johnkin to Jankin to Jackin to Jack. Language is strange!
Charlie.
Charlie has dozens of pop cultural references, from Charlie Chaplin to "Charlie's Angels." It derives from Charles, which means "free man." It became popular in France in the Middle Ages thanks to Charles the Great (aka Charlemagne).
Finn.
Finn is of Irish origin and means "fair or white." Popular characters featuring the name are Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and more recently, Finn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens!
Leo.
Leo is the purrfect name for any tiny house lion, especially as it literally translates to lion in Latin.
Max.
Max traces its origins back to Ancient Rome, from the Roman family name "Maximus," meaning "greatest."
Oscar.
Oscar is of Irish and English origins, and has multiple meanings, from "God spear," "deer-lover," and "champion warrior." Notable bearers of the name are writer Oscar Wilde and, of course, Oscar-Mayer (of the Oscar Mayer Wieners).
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Top 10 Female Cat Names:
Luna.
Luna is of Italian origin and translates to, you guessed it, "moon." Luna was also the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.
Bella.
Bella is of Italian origin and means "beautiful."
Lucy.
Lucy is predominately English in origin, and is derived from the Latin "lux" which means "light." The purrfect name for a feline who lights up your life!
Lily.
Floral names are coming back into style, with Lily at the head of the parade! Slightly ironic in name as lilies are highly toxic to cats if ingested - so if you have a Lily, keep her well away from the lilies.
Daisy.
Another lovely floral name that is as bright and energetic as a sweet kitten. Daisy comes from the phrase "day's eye," because it opens its petals at daybreak.
Nala.
As with the name Simba, Nala became a popular cat name thanks to The Lion King. Nala is a name with an African origin, meaning "successful." In Sanskrit it means stem.
Mia.
In its simplest form, the name Mia means "mine" or "my beloved," as it does in Italian.
Chloe.
Means "green shoot" in Greek, referring to new plant growth in the spring.
Stella.
Stella means "star" in Latin and also provides endless amounts of fun each and everytime you reenact that famous line from A Streetcar Named Desire. You know the one.
Need some more ideas? Check out our collection of unique historical names for your cat!
So the very first cat I owned was named after one of my favorite tv cats The cat from Hocus Pocus , Binx. Then, I happens upon 3 homeless kittens and had to take them in again named them after cats from movies only this time they were big cats. Sangha and Koumal the twin tigers from Two Brothers and the tiger Raja from Aladdin. Then we adopted a 26lb cat and named him Sir Chunk A-lot. Then we had an orange kitten we rejoined from a friend who had named the cat after Oberon alcohol we didn’t like that so we renamed him Opie after The Andy Griffith show. And about 6 weeks ago we got two new kittens and named him Ares after the God of War which fits him perfectly because he is always picking fights with his sister Kamilah the Arabic word for perfect. As you can see I don’t care for common names for my cats or dogs for the matter. My last three Dogs have been Legend McDuff, Fable, and Aela the Huntress Rue.
Named my brown tabby Jenny of the block, because she always is roaming around. I also have Thumper, Maine coon/manx because when he takes off running he looks like a rabbit hopping.
- Gus (fat crosseyed Siamese mix rescue named after the fat mouse in Cinderella)
- Cutie Raven Macaroni (named by a three year old bc a) the cat is cute, b) favorite teen totem character is raven and c) macaroni and cheese is his favorite food
- Lily Tiger Cloud (named by same child bc she looks like a tiger and her feet are white like clouds)
- Mr. Cuddles SIr Kittenpants Hershey (bc said child believes all animals require three names and the cat a) likes to cuddle, b) was a kitten and c) is black and the color of Hershey’s chocolate apparently)
My cat’s name is April. She’s an all black and they sometimes have a bad reputation, but she’s a sweetheart. She’s named after April from Parks and Recreation, she may be black on the outside but she’s a softie on the inside.
Baccardi (with an extra “C” for for cuteness) because I told my kids if they bring home one more cat I was going to start drinking! LOL!
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