Top Cat Names of 2017
Picking out a name for your cat is one of the most fun – and nerve wracking! – experiences of being a cat parent. After all, you’ll have to say that name for a very long time.
As the year comes to a close, Find Cat Names (findcatnames.com) has announced the year’s top cat names. The site compiled the selections of its 2.2 million visitors, and the results are surprising.
For starters, while names from the 1994 film The Lion King have always been popular, this is the first year that they’ve placed first on both the top male and female lists.
For the male cat names, Simba, the movie’s main character, ranked number one on the list. Nala, the friend and eventual wife of Simba, finished as the top choice of the year for female cats.
People say that the ‘90s are making a comeback, so perhaps that is what’s behind the resurgence of these names?
That wasn’t the only surprise. Milo, typically considered a popular dog name, skyrocketed to the number two spot on the list of top male cat names.
We hope you’ll find this infographic fun but don’t forget to let us know the names of your cats!
Text copy of fofographic below:
Top Female Cat Names
- Nala
- Bella
- Luna
- Abby
- Daisy
- Angel
- Cleo
- Hazel
- Belle
- Coco
Top Male Cat Names
- Simba
- Milo
- Tiger
- Oreo
- Bear
- Biscuit
- Felix
- Jasper
- Alfie
- Caesar
Find Cat Names also tracked the top cat names in other key categories.
Cute Cat Names
- Willow
- Addie
- Blue
- Pixie
- Archie
- Lola
- Binx
- Ella
- Zoey
- Arlo
Tough Cat Names
- Axel
- Leo
- Roxy
- Jinx
- Bandit
- Pepper
- Jojo
- Atlas
- Jax
- Bear
Sports Cat Names
- Archer
- Mia
- Fuzzy
- Ali
- Moon
- Boomer
- Blitz
- Babe
- Dottie
- Teddy
Funny Cat Names
- Bacon
- Oreo
- Whiskers
- Buttercup
- Monet
- Waffles
- Kiki
- Princess
- Bingo
- Skittles
TV/Movie Cat Names
- Ariel
- Dixie
- Felix
- Tigger
- Harper
- Casper
- Pebbles
- Meeko
- Olive
- Barney
Geeky Cat Names
- Cookie
- Gizmo
- Chewie
- Buffy
- Gidget
- Finn
- Ash
- Mouse
- Java
- Neo
Fun infographic! I had Orion, then along came Parker (for Parkerized Gray Kitty) then Cassiopeia was renamed Mouse for her hypersqueak, then she renamed herself Nezumi (means the same thing in Japanese) because she liked the sound of it better. Recently, fourteen year old BooBoo renamed himself Shinji – he liked the sound of that better too.
I have a Luna
My moms cats names didn’t make any list!
Boy – Oliver (as in Oliver Twist)
Girl – Eliza (as in Eliza Doolittle)
Phew…. My cat’s name remains unique. Both Bilkysky and I were worried. ?
OMG horrible typo: it should say “Bilkysky”
My boy is called Spike the Cats Protection named him as when he was born he had spiky hair on his head. I remember I took him to the vets and when it was our turn the receptionist shouted out Pikes need what an embarrassment every one was looking at me as if to say who would name a cat after a fish. My other cats were called Oscar,Aslan,Simon cause he was Siamese and Jaffa my wee ginger boy but he sadly had to get put to sleep because of cancer.Then there was Wallace I used to call him my wee William Wallace as he was so brave.x??????
Awwww I love those names. 🙂
And haha that must have been an interesting vet trip. XD
The name of my cat-obsessed youngest son appears in one of the lists of names and he is over the moon.
😀
I’ve had a Nala, an Abby and a Jasper!
🙂
bettie bee is top yet (:
🙂
Naming cats is hard. I had about 15 different names for my critters before I settled on Cricket (Tabby) and Lettuce (black cat). Then I had Sid and Nancy, as well. The family cat name was “Lunch”.
Is there a story behind the family cat name? 😀
A family member named him. When I was younger, it was de rigueur to let cats be indoor/outdoor. So, this family member picked the name, so, as you probably guessed, when he was calling him home, it would be, of course, calling “Lunch” home for all the neighbours to hear.
LOL that must have been quite something st lunch time haha
Yeah, it was cute! We got some strange looks from time to time.
Especially in the Southern US…ya know, fine redneck cuisine like possum and squirrel and gator…LOL
XD. Oh yes I’ve been to southern US. Though I’ve to say gator bites are nice!!!
Not tried possum tho :O
I haven’t eaten any of it, I must say. <–vegetarian
If you do let me know what the other stuff is like:o
I love (from a respectful distance) my gator friends. I miss seeing them…in yards…in parking lots. LOL
I once held a baby gator at a friends place. I thought it was a rather scary experience despite him saying that it’s his pet gator. 😐
I would imagine it would be scary. I’ve worked with enough wildlife during my years as a wildlife rescue volunteer to consider the term “pet” when applied to wildlife an oxymoron. *laugh* Gators are beautiful creatures though…there’s something about watching them glide through the water that’s both eerie and mystic at the same time.
It feels like looking back at history. 🙂
Interesting information on naming your furry friends. We do this for human babies; why not our fur babies?
Indeed! 🙂
Looks like my precious Cleo made the top ten ?. Happy Christmas and best in the new year to all t… https://t.co/SnWJJ99CiR
🙂
I know dogs named Bella and Nala, but no cats. 🙂
Before I read this, I’m betting my last dollar that Willow is one of the names. 😛
I have two cats: Sable (my applehead Siamese) and Diamond (my shelter tabby).
I have several names for cats from the past:
Cheetoh…(a ginger tuxedo male)
Kiwi…an all black female
Boots and Sneakers: two sisters, both brown tabbys, Boots had white on her forelegs up to the shins, and Sneakers was white just on the forefeet.
And a friend of mine had an all black cat with huge yellow eyes like an owl, so she was named “Who?”
We had alllll sorts of fun with that name, in the vein of Abbot and Costello’s classic “who’s on first.”
If you ever fancy doing a guest feature on any of yours let us know 🙂
It’s always amusing when I know friends who have a Simba or a Gizmo. A Milo or a Tiger. When do they become cliche? Still good though. Cheers,H
I see those names as iconic rather than than cliche. But yes they have been used a lot in recent years xD
I have three cats. Max, a 17 year old black Oriental cross Shorthair. Maya, a white and black Shorthair and her brother, Mylo a Tuxedo Shorthair. Maya and Mylo are both about four months old. We did have Max’s brother, Oliver, but he passed away this year having developed heart failure.
Oh no so sorry to hear about Oliver. 🙁
Is Max as noisy as most orientals? 😮
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We have 2 cats, Oreo and Salem
Oops forgot the outside strays I named and feed. So, I guess they are basically mine, too lol. Ethel and Tom. Tom is a very straggly and tough guy. Ethel is a black cat and we used to have another out there that we called Fred.
Interesting I’ve never seen the name Ethel before. I shall have to google it’s origin now!
Well, they were named after Fred and Ethel from I love Lucy lol!!!!
Oh I see! 😀
Mine is KITTY COW. Looks like the typical Black and White cow who lives in Northern France
Haha that’s a fitting name in that case. 🙂
hello katzenworld its dennis the vizsla dog hay hmm the hipster kitties ar naymd charlee and chaplin my dada sez that theez ar moovee nayms but i hav never herd of that moovee!!! happy noo yeer to all of yoo!!! ok bye
Happy New Year 🙂
I have a black cat named Tofu
Awwww I love the name. Would you fancy doing a little guest story on Tofu? 🙂
Well, I’ve only had him since last September. He is a gift to my daughter from her aunts. Hes young and full of spunk, goes crazy with his fishing line cat toy! My wife was making Tofu when they came to our house, thus the name. I was gonna name him Darkness, but you know hahaha..
I have a post with pictures of him on my profile
He is too cute! You’ll definitely have to send in a little story for us to publish. 😉