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175+ Popular Cat Names: Ideas for Distinguished & Admired Felines

Elizabeth Gray

By Elizabeth Gray

Popular Cat Names

If your New Year’s resolution is to adopt a new cat, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is who’s going to be your veterinarian. Oh, and you’ll also need a name for your new kitty. While you may not think it matters much what you call your cat because they’ll never learn their name anyway, science says that’s actually not the case.

To help you pick just the right name for your cool cat, we’ve collected over 175 of the most popular cat names right now. Maybe you’ll find the perfect name on our list or maybe it’ll just be the inspiration you need to come up with your own!
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How To Name Your Cat

There are as many ways to find a name for your cat as there are individual cat owners. Inspiration could come from the cat themselves–either their appearance, their personality, or the circumstances of their adoption. Or look to your interests, whether they be sports, music, or food. Ask your kids what they want to call the cat (but be prepared for some weird responses!) Ready to get started? Here’s our list!

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The 10 Most Popular Cat Names In 2024

If you’re the type of person who doesn’t want to overthink your cat’s name and won’t be offended if your cat has the same name as thousands of others, consider one of these top 10 names of the year.

  • Luna
  • Milo
  • Oliver
  • Leo
  • Loki
  • Bella
  • Charlie
  • Willow
  • Lucy
  • Simba
classic tabby Norwegian forest cat
Image by: Elisa Putti, Shutterstock

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Popular Cat Names From Sports

With the delayed 2020 Olympics finally happening and major leagues and tournaments worldwide rebounding as they figured out how to navigate playing during a pandemic, the world of sports offers plenty of inspiration when it comes to cat names.

  • Simone
  • Tom
  • Katie
  • Tobin
  • Gronk
  • CeeDee
  • Lebron
  • Jordan
  • Brady
  • Naomi
  • Serena
  • Venus
  • Beckham
  • Lionel
  • Mookie

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Popular Food and Drink Themed Cat Names

If your cat is always hungry or you took up baking as your pandemic hobby over the last year, picking a food-related name might make perfect sense. This year, popular food and drink names also took on an international flair, perhaps reflecting the desire to travel once it’s safe to do so.

  • Prosecco
  • Parma
  • Baguette
  • Raclette
  • Pizza
  • Anchovy
  • Kiwi
  • Pear
  • Pineapple
  • Mango
  • Almond
  • Beans
  • Tofu
  • Beef
  • Brisket
  • Pork Chop
  • Ham
  • Lemon
  • Oat
  • Watermelon
  • Lychee
  • Plum
  • Gimlet
  • Pepsi
  • Scotch
  • Fig
  • Coconut
  • Margarita
  • Vodka
  • Mocha
  • Cinnamon
  • Coffee
  • Eggo
  • Toast
cat-after-eating-food-from-a-plate
Image by: mik ulyannikov, Shutterstock

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Popular Color-Inspired Cat Names

Naming your cat based on their color or pattern is an ever-popular choice. Whether you lost your heart to a tabby cat, tuxedo cat, or a long-haired calico, you have numerous cute and cool names to choose from.

  • Midnight
  • Shadow
  • Rainbow
  • Ebony
  • Raven
  • Onyx
  • Coral
  • Ginger
  • Clementine
  • Tigger
  • Checkers
  • Oreo
  • Domino
  • Tux
  • Panda
  • Sylvester
  • Orca
  • Smokey
  • Stormy
  • Misty
  • Blanche
  • Snowball
  • Pearl
  • Frosty
  • Casper
  • Sugar
  • Spot
  • Freckle
  • Stripes
  • Tabby
  • Tiger
cat playing cellphone
Image by: Linalyan, Shutterstock

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Popular Cat Names From Music

Whether you’re a diehard Swiftie or part of the BTS Army, your musical tastes are a great source of inspiration for your cat’s name. These names could also work well for a cat breed known to be particularly vocal, such as the Siamese.

  • Taylor
  • Swift
  • Suga
  • V
  • Jin
  • Kim
  • Yeezy
  • Doja Cat
  • Dua Lipa
  • Halsey
  • Gaga
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Miley
  • August
  • Betty
  • Bowie
  • Prince
  • Queen Bey
Cute cat sitting in a box full of cat treats
Image by: AssiaPix, Shutterstock

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Popular Movie and TV Cat Names

Whether you ventured out to a movie theater or stayed home to stream from your couch, movies and television provided both a mental break and plenty of inspiration for cat names over the past year.

  • Chadwick
  • Boseman
  • Disney
  • Mickey
  • Nala
  • Raya
  • Ratatouille
  • Natasha
  • Alexei
  • Duke
  • Daphne
  • Tokyo
  • Arturo
  • Professor
  • Rio
  • Berlin
  • Arya
  • Cersei
  • Stark
  • Sansa
  • Daenerys
  • Goofy
  • Hairy Potter
  • Crookshanks
  • Norris
  • Hermione
  • Rajah
  • Sassy
  • Neo
  • Trinity
  • Ozzy
  • Tony
  • Monique
  • Robyn
  • Coach
  • Sophie
  • Ollie
  • Parvati
cat eye squinting with swelling
Image by: Sheila Fitzgerald, Shutterstock

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Popular Cat Names From Current Events

If you always want to remind yourself what year you adopted your new cat, consider one of these popular names directly related to current news, events, and trends. Pandemics, politics, space, and technology all combine to offer you plenty of name choices.

  • Fauci
  • Anthony
  • Rona
  • Vax
  • Dolly Parton
  • Biden
  • Kamala
  • Harris
  • Elon
  • Bitcoin
  • Covi
  • Covid
  • Siri
  • Google
  • Mac
  • WiFi
  • Saturn
  • Jupiter
  • Pluto
cat scratching furniture
Image by: Melissa Sue, Shutterstock

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Popular Human Names For Your Cat

If you find yourself hunting through human baby name books and websites seeking inspiration for your cat’s name, you aren’t alone. Cool human names abound for the taking, you’ll just need to find the one that best suits your taste or your cat’s personality.

  • Liam
  • Ava
  • Ethan
  • Isabella
  • Carter
  • Evelyn
  • Wyatt
  • Victoria
  • Dylan
  • Lincoln
  • Penelope
  • Connor
  • Ezra
  • Colton
  • Cameron
  • Brooklyn
  • Addison
  • Maverick
  • Violet
  • Ian
  • Savannah
  • Xavier
  • Emilia
  • Axel
  • Paisley
  • Megan
  • Devon
  • Lukas

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Conclusion

Once you decide on the perfect name for your cat, help them learn it by using it as much as possible in their presence. Create positive associations by calling your cat’s name and rewarding them with a treat or food when they respond to you. Eventually, your cat can be successfully trained to respond to their name although it will likely take more patience than you exercised reading over our list of the most popular options!

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Featured Image Credit: Antonina Sleptsova, Shutterstock

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