Posted on 12/18/2013 2:25:25 PM PST by Slings and Arrows
We recently released our list of the year's most popular puppy names, but, of course, we identify as neither dog nor cat people (seriously, do not ask us to choose sides!), so we now present to you the most popular kitten names of 2013.
Just like in 2011 and 2012, we examined Vetstreet's database of 425,000 names of kittens born this year to find the monikers that appeared most often. Many of the trends of the last couple of years are holding true, but watch out: There are a number of names moving up and down the list this year, including a new No. 1 name for male kittens!
Check out vetstreet.com’s infographic below or go to this link and click on the image to view a larger version.
For the seventh year in a row, Bella is sitting pretty at No. 1. But we have a new No. 2: Lucy, which has been in and out of that spot, holding it for six out of the last 11 years.
Kitty, which was No. 1 from 2000 to 2006, fell a spot to No. 3, and Chloe also dropped a place, going from No. 4 to No. 5.
Luna, which nabbed No. 4 this year, has risen in popularity every single year over the past decade, and Molly entered the top 10 with feeling, jumping from No. 11 last year to No. 6 in 2013. Also joining this elite list for the first time is Nala, taking No. 9 after landing at No. 13 last year. Daisy rounds out the list, while Callie and Lilly fell out of the top 10 altogether.
After a five-year stint at No. 1, Max dropped to No. 2 and handed over the reins (which we imagine to be covered in feather and ribbons, given the fact that we're talking about kittens) to first-time winner Oliver.
Tiger found a place at No. 3 for the second year in a row, but this name has true staying power: It was No. 1 from 2001 to 2007 and has been in the top three every year for more than 15 years.
Despite the excitement of a new No. 1 name, there weren't many other changes from last year's top 10 list. No new names were introduced, and other than the aforementioned names, only Charlie and Leo moved up one spot, while Simba and Jack fell a place.
Luna is definitely one to watch, considering its steady upward movement and the fact that, a decade ago, it wasn't even in the top 50. Mittens is also on the move. Although it didn't make the top 10, it leaped from No. 28 to No. 18 in just a year. And, with an even bigger step toward the top of the list, Pepper went from No. 42 to No. 21, so it looks like we could be seeing a little shaking up in the top 10 and top 20 lists in the coming years!
Cat people and dog people may disagree about, well, nearly everything, but they share some interesting common ground when it comes to names. We noticed quite a few similarities, particularly among the females. For one thing, Bella was the top female name for both puppies and kittens, and Max was a top performer on both lists as well, ranking No. 2 on the kitten list and No. 1 for puppies.
Other names both top 10 lists shared were Lucy, Chloe, Molly and Sophie for females and Charlie and Jack for males.
Some names almost made the top 10 for kittens and puppies but just missed the mark. Luna was No. 4 for female kittens and, at No. 13, was barely out of the top 10 for puppies. Lily was another close call, at No. 7 for kittens and No. 16 for puppies. Lola and Zoey were No. 7 and No. 9 on the popular female puppy names list but came in at No. 16 and No. 19 when it came to kittens.
Milo, the No. 6 name for male kittens, came in at No. 15 for puppies. Popular puppy names Buddy (No. 2) and Toby (No. 10) were nearly in the top 10 for this list, landing at No. 14 and No. 11 for kittens.
Of course, there were a number of names that made the top 10 of one list but didn't reach the top 15, top 20 or even top 50 of the other: Unsurprisingly, Kitty, which was in the top 10 for both male and female kittens, didn't make the top 50 puppy names list at all. Tiger, Simba and Smokey were other top 10 kitten names that didn't find a spot on the puppy names list, while Duke and Bentley, top 10 puppy names, were unaccounted for in kitten names.
Nala, which came in at No. 9 for kittens, was the No. 26 puppy name. Maggie ranked No. 10 for puppies but, for kittens, didn't show up until No. 37. Oliver and Leo, No. 1. and No. 8 on the male kitten names list, were No. 23 and No. 30 for puppies. Rocky, Cooper and Bear (Nos. 4, 5 and 7 for puppies) were No. 26, No. 47 and No. 33 on our list of kitten names.
Some of the trends we've noted, like using traditional human and classic pet names, appear to remain true heading into 2014. We can't wait to see whether new trends and popular pet names emerge in the next few years!
Just can’t figure out why none of our moggies are on that list! (And how does one write a story about top cat names with a straight face, anyway? The mind reels.)
Ours are: John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom (Johnny for everyday); Eartha Kitten, William Wallace (Willy Wally for everyday), and Princess Dinah Dynamite. :)
I like ‘em!
My question exactly!!!! Sebastion...a classic cat name. I also like Biblical names like Obadiah...New testament gentile names like Crispus....I’m funny about cat names...there are names that are just “right” for cats and some that are not. A cat should never have a dog name also.
Skeezix is also a very good cat name.
felis sphincterus
think about it
The Naming Of Cats by T. S. Eliot
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there’s the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey—
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter—
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that’s particular,
A name that’s peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there’s still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover—
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.
Give him a trophy.
Old Possum knows.
Should I evah own a porker, its name shall indeed be Mo-HAM-med. Kind of a takeoff on my favorite BBQ restaurant’s slogan, “Eat mo’ pig!”
Incidently, in 2002 a Staten Island couple I know coaxed a foundling out from under a friend’s porch - tiny little kitling. Said friend living in Oklahoma, the couple returned cross country with kitty on their laps to NY. I don’t recall his original name, but once kitty reached a certain stage of playfulness, he was re-dubbed Osama.
Because he was a “little terrorist,” of course.
Oh cool, I’ve run into no other folks who had a “Mouse.”
A “Crybaby” as well, who showed up hungry one day & not afraid to let me know it, LOL.
Others: Luna, Merlin & Pearl. (Also a shared cat already named Slinky, like the toy.) Really miss Merlin. Quite a doglike & mellow little boy.
As the former owner of a Jack Russell Terrorist, I understand.
Mouse is a very handsome tuxedo cat. He's very timid around humans, but is an accomplished hunter despite missing a couple of teeth (from chomping on bones).
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