Top Cat Names of 2019 [Infographic]

by Kyle Larson

The results are in, and it’s been quite the year for names from The Lion King! Nala is the number one pick for female cat names, and Simba ranked at the top for male cat names.

The results are determined by the 2.8 million new cat owners who used our site so far this year.

At this time every year, we like to reflect on the most popular cat names here at Find Cat Names and identify any key trends from the past 12 months. It’s always interesting to see which names are moving up the charts and why that may be.

Curious to see what other names topped the charts? Check out the lists below.

And if you’re more of a visual person, our top cat names infographic is a fun way to take in the cat name trends.

Top Female Cat Names

1. Nala
2. Luna
3. Abby
4. Bella
5. Daisy
6. Cleo
7. Willow
8. Angel
9. Coco
10. Hazel
11. Alice
12. Bambi
13. Oreo
14. Belle
15. Kiki
16. Buttercup
17. Cookie
18. Addison
19. Ava
20. Addie
21. Jinx
22. Biscuit
23. Autumn
24. Amber
25. Rose

Top Male Cat Names

1. Simba
2. Milo
3. Alfie
4. Oreo
5. Binx
6. Jasper
7. Felix
8. Biscuit
9. Bear
10. Tiger
11. Blue
12. Archie
13. Finn
14. Arlo
15. Gizmo
16. Charlie
17. Caesar
18. Coco
19. Casper
20. Bacon
21. Whiskers
22. Meeko
23. Bailey
24. Tigger
25. Waffles

Here is an infographic with the results:

2019 Top Cat Names

Top Female Cat Names

Once again, Nala is at the top of the chart. The name has ranked number the past few years, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down, especially with the release of the new version of The Lion King this summer.

Bella was once the most popular cat name – and to this day is still the most popular dog name – but has moved down to the number three position.

The biggest surprise in 2019: The names Kiki and Rose both made the top 10 list for the first time ever. Kiki moves up from the number 15 spot last year, and Rose skyrocketed from number 15 in 2019.

Top Male Cat Names

Simba reigned supreme for male cat names in 2019. This is the fourth year in a row that the name topped the chart.

Although the top name was uneventful, there were quite a few surprises in the top 10.

For the first time in years, Tiger has dropped out of the top names. The same goes for the name Oreo. This made room for a number of newcomers.

Most notably, Archie shot up to the number five position, up from the 12th spot last year. This corresponds with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of the British royal family selecting the name for their son born in May.

Finn also cracked the top 10 for the first time and is becoming a popular name for dogs and babies as well.

The name Binx also shows no sign of stopping. As you may recall, the film Hocus Pocus featured an immortal black cat named Thackery Binx, or Binx for short. The classic movie surged in popularity last year thanks to a 25th anniversary blitz, and Binx has become a go-to cat name as a result.

Popular Cat Names by Category

What sets Find Cat Names apart from other cat naming websites is that it sorts names by categories that are relevant to you and your cat. We feel like this is a great way to find names without having to sort through endless A-Z lists.

Year after year, our most popular category is “Cute.” After all, cute cats deserve cute names!

“Tough” is also a popular category, especially for boy cats. Many new cat parents are drawn to strong-sounding names that reflect their kitten’s tenacious personality.

Here are the top names in those categories in 2018.

Top Cute Cat Names

1. Belle
2. Kiki
3. Casper
4. Whiskers
5. Addie
6. Jinx
7. Meeko
8. Banjo
9. Autumn
10. Lola

Top Tough Cat Names

1. Caesar
2. Roxy
3. Pepper
4. Axel
5. Leo
6. Sassy
7. Jojo
8. Rosie
9. Atlas
10. Bandit

The top sports cat names come from great athletes (Tiger from golf, Ali from boxing, Babe and Dotty from baseball) as well as general sports-related terms like Archer.

Funny cat names are also a popular categories. Once again, it looks like cat owners love the idea of naming their furry pals after foods. Food names like Bacon, Buttercup, Biscuit, Kiwi, Waffles and Skittles composed half of the top 10 list.

Top Sports Cat Names

1. Tiger
2. Moon
3. Ali
4. Archer
5. Fuzzy
6. Babe
7. Yogi
8. Kirby
9. Boomer
10. Peaches

Top Funny Cat Names

1. Bacon
2. Buttercup
3. Biscuit
4. Monet
5. Kiwi
6. Waffles
7. Princess
8. Skittles
9. Blue
10. Fifi

Movies and TV shows always provide great inspiration for cat names, and Disney is usually top of mind, hence the reason why Simba and Nala are the most popular names once again.

Those names aside, here are more top cat names inspired by TV shows and movies. As you’ll see below, the list included popular cartoon names like Bambi, Casper, Tigger and Barney.

Our geeky cat names are taken from technology and from media that is considered ‘geeky’. Geeks are awesome and so are these names!

Top TV/Movie Cat Names

1. Bambi
2. Casper
3. Meeko
4. Tigger
5. Dixie
6. Oscar
7. Figaro
8. Olive
9. Barney
10. Lucy

Top Geeky Cat Names

1. Cookie
2. Finn
3. Gizmo
4. Chewie
5. Princess
6. Buffy
7. Ruby
8. Penny
9. Ash
10. Star

Additional Cat Name Categories

And last but name least, here are a few bonus categories.

For international cat names, we gathered names typically not found in the United States. This includes popular foreign names as well as names of people with international fame.

Another great category is books and literature. These books names are taken from some of our favorite books and include both classic literature and modern tales.

Top International Cat Names

1. Babushka
2. Zuzu
3. Amelie
4. Chi Chi
5. Carmen
6. Anika
7. Suki
8. Caesar
9. Yuki
10. Thea

Top Books Cat Names

1. Alice
2. Harper
3. Charlotte
4. Gigi
5. Emma
6. Boots
7. Primrose (Prim)
8. Annie
9. Winnie
10. Scout

To find even more great cat names try running a cat name search!

How are the results determined? 
Our site allows users to save their favorite names as they search, so to determine the most popular names of the year, we pulled this data and compiled the results.

Can I share this infographic?
If you would like to share our Top Cat Names infographic on your website or social sites, go for it! We just ask that you credit it to Find Cat Names with a link to our site.

About Find Cat Names
Founded in March 2014, Find Cat Names provides a fun, interactive experience for new cat owners looking for just the right pet name. The site allows users to sort names by preferred style and interests. More than 2 million people use Find Cat Names each year when picking a name for their cat.

Kyle Larson

Kyle is a professional web designer and author who keeps our cat name search tools running. He's also a writer & researcher helping provide great feline content.