Top Cat Names of 2021 [Infographic]
Published: Last updated: by Kyle Larson
The results are in! We’re excited to announce the top cat names of 2021, as determined by the 1.4 million new cat owners who have used our site so far this year.
Nala is the number one pick for female cat names for the fifth year running, and Apollo skyrocketed to number one for male cat names.
Curious to see what other names topped the charts? Check out the lists below to find what is trending now.
The Top 100 Cat Names of 2021
Top Female Cat Names
- Nala
- Daisy
- Luna
- Bella
- Abby (Abigail)
- Coco (Cocoa)
- Addison
- Agatha
- Aurora
- Bell (Belle)
- Willow
- Freya
- Ava
- Kiwi
- Violet
- Rose (Rosie)
- A.J.
- Cleo
- Angel
- Cherry
- Amethyst
- Cora
- Moon
- Buttercup
- Biscuit
- Opal
- Ivy
- Mocha
- Sage
- Alice
- Olive
- Nyx
- Pixie
- Bambi
- Cookie
- Bean
- Jinx
- Roxy
- Amelie
- Buffy
- Harper
- Hera
- Anastasia
- Oreo
- Dixie
- Kiki
- Honey
- Hazel
- Fifi
- Millie
Top Male Cat Names
- Apollo
- Binx
- Bear
- Simba
- Milo
- Axel
- Loki
- Cosmo
- Bandit
- Atlas
- Biscuit
- Blaze
- Finn
- Arlo
- Admiral
- Archie
- Yoshi
- Felix
- Orion
- Nyx
- Jasper
- Atticus
- Figaro
- Alfie
- Archer
- Echo
- Hades
- Oreo
- Blitz
- Beast
- Angus
- Tiger
- Adonis
- Bruno
- Charlie
- Chewie
- Diesel
- Rocky
- Caesar (Ceasar)
- Neo
- Ziggy
- Asher
- Leo
- Bane
- Meeko
- Merlin
- A.J.
- Gizmo
- Bailey
- Bacon
2021 Top Cat Names
Top Female Cat Names
Once again, Nala is at the top of the chart. The name has ranked number the past five years, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Bella was once the most popular cat name and a trendy dog name – but has moved down to the number four position.
Favorites Daisy, Luna, and Coco remain popular picks, and new to the list are Agatha and Aurora.
Top Male Cat Names
This year, Apollo enjoyed a meteoric rise and shot up to the top spot for male cat names in 2021.
The previous winner, Simba, bumped down to the fourth position. It had previously led the list for five years.
Binx, Bear, and Milo are continual feline favorites and remain on the most popular list. Cosmo, Bandit, and Atlas are rising in the ranks, all newcomers to the top 10.
Top Cat Names Video
Popular Cat Names by Category
What distinguishes Find Cat Names from other cat naming websites is that it sorts names by categories relevant to you and your cat. As a result, we feel like this is a great way to find names without sorting through endless A-Z lists.
Top Cute Cat Names
Year after year, our most popular category is “Cute.” After all, cute cats deserve cute names!
- Autumn
- Opal
- Amber
- Bailey
- Rose
- Cleo
- Arlo
- Angel
- Ava
- Hazel
Top Tough Cat Names
“Tough” is also a popular category, especially for boy cats. Many new kitten parents love strong-sounding names that reflect their kitten’s tenacious personality.
- Raven
- Bandit
- Freya
- Shadow
- Roxy
- Midnight
- Jinx
- Axel
- Ebony
- Lucifer
Top Sports Cat Names
The top sports cat names come from great athletes (Tiger from golf, Ali from boxing, Dotty from baseball) and general sports-related terms like Blitz.
- Moon
- Bear
- Piper
- Ali
- Tiger
- Bandit
- Blitz
- Fuzzy
- Dottie
- Blaze
Top Food Cat Names
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 much of the list of the top cat names.
- Biscuit
- Oreo
- Cookie
- Kiwi
- Pumpkin
- Buttercup
- Ginger
- Mocha
- Cherry
- Olive
Top TV/Movie Cat Names
Movies and TV shows always provide great inspiration for cat names, and Disney is usually top of mind, hence why Simba and Nala are consistently popular names. Those names aside, here are ideas inspired by TV shows and movies.
- Nala
- Felix
- Rocky
- Bambi
- Figaro
- Milo
- Dixie
- Belle
- Alice
- Jinx
Top Geeky Cat Names
Our geeky cat names are taken from technology and media that is considered ‘geeky.’ Geeks are fantastic, and so are these names!
- Finn
- Gizmo
- Yoshi
- Buffy
- Princess
- Nebula
- Neo
- Xena
- Java
- Chewie
Top Cat Names Infographic
Here’s our infographic from all the data we gathered. Feel free to reuse this with a link back to findcatnames.com.
Try running a cat name search to find even more great cat names!
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.
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.
13 Comments
Teddi Begley
Nobody has the name JETT! that is the best name for my black cat!
Anika Wagner
Good idea! Jett is a good name!
DJ
Kitty Kitty Bang Bang
Whiskers Meowington the 3rd
Shari
Our cats names are Tyra and Misty! <3
Jerry
We call our newest addition Gabby, because she talks constantly even while eating.
Birgit Hanson
MrCotton, Himself, Shadow, Handsome, Hunter, Brian, Diva, Mooch, Popeye, Gidget, Fluffer, Radar, Pebbles, Bonnie and Clyde, OJ (Orange juice), Peanut, QB (Queen Bee), Jingles, BG (Big Guy), Pepper, Scarlett to name some we have and had.
Hawk
Our two black cats were Onyx and Cinders. I’ve also had a Penny Royal (nicknamed Peewee) and Mugwort (nicknamed Mugsy), just to name a few. :)
J.R.
Spider & Willis (our past 2 black cats), Calli Mae, Baby, Shelly, Odie, Kiki, Dexy, Trixie and currently we have Cat-a-Lina & Pushy
Nadinetabakman
I just got a all white cat need a good name help
Christy Pace
Snow, whitey, cotton, gingi, vanilla kitty, princess, fluffy, lizzy. I can’t think of another. Look at white paint swatches and see if you can find a cute name that way. All white is a hard name to find. Look at baby names as sometimes you can find something good, good luck
Oasis the SandWing
we named our two cats mouse and catcher so when you put them together it says mouse catcher
i love my girls
Jinifer Lambert
I’m wanting names for my baby kittens, two males and two females! One male is black and the other three are gray striped!
Jinifer Ranae
I’m thinking of naming the two boys Bagheera and Raja! The two girls Megara and Moana! Any other name ideas, please help!