The most popular dog names of 2019
What were the most popular cat names of 2019?
For the first time in the history of the survey, the most popular cat names of 2019 were also tabulated by Rover, and the top five are going to be recapped here.
Again, unless otherwise noted, we’re using the etymology from Bruce Lansky’s 1998 book The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World.
The top 10 most popular cat names of 2019 (male and female)
No. 10 – Stella and Jasper
These have fallen out of fashion for human names, both popular in the mid-nineteenth century, but they’re both good names. Stella is Latin for “star,” and Jasper is French for a “green ornamental stone,” or an English form of Casper.
Jasper is also one of Cruella De Vil‘s henchmen in Dodie Smith’s novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians and its various film adaptations.
No. 9 – Daisy and Oscar
Daisy’s popularity has already been covered here, though we’ve had two farm cats with that name, and Oscar is Scandinavian for a ‘divine spearman.” That fits a cat well, though we immediately think of hot dogs when we hear the name.
No. 8 – Sophie and Loki
These are both purrfect cat names. Sophie is a nickname form of Sophia, which is Greek for “wise.” Loki, of course, is the Norse god of mischief, played by Tom Hiddleston in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
No. 7 – Chloe and Simba
These both come from movies – Chloe (which means “blooming” or “verdant” in Greek) is Lake Bell’s character in the Secret Life of Pets movies, while Simba is the lion from The Lion King, which was unnecessarily remade in a live-action format earlier this summer.
No. 6 – Nala and Jack
Nala is, of course, the female lion from The Lion King (voiced by Beyonce in the remake), while Jack’s popularity was discussed earlier.
No. 5 -Lily and Max
Lily and Max were both covered earlier, though it should be noted that one of the cats in Alice and Martin Provensen’s wonderful picture book The Animals of Maple Hill Farm is named Max.
No. 4 – Kitty and Charlie
These are honestly incredibly boring names, though one of Wesley’s sisters has a cat named Kitty. Charlie was been covered above.
No. 3 -Lucy and Milo
Fine names, covered above. Milo fits a cat much better, particularly if he’s orange, considering he was the cat in Milo and Otis.
No. 2 – Bella and Leo
These go well on cats. Bella has been covered above, and is the name of the cat of one of Wesley’s friends.
Leo is Latin for “lion,” which house cats often act like their much larger, wilder cousins, so it works. It. It could also be a reference to Leonardo Da Vinci, actor Leonardo DiCaprio (The Quick and the Dead, Titanic, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
No. 1 – Luna and Oliver
Luna has been covered above, and seems to fit cats better than it does dogs, while Oliver, coming from Latin, straighforwardly means “olive tree,” though Lansky also lists a Scandinavian origin meaning “kind and affectionate.”
It could also be a reference to Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) of the Arrowverse, also known as the Green Arrow, which seems very appropriate, given the stealthy and solitary nature of both cats in general and Queen.
For the full report of the most popular dog names of 2019, see here.