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!
We have a girl cat named Oliver.
heh.
I know why Bella is the #1 female name. *sigh*
I have no issue with any of those cute names, except for Cooper. A cat named Cooper....just can’t get it to jell right....
*shrug* Heard worse.
The extent of my exposure to that franchise that shall remain unnamed is driving through Forks, WA back in 2011. It turned a one-stoplight town into a pop culture Twilight Zone.
My two 18 month old males are Rocky and Tagg . .
Our female: Hidey, aka Sweetpea, aka Little Girlie, aka Lunch Munchkins.
Rebel and Dixie for the cats. Sarge for the dog.
I was vampired out long before that series came out from under its rock.
We lost our grand kitty after 16 wonderful years.
It’s hard to lose a good companion whether feline, canine or other.
Best to you and your passed on kitty.
Our little fella developed Diabetes at nine months and it was a long row to hoe with him.
Funny, his name did not make the list:
Dr. Oslo Spinchterhausen, MD. The Crowned Prince of Oslomabad...maybe next year!
Rest in peace FReeper kitties.
Thanks, we’re now a dog only household after many years of cats only.. The poodles blended well Angel’s last few years. She’d have shredded them in her early years,, she mellowed a lot after the dogs hit the household, oddly enough.
Our Labor Day found on the front sidewalk emaciated hours from death by starvation 1.5 lb aprox 1 year old kitty: Twiggy. Found her 13 years ago. 4 years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. 99.9 % of cats die within 6 months of diagnoses. Our kitty is part of the 0.1%.
The other cat was the runt of the litter. We picked her in deference to the other cat. The other cats name: Runt.
:-)
P
No Phydeaux?
Our female is Baby Rose after the characters in “Dirty Dancing” and “Titanic.” (Her cat). Our new male is named Smudge after the spot on his nose. I have seen a lot of Smudges since... Surprised it isn’t on the list. :0
Angel had a mass in her gut, after all those years, we couldn’t see putting her thru a surgery/chemo regime. We made her as comfortable as we could, gave her meds as best we could, she died at home, peacefully.
I grew up as a farm kid, cats and dogs were always around.
One never got too attached or tried not too anyway,, nowadays guys, if you can’t connect to animals, forget getting a date. If the dog doesn’t get ya, the cats will.
I named one of my Siamese Pi-Zon, after me...
Shoggoth is nice and is quite unisexual (at least in this dimension).
Shannon isn’t there, but Jake came it at #45. One of our dragons is called Baby (girl cat name #25).
old girlfriend of mine named her cat, a male, “Zappa”... cool name, that...
my brother name a male cat of his “Dad Soup”.
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