It's a long-running joke that all women keep a list of future baby names in the notes section of their phone (they don't, by the way) but some of us are more interested in what we're going to call our future fur babies! Picking out a name for a kitten isn't as straight forward as it may seem. Firstly, does the name suit them? Will they respond to it? Will it be embarrassing when you register them at the vet? (You might want to steer away from names like Lord SnuggleBum 😹) These are all things to take into consideration when picking out a name for your moggy. Luckily for you, with over 5 years experience in naming cats (with the help of our followers) and a foothold in the phenomenon that is #catstagram, we can give you plenty of inspiration!
One thing we've noticed when delving into the world of kitty names is that people LOVE a food-inspired name! This might be because it's deemed socially unacceptable to name a human baby Nugget or Sprinkles 😹 or it might even have something to do with the rise (get it?) in the popularity of hashtags such as #kittyloafmonday, which seems to have brought on an avalanche of kitties named after baked goods such as Bagel, Tortilla, Toast and Croissant. Among the top 100 cat names in 2020, we also have Muffin, Oreo, Fudge and Basil. We've been no stranger to edible names in the past either. In fact, some of our current residents include Popcorn, Toffee, Cupcake, Marmalade, Pickle, Sausage and Mash.
Another major influence is film and popular culture. It's no wonder that famous cat character names like Simba, Nala, Toulouse, Garfield and Aslan seem to occupy permanent spots in the rankings. But some people have chosen to think slightly outside the box when it comes to drawing inspiration from films. Superhero fanatics have gone for the likes of Marvel, Loki and Thor while fantasy enthusiasts lean more towards Luna, Bella, Merlin and Zelda. We've also been guilty of hopping on board the wizard train (or, to non-muggles, the Hogwarts Express) and naming some of our own kitties Bellatrix, Sirius and Hagrid. Other popular movie-themed names include Baby, Maverick, Goose and Bagheera. And of course it would be rude not to give special mention to our cheeky trio: Alvin, Simon and Theodore, who, believe it or not, are actually cats and not chipmunks!
If we haven't tickled your fancy just yet, what about naming your new kitty after a celebrity or historical figure? Over the years we've had a number of cats named after icons who have passed away. Just last year we named one Tommy, after the legend Sir Captain Tom Moore. But if pop stars and politicians are more your style, Beyoncé, Lizzo, Mercury, Ziggy and Winston have all been trending in recent years. You could even go as far back as ancient Greece or Egypt with a name like Athena, Zeus or Cleo.
And finally, a nice way to commemorate the time of year during which your feline companion joined you, would be to pick a seasonal name. For instance you could choose months like April or June, or if your kitty came into your life around a particular holiday, you could base their name on that. How about Holly, Robin, Rudolf or Noel for a Christmas cat? We've even had Halloween names like Pumpkin, Casper and Boo before! Plus our current spooky kitties Hocus and Pocus.
Hopefully there are enough suggestions there to choose from, and if not, it's a starting point to draw your own inspiration from! See you for next week's blog post where we'll be bringing you the latest from Kitty Café, and in the meantime keep up to date on our social media platforms.
