Top Cat Names

Down-home nickname name once associated with the friendly dragon on kids' TV. As Oliver rises, we may well hear more Ollies.

A Disney name—Nala was the friend who became the wife of Simba, hero of The Lion King. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2015.

Other wild animals like Fox, Wolf and Bear are catching on as baby names, and Tiger is a rarer option with several famous namesakes, including golf champ Tiger Woods, who was born Eldrick. Other famous Tigers include Indian actor Tiger Shroff, born Jai, and British actor Tyger Drew-Honey, who spells his name with a Y.

Loki is the shape-shifting, gender-bending god of mischief in Norse mythology. Taking several animal forms, from a salmon to a seal to a fly, Loki is alternately friend and foe of the gods.

Traditional African name made cartoonish by the Disney character in The Lion King. In Shona it means "strength".

A word name with a touch of mystery surrounding it, Shadow is a bold, edgy choice for a baby which some may find a bit ominous. While it is predominatly used for cats, dogs, and other furry friends, it can be considered a wild word name that parents are actually using, having debuted in the US stats for girls in 1974 and for boys in 1987.

Part of the trend for formerly canine royal names; this is one a little girl might love—up till the age of eight.

It has a variety of associations from Smokey Robinson to Smokey the bear, but Smokey still feels a bit comical for a baby.

Tigger is the bouncing not-a-tiger from Winnie the Pooh, a symbol of buoyancy and resilience. As Tigger says in the books, he's "the only one", and it should probably stay that way when it comes to people names, though Tigger would certainly make a cute name for a cat.