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You won’t believe what the most popular boy kitten names are

Paige Cerulli
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If you’ve just welcomed a new kitten into your home, then you’re probably working on finding him the perfect name. That can be easier said than done, especially when you’re still getting to know your kitten and are discovering his personality. While coming up with the right name on your own might be tough, you can gather some insight from the names that other cat owners are choosing. We’ve included a list of the most popular male kitten names below, as well as some other trendy suggestions that might give you the vision you need to find that perfect name.

Young kitten trotting through a grassy yard
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Top male kitten names

Each year, Rover rounds up data on the most popular cat names and divides them between male and female. The information comes from Rover’s database, which contains over 1 million pets. The most recent data reflects the most popular names for 2020, which was a big year in pet ownership thanks to the pandemic. With more and more people adopting fur babies from shelters and becoming first-time pet owners, these new pet parents had to come up with the perfect names for their new cats. You might be surprised to see just how traditional some of these names are as opposed to being super modern or trendy.

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Below are the top 10 most popular names for male cats:

  1. Oliver
  2. Leo
  3. Milo
  4. Charlie
  5. Simba
  6. Max
  7. Jack
  8. Loki
  9. Tiger
  10. Jasper

Rover also noticed an interesting 2020 cat naming trend: It became quite common for people to name their cats after different kinds of bread. Croissant and Bread became hugely popular names, while pet owners also chose names like Sandwich, Tortilla, Wheatie, and Rye more often.

The entertainment industry also had an influence on the latest stylish cat names. Ru became a trending name because of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the popularity of Keeping Up with the Kardashians meant more owners chose names like Rob, Stormi, and Kim.

Orange and white kitten lying on a bed, playing with a feather wand toy
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Additional great boy kitten names

While the most popular male kitten names can definitely serve as a source of inspiration, don’t feel that you have to follow the latest trends when naming your kitten. These names are all fantastic choices too:

  • Buddy
  • Oscar
  • George
  • Dexter
  • Gus
  • Henry
  • Oreo
  • Apollo
  • Simon
  • Louie
  • Salem
  • Rocky
  • Theo
  • Sam
  • Gizmo
  • Tigger
  • Smokey
  • Toby
  • Chester
  • Frankie
  • Romeo
  • Zeus
  • Bear
  • Bandit
  • Boots
  • Merlin
  • Cosmo
  • Lucky
  • Joey
  • Benny
  • Tucker
  • Prince
  • Chester
  • Calvin
  • Tom
  • Moose
  • Garfield
  • Casper
  • Lucky
  • Archie

Grey kitten sitting outside on a stump

Top tips for choosing a marvelous name for your kitten

These popular names might give you some ideas for your own kitten’s name. You can choose one of these names, or maybe they will serve as the perfect jumping-off point as you start researching other possibilities.

To give you the best chance of finding the right name for your kitten, start by brainstorming as many names as possible. For extra fun, get your friends and family involved in the process. Write down every name you think of — even the ones that you don’t love right from the start. Your goal is to build a big, long list of names that can be narrowed down later. For now, include all of the possibilities you come up with.

To help with your brainstorming, think of themes and other elements that might inspire you: The lyrics to your favorite song, your favorite band, your favorite author, and even your favorite sports team are all examples of potential sources of inspiration.

Once you have a long list of names, start crossing off the ones that won’t work or that you don’t like. Try to eliminate names that are difficult to say, or that sound similar to the names of other people or pets in your household. You don’t want to bewilder your new feline.

As you narrow down the list, try saying each name out loud. It’s best to choose a multi-syllable name, ideally two syllables, so that your pet can easily hear it and you can easily pronounce it.

Make naming a family affair

Be sure to get your whole family involved in the last step of choosing the perfect name from the list of your top choices. It’s important that everyone agrees on the name and uses it consistently since this will help your kitten learn to recognize it. Try to avoid using too many nicknames, especially at first, which could confuse your kitten. With a little time and plenty of repetition, your kitten will surely figure out his name, and may even learn to come when you call him.

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Paige Cerulli
Paige Cerulli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Paige's work has appeared in American Veterinarian, Business Insider, Healthline, and more. When she's not writing, Paige…
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