Who knew there were so many Olivers?
The Dickensian moniker tops a new list of 2020’s most popular male cat names, followed by Charlie and Leo, two names with regal connotations. You can’t throw a dart at a history book without hitting a King Charles, while Leo conjures images of the famed Spartan King Leonidas as well as panthera leo, aka the African lion, often mistakenly called the king of the jungle. (Tigers, not lions, occupy jungles. They’re also the largest cats on the planet.)
Rounding out the royalty-themed names are Simba (at number seven), the eponymous Lion King, Loki (at eighth-most-popular) of son-of-Odin Asgardian fame, George (10) and Louie (13), as in Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil, the Sun King of Versailles.
Here are the top 24, which might seem like an arbitrary number until you read through the list:
- Oliver
- Charlie
- Leo
- Max
- Jack
- Milo
- Simba
- Loki
- Oscar
- George
- Ollie
- Jasper
- Louie
- Simon
- Henry
- Dexter
- Toby
- Winston
- Gus
- Finn
- Kitty
- Tiger
- Rocky
- Buddy
Yep. Buddy’s not sure if he should be insulted at the lack of recognition, or happy that the feline Buddies are an apparently exclusive club.
The list was compiled by Rover.com, a site that allows people to connect with pet sitters and dog walkers. The list is based on the most popular names of cats belonging to the site’s registered users.
Pain In The Bud 
I had a Milo and a Jasper. I also had: Billie, Baby, Willow, Nerd, Cosmo, Sonni, Emily, and Hilly. Now, I have only Cali. Our friendship is really pretty special. All of those kitties from childhood till just last year when 16 year old Nerdy passed, have been loved. Now it’s just Cali and me.
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I like the name Cali for a female cat. Those are all good names. How’d Nerdy come to be known as a feline nerd?
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I’m still in awe of how Buddy was a perfectly normal name for a person in the 1950’s, now it’s just a pet’s name. I think it’s cute either way though… Did Jelly Bean rank on the list? I guess that’s a unisex name.
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Weird, isn’t it? I know a dude who calls himself Buddy, but you don’t see many people using the name now. Here’s the list of female cat names from 2019…looks like it’s heavily inspired by YA novels and Disney characters: https://www.rover.com/blog/popular-female-cat-names/
The list of “Old Lady Cat Names” on the same page is hilarious: Myrtle, Gladys, Blanche, Ethel. They could start a bingo and knitting club!
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I was all set to name my cat Sage, after the Olympic Snowboarder 🏂. I thought it was a really cool 😎 name. But when I adopted my male rescue at age 2, he already had a name, Purrcy, because he purred so much and does he ever😻. It’s the only name that would ever suit him 🐈! My last cats over 30 years have all been boys: Winslow (18), Valentino (14) and Spencer. Buddy sounds so wonderful, just like my loud purring, 14 pound, lap cat, he’s solid, large & now 5 years old 😽. Hello Buddy from Purrcy. p.s. My first cat in childhood was named Kittyquick 😊.
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I like the name Purrcy, especially as a human name with a cat twist. Buddy says hello and thanks for reading his blog!
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“Sport” was the best male cat who rode across the U.S. in my VW bug way back in the 70s.
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An adventure cat!
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i have a “Tommy” looks like Buddy and a black girl I call “sweety” and I love them. They follow me everywere and get their choice of shreds and treats
And soon will have a special cat tree to climb on
My poor Betta fish now lives. behind glass for his own protection. I cant imagine life without them!
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Good names for good cats 🙂
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My cat just tecently had kittens. Can my apartment landlord evict me now for having more than 1 cat?
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I don’t know, Lori. It depends on where you live and what the laws are, as well as what your lease says. What’s your plan for the kittens?
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