The 10 Most Popular Cat Names of 2018

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Pet names can be surprisingly similar across different times and different cultures. However, that doesn’t mean that the same pet names remain at the same levels of popularity. Instead, pet names rise and fall in popularity for the same complicated mix of reasons that human names rise and fall in popularity, which is why they can actually provide some interesting insight into what pet owners are thinking. Cat names are no exception to this rule, as shown by how 2018’s popular cat names are both similar and different from their counterparts in previous years. Here are what Country Living believes to be the 10 most cat names in 2018:

10. Phoebe

Phoebe and its male counterpart Phoebus are names that translate to something along the lines of “bright” and “shining.” This should be unsurprising because Phoebe was one of the first twelve Titans begat by Ouranos and Gaia, who was married to her brother Coeus, who was a representation of the celestial axis. As a result, it is no wonder that her descendants had such strong connections to light, so much so that her grandchildren Artemis and Apollo were sometimes called Phoebe and Phoebus as well.

9. Rosie

Rosie is one of the numerous names that have sprung up because of the Latin Rosa, which means of course, a rose. For instance, some other examples include but are not limited to Rose, Rosalie, and Rosaria. With that said, Rosie is often used as an affectionate nickname for its counterparts, so it is no wonder that it is seeing so much use for cats.

8. Molly

Molly is another excellent example of a name that is often used as a nickname for something else, which in turn, explains why it is seeing so much use when it comes to naming pets. For those who are curious, Molly can be a nickname for either Mary or Margaret, which actually have very different origins.

7. Luna

Latin is Latin for “moon” in the sense of our moon rather than some other moon. Confusingly, Luna was sometimes used as the name of the Roman counterpart of Selene, who was the Greek goddess of the moon. Other times, Luna was used as an epithet to stress the lunar connections of goddesses such as Juno and Diana.

6. Poppy

Flower names have been around for a long, long time, though they can see rises and falls in popularity in much the same manner as other names. Curiously, Poppy has been becoming particularly popular in the United Kingdom in recent times, which might be because of the name of the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s daughter Poppy Honey.

5. Daisy

Daisy is a flower name, though it is interesting to note that it has a rather poetic meaning because it comes from the Old English dægeseage, which means “day’s eye.” However, Daisy is sometimes used as a nickname for Margaret as well, which is because the French version Marguerite is the name of the ox-eye daisy.

4. Coco

Coco is often used as a nickname for a wide range of names that start with a Co. However, there are plenty of examples of people who use it as a full name in its own right, whether because they find it charming, likable, or otherwise pleasing to the ears. With that said, it is interesting to note that while Coco Chanel might be the most famous person to bear the name, she wasn’t born with it but instead picked up because of a song that she used to sing when she was still a cabaret singer.

3. Lola

Lola is another nickname, though context is needed to figure out whether it is being used for the German Aloisia or the Spanish Dolores. For those who are curious, Aloisia is a German variation on Louis for women, whereas Dolores is a Spanish name that comes from the Virgin Mary’s title of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, which means Our Lady of Sorrows.

2. Tilly

Tilly is the nickname for Matilda, which comes from a German name that translates to something along the lines of “might in battle.” Matilda used to be very popular in England, though it was often rendered as the more vernacular Maud rather than Matilda. With that said, it has seen something of a modern revival as well.

1. Bella

People love their cats, so it is no wonder that so many people are choosing to call their cats Bella, which means “beautiful.” Besides this, Bella is sometimes used as a nickname for names that end in either Bella or Belle, with examples ranging from Isabella to Annabelle.

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