Top Ten Australian Cat Names and Their Meanings

After conducting much research, I’ve compiled a list of the top Australian cat names and their meanings. However, before we get to that, here are a few tips to help you pick the perfect name for your new cat or kitten.

Choosing the perfect name for your new cat or kitten is important. Remember, you will use that name several times a day, sometimes in public, so choose a name that you are proud to call your cat. One of the best things about naming a cat is that they don’t really care what you name them, as long as they get lots of love, a comfortable bed and plenty to eat.

First, take a few days to get to know your new pet, then consider your cat’s most obvious personality traits, as well as its appearance and common behaviours. A note for kitten owners: choose a name that your kitten will grow into and not one that seems cute at the moment. Your full-grown cat may not have the same characteristics that it did when you named it, “Babycakes.”

Cats can easily learn to recognize names with one or two syllables. Avoid names that sound like commands, such as come, off or no. For example, if name your cat “Muff,” your cat may confuse it with the command, “off.” Also, don’t use names that sound like the names of other family members.

Bow Wow Meow offers a yearly list of the top 20 Australian cat names that they compile by looking at thousands of cat tag purchases. However, I did some additional research to narrow it down to the following ten most common names: 

• Oscar – means “spear of the gods,” or “friend of the deer.”
• Max – derived from Maxwell, meaning, “Mack’s stream.”
• Tiger – derived from the name of a large, striped, carnivorous mammal from Asia.
• Sam – derived from Samuel, meaning, “God heard,” or “requested of God.”
• Misty – means “covered with mist.”
• Simba – A Swahili word for lion.
• Coco – derived from Soccoro, a name of Spanish origin.
• Chloe – derived from Khloe, meaning “blooming.”
• Lucy – derived from Lucille, meaning “light.”
• Missy – derived from Melissa, meaning “bee,” or “honey.”

Be sure to use your cat’s new name a lot, so you both get used to it. We all know that cats don’t always come when you call them, but try to teach your cat to recognise its name and to associate it with a positive experience, such as mealtime or a fun new toy. Don’t use your cat’s name to express anger or disdain, or it will be a negative sound to your cat and it may ignore it, or even hide when it’s called. It’s important that you both love your cat’s name, because you’ll use it often and for a very long time.