A new study claims to have identified the most popular cat name in every US state, and it’s sure to make perfect reading for fans of a particular moggy nickname.
Naming your cat is an important part of owning a pet. Although our feline friends may not respond to a name in the same way as a dog, research has shown that cats recognize their own nameseven if they remain largely indifferent to its use.
A 2019 study published in scientific reports watched 78 cats participate in an experiment in which researchers repeatedly said four words that sounded similar to feline names until they got used to hearing them and stopped responding.
Each cat’s owners then gave their real name, and the researchers tested whether the individual felines could distinguish their nicknames. They found that the cats always had a more pronounced response to hearing their own name, with reactions ranging from meowing to moving their ears, head or tail.
To further test the theory, in another test, the researchers recruited strangers to say their cats’ names. Although the responses were not as strong, the cats examined seemed to recognize when they were called.
Sometimes a name can be inspired by the life of a cat. Other times, you can choose a nickname in honor of someone else.
Whatever the case, on a basic level, the pet owner’s choice of a cat’s name is important, because they are likely to be saying it around the house or from the back door for several years to come. Therefore, it can help to keep up with the trends when it comes to cat names.
Fortunately, help is available in the form of a new study by pet-sitting platform TrustedHousesitters looking at America’s most popular pet names in 2023.
Based on a comprehensive study of over 50,000 pet names registered on the TrustedHousesitters platform, they were able to identify not only America’s top cat name in 2023, but also the most popular feline nickname for each and every state. from USA
Luna was the most popular cat name nationally in the US Meanwhile, the top five most popular male cat names were identified as Charlie, Leo, Max, Milo, and Jack. The five most popular female cat names are Luna, Lucy, Bella, Sophie, and Stella.
A breakdown of each state’s most popular cat name can be found in the chart below:
Interestingly, about 13 percent of the cats were found to be named after a food or drink. California, specifically, had the most cats named after food, with Pickles, Bean, Peanut, Taco, Sushi, and Pumpkin being popular choices on the top 100 names list. There are even several cats named Pop-Tart, Ramen, and Parmesan in the state.
Angela Laws, Community Director at TrustedHousesitters, commented: “While working with pets and pet owners across the country for over 14 years, I’ve always been exposed to emerging popular names. But it’s been even more exciting to see what Our data has to say about pet names from 2023 in this study.One of the most interesting findings is how pet name trends vary not only at the state level but also at the city level, with trends accounting for the culture and famous features of each city in a unique way.
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