People are increasingly giving their cats people names

Sophie. Chloe. Zoe. Fluffy. Which one is the cat?
If you picked "Fluffy," then you're probably wrong — cats are increasingly being given "human names," with the top five most popular female cat names being Luna, Chloe, Bella, Lucy, and Lily, as determined by Rover.com.
Here's where it gets weird: At least two of the most popular female cat names are among the most popular names for baby (human) girls, too. The name "Lucy" was the 8th most popular girls name in 2015 and the name "Chloe" is among the "top 10 hottest girls names," having seen the biggest jump in popularity from 2014 to 2015.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The same is happening with male names, too. Top male cat names include Oliver and Milo, both of which were among the top 10 baby names for boys in 2015. Overall, when Rover.com crunched the numbers, they found that a whole 52 percent of cats were being given human names, a leap from a mere 22 percent that were given human names in 2014.
What people naming their pets "John" and "Jill" clearly don't realize, though, is that naming a cat is one of the only chances you have in life to bestow the goofiest possible name on another living being with the benefit of not having to foot the therapy bill later. (This message brought to you by Mars' human.)
Check out the full list of the top 10 male and female cat names over at Today.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The Week contest: Amazon Bond
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
6 grand homes in Boulder
Feature Featuring a mountain-facing balcony in Lower Chautauqua and a clover-shaped home in Flagstaff
By The Week US Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published