Most Common and Uncommon Cat Names of the Year

You named the cat what? See what unusual or popular names made the list of cat names for 2011.

Buddy is officially the new "top-dog" name. Today, Petfinder.com, the largest online database of adoptable pets, announced its 2011 ranking of the most popular and most unusual names, with an extra category for TV and celebrity "name-a-likes." For the fifth year in a row, "Buddy" barks at the top as the most trending name for adoptable dogs in 2011, while "Lucy" once again proves to be the purrfect No. 1 choice for adoptable cats.

The top five most popular names for dogs have all remained the same this year, while cats are a different story: "Smokey" and "Charlie" sniffed their way up to No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, while "Midnight" jumped down to No. 10 after coming in No. 2 for adoptable felines last year. As people everywhere swarmed the theaters and the Twilight saga continued to unfold in 2011, the popularity of the name "Bella" for both adoptable dogs and cats has remained strong since 2010.

2011 Top 10 Most Popular Cat Names
1.   Lucy (4,195)

2.   Smokey (4,105)

3.   Bella (3,978)

4.   Charlie (3,752)

5.   Tiger (3,735)

6.   Oreo (3,574)

7.   Daisy (3,371)

8.   Molly (3,355)

9.   Max (3,346)

10. Midnight (3,273)

Petfinder.com also handpicked the most unusual, wacky and celebrity-themed names of adoptable pets for 2011 from nearly 300 submissions by dog and cat shelters and rescue groups across North America. This year's top creativity honors go to dog  "Dodgy Wodgy Schnookum Doodle" and  cat "Barry Meow-nilow."

2011 Most Unusual Adoptable Dog and Cat Names
1.  Dodgy Wodgy Schnookum Doodle
    
2.  Polly Picklepuss

3.  Sukimayapoo

4.  Iben Hooked

5.  Blue Sparkles McGillicutty

6.  Killer the Dog Dominating Declawed Cat
    
7.  Purr-etzle

8.  Fluff Dog Millionaire

9.  Jimmy Chews

10. Ishkabibble

2011 Best Dog and Cat Celebrity Name-A-Likes
1.   Barry Meow-nilow

2.   Katy Purry

3.   Ally McBeagle

4.   Brad the Pit

5.   Rascal Catts

6.   Ringo Starr

7.   Cindy Clawford

8.   Cindy Dogford

9.   Vera Fang

10. Lady Gaga

"Everybody loves to have a Buddy, but many shelters and rescue groups give their adoptable pets creative names to help them stand out from the crowd," says Betsy Banks Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.

"Their names can give a peek into their personalities. For instance, 'Killer the Dog-Dominating Declawed Cat' speaks for itself. But if your new cat doesn't respond to his shelter-given name or you can't imagine yourself hollering for 'Polly Picklepuss' at the dog park, never fear. Animal behaviorists tell us it's okay to change their names.  Here's how: Add their new name to their old name for a few weeks, then gradually phase out the old one."