Cougar
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KOO-gar
- Origin
- English
Cougar is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “mountain lion”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Cougar mean?
English: English word for the mountain lion, from Portuguese, from Tupi
“mountain lion”
From the English word for the mountain lion, a big cat native to the Americas.
Is Cougar a girl's or a boy's name?
Cougar is a boys' name.
How popular is Cougar in the US?
No boys in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2007, with 17 boys. It first appears in the records in 1987.
Half of all the boys named Cougar in the US since 1880 were born between 1998 and 2007, the years shaded on the chart below.
Cougar in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6 | #10,801 |
| 2010 | 11 | #7,081 |
| 2009 | 10 | #7,687 |
| 2008 | 10 | #7,693 |
| 2007 | 17 | #5,207 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7,422 |
| 2005 | 16 | #5,029 |
| 2004 | 15 | #5,241 |
| 2003 | 11 | #6,251 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,124 |
| 2001 | 13 | #5,383 |
| 2000 | 9 | #6,832 |
| 1999 | 5 | #9,905 |
| 1998 | 11 | #5,460 |
| 1997 | 12 | #4,954 |
| 1996 | 5 | #9,008 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 7 | #6,662 |
| 1991 | 5 | #8,228 |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 8 | #5,608 |
| 1988 | 5 | #7,264 |
| 1987 | 6 | #6,083 |
Names like Cougar
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Cannon Brayden Keegan Bridger Aiden Deacon Kayden Brody Briar Brennan Declan Connor
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cougar: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cougar, updated 20 October 2026.