diff --git a/.changeset/spotty-moons-enjoy.md b/.changeset/spotty-moons-enjoy.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..67ffee6d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/spotty-moons-enjoy.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"victory-core": patch
+---
+
+fix categories array of strings
diff --git a/packages/victory-core/src/exports.test.ts b/packages/victory-core/src/exports.test.ts
index 4937f167c..a50f5c7a0 100644
--- a/packages/victory-core/src/exports.test.ts
+++ b/packages/victory-core/src/exports.test.ts
@@ -426,8 +426,8 @@ describe("victory-core", () => {
             "getDomain": [Function],
             "getDomainFromChildren": [Function],
             "getScale": [Function],
-            "getStringsFromCategories": [Function],
             "getStringsFromChildren": [Function],
+            "getStringsFromChildrenCategories": [Function],
             "getStringsFromData": [Function],
             "getStyle": [Function],
             "getWidth": [Function],
diff --git a/packages/victory-core/src/victory-util/wrapper.test.tsx b/packages/victory-core/src/victory-util/wrapper.test.tsx
index 1f6b2035e..c9c8d57ff 100644
--- a/packages/victory-core/src/victory-util/wrapper.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/victory-core/src/victory-util/wrapper.test.tsx
@@ -84,4 +84,59 @@ describe("helpers/wrapper", () => {
       expect(Wrapper.getStringsFromData([])).toEqual({ x: [], y: [] });
     });
   });
+
+  describe("getStringsFromCategories", () => {
+    it("gets string from all options", () => {
+      expect(Wrapper.getStringsFromChildrenCategories([], "x")).toEqual([]);
+      expect(
+        Wrapper.getStringsFromChildrenCategories(
+          [<MockVictoryLine categories={["one", "two", "three"]} key="1" />],
+          "x",
+        ),
+      ).toEqual(["one", "two", "three"]);
+      expect(
+        Wrapper.getStringsFromChildrenCategories(
+          [<MockVictoryLine categories={["one", "two", "three"]} key="1" />],
+          "y",
+        ),
+      ).toEqual(["one", "two", "three"]);
+      expect(
+        Wrapper.getStringsFromChildrenCategories(
+          [
+            <MockVictoryLine
+              categories={{ x: ["one", "two", "three"] }}
+              key="1"
+            />,
+          ],
+          "x",
+        ),
+      ).toEqual(["one", "two", "three"]);
+      expect(
+        Wrapper.getStringsFromChildrenCategories(
+          [
+            <MockVictoryLine
+              categories={{ x: ["one", "two", "three"] }}
+              key="1"
+            />,
+            <MockVictoryLine
+              categories={{ x: ["four", "five", "six"] }}
+              key="2"
+            />,
+          ],
+          "x",
+        ),
+      ).toEqual(["one", "two", "three", "four", "five", "six"]);
+      expect(
+        Wrapper.getStringsFromChildrenCategories(
+          [
+            <MockVictoryLine
+              categories={{ y: ["one", "two", "three"] }}
+              key="1"
+            />,
+          ],
+          "x",
+        ),
+      ).toEqual([]);
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/victory-core/src/victory-util/wrapper.tsx b/packages/victory-core/src/victory-util/wrapper.tsx
index 790af7abe..79520fae4 100644
--- a/packages/victory-core/src/victory-util/wrapper.tsx
+++ b/packages/victory-core/src/victory-util/wrapper.tsx
@@ -356,19 +356,13 @@ export function getChildStyle(child, index, calculatedProps, theme) {
   };
 }
 
-export function getStringsFromCategories(childComponents, axis) {
+export function getStringsFromChildrenCategories(childComponents, axis) {
   const iteratee = (child) => {
-    const childProps = child.props || {};
-    if (!Domain.isDomainComponent(child) || !childProps.categories) {
+    if (!Domain.isDomainComponent(child)) {
       return null;
     }
-    const categories =
-      childProps.categories && !Array.isArray(childProps.categories)
-        ? childProps.categories[axis]
-        : childProps.props.categories;
-    const categoryStrings =
-      categories && categories.filter((val) => typeof val === "string");
-    return categoryStrings ? Collection.removeUndefined(categoryStrings) : [];
+    const childProps = child.props || {};
+    return Data.getStringsFromCategories(childProps, axis);
   };
   return Helpers.reduceChildren(childComponents.slice(0), iteratee);
 }
@@ -417,15 +411,14 @@ export function getCategoryAndAxisStringsFromChildren(
   axis,
   childComponents,
 ) {
-  const categories = isPlainObject(props.categories)
-    ? props.categories[axis]
-    : props.categories;
+  const categories = Data.getStringsFromCategories(props, axis);
   const axisComponent = Axis.getAxisComponent(childComponents, axis);
   const axisStrings = axisComponent
     ? Data.getStringsFromAxes(axisComponent.props, axis)
     : [];
-  const categoryStrings =
-    categories || getStringsFromCategories(childComponents, axis);
+  const categoryStrings = categories.length
+    ? categories
+    : getStringsFromChildrenCategories(childComponents, axis);
   return uniq([...categoryStrings, ...axisStrings].flat());
 }
 
@@ -445,15 +438,9 @@ export function getStringsFromChildren(props, childComponents) {
 
 export function getCategories(props, childComponents, allStrings?) {
   const xPropCategories =
-    props.categories && !Array.isArray(props.categories)
-      ? props.categories.x
-      : props.categories;
-
+    props.categories && Data.getStringsFromCategories(props, "x");
   const yPropCategories =
-    props.categories && !Array.isArray(props.categories)
-      ? props.categories.y
-      : props.categories;
-
+    props.categories && Data.getStringsFromCategories(props, "y");
   const fallbackRequired = !xPropCategories || !yPropCategories;
 
   const fallbackProps = fallbackRequired