Welcome to our complete guide to unique cat names. Now updated for 2019.
Giving you fun and awesome unusual names for your new cat.
Let’s start our newly updated 2019 guide to Unique Cat Names by looking at some of our readers’ suggestions from the comments below.
Unique cat names suggested by our readers
- Bar Bar
- Bugaboo
- Church (named for his birthplace)
- Echo
- Figarro
- Karma
- Kawano
- Pidge
- Poet
- Venice
Thanks so much to everyone who shared these with us. These are just ten of your suggestions – there are lots more below, together with lots of our own ideas for unique cat names for you.
Choosing unique cat names
When choosing a name for a new pet, most people want something unique. Something that reflects the individuality of your pet itself.
And we know that cats recognise lots of different sounds, including their owners’ voices (Scientific American). So we want to make sure that the name we choose feels right for them.
Finding a unique name for your cat can be tricky. But we just have to think outside the box!
This article will explore some great, more unique names that you could give your cat, or at least give you more inspiration!
Unique cat names
A cat’s personality is a great place to start – every cat is different and their personalities start showing from such a young age!
Using their personality as inspiration is a great way to think of a name that is unique to your cat and that suits it perfectly.
Here are some examples:
- Pouncer
- Arty
- Hunter
- Racer
- Melody
- Creep
- Trust
- Bubbles
- Solumn
- Fidget
- Scratches
- Chatterbox
- Tickler
- Jumper
- Fickle
Not sure any of these are quite right? Our readers suggest ‘Bruiser’, ‘Sneak’, ‘Hero’ and ‘Lucifer’ may all work well for some cats too!
Unique female cat names
Human names are a really popular choice when it comes to naming our pets, but this does not mean that these names cannot be unique.
Choosing a human name can be difficult, as you might want to avoid the names of your family and friends.
However, human names tend to fluctuate in popularity, so a name that is less popular now could be the perfect fit for your cat.
Here are some examples of less popular names now that could make a great unique name for your kitty.
- Bridget
- Carly
- Debra
- Eileen
- Elaine
- Janet
- Jean
- Joanne
- Juliet*
- Millie*
- Sally
- Sandra
- Sheila
- Tracey
- Wendy
- Willow*
- Ursula
- Yvonne
- Zenda
*Thanks to our readers for suggesting these extra names for 2019!
Find 250 more awesome girl cat names here.
The Happy Cat Handbook - A unique guide to understanding and enjoying your cat!
Unique male cat names
Here are some less popular male human names that you might think are the perfect choice for your cat!
- Archibald
- Cecil
- Chester
- Clarence
- Clive
- Dean
- Dennis
- Egbert
- Gary
- Frederick
- Horace
- Malcolm
- Nigel
- Sidney
- Roy
- Terrance
- Wayne
Check out 250 more brilliant boy cat names here.
Unique black cat names
When naming your black cat, it’s tempting to go for typical names that describe your cat’s fur color.
These names are great, however, they’re often too popular to be unique.
To find a more unique name, we could look at the meaning behind the name.
This is a clever way of complementing your cat’s gorgeous dark fur but still choosing a name many other cats won’t have!
Here are some names with meanings that flatter our black cats’ coats.
- Achlys (darkness)
- Amaro (dark)
- Bruna (dark haired)
- Cerin (little dark one)
- Kalan (black)
- Krishna (black)
- Zila (shade)
- Collyer (charcoal merchant)
- Ohanzee (shadow)
- Sauda (dark beauty)
Check out 250 more awesome black cat names here.
Unique white cat names
We can also use the above technique when looking for names for white cats!
This is a great way to find a more unique, less popular name.
Here are some examples you could use for a white cat!
- Abyaz (white)
- Earwin (white river)
- Finna (fair)
- Atali (pure)
- Zaki (bright, pure)
- Edur (snow)
- Neve (snowy)
- Morvan (pale)
- Pandu (pale)
- Olwen (white footprint)
Find 100 more wonderful white cat names here.
Cute unique cat names
Cute cat names are a great way to show off just how adorable your new pet is, but it can be difficult to think of something that’s both cute and unique!
We can get inspiration from nature and the world around us to think of cute names that could suit our kitties perfectly!
Here are some you might like.
- Acorn
- Bean
- Briar
- Clementine
- Daffodil
- Echo
- Fig
- Fir
- Foxglove
- Ivy
- Feather
- Moss
- Mustard
- Orchid
- Pea
- Pepper
- Pickles
- Rosebud
- Sprout
- Tansy
Check out 200 more top cute cat names here.
Cool unique cat names
Lots of people use human inspiration when naming their cat, but another way to find a cool, unique name is to look at inspiration in the media.
Some famous cat names, like Garfield or Bagpuss, have been used time and time again as pet names, however this doesn’t mean that there are no unique ones.
Here are some examples of cat’s from the media that you might like, and where they appeared.
- Monkey (Perry Mason)
- Mrs Paw (Big Barn Farm)
- Muffy (Shipping Wars)
- Spot (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
- Toonces (Saturday Night Live)
- Jonesy (Alien)
- Sassy (Homeward Bound)
- Orion (Men in Black)
- Mittens (Bolt)
- Benny (Top Cat)
And there are 300 more cool cat names to choose from here!
Unusual cat names
Another way to find more unique names for our pets is to use inspiration from different historical periods.
This gives you a huge scope for names, as you could look at any historical era, or any region!
Historical names can also have a great story behind them that you can share with your friends when they meet your kitty!
Here are some examples of historical names that could work for your pet.
Male historical names
- Millard
- Rutherford
- Grover
- Warren
- Marlon
- Averil
- Ovidius
- Durand
- Gershom
- Pascoe
- Augustus
- Oswald
- Artistotle
Female historical names
- Joan
- Constance
- Eluned
- Haidee
- Idonea
- Oriel
- Adela
- Alba
- Pelagia
- Tatiana
- Theodosia
- Zenais
- Mary
Best unique cat names
Thinking of the best unique name for your cat is tough, as everyone will like something different.
Whatever you choose will have to stick for the rest of your pet’s life, so it is really important to pick something you’re going to love for a long time.
Here are some examples of unique names that could be the perfect fit for your cat!
- Baloo
- Baron/Baroness
- Beastie
- Buffy
- Diva
- Grumble
- Hennessy
- Ike
- Jaffa
- Jaz
- Killian
- Major
- Majesty
- Mufasa
- Wookie
Unique cat names with a pun
Fancy something more light hearted? Our readers recommend these ‘punny’ cat names.
- Charlie Catlin
- CleoCatra
- Ferris Mewller
- Luke Skywhisker
- Meowna Lisa
- Neferkitti
Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
Unique cat names from foods
Lastly, we loved hearing how many of your unique cat names are inspired by foods.
You suggested:
- Coconut
- Fish
- Snickers
- Peanut
- Pickles
There’s lots of fun to be had looking in the cupboards for inspiring food names. What about ‘Chilli’ for a feisty personality, or ‘Cucumber’ for a more chilled kitty?
How about you?
We’d love to hear about the most unique pet names you’ve heard before!
Can you think of any names to add to our list?
Resources
- Behind The Name
- Scientific American. Muth, F. What We Understand About Cats and What Cats Understand About Us.
- Animal Cognition. 2013. Saito, A. & Shinozuka, K. Vocal recognition of owners by domestic cats (Felis catus).
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Bugaboo
Tookie
Lol my nickname is bugaboo
For a bobtail kitty
Tee-Tee aka. (Tiny-tail)
Zazzles from the Big Bang theory xx
I had a friend who named her cat C.A.T. (see-ay-tee) saying the letters. She had a dog to called D.O.G. (dee-oh-gee). She had a thing for literal naming.
Is her name H U M A N?
I have a female black cat named puma
I have just lost a strong beautiful cat, he was called Tarn
actually after “Tarn Howes” small lake in the Lake District my late husband loved the place as did I
He weighed 12kg and never needed to fight as he just looked so strong the other cats left but he did have two great playmates that he met in his garden, they sat together on a bench like three old men
Typo
I have 3 black cats: Peekaboo, Tigris, & Jinx
i would name mine visco if i could or ivy or clementine i love the name clementine for some reason
I wish if i have a cat……
Cleocatra
These are the names of my cats:
Fish
Pidge
Bar Bar (Barthy)
Mine is timber but I call her Tim tam
I had an orange cat named Fish too. She just loved water!
im getting mine today and idk what to name it i think clementine
I like the name near, or gunner. What about citrus or cloud or dragon or far or iven or Vacadu or butter or casino or cini. I like those names more.
Here are cat names from my childhood onward: Mitzi, Stuffin’, Tyloo, Tiggly-Wig, Gidget (with extra digits/polydactyl), Onyx (aka Onster-the-Monster), Stuffin’, KitKat
What about Ghee for a flame point Siamese? I like it.
caesar
Louis xiii
Luke Skywhisker.
I work for a dog and cat rescue, and a Star Wars fan adopted him just because of the name. He adopted his sister who had a different name, but
changed her name to Leia.
This is so nice. I know two black and white cats, who both had moustache-like markings under their noses, called “Adolf Kitler and Charlie Catlin” – the latter had white gloves. Our own ginger was “Toscat from Purrchini”.
Then there also are the exquisite paintings by Susan Herbert: Meowna Lisa, Girl with the purr earring, The Kits and Vincent van Claw to name a few.?
My ginger cat looks so much like puss in boots that he got the name Antonio after Antonio Banderas that does puss in boots voice lol
We named our male cat Numbootie.
Professor Foust
Mr. Whiskers
Mrs. Whiskers
I’m gonna name my cat Trust.
Nefertiti
NeferKitty
and
CleoKatra
Cute
Juliet
Venice
I also knew a pair of Himalayan cats named, Beijing & Shanghai.
Yoni and Linga, Hindu meanings. Also Shakti and Bharati. Or Shanti and Poornima.
Thanks so much These are great names for my Himalayan cats!
Bugs
Figarro
Nilla
Zigato
I have Snickers, Peanut, Handsome, Bruiser, Sneak, Blue and Scoot
Puffer
Herbie
Vern
Oscar
Rudy
My two cats are fluffy & fidget
What about Ferris Mewller?
I like the names:
-Oscar
-Midnight
-Hero
-Coco
-Coconut
I had a white dsh male cat that was deaf. His name was Keller. As in Helen. Appropriate.
Love that name & connection!
Same.
I had a ginger tabby who I called Sir Thomas Ducatti on account of his smooth purr!
Nice!
My cats are karma, boo, and church. Boo is completely black and scared of everything, karma is a tuxedo cat with an evil streak, and church is white with tabby patches and was born in a chapel house on the side of a church. I also have an akita called luna.
Mine are Willow, Bandit, Smoky, Rarity, Lucifer, Salem, Bella, and Kawano
”Catbalou” is cute but doesn’t suit her.
my cats name is jaffa
I have littermate kittens Mufasa, Pickles, Poet and Millie. Just rescued another litter Echo, Edit and Marx (as in Karl). The dogs are Huckleberry and Finn!
My male black & white cat is named Cisco Kat (song: Cisco Kid by War).
I named my cat Gato which is cat in Spanish
Cactus is my baby, named after he kept prickleing me
I currently share my address with:
Hemi (because he purrs so loud)
La Roux
Not La Roux (because she looks like La Roux, but she is…not. Yes she answers to it)
Grape
Hamster
Kupu
I have had sooo many cats, and never use the same name twice, so I have to get creative
I love the name Olive or Beatrix for a black cat or Pippy as in Pippy Longstocking for an orange cat.
We had a cat named pip who was an orange tabby , pip is the name for an orange seed , his full name was Charlie (as in dickens) pip (also literary as in pip from great expectations )
My black and white kitty is Gallifrey, my Maine Coin is SmokeyJoe, my white kitty is A dormir and my tabby is Queen Lizzie
I had Pywickit, a variation of Pywackit from the movie Bell, Book, and Candle
Mochi or Salem
My daughter’s cat was Mouchi.
Lol I wanted to name my future cat Mochi 🙂
My old kittens name was dude but she was a female.
I have a question that would mean a lot to me if you could answer this.
Two names really stuck out to me that I really liked. There was Amaro, which meant dark, and Earwin, which meant white river.
Could you tell me in what language it means that?
Like in what language does Amaro mean dark, and in what language does Earwin mean white river?
Thank you in advance as this would really help me out , I also very enjoyed reading this article <3
xoxo, Liza
I have had several unusual kitty names. We had Sugarfoot, she was black with white dipped feet. Dimples, a tuxedo with white markings on his cheeks. Mango Jerry and Rumm Tum Tugger for the Broadway show Cats. And Mr. L.T. Purrkins.
Hi Jennifer,
I know that in Italian Amaro means bitter, not dark. Scuro is the word that means dark….
Amaro is Italian. Earwin is Welsh, and probably should be Earwen.
My Persian’s name was Tumbleweed and she certainly looked like one!
Plata (silver in SpaNish)
Pewter
Bonkers
Tucker or Tuckie
Bother
Daisy
My in laws have named their cats : Vincent van gogh ( he has swirl patterns in his fur that look like Starry Night) and Leah-nardo Da vinchi ( wanted to continue the artist theme but little Leah is a young lady)
Growing up we had several cats on the farm and we came up with unique names for most of them.
We had a black one with a white stripe running under his chin and down his tummy…named him Skunk.
Had a solid black one was named High Noon instead of Midnight.
Cinnamon (Cinny) and Nutmeg (Meggy) part Siamese males and their solid black sisters Charlie 1 and Charlie 2. My mom and I didn’t agree on the sexes and I had originally named the males Casper and Popcorn.
We also had Bartender(Tender)..not sure how we came up with that one, Mogen David, Blue Diamond, Blue Angel, Skeeziks, and IBTC (Itty Bitty Titty Committee) are just some of the unusual names we came up with over the years.
We’re hoping to find a unique name for a cat we just adopted this month. She’s a senior, sassy cat who came with the name “Oprah”; no disrespect intended here but she’s 90% white with a few patches of gray/taupe on her back, gray/taupe tail, grey face with a jagged white marking that makes us think of the northern lights … but any translations of it (aka, aurora borealis) don’t fit her personality. We’ve since learned this 10yr young kitty is a “Snow-Shoe Siamese” with her gorgeous blue eyes. And like a typical Siamese, we hear about it at breakfast & dinner-time, LoL
My friend calls her daughter Rory, short for Aurora. It also sounds like Roar-y.
– Squeakers (fun)
– Swiper (cartoon)
– Casper (white cats)
– Crash (fun)
– Zelda (legend)
Ranger and Rennegade
I tend to have some… unusual kitty names.
My cats so far have been named…
Ms. Kittles (a play on Mr. Piddles from The L Word, and skittles — we were young and very gay)
Piggles (nickname for Pygmy, she was an extremely tiny black cat — and to rhyme Kittles and Piggles)
Luther
Aphrodite
Pumpkin
Milo
Callie
Maximus
aaand Casanova
When I was a kid we had to jet black cats I named one tar baby (from the movie song of the South, my Mom who had a very strange sense of humor name the other one snowball. lol
My cats name is Kamier (come here)
I have 3 male silver tabby cats named:
Dew
Mookie
Saber
The names of my cats are:
Sushi
Kit Kat
Birdie
Otter (because he lays on his back like an otter in water);
Other cats I’ve had:
Pixie
Sprite
I named my cat Siri
Which means tiger in african
I named a beautiful long haired white cat; Chablis [a white wine]
A light gray cat with blue eyes, Luna Bleu
A majestic black cat, Cairo
A very affectionate cat, Ti’amo (means ‘I love you’)
A reincarnated cat; Phoenix
I have 2 kittens ones name is Thor the other Loki
My cat is named Kirrin, and my kitten is Echo.
My cats name is Nala (Lion King)
My cats name is Miss Kitty,
Ours are Qarli (snowy, for a pure white cat) and Qara (black or dark, for our black one)
RASCAL EARNHARDT. He was small when I got him but soon I found out he was part Maine coon. His name was Earnhardt after he got SOOO big. He was named after Dale Earnhardt Sr..He intimidated the German Shepard next door all the time. Some times the dog would go outside if Earnhardt was out..
Have a Devon Rex with not alot of fur he’s called GARTH we call him Garth from the under marth as he looks like an alian ?
My female Orange Tabby’s name is Mimosa; I named her after the drink!!
My female Calico’s name is Dixie; sometimes I call her Dixie Pixie.
We’ve had cats named Mr. White Keys, Spats, Pia, Cocoa Puff, Clarissa, Wally, Frodo, Simon, BJ.
Let’s see…
Growing up I had:
*Joshy
*Tigger
*Willy
*Dude
*Hank
Now we (my kids) have:
*Chucky (for his orange fur, obviously lol)
*Luci (short for Lucifer because she is evil and obsessed with my infants toes at 3am)
*Cleocatra (she is mine. My boys hated the name, I adored it, I’m the adult, so I won!)
*Pickles ( toddlers cat, obviously now they won!)
*Archie (no idea where my 13yo pulled that one from, but it fits!)
I have a red tabby called
Clancey Velcro
I named my cat: Tusa, wich means cat in my language (Moluccan)
Buster, Bose, Spec, and Lloyd.
My dad’s cat is called Musti.
My mom’s cat is called Spooky, when calling her she often used “Spook” which means “ghost” in our language. She had green eyes and the show Danny Phantom was really popular at the time, since he was a ghost with green eyes, she named the cat ghost too but in our language.
And my cat is called Sillen but sometimes I call him Silly Sillen.
Rex (dog)
Lucinda
Simon
Pogo
Felix
Sox
Oscar (dog)
Conchita ( rescued from Cuba)
Polly
Badger (dog)
Tidbit
Our current barn cats are: Fred and Barney, 5 gray cats: Pebbles, Mercury, Smokey, Dustin, and Gunner, 3 black cats: Lincoln, Binx, and Salem. We have a Manx female house cat named Bobbi. Past cat names have been: Yani,Miles, Romeo, Matt and Dillon.
Some are rescues. Some are ferals that stay here because I feed them and provide shelter and some are strictly inside, but they are all my babies. Names are..
Harley (my old man)
Sayde Bug (aka Bug after finding out she is a he)
——–
Ini
Mini
Miny (aka Miny Mouse)
Mo (aka Momo)
Curly (aka Curly Monster)
3 sisters & 2 brothers my Pit Bull found abandoned inside our fence. We were thinking of names when my mom started playing “Ini, Mini, Miny, Mo.” Then there was the other boy left so Curly came naturally after Mo and it stuck.
———
Vee
Pew T. Pie (aka Poo Pie)
Bean (aka Beanie Baby)
Boog (aka Boogie Man)
Quinne
Boo
Pinky (albino with pink nose)
Fitz
Little (born with dwarfism)
Marty (rescued from Wal-Mart parking lot)
Possum
Pippen
Ling Ling
Freckles
Then there are the tabbies that all look so much alike, we just call them “Tabs.”
I named my male cat Tasman. He was a Snowshoe Siamese with gorgeous blue eyes. Tazzy just fit him perfectly.
My first cat, a beautiful calico, was born in 2002. I think her lovely, femine name – ANNABELLE – fit her perfectly. I couldn’t have children so she was my name sake – I’m Ann.
My second cat was born in 2017. She’s a beautiful gray Tabby who I named Willow.
I could not have kids. Getting a Russian blue female Any good Russian by ned
Charlie Tuna ?
Aspen male and Nepsa both female and male and Napasa female
I have four cats three black and white and orange and white.
1. Female- Lily ( Black & White )
2. Female- Moo ( Black & White ) I love cows and have always wanted to have either a black & white dog or cat to name this.
3. Male – Hunter ( Black & White )
4. Male – Buck ( Orange & White )
All are rescues from my husbands hunting camp.
C. C. (See-see) for Calico Cat. Tucker…
My fur baby breed is a Havana Brown. His name is Carmello!
Our big Maine Coon Maximus thinks his name is Nomax. He likes to climb.
my cats name is a Putzi = darling for German
My name is Jane, my Tabby is called Tarzan!
Our first time and only cat came with the name of Ferb. It suits him.
My 2 boys are Raffles and Bingo. Getting a new one and thinking of either Nugget or Domino. Husband and daughter (mother of 2 who should know better!) thinks we should call him Lucky Dip. What’s really funny is we only do the lottery every now and again!
I have 3 cats……Pikachu, Puppy n Panther
I don’t have a cat but I want some to name their furry friend Madam puddifoot… from Harry Potter
My kitty is Zima. Its Russian for winter and he is an all white kitty. I say it fits for him.
We named our grey tabby Cairo (means Victorious and of course the place Cairo in Egypt, )
The best cat I ever had was named Pablo. I still miss him every day.
Katie Purry is my kitten I pulled out of a dumpster………
i always wanted a cat named Pixel. Also, my friend has a cat literally named Dog, And has a dog named Cow.
Once had a white/grey chinchilla kitten my mother-in-law named Spuddle. His name just popped into her head. Tinker was another cat years ago. My last 2 cats have been named Tia-Maria and Bailey. Thinking of continuing the alcoholic names for next kitty with Kahlua, Brandy, Shiraz, Sherry or Whiskey, depending on sex and colouring.
Legend, Whisper, Magic, Deja Voodoo, Demetri, BellaDonna, Freya, Persephone, FolkLore, Red Romeo, Willow, Icarus, Nightshade, Irony, Sasha, Thornton, Remy LeBeau that just a few of my rescues over the years!
Hubby and I just adopted a Maine Coon mix. She is a kitten about 12 weeks old. We have named her Furball !
Arty
Fickle
Fish and Chips
I had a cat called montezuma it’s from a book called momtezuma’s adventures it’s about a cat who has nine lives
My cat’s name is Ethel. She is a tortoiseshell rescue cat. The vets named her? after she was run over and left for dead. But Ethel is quite happy with her name and she is so loving. We have never heard of another cat named Ethel!
We called ours “Monsieur” like the French word for Sir
my fiends cat is called Missy,she is a tabby and really cute. the name really suits her.
My cats are: Noisy (she’s 3-legged & very noisy), Georgette, Boondy, Tudot, Mamie, Wilfred, Tabitha (when I’m cuddling her, I would call her Tabitha Patita), Chot.
My granddaughters cat is named Cat Benitar
Our rescue babies are…Loki, Thor, Emma, Mika, Pixie, Asha, Daisy, Cheeto, Tarzan, Scout, Cato, Sophie, Simba, Leo, Wonky, Harley, Milo, Fluffy, Cleo, and Oreo.
I had 2 black cats named Blackie Chan and Jet Li, then was adopted by a stray tabby who I named Bruce Lee in an effort to keep with my theme. But, that did not last long and as Bruce’s personality got bigger and he took over our hearts, his name got longer as well. My husband and I were new into our relationship and like any toddler/child, Bruce liked to interrupt things and so became Brucifer Lee. We learned how much of an affection hound he was in the years he was with us. Even with so called “cat-haters”, Brucifer would find a way into their laps and before they even realized it they were petting and loving on him. Brucifer Lee was now Brucifer Lee McLovin, Ninja Kitty Extraordinaire. The years went by and we thought Brucifer’s name was complete, but no it wasn’t. Old age caught up with our Brucifer and he developed a cataract and that required another addition to his moniker~ Brucifer Lee McLovin Odinson, Ninja Kitty Extraordinaire. He’s been gone a little while now wearing his angel wings. I’m sure he’s left his halo in someone’s lap and he’s teaching those hater’s that it’s all about the LOVE man, so get your petting on and find your Zen.
If I have a cat I would call it moss (mossy) I think that name really suits a grey kitten. and I hope to get moss some day!