Find the right name
2,588 cat name ideas
The name is the first gift you give your cat, and you'll say it thousands of times. It might as well sound good. Our selection is sorted by gender, by style and by letter, with a note on the names that come with a story.
One tip before diving in: short names, one to three syllables, work best. Cats respond to them more easily, especially when they end on a clear vowel.
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The generator draws from this same selection, with gender and style filters, and a first-letter option.
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Gender
Style
Bella
Luna
Daisy
Poppy
Peaches
Honey
Clover
Pearl
The names people actually use
Three countries, three separate datasets, one answer. Luna is the number one cat name in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia at the same time, and she has held the British top spot for five years running. Milo and Leo swap the male crown between them depending on which side of the world you ask.
That agreement is worth noticing, because almost nothing else about cats crosses borders this cleanly. Vet costs, breeding law, registries, even the word for being sick: all different. Names, apparently not.
United States
Girls
Luna · Bella · Lily · Nala · Lucy · Willow · Freya · Cleo · Olive · Daisy
Boys
Milo · Felix · Leo · Finn · Oliver · Oscar · Loki · Oreo · Simba · Shadow
United Kingdom
Girls
Luna · Bella · Poppy · Daisy
Boys
Milo · Leo · Oliver · Charlie
Australia
Girls
Luna · Lucy · Daisy · Willow · Bella · Coco · Freya · Annie · Millie · Molly
Boys
Leo · Milo · Bluey
Sources: U.S. News with Fletch, 1.2 million pet insurance records, 2025 · Go.Compare pet insurance, 2025 · Pet Insurance Australia, 2025. Canada: Spot Pet Insurance Canada publishes a top ten (Luna first, no gender split) and Rover Canada a gender-split list, both from 2025; no sample size is published for either, so they are not tabled here. One name is genuinely local: Australians call cats Bluey, after the cartoon, and nobody else does.
Names for your cat's color
More people look for a name by coat than by anything else, and it makes sense: the coat is the first thing you see every morning. Pick the one in front of you.
Black catShadow · Onyx · Sable · Salem · Binx · Raven · Jet · Midnight · Panther · Kuro · Soot · Espresso · Licorice · Bat · Vader · Nyx · Coal · Inky · Blackbeard · Bagheera
Photo: taryn fry, Pexels licenseNames with their stories
Orange catGinger · Marmalade · Rusty · Tigger · Cheeto · Mango · Sunny · Amber · Butterscotch · Nacho · Garfield · Cinnamon · Clementine · Copper · Apricot · Blaze · Pumpkin · Paprika · Tangerine · Biscuit
Photo: Yusuf Çelik, Pexels licenseThe orange cat guide · Names with their stories
Gray catSmokey · Ash · Misty · Dusty · Pewter · Storm · Slate · Fog · Silver · Grigio · Cloud · Nimbus · Sterling · Shadow · Blue · Bruno · Flint · Moonstone · Thunder · Bear
Photo: Rino Adamo, Pexels licenseNames with their stories
White catSnow · Yuki · Pearl · Casper · Ivory · Blanche · Frost · Cotton · Marshmallow · Cloud · Angel · Alaska · Vanilla · Lily · Sugar · Coconut · Bianca · Ghost · Everest · Bones
Photo: Hakam Magdea, Pexels licenseNames with their stories
CalicoPatches · Mosaic · Confetti · Callie · Autumn · Harlequin · Pebbles · Tortilla · Sprinkles · Quilt · Picasso · Kaleidoscope · Marbles · Paisley · Brindle
Photo: Terragio67, CC BY-SA 4.0The calico guide · Names with their stories
TuxedoSylvester · Tux · Oreo · Domino · Penguin · Alfred · Butler · Jeeves · Bowtie · Panda · Boston · Puffin · Magpie · Bandit · Waiter
Photo: Michael Palmer, CC BY-SA 4.0The tuxedo guide · Names with their stories
TabbyTiger · Stripe · Hobbes · Bengal · Chai · Toast · Cheddar · Maple · Willow · Bracken · Tabitha · Puma · Sandy · Freckles · Bramble
Photo: Omnapsilon, CC0The tabby guide · Names with their stories
Girl cat names
891 ideas in alphabetical order. Hover over a name to see its origin when it has one.
Girl cat names with their stories: the rankings in every market and 200 more ideas
Boy cat names
956 ideas in alphabetical order.
Boy cat names with their stories: the six names that rule every country, and 250 more
Unisex cat names
741 names that work for a boy or a girl. Handy when you adopt a kitten whose sex you're not sure of yet.
Unique cat names
To break away from the endless Whiskers and Felixes, without landing on the unpronounceable.
Unique cat names, measured against the rankings: mythology, literature, science and places
The banded hair type underlying every tabby pattern.
Jackal-headed god who guided the dead.
A Hemingway Home cat, from Archie Andrews.
The Baghdad prince the tabby-silk quarter is said to be named for; Etymonline keeps the hedge.
The city whose 'Attabiyah quarter gave tabby its name.
Bulgakov's demonic tomcat; also a Biblical demon name.
Blanco is Spanish for white; used as a cat name directly, not just a given name (Rover.com).
The tuxedo, the whole franchise.
Short for Eliot's Bustopher Jones, "Cat about Town."
After Larry, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, the Downing Street tabby who is not orange.
Welsh goddess of transformation, keeper of the cauldron.
The cat in Stephen King's Pet Sematary.
Old English sinder, 'iron slag'; the same Latin root gives Cinderella.
Browse by style
Every name in the selection carries a style. The generator above lets you filter on it.
Cute names · Funny names · Japanese names with their meanings
Our name guides
Frequently asked questions
How do you pick a good cat name?
Go for a short name, one to three syllables, easy to say and to call out. Cats pick up on brief names better, especially ones with hissing sounds or a clear vowel at the end. Also avoid names too close to a word you use often, like "no", so you don't sow confusion.
Do cats really recognize their name?
Yes, as long as they have good reasons to. A cat links the sound of its name to what follows: a pet, a meal, a play session. A name only ever used for scolding ends up ignored. Use it in the good moments and stay consistent, without piling on nicknames at first.
Can you rename an adopted cat?
Yes, and it's common after a shelter adoption. Take it gradually: pair the new name with positive moments, and for a few weeks you can say the old name then the new one to build the link. An adult cat adjusts just fine.
Should the name depend on the cat's sex?
Nothing says it has to. Plenty of names work great for both, which is handy when you adopt a kitten whose sex you're not sure of yet. Our lists flag the unisex names.