Tuxedo Cat Names
Tuxedo cats already look dressed up. These names lean into that: dapper, formal, and a little funny.
Tuxedo is not a breed but a bicolour coat pattern: black with white markings on the chest, paws, and often the face, in a distribution that resembles formal wear. The pattern can occur in any breed and is the result of a piebald gene that affects how pigment-producing cells migrate during development. Tuxedo cats have shown up in some unexpected historical roles, including a long line of British government cats and a notable presence in 19th-century cat photography (they photograph well in black and white).
The naming convention for tuxedos is one of the most consistent in the cat world: lean into the formal-wear joke. Tux, Bowtie, Sox, Boots, and Mittens all reference the white markings. Tuxedo himself is occasionally used as a name. Domino works for any black-and-white cat. Penguin is a popular pick for tuxedos with the classic upright white-chest marking.
Formal titles are the second strongest category: Sir, Lord, Duke, Earl, Mister, Doctor, Professor, and Captain all play the bit. Lord Fluffington and Sir Whiskers are absurd but workable. Bartholomew, Reginald, Winston, and Archibald are formal first names that suit a tuxedo cat.
Famous tuxedo cats give you a few real-world picks. Felix the Cat (the silent-film cartoon star, one of the first cartoon characters in history) is the most iconic. Sylvester from Looney Tunes is another classic. Henri, le Chat Noir (the existentialist YouTube cat) is a tuxedo. Socks Clinton, the Clintons' White House cat from 1993 to 2001, was a tuxedo and remains one of the most-photographed pets in American political history. Figaro from Disney's Pinocchio is a tuxedo and one of Walt Disney's personal favourite characters he created.
For something less obvious, the contrast between black and white opens up symbolic naming: Yin (the dark half of yin-yang), Domino, Magpie, Orca, Penguin, Panda. From music, Jazz works for a tuxedo with that smooth quality. From film noir, Bogart and Sinatra both fit.
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Bandit
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Boots
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Bowtie
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Domino
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Figaro
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Henri
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Mittens
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Oreo
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Patch
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Patches
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Penguin
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Smudge
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Socks
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Sox
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Sylvester
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Tux
Famous cats matching this list
Names from our directory of internet-famous cats that fit this category:
Frequently asked questions
How many Tuxedo cat names are on this list?
There are 16 names on this page, hand-picked and tagged with their origin and meaning where verifiable.
Are these names suitable for both kittens and adult cats?
Yes. None of the names are age-specific. A name that suits a kitten will keep working as the cat grows.
Why does coat color matter when naming a cat?
It does not have to. Many people use coat color as a starting point for inspiration (Shadow, Snow, Pumpkin) but you are not bound by it. A black cat called Sunny is its own kind of joke.