Famous Cat Names
Borrow a name from a real famous cat. These all belong to internet stars, fictional icons, or historical cats. Many of them have full profiles in our directory.
Famous cat names give you a name with built-in story. Every name on this list belongs to either a real internet-famous cat, a fictional cat from books, films, or TV, or a historically significant cat. Many of them have full profiles in our directory if you want to read about the original.
From the internet era: Grumpy Cat (real name Tardar Sauce, 2012-2019), Lil Bub (2011-2019), Maru (the Japanese box-loving cat, 2007-present), Nala Cat (currently the most-followed cat on Instagram with over 4 million followers), Smoothie (the British Longhair, often called the most photogenic cat in the world), Smudge (the cat-at-the-dinner-table meme, 2018), Walter (the bug-eyed white cat), Nimbus, Bingus, Floppa, Choupette (Karl Lagerfeld's cat), and Henri, le Chat Noir (the existentialist YouTube cat). Each of these names carries a specific cultural reference.
From the deeper internet history: Keyboard Cat (Bento, the Maine Coon who appeared in the 2007 video, who passed away in 2018), Nyan Cat (originally a fictional cat-Pop-Tart hybrid from a 2011 animation, but the name has spread), Salem (from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, often used for actual black cats), and Meowth (from Pokemon).
From fiction: Garfield, Heathcliff, Felix, Sylvester, Tom (and Jerry), Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes), Crookshanks (Harry Potter), Mrs. Norris (Harry Potter), Behemoth (The Master and Margarita), Macavity (Cats the musical), Bagheera (The Jungle Book), Aslan (Narnia), Mufasa, Simba, Nala, Scar (The Lion King), and the Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland).
From history: Trim, the cat who sailed around Australia with Matthew Flinders in 1801-1803 (there is a statue of him in Sydney). Unsinkable Sam, the World War II cat who reportedly survived three ship sinkings (the Bismarck, HMS Cossack, and HMS Ark Royal). Felicette, the first cat in space (launched by France in 1963 and recovered alive). Tama, the Japanese stationmaster cat who saved a railway. Stubbs, the cat who served as honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska from 1997 to 2017.
If you adopt a name from this list, you adopt the story too. A cat named Felicette will get the "wait, the space cat?" question for life.
-
Bingus
-
Choupette
-
Colonel
-
Crookshanks
-
Felix
-
Floppa
-
Garfield
-
Heathcliff
-
Henri
-
Hobbes
-
Jiji
-
Keyboard
-
Lucifer
-
Maru
-
Mrs. Norris
-
Nala
-
Nimbus
-
Nyan
-
Salem
-
Smoothie
-
Smudge
-
Sylvester
-
Tama
-
Tardar
-
Walter
Famous cats matching this list
Names from our directory of internet-famous cats that fit this category:
Frequently asked questions
How many Famous Cats cat names are on this list?
There are 25 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.