Cat Name Maker

67 names · each with a meaning

Japanese cat names

Short, bouncy names with lovely meanings, many worn by real cats. Tap generate for six Japanese cat names at a time, or browse the hand-picked list below.

67 names in the hat

OriginJapanese

  • Haru

    Boy

    Japanese for "spring"; fresh and cheerful.

    Japanese4 of 12,782 Seattle cats

    Rank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Sushi

    Any

    A favorite Japanese dish; perfect for a fish-obsessed cat.

    Japanese6 of 12,782 Seattle cats

    Rank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Hime

    Girl

    Japanese for "princess", for a cat who expects to be waited on.

    Japanese2 of 12,782 Seattle cats

    Rank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Emi

    Girl

    Japanese for "smile"; a happy little name.

    Japanese2 of 12,782 Seattle cats

    Rank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Wasabi

    Any

    Small but fiery, for a little cat with a big kick.

    Japanese5 of 12,782 Seattle cats

    Rank 393 of 5,870 · percentile 91.6

  • Aki

    Any

    Japanese for "autumn"; perfect for a cat the color of fall leaves.

    Japanese3 of 12,782 Seattle cats

    Rank 661 of 5,870 · percentile 83.6

All 67 names

Most popular Japanese cat names

The Japanese names licensed most often to real cats in Seattle's public records. Momo and Mochi lead the way.

  • Momo

    Peach (桃). Round, soft, and easy to say twice.

    AnyJapanese39 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 12 of 5,870 · percentile 99.8

  • Mochi

    Mochi (餅), a small rice cake made from glutinous rice.

    AnyJapanese36 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 15 of 5,870 · percentile 99.7

  • Miso

    Miso (味噌), a fermented condiment usually made from soybeans.

    AnyJapanese22 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 39 of 5,870 · percentile 99.3

  • Suki

    好き (suki) means liking, or being fond of.

    GirlJapanese21 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 42 of 5,870 · percentile 99.2

  • Nori

    Nori, the edible seaweed also called laver (海苔).

    AnyJapanese7 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 254 of 5,870 · percentile 94.8

  • Haku

    Japanese for "white"; a calm, elegant name for a pale cat.

    BoyJapanese6 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Hana

    Japanese for "flower"; soft and pretty for a gentle girl.

    GirlJapanese6 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Kuro

    Japanese for "black"; simple and elegant for a black cat.

    BoyJapanese6 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Neko

    Japanese for "cat"; delightfully on the nose.

    AnyJapanese6 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Sumi

    India ink (墨), the black ink used for brush writing.

    GirlJapanese6 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Sushi

    A favorite Japanese dish; perfect for a fish-obsessed cat.

    AnyJapanese6 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Tofu

    Tofu (豆腐), bean curd. A soft name for a pale cat.

    AnyJapanese6 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Yuki

    Japanese for "snow", for a cat as white and quiet as fresh snowfall.

    GirlJapanese6 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 309 of 5,870 · percentile 93.3

  • Matcha

    Powdered green tea (抹茶).

    AnyJapanese5 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 393 of 5,870 · percentile 91.6

Japanese food names

Japanese food words are short, round and delicious to say, which might be why so many cats wear them.

  • Wasabi

    Small but fiery, for a little cat with a big kick.

    AnyJapanese5 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 393 of 5,870 · percentile 91.6

  • Katsu

    A crumbed, fried cutlet (カツ). This entry is the food, not a verb meaning to win.

    BoyJapanese4 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Soba

    Buckwheat, the grain 蕎麦. This gloss is the plant, not a separate noodle entry.

    AnyJapanese4 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Yuzu

    A fragrant Japanese citrus; bright and zesty.

    GirlJapanese4 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Ebi

    Japanese for "shrimp"; tiny, pink-nosed and curled up.

    AnyJapanese3 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 661 of 5,870 · percentile 83.6

  • Goma

    Japanese for "sesame"; a cute name for a speckled cat.

    AnyJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Onigiri

    Triangle rice balls wrapped in seaweed; a snack-sized tuxedo name.

    AnyJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Uni

    Japanese for sea urchin, a golden delicacy; short and unusual.

    AnyJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Azuki

    Sweet red beans used in Japanese desserts; small and lovable.

    GirlJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

  • Kinako

    Roasted soybean flour with a toasty gold color; cozy and rare.

    GirlJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

  • Mikan

    A small, sweet mandarin orange; perfect for a petite ginger.

    GirlJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

  • Tamago

    Japanese for "egg"; round, soft and a little silly.

    AnyJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

  • Daifuku

    大福 means great fortune. The stuffed rice cake is the separate word daifuku mochi.

    AnyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Dango

    Rice dumplings served on a skewer; for a round, cheerful kitten.

    AnyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Kuri

    Japanese for "chestnut"; warm and brown.

    BoyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Mugi

    Japanese for wheat or barley; the color of a golden tabby.

    BoyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Ramen

    A bowl of noodles in rich broth; comforting and fun to call.

    BoyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Udon

    Thick, soft wheat noodles; for a long, floppy cat.

    BoyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

Nature, seasons and sky

Snow, spring, moon, cloud. Poetic one-word names drawn from the natural world.

  • Haru

    Japanese for "spring"; fresh and cheerful.

    BoyJapanese4 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Michi

    Japanese for "path", for a cat who wanders.

    AnyJapanese4 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Sora

    Japanese for "sky"; dreamy for a blue-grey cat.

    AnyJapanese4 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Aki

    Japanese for "autumn"; perfect for a cat the color of fall leaves.

    AnyJapanese3 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 661 of 5,870 · percentile 83.6

  • Kuma

    Japanese for "bear", for a big, cuddly cat.

    BoyJapanese3 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 661 of 5,870 · percentile 83.6

  • Fuji

    Japan's snowcapped sacred mountain; stately and calm.

    BoyJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Riku

    Japanese for "land"; grounded and strong.

    BoyJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Sakura

    Japanese for "cherry blossom"; delicate and pretty.

    GirlJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Tora

    Japanese for "tiger"; a classic for a striped cat.

    BoyJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Umi

    Japanese for "sea"; calm and deep.

    GirlJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Kiku

    Chrysanthemum (菊).

    GirlJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

  • Koi

    Carp (鯉), the fish. No extra luck claim is attached here.

    AnyJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

  • Kumo

    Japanese for "cloud", for a soft, drifting cat.

    AnyJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

  • Yoru

    Japanese for "night"; soft, quiet and perfect for a cat who is mostly shadow.

    AnyJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

  • Botan

    The tree peony (牡丹).

    GirlJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Kaze

    Japanese for "wind", for a cat who races through the house.

    BoyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Kohaku

    Japanese for "amber"; glowing and golden.

    GirlJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

Japanese names for black cats

Ink, seaweed, sesame and night. Japanese words that suit a dark coat.

  • Ninja

    Ninja (忍者), a quick name for a cat who shows up unannounced.

    AnyJapanese5 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 393 of 5,870 · percentile 91.6

  • Hoshi

    Japanese for "star"; short and sparkly.

    AnyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

Japanese names for white and pale cats

Snow, clouds, tofu and rice cakes. Soft names for light coats.

  • Tsuki

    Japanese for "moon"; serene, like Luna with a different accent.

    GirlJapanese4 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Hime

    Japanese for "princess", for a cat who expects to be waited on.

    GirlJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Shiro

    Japanese for "white"; a traditional name for a white cat.

    BoyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Tama

    玉 (tama) is a ball, sphere, globe, or orb. A traditional cat name, with that gloss.

    AnyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

More Japanese cat names

Classic given names, cute words and a few funny ones.

  • Chibi

    ちび: a small child or pipsqueak, including tiny cute character drawings.

    AnyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Chika

    地下 (chika) means underground, or below the ground.

    GirlJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Emi

    Japanese for "smile"; a happy little name.

    GirlJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Hachi

    The number eight (八). No extra luck meaning is attached here.

    BoyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Kaiju

    Monster (怪獣), the word used for the giant creatures of film.

    BoyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Mame

    Japanese for "bean"; a tiny name for a tiny cat.

    AnyJapanese0 of 12,782 Seattle catsNot in the 5,870 recorded namesEditor's pick

  • Maru

    Japanese for "circle"; for a round cat who loves squeezing into boxes.

    BoyJapanese3 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 661 of 5,870 · percentile 83.6

  • Shima

    縞 (shima) means a stripe. 島, a different word with the same reading, means island.

    AnyJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Sumo

    For a heavyweight cat who wins every shoving match for the couch.

    BoyJapanese2 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 966 of 5,870 · percentile 70.9

  • Taro

    太郎 (taro), a name meaning first son. Not the English word for the root vegetable.

    BoyJapanese4 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8

  • Yoshi

    The dictionary word 由 (yoshi) means reason, significance, or cause.

    BoyJapanese5 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 393 of 5,870 · percentile 91.6

  • Zen

    Zen (禅), the meditation tradition. A calm name with that dictionary sense.

    BoyJapanese1 of 12,782 Seattle catsRank 1,710 of 5,870 · percentile 0.0

Seattle licenses

Japanese-origin spellings in the Seattle snapshot

Origin is our tag. The count is exact-name licenses in Seattle, not a Japan-wide ranking. The Anicom and iPet sections below are separate sources. Coat, gender, and theme tags are editorial. Seattle recorded the name and how many licenses use that exact spelling. It did not record coat or sex.

NameKanaSeattle catsRank
Momoもも3912
Mochiもち3615
Misoみそ2239
Sukiすき2142
Noriのり7254
Hakuはく6309
Hanaはな6309
Kuroくろ6309

Cited rankings

What Anicom and iPet actually published

Anicom’s 2025 cat-name ranking counts new どうぶつ健保 policies for cats age 0, from 1 February 2024 through 31 January 2025. The sample is 56,111 cats. The number in parentheses is that name’s rank in Anicom’s previous cat-name ranking. Tied names share a rank. The next rank is skipped, matching the published table.Their news release is the same study. Anicom says Mugi (ムギ) was number 1 in their cat-name ranking for six years in a row. Anicom publishes this ranking for Cat Day (猫の日) on 22 February. Their page does not explain that date as a pun, so this site does not either.

The Seattle column is this site’s snapshot (12,782 cat licenses, retrieved 2026-10-23), looked up from the romaji in the table. It is blank when one Japanese spelling could be more than one Seattle name. Those Seattle numbers are not part of Anicom’s study.

All cats
RankNameAnicom catsPrevious rankSeattle licenses
1ムギ40510
2レオ328243
3ルナ3253111
4ソラ30344
5ラテ30272
6ココ250826
7キナコ24961
8モカ2481011
9ベル2475—
10ルル2302025
Boy cats
RankNameAnicom catsPrevious rankSeattle licenses
1レオ318143
2ソラ23834
3ムギ22520
4コハク16540
5ラテ16352
6テン1327—
7マロン11911—
8ルイ1168—
9ノア11491
10マル10963
Girl cats
RankNameAnicom catsPrevious rankSeattle licenses
1ルナ2771111
2ココ194326
3 (tie)ムギ18020
3 (tie)モカ180811
5モモ164639
6キナコ16041
7ルル1581725
8ベル1565—
9メイ14611—
10ラテ139122
Kanji names, boy cats
RankNameAnicom catsPrevious rankSeattle licenses
1琥珀9010
2茶々丸682—
3福593—
4大福4550
5空4264
Kanji names, girl cats
RankNameAnicom catsPrevious rankSeattle licenses
1姫2722
2茶々261—
3 (tie)凛215—
3 (tie)琥珀2140
5麦2070

Character names in the same Anicom count

These are character-name counts from the same Anicom page, not the overall ranking. Luna’s 325 in the overall table is a separate figure.

NameAnicom catsSeattle licenses
チャチャマル108—
ジジ69—
バロン56—
トム49—
タマ390
マリー32—
キティ8—
ドラ7—
ダヤン4—
ノンタン3—

What iPet’s article says in prose

iPet’s 27 May 2025 articleiPet’s article describes a survey of new policies in fiscal 2024 (1 April 2024 through 31 March 2025) for animals age 0. The article text does not give a sample size, so none is shown here. Press release. The full top-10 tables in that article are images. This page quotes only sentences from the article text, not numbers read off the charts.

  • For cats overall, iPet says Latte (ラテ) ranked first for the first time.
  • iPet says that the previous year both dogs and cats had Mugi (むぎ) at number 1.
  • iPet says the cat name Omochi (おもち) ranked 8th and was in their ranking for the first time.
  • iPet says Leo (レオ) was the number 1 boy-cat name for 10 years in a row.
  • iPet says Luna (ルナ) was the number 1 girl-cat name for 3 years in a row.
  • iPet says Kohaku (琥珀) was the only kanji name in their cat gender ranking.
  • iPet says Meru (メル) reappeared in the girl-cat ranking.
  • iPet says Latte (ラテ) was in the top 3 of every breed chart they published.

Why Japanese names suit cats so well

Japanese words tend to be built from simple, open syllables like mo-chi, yu-ki and so-ra. Each one ends in a clear vowel, which makes them easy to call and pleasant to hear. Many are also everyday words with lovely meanings, so you get a name and a little story in one.

A maneki-neko is a figurine of a beckoning cat, often treated as a good-luck charm. That is a paraphrase of the English Wikipedia article Maneki-neko. Wikidata describes Tama as a cat that lived at Kishi Station in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan (1999–2015). This page does not add a job title or a story about saving a railway, because that description does not.

  • Food. Mochi, Miso, Tofu, Sushi, Udon, Matcha. These are especially popular outside Japan, where they sound sweet and a little playful.
  • Nature and seasons. Yuki (snow), Haru (spring), Aki (autumn), Sora (sky), Tsuki (moon), Hana (flower).
  • Colors. Kuro (black), Shiro (white) and Kohaku (amber) let a cat’s coat do the talking.
  • Animals. Tora (tiger) and Kuma (bear) are classic picks for striped or hefty cats.

A note on pronunciation

Japanese vowels are short and pure: a as in “father”, i as in “machine”, u as in “food”, e as in “pet”, and o as in “go”. Syllables get roughly even stress, so Mochi is “MO-chee” with both syllables given equal weight, and Yuki is “YOO-kee”.

Tip: Each Japanese-origin name on this list has a kana reading and a short JMdict gloss. If the spelling was not in the Seattle snapshot, the count is 0 of 12,782 and the name is also marked “Editor’s pick”. Readings are from JMdict via Jisho. The dictionary files belong to the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group.

Want more cute, short names? See cute cat names. Naming a black cat? Our black cat names page has Kuro, Sumi and Nori, plus dozens more.

Japanese cat names: FAQ

What is a good Japanese name for a cat?

Popular choices among real cats include Momo (peach), Mochi (rice cake), Miso, Suki (liking, being fond of) and Yuki (snow). For something more traditional, try Tama, or Tora (tiger) for a striped cat.

What is the Japanese word for cat?

The Japanese word for cat is neko (猫), from JMdict via Jisho. Neko itself is on this list with that gloss.

What are Japanese names for a black cat?

Kuro means "black" and is a classic. Other options include Sumi (calligraphy ink), Nori (seaweed), Goma (sesame) and Yoru, which means "night".

Is there a cat day in Japan?

Anicom publishes its cat-name ranking for Cat Day (猫の日) on 22 February. Their page does not explain that date as a pun, so this site does not either.

More cat name ideas