121 names · each with a meaning
Unique cat names
Names you won't hear at the dog park. Every name here is rare in real pet records, if it appears at all. Tap generate for six unique cat names at a time, or browse the hand-picked list below.
Sets prefer a shared first letter when the list allows it. That is a sound match, not a studied pairing.
Generated cat names
- Shared with you
Chamomile
GirlA soothing herbal tea; perfect for the calmest cat in the house.
Greek4 of 12,782 Seattle cats
Rank 497 of 5,870 · percentile 88.8
Editor's pick
- Shared with you
Fitz
BoyA snappy old French prefix meaning "son of"; quick and modern.
French3 of 12,782 Seattle cats
Rank 661 of 5,870 · percentile 83.6
Editor's pick
- Shared with you
Bramble
GirlA tangle of wild blackberry; for a scrappy, scratchy little hunter.
English5 of 12,782 Seattle cats
Rank 393 of 5,870 · percentile 91.6
Editor's pick
- Shared with you
Pyewacket
AnyA witch's familiar from a 17th-century English pamphlet; wonderfully odd.
English3 of 12,782 Seattle cats
Rank 661 of 5,870 · percentile 83.6
Editor's pick
- Shared with you
Berlioz
BoyAfter the French composer, and a piano-playing kitten in a classic cartoon.
French3 of 12,782 Seattle cats
Rank 661 of 5,870 · percentile 83.6
Editor's pick
- Shared with you
Indigo
AnyA deep blue-violet dye; moody and beautiful for a blue-grey cat.
Greek5 of 12,782 Seattle cats
Rank 393 of 5,870 · percentile 91.6
Editor's pick
No names match all of those filters. Try loosening one; rare combos are rare for a reason.
Editor's pick
All 121 names
Rare names from nature
Wildflowers, mountains, birds and forest floors. Distinctive, quiet names that feel fresh.
Briar
A thorny wild rose bush; romantic with a prickly side.
Heron
A tall, patient grey wading bird; perfect for a still, watchful cat.
Kestrel
A small falcon that hovers before it pounces, just like your cat.
Leilani
Hawaiian for "heavenly flowers"; breezy and bright.
Nalu
Hawaiian for "wave"; perfect for a cat who rolls around.
Slate
A cool blue-grey stone; strong and modern.
Sorrel
A reddish-brown color and a lemony leafy herb.
Tansy
A little yellow button flower; cheerful and old-fashioned.
Moonstone
A milky gem with a blue sheen; lovely for a silver cat.
Moss
Soft, green and happy in a quiet corner.
Yara
A melodic name tied to river spirits in Brazilian folklore.
Lupine
A tall purple wildflower whose name comes from Latin for "wolf".
Thistle
A prickly purple wildflower and Scotland's emblem; pretty but fierce.
Wisteria
Cascading purple blossoms; romantic and rare for a cat.
Marigold
A golden flower named after "Mary's gold"; cheerful and rarely used for pets.
Sitka
A towering Pacific Northwest spruce and an Alaskan town.
Spruce
An evergreen tree, and to "spruce up" is to look sharp.
Chamomile
A soothing herbal tea; perfect for the calmest cat in the house.
Chanterelle
A golden, apricot-scented wild mushroom; elegant and earthy.
Bramble
A tangle of wild blackberry; for a scrappy, scratchy little hunter.
Indigo
A deep blue-violet dye; moody and beautiful for a blue-grey cat.
Lotus
A sacred water flower that rises clean from the mud; serene and graceful.
Rainier
The snowy volcano that watches over Seattle; majestic for a big white cat.
Zephyr
The gentle west wind of Greek myth, for a cat who breezes in and out.
Names from the stars and science
Astronomers, constellations and cosmic phenomena for a cat with a curious mind.
Mahina
Hawaiian for "moon"; gentle and luminous.
Cassiopeia
A W-shaped constellation named after a vain queen of Greek myth.
Equinox
When day and night are equal, as in a perfectly half-black, half-white cat.
Andromeda
The nearest big galaxy, and a princess from Greek myth.
Eclipse
The moment the moon blocks the sun; dramatic for an all-black cat.
Vega
One of the brightest stars in the summer sky; sleek and short.
Vesper
Latin for "evening", and an old name for the evening star.
Kepler
After Johannes Kepler, who worked out how planets orbit, just as cats orbit the food bowl.
Solstice
The longest or shortest day of the year; a seasonal, poetic name.
Tycho
After the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who mapped the stars by eye.
Nebula
A glowing cloud of cosmic dust where stars are born.
Literary, musical and artistic names
Names borrowed from books, composers and art. Bookish picks for a thoughtful cat.
Bartleby
A famous fictional clerk who "would prefer not to", much like most cats.
Fezzik
A gentle giant from a beloved fairy-tale adventure; for a huge, kind cat.
Gulliver
A famous fictional traveler, for a cat who explores every room.
Marlowe
A playwright's surname and a hardboiled detective's; cool and smoky.
Mogget
A sardonic white fantasy-novel cat; obscure and fun.
Odette
The swan princess of ballet; graceful and white.
Pangur Ban
A white cat celebrated in a 9th-century Irish monk's poem; scholarly and rare.
Berlioz
After the French composer, and a piano-playing kitten in a classic cartoon.
Huxley
A brainy surname name with a stylish sound.
Rumi
After the 13th-century Persian poet; gentle and wise.
Figaro
The quick-witted barber of opera fame; bouncy and dapper.
Calcifer
A fire demon from a fantasy classic; perfect for a hot-tempered ginger.
Myth, legend and history
Lesser-known gods, heroes and rulers. Grand names that are rarely used for pets.
Rune
An ancient letter carved in stone; mysterious and short.
Skadi
The Norse goddess of winter and skiing; for a snowy, independent cat.
Baldur
The shining, beloved Norse god of light.
Circe
A sorceress of Greek myth who turned sailors into pigs; magical and fierce.
Calypso
A sea nymph of Greek myth who kept Odysseus on her island for years.
Morpheus
The Greek god of dreams, for a cat who sleeps 16 hours a day.
Unusual food and drink names
Rare teas, mushrooms and delicacies. Tasty names nobody else is using.
Bori
Korean for "barley"; earthy and sweet for a tabby.
Daifuku
大福 means great fortune. The stuffed rice cake is the separate word daifuku mochi.
だいふく (大福) great fortune; good luck. JMdict
Hodu
Korean for "walnut"; a popular cute pet name in Korea.
Pumpernickel
A dark rye bread with a name that's impossible to say grumpily.
Kinako
Roasted soybean flour with a toasty gold color; cozy and rare.
きなこ (黄粉) roasted soybean flour. JMdict
Lychee
A fragrant fruit with a pale, juicy center.
Oolong
A partly oxidized Chinese tea, from words meaning "black dragon".
Quinoa
A trendy grain whose name makes every vet visit funnier.
Velveeta
A smooth, golden processed cheese, and a ridiculous name for a fluffy diva.
Darjeeling
A fine, golden Himalayan tea; aristocratic and warm.
Mooncake
A rich pastry shared at the Mid-Autumn Festival; round and golden.
Persimmon
A glossy orange autumn fruit; distinctive and sweet.
More unique cat names
Everything else that's wonderfully uncommon.
Cosimo
A grand Florentine name for a cat with refined taste.
Ezio
A sleek Italian name for a cat with stealthy skills.
Giacomo
An Italian form of James; musical and rare.
Graphite
The dark grey in your pencil; clever and modern.
Ignatius
Associated with Latin ignis, "fire"; grand and fiery.
Imogen
A rare Shakespearean name with a whimsical sound.
Kalani
Hawaiian for "the heavens"; noble and calm.
Kotora
A coined name for a small striped cat. No matching Japanese dictionary compound.
Noor
Arabic for "light"; luminous and gentle.
Patchwork
A quilt of colors and a cozy name for a calico.
Pewter
A soft grey metal; vintage and understated.
Porcelain
Fine white china; delicate and elegant.
Quilt
Pieced together, warm and best enjoyed on a cold night.
Ronan
Irish for "little seal"; soft and rare.
Saoirse
Irish for "freedom" (pronounced SEER-sha); for an independent cat.
Sigrid
Old Norse for "beautiful victory"; a name for a champion.
Soraya
A Persian name for the Pleiades star cluster; elegant and celestial.
Spade
The black card suit; sharp and dapper.
Taxes
Because, like death, this cat is certain and unavoidable.
Zaid
Arabic for "growth, abundance".
Amadeus
Latin for "God's love"; a composer's name for a chatty cat.
Ambrose
Greek for "immortal"; a gentle, honeyed vintage name.
Ansel
A quiet name with an artistic, photographic feel.
Juneau
Alaska's snowy capital; sounds like June but feels like winter.
Zen
Zen (禅), the meditation tradition. A calm name with that dictionary sense.
ぜん (禅) Zen; dhyana. JMdict
Leopold
A Germanic name meaning "bold people"; grand and formal.
Mingus
After the jazz bassist Charles Mingus; cool and rhythmic.
Octavia
Latin for "eighth"; grand and imperial.
Oslo
Norway's cool, calm capital.
Ramses
A name worn by great pharaohs; for a cat who believes he is one.
Shima
縞 (shima) means a stripe. 島, a different word with the same reading, means island.
しま (縞) stripe; bar; streak. JMdict
Talisker
A peaty island whisky and a craggy Scottish place name.
Thimble
A tiny sewing cap for the tiniest kitten.
Tiberius
A Roman emperor's name; grandly formal for a stern-faced cat.
Wilhelmina
A grand Germanic name; long, regal and fun to shorten.
Barnaby
A cheerful, old-fashioned name; rare on cats.
Bodhi
Sanskrit for "awakening, enlightenment"; for a serene cat.
Fitz
A snappy old French prefix meaning "son of"; quick and modern.
Humphrey
A name shared with a famous Downing Street cat; stately and plump.
Prudence
Latin for "foresight", for the one cat in the world who looks before she leaps.
Pyewacket
A witch's familiar from a 17th-century English pamphlet; wonderfully odd.
Tarot
Mystical fortune-telling cards, for a cat who seems to know the future.
Toulouse
A rosy-brick city in southern France; artistic and charming.
Fergus
Irish for "man of strength"; plucky and rare.
Pixel
A tiny dot of light on a screen, for a tiny cat who loves screens.
Winifred
A Welsh saint's name; old-fashioned and charming.
Tesla
After the inventor Nikola Tesla; electric energy in a small body.
Newton
For a cat who conducts daily experiments in gravity with your mugs.
Tango
A dramatic dance and the radio word for "T"; peppy for a ginger.
Seattle licenses
Unique-tagged names by Seattle count
A spelling with 0 cats is shown as 0 of 12,782, not hidden. “Editor’s pick” means we added the name; it does not replace the zero. 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.
| Seattle cats with this spelling | Names on this page |
|---|---|
| 0 | 38 |
| 1 | 12 |
| 2 | 31 |
| 3 to 8 | 40 |
How we find unique cat names
Plenty of “unique cat name” lists are full of names like Luna and Milo, which are among the most common cat names out there. We took a more honest approach: every name on this page has been checked against real pet license records. The City of Seattle publishes its pet licenses as public data, covering 12,782 cats and more than 5,800 different names. Names on this page appear only a handful of times in that data, and some don’t appear at all.
Each name shows how many of the 12,782 Seattle cats use that spelling, including 0. “Editor’s pick” is an extra label for names we added. It does not replace the zero.
Where unique names come from
Rare names usually come from a specific interest rather than a baby-name book. Some good sources:
- Wild places and plants. Sitka, Rainier, Lupine, Bramble, Tansy. Outdoorsy names feel fresh because few people think to use them for pets.
- Science and the night sky. Tycho, Kepler, Nebula, Equinox. They’re great for a cat who seems to be doing experiments with gravity (and your coffee mug).
- Books and art. Bartleby, Pangur Ban, Figaro, Gulliver. Pangur Ban is a white cat celebrated in a 9th-century Irish poem, which makes it one of the oldest named cats in literature.
- Lesser-known myths. Skadi, Baldur, Circe, Calypso. Famous enough to have a story, rare enough to stand out.
Tip: A unique name is a conversation starter, so make sure you enjoy telling the story behind it, because people will ask.
If you want something rare and funny, our funny cat names page has plenty of oddballs. For a different flavor, try Japanese cat names.
Unique cat names: FAQ
How do you know these cat names are unique?
We checked every name against the City of Seattle's public pet license records, which list 12,782 cats. Names on this page are licensed to only a handful of cats there, or none at all. Each name shows its real count, so you can judge for yourself.
What is a rare but cute cat name?
Try Thimble, Botan (Japanese for the tree peony), Persimmon, Pangur Ban, Juneau or Marigold. They are sweet and easy to say, yet very few cats share them.
Where can I find unique cat name ideas?
Look at niche interests instead of name lists. Wildflowers (Tansy, Lupine), astronomy (Tycho, Kepler), old poetry (Pangur Ban) or local landmarks (Rainier, Sitka). The generator here mixes all of these, so a few taps should turn up something unexpected.
Are unique names harder for cats to learn?
No. Cats respond to sound and routine, not to how common a name is. Just keep the name you actually call them by short. A cat named Bartleby can still answer to "Bart".
More cat name ideas
- Male cat namesLeo · Oliver · Milo250 names →
- Female cat namesLuna · Lucy · Lily228 names →
- Black cat namesLuna · Pepper · Shadow95 names →
- Orange cat namesLeo · Momo · Jasper139 names →
- Funny cat namesGeorge · Cricket · Bean288 names →
- Cute cat namesLuna · Lily · Bella342 names →
- Japanese cat namesMomo · Mochi · Miso67 names →