unique cat names: 80+ names nobody else's cat has

I have met four cats named Simba this year. Four. I have lost count of the Lunas. There is nothing wrong with a popular name except that it is popular, and a cat is meant to be singular, a small unrepeatable tyrant, not the third Milo on the street. If you want a name no other cat at the vet will answer to, you are in the right place. We begin, as all such lists should, with what to avoid.

the names to avoid (they are wonderful and everyone has used them)

These are lovely. That is the problem. Call one across a park and watch three cats you do not own turn around. If uniqueness is the goal, cross them off first.

• Luna
• Milo
• Bella
• Simba
• Oliver
• Lily
• Leo
• Charlie
• Loki
• Coco
• Willow
• Nala
• Shadow
• Chloe
• Max

old-fashioned human names

Nothing is funnier or more distinctive than a cat with the name of a retired accountant. The gap between the name and the animal does all the work.

• Gerald
• Brenda
• Norman
• Deborah
• Keith
• Mildred
• Roger
• Sylvia
• Terrence
• Agnes
• Colin
• Doreen
• Malcolm
• Ethel
• Barry

words that should not be names but somehow work

The finest category. Plain nouns, said with total confidence, become excellent cat names. I do not know why. Neither do you. Embrace it.

• Taxes
• Diesel
• Crouton
• Muffin Tin
• Goblin
• Pixel
• Widget
• Kettle
• Sputnik
• Gravy
• Turnip
• Comma
• Velcro
• Denim
• Bishop

mythological deep cuts

Everyone has heard of Zeus. Reach past him. These carry weight and almost nobody has used them.

• Nyx
• Fenrir
• Anubis
• Bastet
• Hecate
• Loki
• Sol
• Ravana
• Cerberus
• Freyr
• Morpheus
• Tyr
• Circe
• Osiris
• Vali

a little south african flavour

Local names travel well and travel rare. Biltong, I note, is already taken by precedent on this site, and I approved of it enormously. Consider following that lead.

• Biltong
• Rooibos
• Koeksister
• Nkosi
• Boetie
• Sriracha
• Melktert
• Tokoloshe
• Braai
• Skattie
• Vetkoek
• Springbok
• Mielie
• Padkos
• Dagga

how to choose

Unique is a fine goal right up until the cat needs medical attention and you have to say the name to a straight-faced receptionist. That is the real test. A name that survives being read off a vet's file at full volume is a keeper; a name that makes you wince is a private joke that got out of hand. Say your shortlist aloud in that exact setting, in your head, and keep the one you would still be proud to shout. A truly unique cat name is one you love and nobody else has thought to steal.

Related reading from my desk: the cat names hub for every themed list, funny cat names for when unique tips into ridiculous, and warrior cat names if you want rare and fierce at once.