Male Cat Name Generator

Generate male cat names for a new kitten or a rescued tom: classics like Milo, Oliver and Felix, cool picks like Bandit, Diesel and Loki, gentleman names like Winston and Mr. Biscuits, food names like Meatball, and famous tomcats from Garfield to Salem.

About male cat names

Boy cat names run on a few well-worn tracks. The biggest is the plain human name: Milo, Oliver, Leo, Oscar, Felix and Gus turn up on most lists of popular cat names, and the newer wave sounds like somebody's uncle, such as Murray, Stan or Howie. After that come the cool and tough picks (Bandit, Diesel, Maverick, Ziggy, Loki), the gentleman and his titles (Winston, Reginald, Mr. Biscuits, Sir Purrcival, Lord Tubbington), hearty food names (Meatball, Brisket, Pastrami) and the famous toms, drawn and real: Garfield, Tom, Salem, Sylvester, Hodge, who belonged to Samuel Johnson, and Trim, who sailed with Matthew Flinders.

A male cat is a tom, which is why Tom, Tomcat, Tuxedo Tom and Ginger Tom are all here. Coat color is a useful hint for boys: roughly four in five orange cats are male, while calicos and tortoiseshells are almost always female, so ginger names are a safe bet for a boy. The female cat generator is a separate list, and very few names appear on both.

Whatever the style, say it out loud a few times. Two syllables with a hard consonant, such as Bandit, Felix or Ziggy, carry across a house better than a long title, which will be shortened to Biscuits by the end of the week anyway.

How to choose male cat names

• Match the name to the cat's build and manner. A big slow tabby carries Brisket, Winston or Chonk better than Blade, while a wiry black kitten can be Ninja, Shinobi or Phantom.
• A title needs a call name. Sir Naps-a-Lot, Baron von Whiskers and Old Man Jenkins are for the vet's file, so settle the short form (Naps, Baron, Jenkins) on day one and have the whole house use it.
• Orange boy? Use it. Ginger Tom, Big Red, Carrot Top, Chili, Garfield and Orangey, the cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's, all point at the coat.
• Naming two brothers? Pull both names from one style so they sound like a set: Zeus and Apollo, Bogie and Gable, Hops and Barley.
• Test it at the back door. If you would not shout it across the yard at night, or spell it for the vet's receptionist, move on to the next one.

Frequently asked questions

What are good names for a male cat?

The steady favorites are human names such as Milo, Oliver, Leo, Oscar, Felix and Gus. For something with more edge try Bandit, Diesel, Maverick, Ozzy or Loki, and for a cat with a dignified air try Winston, Reginald or Mr. Biscuits. The generator mixes all of these styles, so a few rounds will show you which one fits your cat.

What is a male cat called?

A male cat is a tom or tomcat. That is why names like Tom, Tomcat, Tuxedo Tom and Ginger Tom feel so natural on a boy. If he is orange, the odds were on your side, because roughly four in five orange cats are male.

Are there famous male cats I can name mine after?

Plenty. From cartoons, films and books there are Garfield, Tom, Sylvester, Heathcliff, Salem, Crookshanks and Puss in Boots. Real toms in the list include Hodge, the cat of Samuel Johnson, Trim, who sailed around Australia with Matthew Flinders, Stubbs, the honorary mayor of Talkeetna in Alaska, and Dewey, the library cat of Spencer, Iowa.

How is this different from the main cat name generator?

This list is for boys only: men's names, tough names, Mr. and Sir titles, hearty food names and famous toms. The main cat name generator mixes names for any cat, and the female cat generator has its own separate list. Only a small share of the names here also appear on those pages.

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