99 Funny Cat Names: Clever, Weird, and Silly Names for Cats

By: Author Amanda OBrien

Image by Юрий Сидоренко from Pixabay

In this post:

• Amusing cat names across every style — clever wordplay, celebrity puns, and completely absurd options — sorted by category
• Insider tips for picking a name that’s actually easy to call out (and won’t make you wince at the vet’s office)
• Why a great funny name can genuinely strengthen your bond with your cat
• How to help your cat actually learn and respond to whatever name you choose

Naming your pet is an exciting experience for any new cat owner. Choosing the perfect name can be tricky, especially while you’re still getting to know your new kitty’s personality.

If you’re anything like me, your fur baby started with one name and now answers to a rotating cast of ridiculous nicknames — a completely normal experience for cat lovers everywhere.

Naming your cat should be fun, and you shouldn’t feel locked into your first idea. Some people land on the perfect name immediately; others need a few weeks of trial and error. Whatever your cat’s quirks, there’s an amusing name on this list to match them.

Top Funny Names for Cats

There are endless options for a funny cat name — cats can be named after almost anything. If you’re looking for a place to start, here are ten consistently popular picks:

1. Biscuit
2. Bubbles
3. Cheddar
4. Chunky
5. Gizmo
6. Kitty Purry (a nod to singer Katy Perry’s real-life cat, who shared the name for 15 years)
7. Kit-Kat
8. Noodle
9. Meowsie
10. Mouse

These just scratch the surface — let’s get into boy cat names next.

Best Funny Names for Male Cats

Every cat is different, but male cats have a reputation for putting the “boy” in boisterous. If yours isn’t mid-zoomies, he’s probably up to something else weird. For a male cat with an eccentric personality, try:

11. Angus
12. Bobo
13. Buzz
14. Chubbs (great for a bigger cat, or ironically for small cat breeds)
15. Diesel (a solid pick for an especially zoomy cat)
16. Oreo (a great black and white cat name)
17. Sylvester
18. Tigger
19. Thunder
20. Simba

Most Popular Funny Female Cat Names

Female cats have an undeserved reputation for being purely cute and docile — plenty are just as chaotic as any male cat. This list covers most personality types you’ll run into:

21. Buttons
22. Boo
23. Diva
24. Ducky
25. Fluffy
26. Jinx
27. Kitty
28. Sassy
29. Snowflake (great for white cat breeds, or ironically for black cat breeds, depending on your sense of humor)
30. Tink or Tinker Bell (after the fairy from Peter Pan)

By personality or looks: if your girl is all attitude, Diva, Sassy, or Jinx tend to fit best; for a laid-back cuddler, Fluffy or Buttons often lands better; and for a striking or unusually marked coat, Snowflake or a color-based name (see the Weird Cat Names section below) gives you room to get creative with contrast or irony.

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

Cat looking at its reflection looking concerned

Clever Cat Names

Plenty of people love naming pets after historical figures, celebrities, and fictional characters — often with a pun attached. Others like a name that sounds distinguished purely because it’s funnier that way. And plenty of fiction fans want their cat to represent their favorite universe.

If nothing above has grabbed you yet, this next batch probably will.

Celebrity-Inspired Punny Cat Names

Here are some favorite celebrity-inspired cat puns:

31. Al Pawcino (Al Pacino)
32. Buffy the Mouse Slayer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer — it’s a mouthful, so consider teaching your cat the shorter “Buffy” day-to-day and saving the full title for official paperwork)
33. Cat Damon (Matt Damon)
34. Catrick Stewart (Patrick Stewart)
35. Colin Furrth (Colin Firth)
36. Doja Cat
37. Dolly Purrton (Dolly Parton)
38. Florence and the Meowchine (Florence and the Machine — same long-name logic as Buffy above)
39. Fuzz Aldrin (Buzz Aldrin)
40. Paul McCatney (Paul McCartney of The Beatles)

Image by Сергей Корчанов from Pixabay

Ginger cat sitting up looking funny

Fun Fictional Names for Your Cat

The world of fiction is enormous, so there’s no shortage of names to pull from — comic books, fantasy novels, movies, and TV all offer something. A few favorites:

41. Aslan (The Chronicles of Narnia)
42. Cheshire (Alice in Wonderland)
43. Frodo (The Lord of the Rings)
44. Glinda (The Wizard of Oz)
45. Katniss (The Hunger Games)
46. Lancelot (the legend of King Arthur)
47. Leia (Star Wars)
48. Rambo (the Rambo films)
49. Spock (Star Trek)
50. Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon)

Funny Historical Cat Names

If you’re a history, art, or literature buff, naming your cat after a historical figure hits differently — especially with a pun attached:

51. Catsanova (after Giacomo Casanova)
52. Catpernicus (after Copernicus)
53. Cat the Impaler (Vlad the Impaler)
54. Charles Lickens (Charles Dickens)
55. Cleocatra (Cleopatra)
56. Genghis Kat (Genghis Khan)
57. Meowie Antoinette (Marie Antoinette)
58. Picatso (Picasso)
59. Sir Isaac Mewton (Sir Isaac Newton)
60. William Shakespurr (William Shakespeare)

Photo by Eduard Delputte on Unsplash

Funny cat looking in mirror considering its life choices

Human Names for Cats

What’s funnier than giving a cat a completely ordinary, very proper human name? There’s no shortage of videos of people calling their cats home with names like “Deborah” — and it’s undeniably hilarious every time.

Funny Human Names for Male Cats

A human name like “Bob” is one of the funniest choices a cat owner can make — and it doubles as a short, easy-to-call name:

61. Alan
62. Bob
63. Bill
64. Sheldon
65. Chad
66. Bartholemew
67. Paul
68. Doug
69. Phil
70. Hector

Funny Human Names for Female Cats

Same logic applies here — a name associated with an older generation often lands funniest. Your demure feline may appreciate “Magnolia,” just teach her a shorter nickname like “Maggy” for daily use:

71. Joane
72. Tracy
73. Margaret
74. Gladis
75. Beverley
76. Sharon
77. Pearl
78. Magnolia
79. Ruth
80. Elizabeth

Weird Cat Names

Humor is subjective, but most of us agree a truly strange cat name is funny. People have given pets bizarre names for as long as there have been pets to name, so it’s no surprise this trend hasn’t slowed down.

Food-Based Cat Names

Naming your cat after your favorite food is a classic move — there’s something sweet about calling your friendly cat “Honey.” A few of these lean more absurd than others:

81. Bacon
82. Beans
83. Butter
84. Cupcake
85. Marshmallow
86. Meatball
87. Melon
88. Nacho
89. Nugget
90. Peaches

Random Cat Names

Absurdist humor is its own genre — some people love it, others won’t get it at all, and that’s fine, since humor is personal. Part of the appeal of a name like these is exactly that it makes no sense: there’s no story or pun to explain, which somehow makes it funnier every single time you say it out loud in public. Here are some of the more outrageous options out there:

91. Beluga
92. Bullseye
93. Dude
94. Milk
95. Mountain Dew
96. Stone
97. Toothpaste
98. Q-Tip
99. Zip

Photo by Ariana Suárez on Unsplash

Cat with mouth open looking into distance

Naming by Breed and Size

Some of the funniest names lean into a breed’s specific look or reputation — either playing it straight or going for maximum irony.

• For big cats (Maine Coon, Ragdoll, Norwegian Forest Cat): lean into the size with names like Diesel, Thunder, Chunky, or a mock-noble title like “Sir” or “Duchess” plus a silly surname (Sir Pounce-a-Lot, Duchess Nugget). “Tiny” or “Peanut” as an ironic name for a 20-lb Maine Coon is a reliable laugh.
• For small or petite breeds (Munchkin, Singapura, Devon Rex): the opposite trick works well — something oversized and grandiose like “Chubbs,” “Colonel,” or “Biggie” makes for a good ironic contrast.
• For distinctive coat or build: hairless breeds (Sphynx) often end up with names that play on their look — think “Yoda” or “Nugget” — while long-haired breeds (Persian, Siberian) suit something a bit more dramatic, like “Fabio” or “Duchess.”

Whatever the breed, remember coat, size, and personality don’t have to match — an ironic mismatch (a tiny cat named “Goliath,” a giant one named “Peanut”) is one of the most reliable sources of a genuinely funny name.

Famous Cats With Funny (or Iconic) Names

If you want a name with some pop-culture pedigree, a few real internet-famous cats have set the bar:

• Tardar Sauce, better known by her stage name Grumpy Cat, became one of the most recognizable cats on the internet thanks to her naturally down-turned expression.
• Lil Bub, known for her distinctive “smooshed” face and permanently protruding tongue, became a beloved internet fixture and used her fame to raise money for animal charities.
• Kitty Purry, Katy Perry’s real cat, is proof that a punny celebrity name can also just be a genuinely sweet, true story.

None of these need to be copied outright, but they’re a good reminder that the funniest names often come from a genuine, specific quirk your cat already has — not from trying too hard to be clever.

Tips for Choosing the Right Funny Name for Your Cat

There are hundreds of thousands of possible names, so finding the right one can take a while. Here’s how to narrow it down.

Your Cat’s Appearance

Plenty of great names come straight from how your cat looks — fur type, coloring, pattern, shape, size, and any standout features. Do they have striking blue eyes? Are they a Munchkin with famously short legs? Start there.

Your Cat’s Personality

Basing the name on personality tends to produce names that actually stick. Watch your cat’s behavior and get a feel for their quirks. With kittens, give it a little extra time — personalities are still forming in the first few months.

Keep the “Everyday” Name Short

“Bartholomew Montgomery the Third” is hilarious in theory, but tedious to actually call across a yard. The fix: keep the elaborate name as your cat’s official title, and teach them a short, two-syllable nickname for daily use — “Bartholemew” becomes “Barty” when it actually matters.

Think About Saying It Out Loud, in Public

Before you commit, imagine calling the name loudly at the vet’s waiting room, at a pet sitter’s door, or across a backyard. A name that’s funny at home but genuinely embarrassing to shout in public might be worth reconsidering — or worth keeping as a private nickname while a milder name goes on the vet paperwork and collar tag.

Teaching Your Cat to Actually Respond to the Name

Cats can absolutely learn their names — the research on this is fairly clear that cats do recognize and distinguish their own name from other words, even if they don’t always feel like responding. A few things help:

• Keep it short and distinct. One or two syllables, with a clear, consistent sound, are easiest for a cat to pick out from background noise.
• Pair the name with something good. Say the name, then immediately follow with a treat, play, or affection — repeated consistently, this builds a positive association fast, using the same basic positive-reinforcement principle that professional cat behaviorists (like those who popularized reward-based training methods for cats, such as Jackson Galaxy) rely on for all kinds of cat training.
• Don’t only use the name for unwanted moments. If “Whiskers!” only ever means “get off the counter,” your cat will learn to associate the name with something to avoid rather than something worth responding to.
• Be patient and consistent. Several short sessions a day, over a couple of weeks, generally works better than occasional long ones.

Changing a Name Your Cat Already Knows

If you’ve adopted an older cat with an established name, you can change it — cats aren’t as attached to a specific sound as we might assume, and the same reward-pairing approach above works whether you’re teaching a first name or a new one. It may take a little longer for an adult cat to fully switch over, especially if the old name is still used elsewhere (by a previous owner, on old records, etc.), but consistency on your end is what matters most. Many owners find a smoother transition by choosing a new name that shares a sound with the old one, or by using both names together for a transition period before dropping the old one.

Funny Cat Names: Final Thoughts

There’s no shortage of options for a genuinely funny cat name — the real task is taking the time to get to know your cat and letting the right one reveal itself.

Whatever you land on, make sure it’s a name you’ll be happy to say a hundred times a day, since you will. For more inspiration, check out this list of best girl cat names you’ll adore.

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Amanda OBrien

Amanda created and owns The Discerning Cat. A lifelong cat lover she is the proud parent of two Siberian cats, Alexei and Vladimir. She is passionate about understanding cats and different cat breeds.