150+ Historical Cat Names: Male & Female Choices
By Misty Layne
Updated on
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Getting a new cat is always wonderful, but with a new cat comes a difficult decision—what to name them! There are many ways to choose a moniker for your new feline friend, but if you’ve found yourself at a loss, why not go with a historical name? Naming your pet after a famous historical figure ensures your kitty has a unique name, and you can honor your favorite person from history.
Not sure what historical name to give your cat? We’ve gathered over 150 names for males and females. Take a look to find the perfect moniker for your cat!
How to Name a Cat
There are so many ways to determine a name for your feline! Naming your pet after a historical figure (or someone famous) is one way to go about it, but there are other options for kitty naming.
You might decide to narrow down name choices by choosing one based on your cat’s sex. Then, you might want to narrow your options further by picking a name that evokes the color of your cat. Or you might forgo all that and skip to choosing a fun name based on the cat’s personality.
Honestly, the sky’s the limit!
Historical Names for Male Cats
Whether you want the name of a dignified statesman, a moniker that’s a call-back to ancient Rome, or one that pays homage to a famous inventor, you’ll find what you need here. You’ll also find names of prominent historical figures who were a bit less dignified and a little more rebellious!
- Archimedes (famous Greek mathematician and inventor)
- Aristotle (the father of western logic)
- Benjamin (Franklin—the only Founding Father who signed all three documents freeing America from Britain)
- Bernoulli (Daniel—gave us the Bernoulli principle)
- Billy the Kid (American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West)
- Booth (Edwin Thomas—some theatrical historians consider him the greatest Prince Hamlet of the 19th century)
- Boris (Karloff—recognized as one of the true icons of horror cinema)
- Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody—American soldier, bison hunter, and showman)
- Bugsy (Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel—an American mobster)
- Byron (George Gordon—leading figure of the Romantic movement regarded as one of the greatest English poets)
- Capone (Al—American gangster who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era)
- Chester (Nimitz—fleet admiral of the United States Navy who played a large role in the naval history of World War II)
- Churchill (Winston—Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II)
- Copernicus (Nicolaus— formulated a model of the universe placing the Sun at its center rather than Earth)
- Crockett (David—American folk hero)
- Da Vinci (Leonardo—painter, sculptor, and architect)
- Darwin (Charles—came up with the theory of evolution)
- Doc Holliday (John Henry Holliday—best known for his role in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral)
- Edgar (Allan Poe—best known for his poetry and short stories)
- Edison (Thomas—invented the phonograph and early versions of the electric light bulb)
- Einstein (Albert—one of the greatest physicists of all time, developed the theory of relativity)
- Faraday (Michael—scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry)
- Fibonacci (Leonardo Bonacci—considered the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages)
- Frederick (Douglass—American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman)
- Freud (Sigmund—invented and developed the technique of psychoanalysis)
- Galileo (Galilei—father of observational astronomy, modern-era classical physics, the scientific method, and modern science)
- Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand—Indian lawyer who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence)
- Garfield (James—20th U.S. president)
- Hamilton (Alexander—one of the Founding Fathers of the United States)
- Homer (Homer—author of the Iliad and the Odyssey)
- Houdini (Harry—escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer)
- Humphrey (Bogart—an American actor and cultural icon)
- Jacques (Cousteau—French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker, and author)
- Jefferson (Thomas—3rd U.S. president)
- Jesse James (American outlaw, bank and train robber)
- Kerouac (Jack—American novelist who was a pioneer of the Beat Generation)
- Lincoln (Abraham—first Republican president in the history of the country)
- Louis (Armstrong—American trumpeter and vocalist, one of the most influential figures in jazz)
- Lyndon (Lyndon—36th U.S. president)
- Matisse (Henri—French visual artist)
- Monet (Oscar-Claude—French painter and founder of impressionist painting)
- Mozart (Wolfgang Amadeus—influential composer of the Classical period)
- Napoleon (Bonaparte—a French military and political leader)
- Nero (Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus—final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty)
- Newton (Sir Isaac—widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time)
- Orville (Wright—youngest of the Wright brothers)
- Picasso (Pablo—one of the most influential artists of the 20th century)
- Reagan (Ronald—40th U.S. president)
- Roosevelt (Franklin—32nd U.S. president)
- Shakespeare (William—widely regarded as the world’s pre-eminent dramatist)
- Silverstein (Abe—American engineer who played an important part in the U.S. space program)
- Teddy (Roosevelt—26th U.S. president)
- Tesla (Nikola—best known for contributions to the modern alternating current electricity supply system)
- Tiberius (Roman emperor)
- Tolstoy (Leo—Russian writer regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time)
- Twain (Mark—lauded as “the father of American literature”)
- Tycho (Brahe—the last major astronomer before the invention of the telescope)
- Ulysses (Grant—18th U.S. president)
- Washington (George—founding father and 1st president)
Historical Names for Female Cats
You’ll find excellent choices for historical names for female cats below. Whether your feline deserves to be named after someone like Amelia Earhart or Sojourner Truth, there is a wealth of names to pick from that pay homage to your favorite female historical figure.
- Abby (Abigail Adams—wife of John Adams)
- Ada (Lovelace—chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose computer)
- Adelina (Otero-Warren—American women’s suffragist, educator, and politician)
- Agrippina (the Elder—prominent member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty)
- Amelia (Robinson—a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama)
- Anais Nin (iconic literary figure and one of the most notable experimental writers of the 20th century)
- Anastasia (Romanov—youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II)
- Bessie (Coleman—first African-American woman and first person of self-identified Native American descent to hold a pilot license)
- Betsy (Ross—made the first U.S. flag)
- Billie (Holiday—American jazz and swing music singer)
- Bonnie (of Bonnie and Clyde notoriety)
- Carmen (Miranda—known for her signature fruit hat outfit that she wore in her American films)
- Clara (Barton—American nurse who founded the American Red Cross)
- Cleo (de Merode—first woman whose photographic image was distributed worldwide)
- Cleopatra (Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC)
- Curie (Marie—physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity)
- Daphne (Oram—one of the first British composers to produce electronic sound)
- Diana (Princess of Wales)
- Dolly (Madison—former first lady of the U.S. who spearheaded the concept of bipartisanship)
- Earhart (Amelia—first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean)
- Edith (Cowan—first Australian woman to serve as a member of parliament)
- Eleanor (Roosevelt—longest-serving first lady of the U.S.)
- Evita (First Lady of Argentina 1946-1952)
- Georgia (O’Keeffe—American modernist painter)
- Gertrude (Stein—American novelist, poet, playwright)
- Ginsburg (Ruth Bader—Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)
- Grace (Hopper—in 1934, earned a Ph.D. in mathematics, which was rare for women at the time)
- Harriet (Tubman—American abolitionist and social activist)
- Hedy (Lamarr—credited for helping co-invent a radio signaling device, a.k.a a “Secret Communications System”)
- Isadora (Duncan—pioneer of modern contemporary dance)
- Jane (Austen—English novelist)
- Joan of Arc (patron saint of France)
- Kahlo (Frida—Mexican painter)
- Kennedy (Jacqueline—first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963)
- Lena (Horne—American singer, actress, dancer, and civil rights activist)
- Lorraine (Hansberry—first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway)
- Louisa (May Alcott—author of Little Women)
- Mae (Dorothy Mae DeLavallade Taylor—first African-American woman to serve in the Louisiana House of Representatives)
- Marilyn (Monroe—American actress)
- Martha (wife of George Washington)
- Mary (Stevenson Cassatt—American painter and printmaker)
- Maya (Angelou—American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist)
- Nellie (Bly—journalist, most famous for going undercover at the asylum on Blackwell’s Island and circumnavigating the world in 72 days)
- Nightingale (Florence—founder of modern nursing)
- Octavia (Hill—one of the three founders of the National Trust)
- Olga (Picasso—ballet dancer married to Pablo Picasso)
- Pocahontas (Native American woman notable for her association with Jamestown, Virginia)
- Pola (Negri— Polish actress who achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of film)
- Porcia (2nd wife of Brutus)
- Rosa (Parks—American activist in the civil rights movement)
- Roxana (wife of Alexander the Great)
- Sacajawea (Lemhi Shoshone woman who aided the Lewis and Clark Expedition)
- Shelley (Mary—author of Frankenstein)
- Sojourner Truth (American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights and women’s rights)
- Sylvia (Plath—American poet credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry)
- Ursula (Le Guin—American author best known for her works of speculative fiction)
Historical Cat Names
Instead of paying homage to a historical person, why not do so for a historical feline? Cats have a long, storied history, so of course, there are famous kitties from the past! Here are a handful of names that can be used for males and females.
- Bastet (Egyptian goddess of cats)
- Casper (famous cat from Dorset, best known for traveling the town on buses)
- Félicette (first cat to go to space in 1963)
- Oscar, aka “Unsinkable Sam” (famous for surviving three shipwrecks in 1941)
- Snowball (cat belonging to Ernest Hemingway)
- Ta-Miu (one of Ancient Egypt’s most notable felines)
Punny Historical Names for Cats
If you or your cat is a comedian, why not go with a pun of a historical name? These names are witty and adorable, so they’re sure to be a hit for your favorite feline companion!
- Abraham Lynxing (Abraham Lincoln—16th president of the United States)
- Alexander Hameowlton (Alexander Hamilton—one of the Founding Fathers of the United States)
- Aslan Furrying (Alan Turing—often dubbed ‘the father of modern computing’)
- Benjameow Franklin (Benjamin Franklin—credited with drafting the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution)
- Catligula (Caligula—Roman emperor from AD 37 until AD 41)
- Catpurrnicus (Nicolaus Copernicus— formulated a model of the universe placing the Sun at its center rather than Earth)
- Catticus (Titus Atticus—famous for his correspondence with Cicero)
- Charles Lickens (Charles Dickens—regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era)
- Cleocatra (Cleopatra—Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC)
- Dalai Pawma (Dalai Lama—highest spiritual leader and head of Tibet)
- Dwight D. Eisenpurr (Eisenhower—34th president)
- Emily Lickinson (Emily Dickinson—regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry)
- Fuzz Aldrin (Buzz Aldrin—2nd person to walk on the moon)
- George Meowshington (George Washington—founding father and 1st president)
- Catsanova (Casanova—best known as one of the most famous lovers in history)
- Hairy Houdini (Houdini—escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer)
- Isaac Mewton (Sir Isaac Newton—widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time)
- R. R. Tolkitten (J.R.R. Tolkien—author of Lord of the Rings)
- Pounce de Lion (Juan Ponce de Leon—first governor of Puerto Rico)
- Kitstofurr Clawlumbus (Columbus—Italian explorer and navigator)
- Marcus Pawrelius (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD)
- Marie Purrie (Marie Curie—physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity)
- Meowdeline Albright (Madeleine Albright—first woman to be the U.S. Secretary of State)
- Mewlius Caesar (Julius Caesar—assassinated by Roman Senate)
- Mufasa Kemeow Cataturk (Mustafa Kemal Ataturk—first president of Turkey)
- Picatso (Picasso—one of the most influential artists of the 20th century)
- Paw Revere (Paul Revere—carried news of the Boston Tea Party to New York)
- Pawcahontas (Pocahontas—Native American woman notable for her association with Jamestown, Virginia)
- Pawdius (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus—Roman emperor)
- Pawdre Lorde (Audre Lorde—American writer, philosopher, poet, and civil rights activist)
- Purrnest Hemingway (Ernest Hemingway—American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist)
- Queen Victoria The Clawsome (Queen Victoria— Queen of the U.K. from 1837 until her death in 1901)
- Shakespurr (Shakespeare—widely regarded as the world’s pre-eminent dramatist)
- Walt Whiskersman (Walt Whitman—considered one of the most influential poets in American history)
- Winston Purrchill (Winston Churchill—Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II)
Final Thoughts
Choosing the best moniker for your new cat can be challenging, but a name based on a historical figure is an excellent option. There are many people (and cats!) throughout history who are notable for a variety of fascinating things, so naming your pet after one of them gives you a chance to pay homage and have a cool name for your kitty. So, grab a name from ancient Rome or find one that’s a bit more modern, and christen your feline with it!
See Also:
- 475+ Cat Names That Start With M for Your Kitty
- 115+ Cat Names From The Aristocats for Male & Female Kitties
Featured Image Credit: Youssef Abdelwahab, Shutterstock
