100+ Brown Cat Names That You’ll Actually Love
Adopting a brown cat? Get inspired with this list of brown cat names and find the perfect fit for your kitty.
Adopting a brown cat? Get inspired with this list of brown cat names and find the perfect fit for your kitty.
by Frances Vega, | January 1, 2024
Vera Chitaeva / Shutterstock
You just adopted a brown cat, and they’re lovely. Why wouldn’t they be? After all, there’s a reason why “Brown Eyed Girl” was such a popular song, and a brown coat on a kitty is even sweeter. Now, you just need to find a name that’ll do your beautiful brown girl (or boy) justice.
Depending on your style, you can pick from fan-favorite names in pop culture to mouthwatering food-based names. With more than 150 name suggestions, there are plenty of options to choose from.
Whether you have a brown-and-white cat, a striking brown tabby, or some shade between cinnamon and chocolate, this guide will give you plenty of name options to fit your cat’s distinctive features. Check out our favorite names for brown cats below.
Tabby cats of any color have a pretty special look. The “M” on their forehead and the stripes on their body make them easy to spot. Try a name that highlights your cat’s distinctive stripes.
Freckles
Marble
Pebbles
Smudges
Spot
Tiger
Tigger
Tigress
Topaz
Have a tortoiseshell cat with a black and brown coat? Why not call out your cat’s original look with a name inspired by their uncommon color mix?
Cinder
Girl Scout Cookie
Pepper
Porter
Rolo
Shadow
Stormy
Swirl
Tagalong
Xolo
The science behind these chocolate-colored felines.
There’s something about the color contrast in brown-and-white cats that makes them stand out everywhere they go. Try out one of these and give your cat a name equally as memorable as their look.
Boston Cream
Cannoli
Chai
Creamsicle
Latte
Patch
S’more
Sundae
Thrasher
Twinkie
If your cat is a darker shade of brown, you might want to give them a deeply rich name to match. Whether your cat is an ashy dark brown or has some hints of red, one of these names could be a good fit.
Acorn
Bear
Beaver
Chestnut
Cocoa
Espresso
Mocha
Mudd
Smokey
The beige aesthetic has been all the rage lately. Your light-brown cat can be super on-trend with these names:
Butterscotch
Ecru
Honey
Russet
Sepia
Sienna
Snickerdoodle
Taupe
Timber
Want to get creative, but also looking for a name that describes your cat’s physical features? These unique names are fairly uncommon, and they all derive their meaning from the color “brown.” Their name will be like a not-so-hidden secret.
Aruna – Meaning “crystalline reddish-brown”, “tawny”, and “dawn,” this feminine name has Sanskrit and Hindu origins
Braun – A German name that means “brown” and refers to hair color
Bronson – Originally English, this name means “son of brown-haired one”
Bruna – A feminine name of German origin that means “brown”
Dunn – From Gaelic origins this name means “brown”
Hari – This Sanskrit name means “lion” and is associated with tawny colors
Lebron – Lebron is a masculine name of French origin, meaning “brown-haired one”
Nyui – A Burmese name meaning “brown”
Sorel – A French gender-neutral name meaning “reddish brown”
Wren – This sweet British girl’s name means "small brown songbird"
For pet parents of female cats who want to show off their girliness and brown coats at the same time, we suggest the following:
Dulce
Ember
Foxy
Hazel
Kasha
Kona
Penny
Truffles
Winnie
These more masculine cat names are a perfect fit for brown male cats but work well for female cats, too.
Bruno
Graham
Gunner
Maverick
Milo
Monkey
Moose
Pinto
Rudy
Wookie
Is your cat the cutest thing in the world? Probably. You can highlight their cuteness with these uber-adorable names.
Amber
Autumn
Bambi
Brandy
Crumbs
Hops
Kodiak
Oso
Rusty
Sable
Taffy
Sometimes, our cats are so sweet a food name is the only option. Naming your cat after a delicious dessert is a great way to show off their sweetness. (Just be warned: Saying their name a lot might make you crave that snack more — but we see nothing wrong with that.)
Biscuit
Brioche
Brownie
Cinnamon
Meatloaf
Éclair
Oatmeal
Tater tot
Toast
Mars Bar
Snickers
Hershey
Twix
Consider naming your cat after one of these celebrities and famous characters that could have been cats in another life.
Bing Clawsby
Cleopatra
Patti Labelle
Hairy Styles
Luna Lovegood
Beyonce
Doogie Howser
George Clooney
Captain Jack Sparrow
Angelina Jolie
Robin Hood
Selina Kyle
Let your cat take in the spotlight and name them after some of film and television’s most famous brown(ish) cats.
Baron Humbert von Gikkingen — The Cat Returns
Diego — Ice Age
Oliver — Oliver & Company
Toulouse — The Aristocats
Simba — The Lion King
Catbus — Totoro
Sergeant Tibbs — 101 Dalmatians
Mr. Jinx — Meet the Parents
Mrs. Norris — Harry Potter
Sassy — Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Consider some of these tips when you start brainstorming to help you land on the right name for your cat.
Try picking a name that matches their personality, coat patterns, or your personal interests.
Don’t rush the process. Sometimes, a cat’s name becomes apparent through their behavior or unique quirks.
Keep it simple. While most people don’t do formal training with their cats, taking a recommendation from dog trainers on naming might be a good idea. Some trainers suggest keeping names to one or two syllables, so it’s easier for the pups to learn and identify their name.
Avoid cat names that would make others uncomfortable. You should also avoid any names that are racial or cultural slurs, or that use offensive language. Don’t choose a name that will make you uncomfortable to say.
Try to select a name that will grow with your pet. If you’re adopting a kitten, a name that focuses on how tiny they are might not work in the long run, but something that revolves around their coat color would. Because brown cats are rarer than other breeds, a unique name based on their coat could be a great fit.
If you’ve been trying to figure out the right cat name and haven’t adopted a cat yet, you can search for adoptable cats near you (in any color combo) on Adopt A Pet.
Solid brown cats are especially rare. Just like human hair, coat colors all come down to genetics. Only a handful of breeds can have solid brown coats — like the Havana Brown, which is brown all over, all the way down to their paws and whiskers. Havana might just be a great name for your cat if you’re lucky enough to find one who is solid brown.
Some unique brown cat names are those in other languages or inspired by nature, such as “Morena,” “Kadru,” or “Umber.” Unique brown cat names can come from all over.
Frances Vega is a Los Angeles/Orange County-based marketer, writer, editor, and partnerships manager.