150 Purrfect Literary Cat Names With Meanings

Are you both a bookworm and a cat lover? For some reason, these two traits seem to go hand in hand. Both of my cats seem to instinctively understand that once I have a book in my hands, then that’s their queue to make themselves at home on my lap.

So, it seems only natural that literature-loving cat owners would want to look to their favorite books for naming inspiration. Here is a list of 150 literary cat names to consider for your feline reading buddy.

Male Literary Cat Names

1. Amory – From This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Asimov – For Russian sci-fi author, Isaac Asimov.
3. Bilbo – From J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy classics The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
4. Booker – For the amazing former slave turned classic American author, Booker Washington.
5. Capote – For author Truman Capote, the author of the first true crime novel, In Cold Blood.
6. Captain Ahab – The larger-than-life, obsessed ship captain in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
7. Chaucer – For the medieval English author of The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer.
8. Chuck – For the edgy author of Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk
9. Cheshire – A classic cat character from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
10. Church – From Stephen King’s creepy classic Pet Semetery.
11. Dante – For the Italian poet and author of The Divine Comedy.
12. Dorian Gray – From Oscar Wilde’s classic gothic novella, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
13. Dracula – From Bram Stoker’s gothic vampire novel – great for a black cat!
14. Dr. Jekyll – From Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
15. Ebenezer – For the antagonist turned protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol.

Dorian Gray – From Oscar Wilde’s classic gothic novella, The Picture of Dorian Gray.

16. Ernest – For the beloved American author, Ernest Hemingway.
17. Fitzgerald – For the classic American author, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
18. Frankenstein – Mary Shelly’s classic gothic drama of the same name.
19. Fyodor – For Russian philosopher and author Fyodor Dostoevsky.
20. Gandalf – The wise wizard in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Ring.
21. Gatsby – From F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel The Great Gatsby.
22. Genji – From the 11th-century Japanese classic The Tale of Genji, written by noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu.
23. Godfather – A fun name for a big boss cat, from the Mario Puzo novel, The Godfather.
24. Grendel – The feared “creature of darkness” in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf.
25. Gulliver – From the Jonathon Swift classic, Gulliver’s Travels.
26. Hamlet – The main character and name of one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies.
27. Heathcliff – From Emily Bronte’s dark gothic novel, Wuthering Heights.
28. Hemingway – A nod to American author, Ernest Hemingway.
29. Homer – The Greek author of the epics The Illiad and The Odyssey.
30. Huckleberry – From Mark Twain’s great American classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 

Genji – From the 11th-century Japanese classic The Tale of Genji, written by noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu.

31. Hugo – For French author, Victor Hugo.
32. Ishmael – For the name of the narrator in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
33. Jules – For French early sci-fi author, Jules Verne.
34. Kafka – For author. Franz Kafka.
35. Longfellow – For American poet, Henry Woodsworth Longfellow.
36. Lord Byron – For the Romantic era poet of the same name.
37. Marcel – For French novelist, Marcel Proust.
38. Mr. Darcy – From Jane Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice.
39. Mr. Hyde – One of the personalities exhibited in the novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
40. Oliver – For the character from Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist.
41. Orwell – For English author George Orwell, responsible for dystopian classics like 1984 and Animal Farm.
42. Othello – From one of Shakespeare’s more famous plays.
43. Pennywise – Horror fans will recognize this name of the terrifying clown from Stephen King’s It.
44. Pippin – A mischievous hobbit from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.
45. Potter – For fans of the Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling.

Mr. Hyde – One of the personalities exhibited in the novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

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46. Quasimodo – From the romantic gothic classic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.
47. Quixote – For the Spanish epic by Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote.
48. Romeo – From Shakespeare’s probably most widely known play, Romeo and Juliet.
49. Shakespeare – Who doesn’t get this reference?
50. Steinbeck  – For American author John Steinbeck, who was famous for classics like Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath.
51. Sun Tzu – For the Chinese general turned philosopher and author, famous for The Art of War.
52. Templeton – The rat character from E.B. White’s children’s classic, Charlotte’s Web.
53. Tolstoy – For the Russian author famous for classics like War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy,
54. Tom Kitten – For the main cat character from Beatrix Potter’s classic children’s tales.
55. Ulysses – For the enigmatic novel by Irish author, James Joyce.
56. Umberto – For Italian author, Umberto Eco.
57. Virgil – For the Roman poet famous for the epic poem, Aeneid.
58. Vonnegut – For American author, Kurt Vonnegut.
59. Watson – Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick and companion. Plus, you’d get to say, “It’s elementary, my dear Watson” to your cat whenever the mood takes you.
60. Wilbur – An adorable pig from E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web.
61. Wilde – For the witty Irish Victorian author, Oscar Wilde.
62. Winnie – Everyone’s favorite silly old bear from the children’s classic tales, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shepard.
63. Wonka – For the character of Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s children’s classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Wonka – For the character of Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s children’s classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Female Literary Cat Names

64. Agatha – For legendary detective author, Agatha Christie.
65. Alice – For Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
66. Antonia – For the Willa Cather classic, My Antonia.
67. Avalon – For the idyllic, mythical island of Arthurian legend.
68. Arwen – The half-elf character from The Lord of the Rings.
69. Arya – For the fierce character from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.
70. Ayn – For controversial Russian author, Ayn Rand.
71. Beatrix – For English Children’s author, Beatrix Potter.
72. Bella – For the female lead in Twilight.
73. Bellatrix – For the crazy Death Eater character, Bellatrix LeStrange in the Harry Potter series.
74. Beloved – A sweet name for a cat, after the Toni Morrison book.
75. Beverly – For the children’s author, Beverly Cleary.
76. Bronte – For the classic writer sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne.
77. Coroline – For the children’s book of the same name, by Neil Gaiman.
78. Cordelia – For the tragic heroine of Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Bellatrix – For the crazy Death Eater character, Bellatrix LeStrange in the Harry Potter series.

79. Didion – For philosophical author, Joan Didion.
80. Dorothy – For the main protagonist from L. Frank Baum’s, The Wizard of Oz.
81. Elphaba – The name of the Wicked Witch in the Gregory Maguire book Wicked.
82. Emma – For the Jane Austen classic of the same name
83. Esmerelda – A kind-hearted Roma girl from Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
84. Edith – For the classic American author, Edith Wharton.
85. Fleur – For the Harry Potter character, Fleur Delacour.
86. Galadriel – The ethereal elven character from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
87. Gertrude – For the American poet, Gertrude Stein.
88. Ginny – One of the Weasleys in the Harry Potter series.
89. Guinevere – King Arthur’s wife and queen.
90. Harper – For the author of the classic To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee.
91. Hermione – The beloved heroine of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.
92. Isolde – One of the legendary characters in the medieval tale, Tristan and Isolde.
93. Jane – Nothing mundane about this name! Especially when it’s a nod to the beloved author of Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and other classics, Jane Austen.

Esmerelda – A kind-hearted Roma girl from Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

94. J.K. – As in J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.
95. Jo – For the character Jo March in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
96. Juliet – One of the famous star-crossed lovers of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies.
97. Karenina – From Anna Karenina, the famous Russian classic written by Leo Tolstoy.
98. Katniss – The protagonist from the dystopian literary hit, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
99. Khaleesi – The Dothraki title for Daenerys from Game of Thrones.
100. Lady Windermere – From the comedic play, Lady Windermere’s Fan by the always witty Oscar Wilde.
101. Liesel – The name of the young protagonist in The Book Thief by Australian author, Markus Zusak.
102. Lolita – From the controversial, yet beautifully written Vladimir Nabokov novel of the same name.
103. Luna – The name of the quirky Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter novels.
104. Madame Bovary – A French novel that was considered so scandalous when it was published in 1856, that author Gustave Flaubert was nearly sent to prison over it.
105. Maya – For poet Maya Angelou
106. Miss Marple – An elderly detective from the Agatha Christie novels.
     
107. Mittens – One of the three kitten siblings in Beatrix Potter’s children’s book, The Tale of Tom Kitten.
108. Morgan le Fay – The fay enchantress from the King Arthur tales.

Lady Windermere – From the comedic play, Lady Windermere’s Fan by the always witty Oscar Wilde.

109. Mrs. Dalloway – One of Virginia Woolf’s best-known classics.
110. Ophelia – The tragic heroine of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
111. Princess Buttercup – From the fun and whimsical The Princess Bride by William Goldman.
112. Ramona – From the children’s book series by Beverly Cleary.
113. Rosalind – The heroine and protagonist of Shakespeare’s comedy, As You Like It.
114. Scarlett – For the character Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
115. Scheherazade – The legendary Queen in One Thousand And One Arabian Nights.
116. Scout – The precocious child protagonist from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
117. Stella – A character in the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.
118. Sylvia – For the American poet and author of The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath.
119. Tabitha Twitchit – A mother cat in Beatrix Potter’s classic children’s tales.
120. Titania – The Queen of the Fairies and a main character in Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
121. Toni – For Toni Morrison, the author of the classic novel, Beloved.
122. Ursula – For fantasy and sci-fi author, Ursula K. Le Guin
123. Violet – From Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
124. Virginia – For author Virginia Wolf
125. Zora – For classic American author, Zora Neale Hurston, who is most widely known for her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Titania – The Queen of the Fairies and a main character in Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Unisex Literary Cat Names

126. Antihero – Everyone’s favorite type of hero in literary circles – the hero who isn’t stereotypically heroic!
127. Ballad – A traditional type of poem that tells a story.
128. Bookworm – Especially cute for the lap cat likes to curl up with you as you settle in with a book.
129. Drama King/Queen – We all know cats like this!
130. Elegy – A somber poem, usually for the dead.
131. Epiphany – The “eureka!” moment of a good story.
132. Haiku – A type of Japanese poem.
133. Limerick – A silly, sing-song kind of poem.
134. Lyric – The words of a beloved song or poem.
135. Memoir – A clever and sweet name for a cat who perhaps reminds you of a cat companion you had in the past.
136. Metaphor – A representation or symbol for something else.
137. Ode – A lyrical poem, usually celebrating the subject matter.
138. Opus – A hefty artistic undertaking.
139. Oxford – For the Oxford English Dictionary.
140. Paradox – A contradiction that never the less makes sense.

Memoir – A clever and sweet name for a cat who perhaps reminds you of a cat companion you had in the past.

141. Poem – A cute name for the cat owner who loves the literary art form of poetry.
142. Pulitzer – One of literature’s most prestigious prizes.
143. Pun – A joke that uses a play on words.
144. Sonnet – A classical type of poem. Shakespeare was into these!
145. Stanza – A group of lines in a poem.
146. Story – Everyone loves a good story!
147. Symbol – Something that represents something else.
148. Verse – An important part of poetic composition.
149. Villanelle – A highly structured type of French poetry.
150. Webster – For the Miriam Webster English Dictionary.

Sonnet – A classical type of poem. Shakespeare was into these!

With so many wonderful books that have enriched our lives throughout the generations, it’s no wonder that the world of literature is filled with excellent names to christen our beloved cats with. Whether you are a lover of the classics or more of a modern reader enjoying a thrilling page-turner, we hope you have found the perfect literary name for your cat companion.