Huge List of Excellent Names for Bengal Cats

When I saw ‘Names for Bengal Cats’ as subject matter, I was a little sceptical.

I mean, there are so many options one can come up with spontaneously why would one need help?

And it’s a cat- it’s not going to care particularly.

But then reading and thinking about it, my view changed somewhat.

You may want something original and clever that taps into your cat’s appearance, gender, ancestry or even personality.

Additionally, you may want to give it a cat name it can recognise.

This long list then gives you plenty to think about and includes (some) origins and meanings should they be important to you.

If you want to know how/why we named our Bengal cat ‘Hazel’ read the blog post ‘A Bit of Background’.

‘Big Cat’ Names For Bengal Cats

Apparently, the Bengal cat breed was brought into existence to negatively impact the fur trade.

The belief was, if people owned pet cats that looked like those in the wild, there would be a greater reluctance to buy and wear big cat fur.

For more on Bengal fur patterns see ‘Bengal Rosetted Patterns: The Beginner’s Guide‘.

The Bengal resemblance to big cats, albeit on a smaller scale, offers a great potential source of cat names:

1. Aslan: Turkish Origin. Means ‘Lion’. A major character in The Chronicles of Narnia series
2. Bagheera: Hindi. Derived from the word ‘Bagh,’which means ‘Tiger’. Confusingly, the name of a Black Panther in The Jungle Book
3. Caracal: A slim, medium-sized wildcat with long canines, tufted long ears and tan/light brown coloured fur
4. Cheetah
5. Dawon: A sacred Tiger, originally from Tibetan tradition
6. Jaguar
7. Leo: Latin. Means ‘Lion’
8. Leopard
9. Lion/Lioness
10. Lynx: A medium-sized wildcat known for distinctive tufts of black hair on each ear and large padded paws
11. Ocelot: Another medium-sized wildcat with an orange/yellow coat and black stripes and spots
12. Panther
13. Puma: Also known as ‘Cougar’ or ‘Mountain Lion’
14. Serval: Slender, medium-sized wildcat with large ears, long legs, light brown/white fur and a spotted/striped coat.
15. Simba: Swahili. Means ‘Lion’. The main protagonist in the animated Disney film The Lion King
16. Tiger/Tigress

Names For Bengal Cats Based On Their Colour

Bengal cat breeders have created lines with differing colours and patterns.

The most common of course are brown Bengals, but one can find snow, silver, charcoal and blue- plus mixtures of these, for example ‘Silver Snow’ (see ‘Silver Bengal Cats: The Definitive Guide‘).

Colour is a great basis for choosing cat names, and the ideas below cover flowers, foods and even weather conditions.

Brown Bengals

1. Aahaana: There a few meanings in Hindi for this female name, two of which are ‘inner light’ and ‘first rise of the sun’
2. Amber
3. Aurelia: Latin. Means ‘the golden one’, and was the name of Julius Caesar’s mother
4. Autumn: The British word for the season ‘Fall’
5. Blaze
6. Brownie
7. Buttercup
8. Butterscotch
9. Clementine
10. Cressida: Greek. Means ‘gold’
11. Flynn: Irish. Means ‘son of the red-haired one’
12. Fox: Think of a red fox…
13. Ginger
14. Honey
15. Kamala: Derived from the Sanskrit and means ‘lotus’ or ‘pale red’
16. Marigold
17. Orangey
18. Peaches
19. Pumpkin
20. Rufus: Latin. Means ‘redhead’
21. Rusty
22. Scarlett
23. Sunny
24. Sunset
25. Tiger
26. Tiger Lily

Snow Bengals

1. Alaska
2. Boreas: Greek. God of the north wind
3. Blizzard
4. Chilly
5. Finn: Seems to be of Irish/Gaelic origin meaning ‘white or fair’
6. Fiona: Gaelic, also meaning ‘white or fair’
7. Ghost
8. Himesh: Hindi, a male name that means ‘king of the snow’
9. Ivory
10. Marble
11. Pearl

Silver Bengals

1. Ash
2. Dusty
3. Foggy
4. Grey
5. Marble
6. Misty
7. Nickels
8. Pebble
9. Slate
10. Smokey/Smoky
11. Smudge
12. Sterling
13. Twilight

Charcoal Bengals

1. Inky
2. Midnight
3. Nisha: In Sanskrit, this female name means ‘night’
4. Onyx: A typically black gemstone
5. Pepper
6. Raven
7. Shade
8. Shadow
9. Yamini: Although Arabic in origin, in Hindi this is a female name which means ‘night’ or ‘nocturnal’
10. Zorro: Because of the mask…

Blue Bengals

1. Blue/Bluey
2. Bluebell
3. Neptune

Bengal Cat Names Based On Fur Patterns

As well as their background fur colour, Bengal breed fur patterns, which tend to develop more clearly as a Bengal kitten ages, may inspire a name.

This limited list would cover a female and male Bengal cat, but I’m sure you can add a few ideas of your own. 

1. Marble
2. Speckles
3. Spot
4. Rosey/Rosette

Names For Bengal Cats Based On Plants And Flowers

Plants and flowers are ideal owning to their colour, although they are typically associated with female Bengal cat names.

1. Amaryllis: Bulbous plant with showy trumpet-shaped flowers of varying colour
2. Ash
3. Ayla: The Hebrew origin of this name means ‘oak tree’
4. Blossom
5. Bluebell
6. Buttercup
7. Clover
8. Dahlia: A flower in the daisy family native to Mexico and Central America (pictured)
9. Daisy
10. Fleur: French. Means ‘Flower’
11. Hazel
12. Holly
13. Iris
14. Ivy
15. Jasmine
16. Marigold: Bright orange, red and yellow flowering plant in the sunflower family
17. Olive
18. Poppy
19. Primrose: Found in European woodland and hedgerows, with pale yellow flowers
20. Sweet Pea: Flowering plant native to Italy, Sicily and the Aegean Islands
21. Tiger Lily: An orange Asian flower with black and purple spots
22. Willow

Gemstone and Precious Metal Themes Names For Bengal Cats

These again are primarily linked to colour and aimed more at female Bengal cats.

1. Amber: Fossilised tree resin considered an ancient gemstone
2. Marble
3. Opal: A crystallised form of silica, colourless when pure but can display a wide range of colours
4. Pearl
5. Ruby
6. Sapphire/Saphy
7. Sterling: As in ‘sterling silver’
8. Topaz: Another colourless gemstone when pure, but impurities create blues, browns, yellows and oranges

Bengal Names Based On Myth And Legend

Gods, Goddesses, Kings, Queens and Mythical Beasts. These names have been used in a whole manner of ways from having NASA space missions named after them to featuring in signage for public houses.

The realm of myth and legend offers both common and perhaps lesser known names you can use for your Bengal cat or kitten.

1. Achilles
2. Anubis: Egyptian. The original God of the dead
3. Aphrodite
4. Apollo
5. Ares: Greek. God of courage and war
6. Artemis: Greek. Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, the moon and chastity
7. Asteria: Greek. Goddess of ‘nocturnal oracles’ and shooting stars
8. Athena
9. Atlas
10. Bacchus: Roman. The God of agriculture and wine
11. Boreas: Greek. God of the north wind
12. Calypso: Greek. The name of a nymph featured in Homer’s The Odyssey, whose name means ‘she who hides’
13. Electra: Greek.The daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra of Mycenae in Greek mythology
14. Eris: Greek. Goddess of strife and discord
15. Eros: Greek. The God of love and sex
16. Freya: Norse. Goddess associated with love, fertility, beauty and fine material possessions
17. Griffin: A mythical creature with the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle (below)

18. Guinevere: The wife and queen of King Arthur
19. Hades: Greek. God of the Greek Underworld
20. Hercules
21. Iris: Greek. The messenger of love
22. Juno: Roman. Goddess and ‘protector and counsellor of the state’
23. Loki: Norse. The ‘trickster’ God
24. Merlin: In Arthurian legend,the wizard of King Arthur
25. Minerva: Roman: Goddess of wisdom, medicine, commerce, handicrafts, poetry, the arts and war
26. Morpheus: Greek. The God of sleep and dreams
27. Neptune: Roman. God of the sea
28. Odysseus: Greek. King of Ithaca and hero of Homer’s poem ‘The Odyssey’
29. Orpheus: Greek. A mythical musician, poet and prophet
30. Orion
31. Osiris: Egyptian. God of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation
32. Pandora: Greek. The name of the first woman in Greek mythology
33. Persephone: Greek. Became queen of the underworld
34. Phoebe: Greek. Not just a character from Friends, but a Goddess with the gift of prophecy
35. Phoenix
36. Pluto: Greek. God of the underworld, replacing the name Hades
37. Ra: Egyptian. God of the sun
38. Rhea: Greek. Goddess and mother of Zeus. Associated with female fertility, motherhood, comfort and ease
39. Sphinx: Egyptian and Greek. Mythical creature typically depicted as having the body of a lion and head of a human
40. Thor
41. Venus: Roman. Goddess love, beauty, prosperity, fertility, and victory
42. Zephyrus: Greek. God of the west wind
43. Zeus

Names For Bengal Cats From Popular Fiction And Entertainment

This list is probably endless, but below is a selection I found and brought together plus a few I thought of (or rather borrowed) myself, that I thought would make good cat names.

1. Aladdin
2. Aragorn: A ‘Ranger of the North’ and one of the main protagonists in The Lord of The Rings
3. Ariel: A mermaid and the main character in the film The Little Mermaid
4. Arya: The youngest daughter of the Stark family in A Song of Ice and Fire/A Game of Thrones
5. Aslan
6. Bagheera
7. Cersei: A character and queen from A Song of Ice and Fire/A Game of Thrones
8. Cheetara: A female Thundercat, known for speed (which you’d expect from a cheetah)
9. Drogon: One of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons in A Song of Ice and Fire books and TV series A Game of Thrones
10. Garfield
11. Gizmo: The name given to the creature known as a ‘Mogwai’ in the Gremlin films. The furry cute one
12. Hamlet: The name of the Prince of Denmark taken from the William Shakespeare play of the same name
13. Homer: Not just the dad in The Simpsons but also an ancient Greek author/poet
14. Jasmine: A Princess from the animated film Aladdin
15. Juliet
16. Khaleesi: The title given to the wife of a Dothraki warlord inA Song of Ice and Fire/A Game of Thrones
17. Lannister: House Lannister is one of the richest and most powerful families in A Song of Ice and Fire/ A Game of Thrones
18. Legolas: The name of a wood elf played by Orlando Bloom from the book and film series The Lord of The Rings
19. Leia: A princess and agent of the Rebel Alliance in the Star Wars series

20. Lion-O: Leader and ‘Lord of the Thundercats’ in the animated series of the same name
21. Maverick: The call sign of the main protagonist in the film Top Gun, played by Tom Cruise
22. Maximus: A Roman general come gladiator played by Russell Crowe in the film Gladiator
23. Milo: The name of the cat in the film Milo and Otis, and a character from the children’s show Tweenies
24. Morpheus: A character from The Matrix film franchise portrayed by Laurence Fishburn
25. Mowgli: A boy’s name made up by Rudyard Kipling for the main protagonist in the Jungle Book
26. Mufasa: One of the main characters in the film The Lion King. Still a lion…
27. Nala:  A lioness in the film The Lion King
28. Nemo: A submarine captain in the book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas: A World Tour Underwater and a clownfish from the animated film Finding Nemo
29. Newt: The name of a young girl survivor from the film Aliens
30. Olaf: An animated snowman from the Disney film Frozen
31. Ophelia: A Danish noblewoman from Shakespeare’s Hamlet
32. Othello: A Moorish general in the Venetian army from Shakespeare’s Othello
33. Panthro: Purple skinned warrior-mechanic from the series Thundercats
34. Portia: The heroine in the Shakespeare play The Merchant of Venice
35. Quasimodo: The name of the hunchback from the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
36. Rajah: The name of a tiger in the film Aladdin
37. Ripley: The main protagonist form the Alien film series played by Sigourney Weaver
38. Rocky
39. Romeo
40. Sansa: The eldest daughter of house Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire/A Game of Thrones
41. Scar: An evil lion in the film The Lion King
42. Simba: The main protagonist and another lion from the film The Lion King
43. Shere Kahn: A tiger and the main antagonist from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book
44. Steve French: The name of the mountain lion from the Canadian comedy Trailer Park Boys
45. Tarzan
46. Tigger: A boisterous tiger that features in the Winnie-the-Pooh books
47. Tygra: Another Thundercat- this time an anthropomorphic tiger
48. WilyKit and WilyKat: Female and male ‘Thunderkittens’- great if you have two Bengals
49. Zelda: A princess from the video game series The Legend of Zelda

Historically Themed Names For Bengal Cats

Another great source of kitten names that could easily extend beyond the dozen or so that are listed.

Those that do feature you may find quite apt, particularly for a male Bengal.

1. Caesar
2. Churchill
3. Cicero: A Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar and philosopher who lived around the time of Julius Caesar
4. Cleo/Cleopatra:
5. Dante: An Italian writer, poet and philosopher
6. Napolean

7. Nero: The fifth Emperor of Rome
8. Rasputin: Grigori Rasputin, the ‘mad monk’ was advisor to Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tzar of Russia. Very hard to kill…
9. Shakespeare
10. Sheba: A kingdom ruled by a famous queen in biblical times
11. Virgil: A famous Roman poet

Hindi and Indian Names For Bengal Cats

The Asian leopard cat, from which the Bengal breed was derived, was first identified in the Bengal region of India/Bangladesh in the 18^th century (although many more have been discovered since across Asia).

With this in mind, the below list consists of names with Indian origin. 

1. Aadhaven: A boy’s name derived from Hindi which means ‘brilliant like the sun’
2. Aadhira: Is apparently a popular boy’s name among Indian Hindu communities and means ‘moon’
3. Aadhirai: A female name derived from Hindi which means ‘a special star’
4. Aagney: This male name means ‘Karna the great warrior, one who is born from fire’
5. Aahaana: There a few meanings in Hindi for this female name, two of which are ‘inner light’ and first rise of the sun’
6. Bagheera
7. Cherika: Female Hindi name for ‘moon’
8. Esha: A girl’s name meaning ‘life, alive, way of life’
9. Hemang: A Hindi male name meaning ‘one with shining body’
10. Himesh: A male name that means ‘king of the snow’
11. Iyla: Usually given to females, this name is of Indian origin for ‘moonlight’
12. Kamala: Derived from Sanskrit and means ‘lotus’ or ‘pale red’
13. Kashika: For a girl as ‘The one who shines’
14. Menaha: A female name meaning ‘celestial damsel/young woman’
15. Nisha: In Sanskrit, this female name means ‘night’
16. Rishima: Another cosmic orientated name for girls, this time meaning ‘light of the moon’
17. Yamini: Although Arabic in origin, in Hindi this is a female name which means ‘night’ or ‘nocturnal’
18. Zaara: Depending on the source, this girl’s name means either ‘a flower that shines with brilliance and light’ or ‘brave’

Names Based On Gender

These have been spilt into names typically associated with a specific gender or those that can be used for any kitten.

Some- like Neptune, would be typically associated with a male Bengal kitten as it’s derived from a male Roman God, but would also work well for a female.

I have not been consistent with this, and placed names where I see fit.

Or course any name can potentially work if you so choose it (and your cat’s not really going to care), so use these lists ‘loosely.’

Male Names For Bengal Cats

Female Names For Bengal Cats

Gender Neutral Names For Bengal Cats

Summary

Within the domesticated cat world, the Bengal cat stands out.

Which is why you may be seeking the perfect cat name to match.

This list of 384 (or so), covering a myriad of themes should offer some inspiration, and I’ll more than likely add to it in future, although I’m sure you can appreciate, writing a list of cat names gets a bit tedious.

Or perhaps like me, you’ll just want to think of a suitable Bengal kitten/cat name yourself, for your own reasons.

So, what will you name your Bengal?

Resources

Further Reading:

Featured image by by Nika Benedictova