Bonjour, are you looking for the perfect name for your cat in French?
If you’re a cat lover, naming a cat can be just as important and difficult as naming your firstborn child. It should have meaning and match their unique personality, appearance, personality or interests. You may even need to get approval from other family members.
Whether your cat is a sophisticated lady, a mischievous troublemaker, or a silly tease, there’s a French cat name out there made just for your kitty, and I’ve compiled a huge list of over 300 super cute French cat names for you to pick from.
Instead of making an endless list of random French names for cats organized alphabetically, I’ve taken a different approach.
I’ve grouped this list of French cat names into categories based on personality traits and interests, making it easier for you to find the best name for your kitty. Additionally, I’ve included a section of names inspired by famous French people.
For example:
- Do you love a particular city in France? What about naming your cat Paris or Marseille?
- Does your cat love to scratch a lot? What about Griffeur (scratcher)
- Do you adore a certain type of treat or cheese? What about delicious Raclette cheese?
- Have a black cat? What about Pepsi? Yes, Pepsi exists in France too.
- etc. etc. etc.
Want to name your feline friend “cat” or “kitten” in French?
Wouldn’t it be funny to name your cat “CAT”, butnother language?
Picture it, “Hey cat, where are you?”
But instead of using the English name, you use the French word for Cat.
There are several ways to refer to cats in French.
The two main ways are chat and chaton.
- Cat: chat /Shaw/
- Kitten: chaton /Shaw-Tonh/
- Feline: Féline /Fey-lean/
Four alternative nicknames that mean kitty in French
There are several more ways to refer to a cat or kitten in French.
Here are some cute French terms of endearment that all more or less mean cat or kitty in French.
- Minou: /Mee-New/
- Minouche:/Mee-noush/
- Minette : /Mee-Net/
- Chatoune:/Shahw-Toon/
Cat Pun names: French words that begin with “CHAT”…the French word for cat.
If you’re looking for (punny) funny pun cat names, I’ve got you covered.
Here are some French cat pun names that contain or start with “Chat,” the French word for cat.
For instance, wouldn’t it be witty to name your cat Catatonique or Chateaubriand?
- Catatonique: Catatonic
- Chateau: Castle
- Chateaubriand: large center-cut filet mignon, roasted and served alongside potatoes and a sauce
- Chatouille: Tickle
- Monsieur Chatouille: Mr. Tickles
- Chataigne: Chestnut
- Chatou: a french town near Paris.
- Achat: To buy
- Galuchat= shagreen (a natural hide, typically from shark, stingray or dogfish)
Naughty French Body Parts
Childish names for male and female genitalia are popular terms of endearment and are considered cute words.
Try out these two possible cat names, which roll off the tongue and are so fun to say.
- Zézette: kid name for female genitalia. It is also the name of a pastry from Sète.
- Zizi: kid name for penis, like Willy or Wiener.
French human names For Cats
The list of human-cat names you can give your cats is endless.
I’ve included famous historical French people’s names and some stereotypical French names as possible male and female cat names.
Cute cat names for male cats based on famous historical French men.
- Napoleon
- Bonaparte:
- Cézanne: Paul Cézanne (famous French painter)
- Chagall: Marc Chagall (famous French painter)
- Jacques Cousteau
- Louis or Lous IVX
- Louis Pasteur: French inventor who invented pasteurization
- Marcel: Marcel Proust was a famous French author)
- Matisse: Henri Matisse ( famous French painter)
- Molière: (French actor and playwright similar to Shakespeare)
- Monet: Claude Monet, famous French painter
- Rimbaud: Arthur Rimbaud (famous French poet)
- Renoir (famous French painter)
Cat names for female cats that are based on famous historical French women.
- Marie Antoinette
- Madam Curie or just Curie
- Mona Lisa: not French, but she is located in the Louvre.
- Coco
- Chanel
- Coco
Chanel - Dior
- Jeanne d’Arc
Choose a Stereotypical French name for your male cat
Here are some very stereotypical male Frech names that would make cute names for your male cats.
- Beauchamp
- Beauregard
- Bouvier
- Didier
- Dominique
- François
- Gaston
- Guillaume
- Jacques
- Jean-Louis
- Jean-paul
- Marcelle
- Pascal
- Pierre
- Sergio
Here’s a whole list of male French names to choose from. (A-Z) Feminine French boy names that make powerful statements, or you might like this list of 400+ Bilingual French & English Baby Names For Boys & Girls
Human French Female names you can name your cat.
- Amandine
- Anouk
- Amelie
- Charlotte
- Delphine
- Elle
- Fifi
- Frostine
- Lilou
- Margot
- Odette
- Ophelie (popular cat name)
Here is a list of over 300 French names for girls to choose from: and here are 130 Cute masculine girl names: Female versions of French male names
French Language Cartoons make great French cat names
Here are the names of some French cartoons that would make adorable French cat names.
- Pepe le pew:
- Pépé le putois: French name for Pépé Le Pew
- Gaston
- Spirou
- Tin Tin
- Madeleine
- Asterix
- Nicolas \Nik-Olah\
- Lucky Luke \Looky-luke\
- Babar
- Cendrillon: Cinderella
- Chapeauté: A fun name to give your cat if you’re a fan of “cat in the hat.”
Cat names for black or white cats
If you have a black cat or white cat, your cat’s good looks deserve the perfect moniker.
Black cat names in French
- Noir: /Nwahr/ Black
- Noirette: /Nwahr-ette/ diminutive form of the word black.
- Nuit: /Nu-Wee/ Night
- Minuit: / Min-wee/: Midnight
- Ébène: /Ay-Ben/ Ebony
- Charbon: /Shar-Bohn/ Coal
- Café: /Kah-Fay/ Coffee
- Chocos: /Show-Kow/: French name for the Chocolate coco puff cereal sold in France, and parts of Europe.
- Coca: /Coe-Kah/ this is what people in France call a coke (the drink)
- Cacao /Kah-Kow/
- Encre /Ankruh/: Ink
- Crasse /Krass/: Dirty, filthy
- Onyx /Oh-neeks/:
- Reglisse / Ruh-gleese/: Licorice
- Tapenade/ Tap-uh-nad/: A popular French spread made of puréed or finely chopped olives, anchovies, and capers.
- Le chat noir / Luh-Shaw-Nwoire/: The black cat
Cat names in French for White cats
- Artique /Ar-Teek/: Arctic
- Alpe /Alp/: Alps
- Alpine /Al-Peen/
- Perle /Pairle/: Pearl
- Béchamel /Beh-Shaw-Mel/: White French sauce made with flour and butter
- Blanc /Blawn/: White (masculine)
- Blanche /Blawnsh/ White (feminine)
- Babybel: French brand of cheese that sells mini rounds of cheese wrapped in a red wax.
- Blanco: /Blawn-Koe/: French name for liquid whiteout.
- Calisson: /Kah-lee-sonhe/: A diamond-shaped sweet from the provincial area made of almonds covered in white royal icing.
- Chamallow: /Shaw-Mah-low/: A brand of marshmallows in France.
- Chantilly: /Shant-ee-yee/ : Sweet whipped Cream
- Cocaïne /Ko-Kah-Een/: Cocaine
- Coton /Koe-Tonhne/: Cotton
- Farine /Faw-Reen/: Flour
- Flocon /Flow-Konhe/: flake
- Glaçon /Glah-Sohne/: Ice Cube
- Ivoire: /Eve-Wahr/: Ivory
- Kiri: /Kee-Ree/ A soft, spreadable white processed cheese enriched with cream created in Sablé in the ’60s.
- Neige: /Nayge/ Snow
- Noix de coco: /Nwah-Duh-Coco/ :coconut
- Nougat: /Noo-Gah/: Nougat is a white fluffy but firm confection made of sugar or honey and egg whites.
- Nuage: /New-Ahge/:Cloud
- Phantom: /Fawn-Tome/ :Ghost
- Yaourt: /Yah-ourt/: Yoghurt
French Food names for cats who are foodies
Does your cat love delicious treats or have a sweet tooth? Will they eat anything you put in front of them?
Here is a collection of French names for cats based on French food and French cooking terms.
Savoury Food Names For Cats in French
- Aioli
- Boudin: A type of sausage, usually blood sausage.
- Calisson: Almond paste candy from Provence
- Caviar: fish eggs, a delicacy
- Cornichon: Looks like a miniature cucumber.
- Croque monsieur
- Croque madame
- Escargot: Snails
- Kebab: A popular type of fast food in France that looks like a burrito
- Quenelle \KA-Nell\: Football-shaped poached dough, a specialty from Lyon.
- Moutarde: Mustard
- Mayonnaise
- Patate: another name for a potato in French
- Ratatouille: Famous Frech dish from Nice and the mouse’s name in the Pixar movie.
- Sardine:
- Soufflé: means puffed up or puffy as in chocolate or egg soufflé.
- Truffe:
Truffle
Sweet Food Names For cats in French
- Bonbon: Candy
- Canelle: Cinamon
- Caramel:
- Cassonade: Brown Sugar
- Chocolat: /Show-ko-law/ It sounds better pronounced in French.
- Chocolatine: /show-ko-law-tine/ this is the same as
pain au chocolate, used mainly in the southern region of France. - Chocos: A chocolate breakfast cereal sold in France and other European countries
- Gâteau: Cake
- Chantilly: /Shawn-tee-yee/ Whipped cream
- Choquette: /Show-Kette/ A typical French puff pastry made with pâte à choux
- Guimauve: Marshmallow
- Haribo: Brand of candy popular in France.
- Tagada: well-known pink candy
- Chamallow: Marshmallow name by Haribo candy brand.
- Kinder: Not French, but extremely popular in France.
- Nutella
- Miel: /Mee-Yell/ Honey
- Pâte à choux \Pata-shoe\: A pastry dough used in many recipes such as profiteroles, cream puffs, and eclairs.
- Sucette: lollipop/sucker
- Suzette (like French crepe suzette)
Fruit and Nut Names For Cats in French
If you have a nutty cat who acts like a fruitcake, try these names out for size.
- Cacahuète \Caca-wet\: Peanut
- Clementine: A small citrus, like a cross between a tangerine and mandarin orange.
- Noisette: Hazelnut, the same stuff Nutella is made out of.
- Pistache: Pistachio
- Mirabelle: a small sweet yellow plum most commonly grown in the Lorraine region of France.
- Prunelle: Small blue prune. The French expression “Prunelle de mes yeux” is the equivalent to “apple of my eye”
French Cooking Terms As Cat Names
- Croquer: to take a bite
- Popote: Mess hall where soldiers eat. It has come to mean a simple cooked meal with no frills, like in a mess hall.
- Papillote: “in paper” refers to a cooking technique that uses built-up steam inside a folded piece of parchment paper.
- Roux: French cooking term for flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces.
- Gourmant: someone who enjoys eating and often eats too much.
French Names For Cats based on Wine, Cheese & alcohol
French Cheese Names
- Bleu (blue cheese but also the colour blue in French and how to order an extra bloody rare steak in French)
- Brie
- Beaufort
- Camembert
- Cantal
- Chavignol (a popular smelly French
goat cheese ) - Epoisses (really stinky French cheese made with cows’ milk)
- Raclette
- Roquefort
French Wine Names
- Rosé
- Pineau
- Beaujolais
- Champagne
- Chardonnay
French Alcohol names
- Grenache: one of the most widely planted red wine grape
- Remy: As in the brandy Remy Martin
- Pastis:/pah-steece/ an anise-flavoured liqueur invented in France in the 190s often served as an aperitif drink.
- Cointreau: A type of triple sec. It’s a strong, sweet, and orange-flavoured liqueur.
French cat names based on personality
French Names For Mean Cats, Grumpy Cats too
If you have a cat with a sour personality, try these cat names on your size.
- Bêtise / bet-ease/ bête can mean both “beast” and “stupid.” Bêtise has a wide range of meanings, crazy, stupid, nonsense, and mischief.
- Bouffon /Boo-phohn/: Joker, jester, bafoon.
- Clochard /Cloe-shar/: Hobo
- Griffeur/ Gree-fur/: Scratcher
- Lagaffe/Lah-fag/: The mistake
- Méchant / May-shahn/: Mean or bad
- Mordeur/More-der/: Biter
- Malain /Mah-layhn/ : Sly, cunning
- Mégot / May-go/ Cigarette butt
- Pépé /Peh-Peh/: cute name to call you granddad
- Salé / Sal-ay/: Salty
- Tati / Tahtee/ : Aunty
- Vilaine /Vee-len/: Naughty
- Papi/ Papee: Gramps
- Ton Ton / Tohn-tohn: An ndearing way to say uncle in French
Cute & Cuddly French Cat Names
- Bobo: a boo-boo or owie
- Bisou: bisou is a
kiss - Câlin:/Kaw-lanh/ Cuddle
- Doudou: /Doo-Doo/ Teddy Bear
- Doudoune: /Doo-Dune/ big puffy jacket
- Mignon /Min-Yowhn/: Cute
- Papouille: /Pahp-wee/ a very tender or light tickle
- Peluche: /Puh-Loosh/ Stuffed animal
- Poilu: /Pwah-Lu/ Hairy
Fat Cat? Try these cute French terms of endearment.
The French language has hundreds of cute French terms of endearment. Here are a few that would make cute cat names in French.
- Bouboule: French slang for fatty
- Boulotte: Big and short.
- Boulette: Meatball
- Ourson: Diminutive of bear
- Pérpère: Gramps, grandpakids. Has another connotation: tubby, chubby.
- Rondelet: Rotund, chubby
Classy French Cat Names
- Monsieur:
- Madame
- Mademoiselle
- Bijou: Jewel
- Chic
- Duchesse
- Diva
- Lafayette: as in the famous department store in Paris and other major French cities.
- Mystique
- Panache: Flamboyant, with a classy flair. In French, this has a second meaning. It’s the name of a fancy feather that gets bigger towards the tip, usually worn in hats or helmets. The English term comes from this because these feathers were very flamboyant and fancy.
- Prince / Princesse
- Pirouette: A ballet move (a complete turn on the toe or ball of one foot.)
- Pompon: decorative Pom-pom balls
- Paillette: Sparkly and glittery things used to decorate clothing or crafts.
- Rococo: Elegant 18th century France architecture and decoration style
- Satin:
- Velours: Velvet
- Clochette: A small Bell
Flour Power Cat Names
- Orchidée: Orchid
- Coquelicot \Coco-Leekoe\: Poppy flour
- Rose:
- Fleur: Flower
- Fleurette: a little flower
- Soleil: Sun
- Papillon: Butterfly
- Fleur de Lys: The national flower of France
Energetic and Rambunctious Cat names
- Galipette: Somersault
- Polisson: Prank
- Coquette: A flirt or tease
- L’Ouragan: The hurricane
- Filou: Trickster
- Polisson: prank
- Cancan: As in the French cancan dance.
- Miauleur : Meaower, meaows a lot
- Moustique: Mosquito
- Abeille: Bee
- Papoter: someone who talks a lot about anything and everything. Similar to a chatterbox.
- Ou-la: French Exclamation, like saying, “oh wow.” The other way of saying this is Oh la la!
Lazy Cat names
- Flagada: an informal way of saying you’re exhausted
- Pouf: Type of bean bag
- Dodo: A childish way to say sleep
- Dormeur: sleeper
- Mémère: Granny
- Polochon: a mariner style duffle bag
- Pantoufle: House Slipper
French Cat names for pretty cats
Whether you have a male cat or a female cat, here are some French cat names that highlight their good looks.
- Belle: Beautiful
- Jolie: Pretty
- Beau: Handsome
- Beauté: Beauty
- La Femme: The woman
- Poupée: Doll
- Poupette: Diminutive of Poupée
- Magnifique: Magnificent
Other French cat names
Cute French names for cats based on French cities
If parents can name their children after famous cities like Paris, why not name your cat after your favourite French city?
- Nîmes: this is where the English word for denim comes from (de Nîmes) from Nimes.
- Paris: This would be a good unisex name. In France, this is mostly a boy’s name.
- Provence
- Dijon
- Lyon (3rd largest city in France, is pronounced exactly like the French word for Lion (LEE-yohne)
- Marseille
- Toulouse
Cat names based on French terms of endearment
These are names you call your close friends and loved ones.
I have a whole list of 101 French terms of endearment here.
- Amour \Love\: Many French people refer to their loved ones as Mon amour
- Chouchou \Shoo-shoo\: Chou and chouchou are extremely popular nicknames or French terms of endearment in France.
- Chouchoute \Shoo-shoot\: Pampered or preferred one. A teacher’s pet is “chouchoute de prof,” for example.
- Pitchou: Little one. Used primarily in the south of France from the Occitan language, where pichon means “little.”
- Choupette: This was also Karl Lagerfeld’s cat’s name
French onomatopoeia are really fun-sounding cat names
Onomatopoeias make great cat names because they’re fun to say.
- Cocorico: Cock-doodle-doo
- Cui-Cui: tweet tweet
- Glou-Glou: Glug Glug
- Miam-Miam: Yum yum
- Ouistiti \Weesh-teetee\: The equivalent of saying “cheeeese” in English for photos.
- Poêt-poêt: honk honk or beep beep
- Poum-Poum: Sound of beating heart
- Plouf Plouf: Splish Splash
- Pan-Pan: Bang-bang
- Youpi: \You-Pee\Yipee
Choose a day of the week in French as your cat’s name.
I once knew someone whose cat was named Thursday.
If you have a favourite day of the week, why not name your cat after that day in French?
- Lundi: Monday
- Mardi: Tuesday
- Mercredi: Wednesday
- Jeudi: Thursday
- Vendredi: Friday
- Samedi: Saturday
- Dimanche: Sunday
That’s all, folks
Have fun picking the puurfect name for your cat or kitten.