100+ Best Irish Cat Names

When it comes to naming conventions for our pets, choosing something that hearkens back to a 5,000-year-old heritage is arguably one of the most charming things that you can do.

Maybe you’re Irish yourself, or maybe someone you know, love, or admire is. Maybe you just find Irish tradition and culture interesting and would like to pay tribute to it by naming your soon-to-be best friend after one of its many aspects.

Whatever your reason may be, we’ve got the ultimate list of Irish cat names just for you.

Irish Names for Male Cats

These are traditional cat names that Irish people use to name their male cats in the Emerald Isle. What better way to pay tribute to a beloved culture than to name your male cat what they would name it?

• Aidan – Old Celtic word that means ‘little fire’. For cats with lightning in their feet and fire in their heart!
• Barram – ‘handsome’
• Buckley – ‘boy’
• Ceallach – ‘strife’
• Carney – ‘victorious’
• Dempsey – ‘proud’
• Donovan – ‘dark warrior’
• Eames – ‘protector’
• Finley – A name with ancient Irish roots which means ‘sunbeam,’ or sometimes ‘fair hero’.
• Finn – Old Norse name that means fair’ or ‘white’.
• Gallagher – Thought to be adapted from the Old Irish word Ó Gallchobhair, this means ‘foreign helper’.
• Godfrey – ‘God’s peace’
• Giolladhe – ‘golden’
• Hurley – ‘sea tide’
• Lorcan – Translated into English, this name of ancient Gaelic origin means ‘little fierce one.’ Perfect for your cute and domesticated killing machine.
• Murphy – A common Irish surname that means ‘sea warrior’. Delightfully ironic, as cats typically don’t like water much.
• Phelan – ‘joyful’
• Quigley – ‘shaggy’
• Raghnall – ‘strong’
• Rys – ‘enthusiasm’
• Shay – Adopted from the Irish word Séaghdha, this means ‘dauntless one’.

Irish Names for Female Cats

If you’re on the market for some Irish names with a rich background for your female feline, we’ve got the best ones right here.

• Aoife – Pronounced as ‘ee-fa’ in English, this word came from the Gaelic ‘aoibh’, meaning ‘radiance’ or ‘beauty’.
• Alaine – ‘beautiful’ — a beautiful name for a beautiful cat!
• Breana – Of Celtic origin, this name means ‘exalted’, ‘noble’, or ‘high’.
• Brigid – Can have a lot of lovely meanings, such as ‘strength’, ‘power’, and ‘virtue’.
• Cady – Thought to come from the Irish surname Cade, this name means ‘simple happiness’.
• Ciara – ‘dark-haired,’ for your raven-colored feline friend.
• Darcelle – ‘dark’
• Ena – ‘fire’
• Islene – ‘vision’
• Kelsey – ‘brave’
• Lia – ‘bearer of good news’
• Noreena – ‘honor’
• Muriel – ‘sea’ or ‘bright’
• Padraigin – Pronounced as ‘pah-druh-geen’ in English, it’s derived from an Old Irish word meaning ‘noble’.
• Quinn – Derived from O’Quinn, a common Irish surname. This name means ‘intelligence’, or ‘reason’.
• Riley –‘courageous’
• Roisin – Pronounced as ‘row-uh-sin’ in English, it’s a distinctly feminine, Irish name that means ‘little rose.’
• Shannon – Derived from the River Shannon, it means ‘possessor of wisdom’. To be fair, cats do seem to have that smarter-than-you aura.
• Siobhan – Pronounced as ‘shi-vawn’ in English, it means ‘God is gracious’.
• Sybil – holder of prophecies’.
• Vevila – In Celtic, it means ‘harmonic’, or ‘melodious’. If you’ve ever heard a cat’s purr, you know what this name’s about.

Gender-Neutral Irish Cat Names

Maybe you’re not sure of your little furball’s sex and want something better—and more Irish—than “kitty” or “hey you”, here are a couple of lovely unisex Irish cat names.

• Bailey – A lovely name to honor Bailey’s Irish Cream, which is a famous liqueur made in the Emerald Isle.
• Carney – Thought to come from a Celtic word that means ‘soldier.’ It’s certainly an endearing term for cats who have faced hardships but have soldiered on, so to speak.
• Celt – An ancient, medieval term for people who lived in Ireland.
• Cillian – Meaning ‘bright-headed’, this name can be appropriate for any curious cat!
• Clover – An iconic symbol of Ireland and an aptly cute name for a feline.
• Erin – Derived from Gaelic, this name literally means ‘from Ireland’.
• Orlagh – Pronounced as ‘or-la’ in English, it’s a perfect name for gold-eyed cats since it means ‘gold.’
• Fionn – A Gaelic word that means ’fair-haired stranger’ or ‘white stranger’. It’s certainly a beautiful name for newly-adopted rescues.
• Gael – A cute name, which also denotes a native Irelander and Irish speaker.
• Guinness – Wildly popular around the world, this beverage originated in Dublin, Ireland.
• Rain – Technically not an Irish name, but it really is rainy in Ireland, so it’s still an appropriate gender-neutral name for an Irish cat.
• Rory – Simply meaning ‘red’, in case you have a cat who wants to be a fox, or with a reddish cast to its fur.
• Shamrock – A national symbol of the country, a shamrock refers to a young clover spring thought to be the leaf that St. Patrick picked up to explain the trinity.
• Smithwick – Yet another beverage from Ireland, it’s a reddish beer with a distinctly ale-like flavor.

Irish Cat Names Based on Famous People

Do you want the double benefit of having an Irish name for your cat, and being inspired by one of the many famous people from Ireland? We’ve got just the list for you.

• Brosnan – Maybe your lovely cat likes a little action around the house? Name him after Pierce Brosnan, an Irish actor born in Drogheda, Ireland who famously played James Bond.
• Darby – Based on the well-loved Disney movie of Irish inspiration, Darby O’Gill and the Little People.
• Enya – A well-loved Irish singer from County Donegal, Ireland.
• Hozier – Feel like worshipping your feline? Andre Hozier-Byrne, a famous contemporary singer, will help take you to church.
• Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia, anyone? Clive Staples Lewis, better known as C.S. Lewis, was a novelist born in Belfast, Ireland. You’ve probably heard of him, with his fantastical works famous across the globe.
• Saoirse – Pronounced as ‘ser-sha’ in English. Going to more modern famous people, Saoirse Ronan is a well-loved Irish actress.
• Niall – Ireland seems to love churning out famous singers. Do you feel like One Direction songs seem to describe your cat? Name it after one of its Irish members, Niall Horan.
• Oscar – Thoroughly Irish, Oscar Wilde is an internationally recognized poet, novelist, playwright, and essayist.

Irish Cat Names Based on Irish Mythology and Literature

Maybe you’d like a little more culture behind the name of your furball? We can think of no better way than to name her after mythical Irish figures of old.

• Aoibh – Pronounced as either ‘eev’ or ‘ayv’ in English. One of the two most beautiful daughters of King Bodb Dearg and the loving wife of Lir, Aoibh is an appropriate name for an affectionate cat.
• Aengus – Pronounced as ‘ang-gus’ in English. Does your cat exude energy and love? Then name it after the god of youth, love, and strength.
• Aedh – One of Lir and Aoibh’s young sons.
• Ailill – Coming from Ailill Mac Mata, the King of Connacht in a hilarious and somewhat nonsensical Irish folk tale about a Queen, a warrior, and a bull called the Raid of Cooley.
• Boan – The protector goddess Boyne, guardian of a river in Ireland.
• Conn – Another one of Lir and Aoibh’s young sons.
• Dagda – A druid which features in several Irish myths, also the god of wisdom and agriculture.
• Chulainn – Pronounced as ‘huh-linn’ in English. The legendary hero and warrior, Cú Chulainn, who held off Maeve’s army as they fought over — you got it — a bull from his herd.
• Deirdre – Pronounced as ‘deer-dra’ in English. A mythological heroine in Irish stories.
• Dearg – Pronounced as ‘jer-rak’ in English. Feeling like giving your cat a quirky name but with a serious backstory to it? Name him or her after Bodb Dearg, the King of the mythical Tuatha Dé Danann.
• Fionnuala – A lovely, distinctly Irish name, this comes from Lir and Aoibh’s beautiful daughter in the story of the Children of Lir.
• Fiachra – Pronounced as ‘fee-uh-kra’ in English. Another one of Lir and Aoibh’s young sons.
• Lir – Lir is a minister of King Bodb Dearg as the story goes.
• Lugh – A warrior god in Irish stories, also the father of Cú Chulainn.
• Macha – One of the ancient Irish Gods, who signified sovereignty and war.
• Maeve – Ailill’s wife and Queen, who sparked the story by looking for, and fighting over, a bull. Yes, you read that right.
• McCool – After the quirky name Finn McCool, a figure in Irish folklore who accidentally gained every bit of knowledge in the world by eating a magical salmon.
• Morrígan – The goddess of doom and fate
• Midir – A mythological hero in Irish stories
• Niamh – Pronounced as ‘neev’ in English. A princess of the Land of the Young, who became Oisin’s lover.
• Oisin – Pronounced as either ‘oh-sheen’ or ‘uh-sheen’ in English. Named after the leader and hero of a people called the Fianna in a story about the Irish Land of the Young, or Tír na nÓg.
• Padraig – Regardless of your faith, you can’t deny that St. Padraig, or St. Patrick as he is also known, has contributed a lot to early Irish literature and culture.
• Pangur – A monk’s cat in an iconic Irish poem with the same name.
• Tyrell – The name of a Norse battle god that also appears in Irish myths.

Irish Cat Names Based on Places in Ireland

Have you visited Ireland before, or do you want to visit it someday? Names after the most iconic places in Ireland will keep the Emerald Isle fresh in your mind.

• Aran – The Aran Islands maintains a lovely traditional lifestyle and has attracted droves of tourists for centuries.
• Belfast – The capital of Northern Ireland.
• Blarney – A town in Ireland that is home to the famed Blarney Castle and legendary Blarney Stone.
• Bóinne – From the Brú na Bóinne mounds, an important archeological and historical site exhibiting 5,000-year-old artifacts of the ancient Irish people.
• Cashel – An ancient Irish fortress built on top of a hill called the Rock of Cashel.
• Dingle – A quirky name after a place in Ireland where the verdant fields drop off into the deep, cerulean blue of the ocean.
• Dublin – The capital of the Republic of Ireland, it sports modern Irish culture mixed with the more traditional suburbs.
• Galway – Best known as a center of shops, clubs, art galleries. Made more popular Stateside by Ed Sheeran’s iconic pop music ‘Galway Girl’, this name sparks interest and would be an alluring name to any feline.
• Kerry – The Ring of Kerry is one of the most loved tourist routes in the country. A route that takes visitors through a picturesque coastline of the Iveragh Peninsula.
• Kilkenny – Home to the Kilkenny castle, this place is one of the tourist destinations that attract tourists in Southeast Ireland.
• Killarney – Quite a unique and charming name for a cat, this is also the name of Ireland’s prime natural park, which sports scenic views, unique wildlife, and the country’s three biggest lakes.
• Liffey – Named after the river flowing through the middle of Dublin, River Liffey.
• Limerick – An ancient Irish city where you can find the grand Limerick Castle.
• Moher – The iconic Ireland tourist destination, Cliffs of Moher, is a geological wonder composed of great, hulking cliffs that drop off into the ocean below.

Choosing an Irish Name for Your Cat

More than just a tool you use to call or train your cat, names hold weight and meaning. You probably know by now how significant a name can be, not just to a person, but even to a pet as well.

While you can always name them some silly cute thing, naming them something sentimental, such as something that reminds you of Ireland and its people and culture, is sure to bring your beloved pet closer to your heart.