Stray cats paint a picture of resilience, independence, and mystery. Whether you’ve opened your home to one of these solitary adventurers or you’re simply a keen observer of their street-savvy exploits, our carefully curated list of names seeks to echo the depth, beauty and enigma that each stray cat carries within.
One caveat: choose that stray cat name with care because, if you are like us, that stray cat may have found a home! Our previous cats KitKat and Elaine both arrived as strays (long-haired Elaine showed up every night during Seinfeld reruns!) Those quick little names soon became permanent names when both moved into our home and our hearts.
Stray Cat Names
These names are inspired by the independent nature of stray cats, and they might encapsulate the personality and essence of your new feline friend.
- Alley
- Amber
- Ash
- Bandit
- Blaze
- Breezy
- Cinder
- Dash
- Drifter
- Echo
- Enigma
- Feral
- Flint
- Frisk
- Ghost
- Haze
- Hobo
- Indie
- Jade
- Jazz
- Jet
- Koda
- Luna
- Maverick
- Misty
- Mystery
- Nimbus
- Nomad
- Olive
- Onyx
- Patches
- Pepper
- Phantom
- Ranger
- Rascal
- Raven
- Rogue
- Shadow
- Smudge
- Sneaker
- Soot
- Spirit
- Spritz
- Stray
- Tumble
- Vagrant
- Whisper
- Willow
- Wisp
- Zephyr
Names for a Stray Cat Based on Love of Exploration and Adventure
Has the stray cat you’re seeing probably wandered up on his own? These names embody the spirit of exploration, adventure, and the passion for wandering and discovering new places.
- Adventure
- Alizeh (Persian origin, meaning wind)
- Archer
- Beagle (No, not the dog but a name inspired by the HMS Beagle, the ship Charles Darwin used for his explorations)
- Burton (after Richard Francis Burton, a famous explorer)
- Columbus (after Christopher Columbus, the explorer)
- Compass
- Darwin (after Charles Darwin, the naturalist and explorer)
- DeSoto (after Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer)
- Drake (after Sir Francis Drake, an English sea captain and explorer)
- Endeavor
- Expedition
- Explorer
- Farid (Arabic origin, meaning unique, precious, also can denote one who explores)
- Farwalker
- Fogg (after Phileas Fogg from Around the World in Eighty Days)
- Gallivant
- Gulliver (from Gulliver’s Travels, a tale of fantastical exploration)
- Hanno (after Hanno the Navigator, a Carthaginian explorer)
- Journey
- Lewis (after Meriwether Lewis, an American explorer)
- Livingston (after David Livingstone, a Scottish explorer)
- Magellan (after Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer)
- Marco (after Marco Polo, a Venetian explorer)
- Mariner
- Mosaic (representing the gathering of many pieces, akin to gathering experiences from exploring)
- Nansen (after Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian explorer)
- Navigator
- Odyssey (denoting a long wandering or voyage)
- Polo (after Marco Polo)
- Quest
- Raleigh (after Sir Walter Raleigh, an English explorer)
- Rambler
- Rover
- Sailor
- Scout
- Seeker
- Sojourner
- Trek
- Vanguard (leading position in a movement, such as exploration)
- Vasco (after Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer)
- Voyage
- Wanderlust
- Wayfarer
- Xplorer (a modern twist to the word “explorer”)
- Yonder
Names Based on Being a Loner
Did the stray cat you see come alone? This list represents names for one who wanders alone.
- Abhagi (Sanskrit, meaning unfortunate or luckless)
- Adrift
- Aline (Dutch name meaning alone)
- Anachoreta (Latin, meaning one who has withdrawn from the world)
- Apart
- Ascetic
- Avasa (Hindi meaning independent)
- Banish
- Bedouin (Nomadic Arab tribes, often symbolizing wandering)
- Caine (From Caine character in Kung Fu, representing a wandering monk)
- Drifter
- Eremite (Old term for hermit, a person who lives in seclusion)
- Exile
- Farer (One who goes on a journey or wanders)
- Francis or Frances (free man/woman)
- Frank (free man)
- Garib (Urdu, meaning stranger or foreigner)
- Ghuraba (Arabic, meaning stranger)
- Hermit
- Isolate
- Isra (Turkish meaning freedom)
- Jaara (Finnish, meaning stranger)
- Lone
- Lonely
- Loner
- Marisol (means Mary of the Solitude)
- Maverick
- Misfit
- Nomad
- Outlander
- Outsider
- Peregrine (Latin origin, meaning wanderer)
- Renegade
- Riffraff (Generally refers to individuals not belonging to a group)
- Rogue
- Rōnin (Japanese, a samurai without a lord or master)
- Solo (as in a solitary cat–or a name for Star Wars fans!)
- Solus (Latin for alone)
- Straggler
- Stranger
- Vagabond
- Wanderer
- Wayfarer
- Wei-Jun (Chinese, meaning independent)
- Xeno (Greek, meaning foreign or strange)
- Yōhei (Japanese, meaning wanderer or rambler)
- Zutho (Naga folklore, a spirit who wanders the forest)
More Cat Names You Might Like
4 Letter Cat Names–Over 600 Easy Names!
Warrior Cat Names & How to Make One for Your Cat!
260 Western Cat Names for Your New Pardner
- Protecting Birds with Birdsbesafe Cat Collars - April 24, 2024
- Are Eclipses Dangerous to Cats? - March 4, 2024
- 80 Names for Cats with Spots and Speckles - March 3, 2024