Top 10 Popular Cat Names in Japan (2022 Ranking) & Cutest Japanese Cat Names to Name Your Furry Feline

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Cats are a favourite when it comes to pet options in Japan. Compact, low maintenance, and quiet, they make for great life companions. So, what names do Japanese cat owners like to give to their kitty friends? In this article, we present the top popular cat names in Japan for this year of 2022. As a bonus, some cat names for you to consider for your pet. 

Table of Contents

1. Popular Cat Names and Their Meanings
2. Top 10 Cat Names in Japan (2022 Ranking) 
   1. Rankings Explained
   2. No.1 Overall Ranking - Mugi
   3. No.1 Male Kitten Ranking - Leo
   4. No.1 Female Kitten Ranking - Coco
3. Cutest Japanese Cat Names for Your Furry Fuzzy Feline Friend
   1. By Appearance
   2. By Seasons
   3. Food Names
4. Unique Japanese Cat Names from Our WeXpats Team
5. Takeaway

Popular Cat Names and Their Meanings

Early this year, Japan’s insurance company with the largest market share in pet insurance, Anicom Insurance Co. Ltd, released this year’s rankings of Japan’s most popular cat names and breeds. We’ve covered their results for popular cat breeds in Japan for the year 2022 in a separate article.
Read about it here: Popular Cat Breeds in Japan 2022 Ranking. 

Whilst we’re on the topic, only 2 weeks ago (13 May 2022), ipet Insurance Co., Ltd. also released rankings for most popular cat (and dog) names based on their new insurees. 

Before looking at the results of the rankings, here all all the names (and their meanings) that made it to the top 10 of Anicom and iPet’s rankings.

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Top 10 Cat Names in Japan (2022 Ranking)

So, how did the above 25 names rank? 

※ Anicom Holdings, Inc., “猫の名前＆人気猫種ランキング2022を大発表！”
※ ipet Insurance Co., Ltd., “ペットの名前ランキング2022”

Rankings Explained 

If you noticed, a lot of the names in Anicom and iPet’s rankings are the same, except for:

Anicom Only
- Rin, Luna, Kohaku, Kotetsu, Fuku, Leon, Ten, Mei

iPet Only
- Latte, Maru, Komugi, Choco, Roy, Moko, Sakura

Not to mention, out of the 25 names, 10 are actually non-Japanese. Just like we love naming our cats Japanese names because they’re cute or cool, the Japanese also find other language names exotic and interesting. 

No.1 Overall Ranking - Mugi

The most popular cat name hands down in Japan is Mugi 麦 - meaning wheat or barley. Mugi also ranked 3rd for male kitten names, and for female kitten names ranked 5th (Anicom) and 3rd (ipet). 

No. 1 Male Kitten Ranking - Leo

The most popular male kitten name is Leo レオ. This name carries with it the image of a lion - a small but ferocious lion. By the way, one of our WeXpats team member's cats is named Lio (Leo with the e changed to i to make it more special).

No. 1 Female Kitten Ranking - Coco

The most popular female kitten name is Coco ココ - from cocoa. This name is especially suitable for brown coloured cats. A kitten the colour of hot cocoa with a temperament as sweet as chocolate, Coco makes for a lovely name. 

Cutest Japanese Cat Names for Your Furry Fuzzy Feline Friend

Looking for a cute Japanese name for your kitten or cat? Look no further! We’ve gathered some of the loveliest names we could think of and separated them by categories for easy searching. Also, hear what our members have to say!

By Appearance

One of the easiest ways to name a pet is picking a name based on how they look.

Brown, Tabby Coats

(From above rankings) Mugi, Komugi, Kinako, Latte, Maron, Coco, Mocha

If it’s a brown coloured cat, definitely Kinako!

• Chai (チャイ)

• Tora, Taiga (虎 Tiger)

• Chachamaru (茶々丸 Brown Ball)

• Kotarou (虎太郎 - starts with Kanji for tiger, the name symbolises strength)

• Shima (しま Stripes)

Black Coats

(From rankings) Luna 

• Kuro (黒 Black)

• Jiji (ジジ from Studio Ghibli’s "Kiki’s Delivery Service" movie)

• Goma (ゴマ Sesame)

• Nero (ネロ - Italian for black)

• Ohagi (おはぎ - a type of Japanese traditional sweet)

• Anko (あんこ Red bean paste)

White Coats

(From rankings) Luna, Bell, Maru, Latte 

• Shiro (白 White)

• Tama (玉 Ball)

• Blanc (ブラン - French for white)

• Cloud (クラウド)

• Hyo (雹 Hail)

• Shirayuki (白雪 Snow White)

• Daifuku (大福 - a type of Japanese traditional sweet, white in appearance)

Eye Colour

(From rankings) Kohaku - amber 

• Aoi (青 Blue)

• Aqua (アクア)

• Lapis, Ruri (ラピス - Lapis Lazuli)

• Midori (緑 Green)

• Melon (メロン)

• Mori (森 Forest)

• Ocha (お茶 Tea)

• Kogane (黄金 Gold)

• Hikari (光 Light)

By Season

What about a name based on your kitty’s date of birth? Or perhaps when you welcomed him/her into your family? 

Spring

(From ranking) Hana, Sakura, Ten, Sora

Haru, Koharu (春 Spring)

Hanami (花見 Flower Viewing)

Summer

(From ranking) Ten, Sora

Natsu, Konatsu (夏 Summer)

Melon (メロン)

Hanabi (花火 Fireworks)

Ame (雨 Rain)

Himawari (向日葵 Sunflower)

Autumn

Aki (秋 Autumn)

Momiji (紅葉 Autumn foliage)

Take (竹 Bamboo)

Winter 

Fuyu (冬 Winter)

Yuki (雪 Snow) 

Fubuki (吹雪 Blizzard)

Daruma (だるま - from Yuki-daruma “snowman”)

Food Names

Quite a few of our WeXpats team members were super keen on naming cats by food names. We think this is a great idea! In fact, as you can see from the rankings, quite a few of the most popular cat names in Japan are based on food and drinks. 

I would name my cat after my favourite food. 

Akashari is what I’d name my cat, after premium red grain sushi rice. 

(From Ranking) Mugi, Coco, Choco, Kinako, Komugi, Mocha, Latte, Maron, Momo

• Anko (あんこ Red Bean)

• Ame (飴 Sweets)

• Azuki (小豆 Red Bean)

• Chikuwa (ちくわ Fish Cake)

• Dango (団子)

• Kokuto (黒糖 Brown Sugar)

• Mame (豆 Beans)

• Melon (メロン)

• Monaka (モナカ - Red bean wafer sandwich)

• Moyashi (もやし Bean Sprouts)

• Nabe (鍋 Hot Pot)

• Ponzu (ポン酢 Citrus Sauce)

• Ume (梅 Plum)

• Yuzu (柚子 - a citrus fruit)

Unique Japanese Cat Names from Our WeXpats Team

We asked our members what they’d choose to name their cats? We got some very interesting responses and ideas for names. 

1. A great idea is to switch up the Kanji. The name Rin usually means bell (鈴) or 凛 (dignified). One of our members opted for: 

Orin (お隣), with the Kanji for beside, because cats always appear from the side (laugh). 

2. A name based on the cat's personality or actions is also really sweet and personalized. 

My cat’s name is Mimi (ミミ) because she meows “mi- mi-” non-stop.

3. Just because it's cool? Why not! Anime character names are definitely a go. 

My cats are named Shima and Sasuke, because Japanese names are cool!

4. These are quite funny, matter-of-fact names. 

I would name my cat Yotsuashi (四つ足) because cats have four legs. 

 Neko (猫 cat) because it's a cat. 

Takeaway

We hope this article gave you some great name ideas for your cat. 

Want more articles about cats? We recommend finding something to read here on our cat articles pillar page:

Cats in Japan, Find All You Need to Know About Japan’s Cats in One Page