Japanese Bobtail Cat Names, Names For Japanese Bobtail Kittens
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In 1602 the Japanese imperial court issued an edict requiring all cats — until then a luxury restricted to palace ownership — to be released into the streets. Japan's silk-worm industry was under threat from rodent damage, and the cats were needed for pest control. The Japanese Bobtail had already lived in the country for at least a thousand years by then; the breed appears in Japanese artwork dating back to the Middle Ages and is believed to have arrived from Korea as early as the 6th century. The 1602 edict is what scattered the breed from palace into commoners' homes, where it has remained the most culturally embedded cat in Japan.
The Japanese Bobtail is the cat in the Maneki-neko — the ceramic beckoning-cat figurine that sits in shop windows across Japan as a symbol of good fortune. The favoured tri-color pattern (red, black, and white) is called Mi-Ke and is considered especially lucky. The tail itself comes from a dominant gene completely different from the Manx mutation; CFA notes the genetics cause no known health abnormalities, and each tail is unique — TICA puts it directly: "no two tails are ever the same." Most resemble a 3-inch pom-pom of fanning hair.
The breed reached the United States in 1968. CFA granted Shorthair Championship in 1976, Longhair in 1993. TICA followed with both divisions through 1979 and 1991. GCCF has never recognised the breed.
Naming flows from Japanese cultural specificity. Tama is the traditional Maneki-neko name and works for any Bobtail. Mi-Ke fits a tri-color kitten directly. Kichi ("luck"), Fuku ("blessing"), Sakura ("cherry blossom"), Yuki ("snow"), Haru ("spring") all carry honest cultural weight. Edo, Kyoto, Nara, Honshu work for geography. The breed's Japanese heritage routes naturally to our Japanese-origin cat name pages, where the full Edo-era and modern Japanese naming traditions live.
Most Popular Japanese Bobtail Cat Names
A curated 30-pick shortlist of the most established and recognizable picks for JapaneseBobtail cats. Browse the full alphabetical list below for all 132 options.
| Name | Meaning | Gender | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail | "my father is joyful" | Female | |
| Ai | love | Female | |
| Aiko | Love, beloved one, little love | Female | Japanese |
| Aki | Brilliant Autumn | Male | Japanese |
| Akina | spring flower | Female | |
| Akira | anchor, Intelligent | Female | Japanese |
| Ami | friend | Unisex | |
| Aneko | older sister | Female | Japanese |
| Ayame | Japanese for iris | Unisex | |
| Bambi | child | Female | Italian |
| Boots | Footwear covering the foot and ankle | Male | |
| Botan | peony | Male | Japanese |
| Bunny | little rabbit | Female | Nickname |
| Caramel | A smooth chewy candy | Unisex | |
| Charlotte | petite and femininewoman, feminine of Charles | Female | |
| Chika | Japanese - Near, African - Power of God | Female | |
| Chikako | Wise Child | Unisex | Japanese |
| Cho | butterfly | Unisex | |
| Coco | A pet name. | Female | Spanish |
| Cookie | A small flat, crisp cake | Female | |
| Eiko | Unisex | ||
| Emi | Beautiful, Blessed | Unisex | Japanese |
| Fuji | Sacred Japanese mountain | Male | |
| Fuku | Unisex | ||
| Geisha | Japanese traditional entertainer | Unisex | |
| Genji | Two beginnings | Unisex | |
| Gin | and Tonic | Female | "silver" |
| Haiku | Short Japanese poem | Unisex | |
| Honcho | Unisex | ||
| Kabuki | Type Of Drama | Male | Japanese |
| Kami | Loving | Unisex | Hindu |
| Kane | tribute, warrior; the doubly-accomplished, golden; man, the eastern sky; beau... | Male | Celtic |
| Kato | second of twins | Male | African |
| Kaya | my elder sister | Female | Native |
| Kazuo | Harmonious Man | Unisex | Japanese |
| Keiko | Japanese for happy or beloved | Female | Japanese |
| Keitaro | Blessed | Unisex | |
| Ken | Male Barbie Doll. | Male | English |
| Kenji | after Michael Kenji Shinoda, from the band Linkin Park | Male | Japanese |
| Kiku | Japanese for 'chrysanthemum' | Unisex | |
| Kimi | righteous | Female | Japanese |
| Kimiko | Child without equal. | Female | |
| Kino | Unisex | ||
| Kioko | Meets World With Happiness | Unisex | Japanese |
| Kita | north | Unisex | |
| Kobe | tortoise | Male | Swahili |
| Kohana | little flower | Unisex | |
| Koji | Little one | Unisex | |
| Koko | stork | Female | Japanese |
| Kujo | From Stephen King's novel Cujo | Unisex | English |
132 names found. Page 1 of 3.
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