Maine Coon Cat Names, Cat Names of Maine Coon Breed

A brown tabby Maine Coon named Cosey took Best Cat at the 1895 Madison Square Garden cat show — the first major American cat-show win by a breed native to the United States. More than a century later, the Maine Coon is still America's signature cat: descended from the short-haired ship cats that came ashore with New England's early settlers, recognized by CFA for Championship in 1976, and made the official state cat of Maine in 1985.

Maine Coons take up to three years to reach full size, so a name should suit not just the kitten but the 18-pound adult who will eventually shoulder it. Owners often draw from Maine geography (Bangor, Acadia, Penobscot, Katahdin) or from the breed's seafaring origin (Captain, Yarmouth, Cosey). Norse and Northern names — Freyja, Odin, Sif — carry the same cold-climate weight that gave the Maine Coon its dense double coat.

The breed's quirks reward owners who lean into them when naming. CFA notes that many Maine Coons "watch a dripping faucet in fascination," so water-themed names land well. They chirp and trill more than they meow, which makes soft consonant clusters and open vowels easier for them to respond to. And TICA recognizes Maine Coon Polydactyls as a recognized variant — for a six-toed kitten, Hemingway is a natural choice, in honor of the polydactyl colony at his Key West home.

If you are weighing related breeds, browse our Norwegian Forest cat names and Siberian cat names — both share the Maine Coon's heavy double-coat lineage but draw from very different cultural naming traditions.