Witchy Cat Names: 35 Ideas from Anise to Willow

Witchy cat names live or die on two things: does the name sound like it belongs to a cat, and does it still work when you yell it from the back porch? Salem and Willow pass both tests. So do Freya and Jiji. A lot of the prettier options on coven lists do not survive a driveway.

Most of these names are short words with a clear meaning behind them, and a handful come from real mythology rather than a movie. Some are old, some are herbs, and one of them, Bastet, is a goddess who is already a cat. The list below is 35 of them, grouped by how they feel and who they suit.

Witchy is a broad label. It covers the plant-and-kitchen side, the goddess-and-myth side, and the black-cat-familiar side, and those three do not always live together. A cat named Thyme and a cat named Anubis are both witchy, but you would not describe them the same way. Keep that split in mind as you read the sections below.

Quick Picks: Witchy Cat Names

Salem — peace, SAY-lum; the name that already sounds witchy without a costume. Two beats, easy to call.

Willow — willow tree, WIL-oh; soft, bendy, and calm. A good fit for a slim or long-haired cat.

Onyx — black gemstone, ON-iks; a dark, glossy name that suits a black or smoke coat.

Sage — wise, herb, one syllable, SAYJ; a kitchen-witch pick that reads as a person’s name too.

Raven — dark bird, RAY-ven; the cleanest way to name a black cat without naming it Black.

Freya — lady, FRAY-ah; Norse and strong, and short enough to shout.

Bastet — cat goddess, BAS-tet; the one name here that is actually about cats.

Jiji — faithful black cat companion, JEE-jee; the familiar from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and a natural on a black cat.

None of these need a costume. That is the test for the theme. If a name only works when it is paired with a black cat, a candle, and a full moon, it is a costume rather than a name. The picks that survive the litter box and the vet are the ones worth keeping.

Witchy Names for Female Cats

Isis — goddess of magic, EYE-sis; Egyptian, with a long first I and a graceful sound. A good name for a clever, watchful cat.

Brigid — exalted one, BRID-jid; Celtic, tied to hearth and craft, warm without being sweet.

Diana — divine, heavenly, dy-AN-ah; the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon. Three beats, so try it out loud first.

Minerva — intellect, mi-NER-vah; the Roman goddess of wisdom. A cat who watches everything gets the joke.

Sabrina — from the river Severn, sah-BREE-nah; a Welsh river name that a certain teenage witch made famous.

Bellatrix — female warrior, BEL-ah-triks; a real star and a Harry Potter name, though the meaning is the draw.

Kiki — double happiness, KEE-kee; playful and quick, and short enough to carry across a room.

Rosemary — dew of the sea, ROHZ-mair-ee; an herb name with a long, gentle sound.

Poppy — red flower, POP-ee; bright and bouncy. No sleep-charm lecture required.

Hazel — hazel tree, HAY-zel; a plain, sturdy nature name that suits a green-eyed cat.

Ophelia — helper, oh-FEE-lee-ah; four syllables, so decide now whether she becomes Lia.

If the pantheon is the whole point, Hecate and Circe are the classical picks. Hecate is the Greek goddess of magic and crossroads, Circe the enchantress of the Odyssey, and both are strong enough to stand on their own as names. So is Binx, if the cat has Hocus Pocus energy and a black coat to match.

If the cat is black, Onyx, Raven, Shadow, and Midnight are the names that match the coat. Do not let a tabby or a calico think she missed the theme, though. Willow, Freya, and Sage suit any color, and the only coat rule worth keeping is the obvious one: Onyx lands harder on a dark cat than on a cream one.

Witchy Names for Male Cats

Anubis — god of the dead, ah-NOO-bis; jackal-headed and dark. A big name for a confident cat.

Loki — trickster god, LOH-kee; the obvious pick for a cat who opens cabinets and steals socks.

Osiris — god of afterlife, oh-SY-ris; a calm, dignified counterweight to Loki.

Merlin — sea fortress, MER-lin; Welsh, and a wizard association that sits lightly on the name.

Basil — king, herb, BAZ-il; a name that works as a title and as a pantry herb.

Poe — peacock, one syllable, POH; dark-academia energy in three letters. The raven connection is optional.

Dante — enduring, DAN-tay; an Italian name with real weight, and just two beats.

Loki and Anubis in the same house is a lot of mythology at the door. Pick one underworld or trickster name and let the other cat have something plain like Merlin or Dante.

Unique Witchy Cat Names

The herbs carry more witchy weight than you would expect, and the night words do the rest.

Thyme — herb, one syllable, TYM; the shortest of the kitchen-garden names.

Fennel — herb, FEN-ul; feathery, tall, and a little unusual.

Parsley — rock celery, PARS-lee; a plain herb name with a funny true meaning.

Cinnamon — brown spice, SIN-ah-mun; warm and a little long, but it suits an orange cat.

Nutmeg — seed spice, NUT-meg; cozy and short, good for a round-faced cat.

Anise — licorice-flavored herb, AN-is; the most old-fashioned of the spice names, and the most witchy.

Rowan — little red one, ROH-un; a Celtic tree name that suits a ginger cat.

Shadow — shadow, SHAD-oh; honest about what it means, and a natural for a cat who follows you room to room.

Midnight — middle of the night, MID-nite; exactly what it says, best for a black cat who is awake when you are not.

Most of the herbs are unisex, which makes them easy to share across a household. Cinnamon and Nutmeg read as warm rather than spooky, so they work on a cat who is more kitchen than coven. Anise, Thyme, and Fennel are the ones that lean hardest into the old-fashioned side of the theme.

How to Choose the Right Witchy Cat Name

Syllable count matters more here than the spelling. Salem, Willow, Raven, and Jiji are two beats and land cleanly. Sage, Thyme, and Poe are one. Anything at three beats or more, Ophelia and Rosemary especially, needs a test run. Stand at one end of the house and call it. If you have to shorten it to make yourself heard, the short version is the real name, so pick that instead.

The other decision is how literal you want the witchiness to be. Salem, Raven, and Onyx announce it; Freya and Diana sound like people until someone asks. Both are fine. What does not work is a name you will apologize for at the front desk. If you would rather browse by personality or origin than by theme, the Name Generator can narrow the field. When October is the actual occasion, Halloween cat names is the closer fit, and mythology cat names goes deeper on the gods.

Match the name to the cat you actually have. A cat who sits on the windowsill and stares at nothing is a Minerva or a Diana. A cat who knocks the salt off the counter at midnight is a Loki or a Kiki. The theme is wide enough to hold both, and the right pick is the one that describes the animal in front of you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good witchy name for a cat?

Salem, Willow, Freya, and Jiji each do a different job. Salem is peace with a darker edge, Willow is gentle and natural, Freya is Norse and strong, and Jiji is the black-cat familiar. Bastet and Onyx are the other easy picks, and all of them are short enough to call across a room.

Is Salem a witch-trial name?

No. Salem means peace, from the Hebrew shalom, and that is the meaning on the tag. The Massachusetts town and the witch trials are a separate association that got attached to the name. If you want the trial-town feeling, the name will still carry it for other people, but you are naming the cat peace.

Is Jiji a witchy cat name?

Jiji is the black cat from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and the name means faithful black cat companion. It is Japanese, two syllables, and it suits a sleek black cat particularly well. Anyone who knows the film will get the reference on the first try.

Do witchy names only work on black cats?

No. A grey or tabby cat can carry Sage, Willow, or Freya as easily as a black one. The dark names such as Onyx, Raven, Shadow, and Midnight suit a black or smoke coat, but coat color is an association, not a rule. Pick the name for the cat’s personality first.

Should I use this page or Halloween cat names?

This page covers witchy names year-round: goddesses, herbs, and familiars. Halloween cat names is the October list, with Pumpkin and Ghost and the rest of the seasonal set. If you want the books-and-candlelight mood instead, dark academia cat names is the closer match.