Not every orange cat is a goofy couch potato. Some are fearless hunters, fence-line patrollers and tiny tyrants who rule the house with a single glare. For those cats, a cute name like Peaches just does not cut it.
These badass orange cat names come from fire and volcanoes, gods and warriors, big cats and famous villains. We have split them into male, female and gender-neutral lists, and every name is tagged in our sorter so you can combine badass with any other filter.
Badass names with a red connection
Fierce names with a link to red hair, red beards or red machines.
- Erik the RedBoy: The Viking explorer who founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland, nicknamed for his red hair.
- Red BaronBoy: The nickname of the World War I flying ace who flew a bright red plane.
- BarbarossaBoy: Italian for "red beard," the nickname of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I.
- RufusBoy: From a Latin word meaning "red-haired."
- FlannBoy: An old Irish name meaning "ruddy" or "blood red."
- RoryNeutral: From the Irish Ruaidhri, usually translated as "red king."
- MarsBoy: The red planet.
- ScarlettGirl: A bold red name for a bold girl cat.
- RubyGirl: A red gemstone name for a rich, deep-colored girl.
- MeridaGirl: The wild red-haired archer princess from Disney Pixar's Brave.
- YgritteGirl: The red-haired wildling archer from Game of Thrones, "kissed by fire."
- RipleyGirl: The hero of Alien and Jonesy's owner.
- MaeveGirl: The legendary warrior queen of Connacht.
Badass names from history
Real rulers, generals and warriors. Each one comes with a story.
- LeonidasBoy: The Spartan king who led the stand at Thermopylae. His name contains "leon," lion.
- GenghisBoy: As in Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire.
- AttilaBoy: Attila the Hun, the feared ruler of the Huns.
- SpartacusBoy: The gladiator who led a slave revolt against Rome.
- CaesarBoy: Hail Caesar, ruler of the couch.
- MaximusBoy: Latin for "greatest."
- NapoleonBoy: The French emperor, perfect for a small cat with big ambitions.
- XerxesBoy: A Persian king with an unforgettable name.
- CyrusBoy: A great king of ancient Persia, lovely for an orange Persian.
- DariusBoy: Another king of ancient Persia.
- KhanBoy: A title of rulers, and the name of a famous Star Trek villain.
- ZenobiaGirl: The warrior queen of Palmyra who challenged Rome.
- TomyrisGirl: A queen of the Massagetae who, according to Herodotus, defeated Cyrus the Great.
- BoudicaGirl: The warrior queen of the Iceni who rose against Rome.
- CleopatraGirl: The last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt. Cleo for short.
- JoanGirl: As in Joan of Arc, the teenage French military leader.
- MulanGirl: The legendary Chinese warrior heroine.
- AchillesBoy: The nearly invincible Greek hero of the Trojan War.
Badass male orange cat names
Tough-sounding names for orange toms: warriors, emperors, volcanoes and big cats.
- AjaxBoy: A mighty Greek hero of the Trojan War.
- AresBoy: The Greek god of war.
- AtlasBoy: The Titan who holds up the sky.
- BlazeBoy: A bright, roaring fire for a bold orange cat.
- BlitzBoy: Fast and unstoppable.
- BruiserBoy: For a tough guy who is secretly a softie.
- BrutusBoy: A strong Roman name.
- CharizardBoy: Charmander's fully evolved, fire-breathing dragon form.
- CuchulainnBoy: The great hero of Irish legend, whose name means "hound of Culann." Funny on a cat.
- DieselBoy: Powerful and loud.
- DraculaBoy: The famous vampire count.
- GoliathBoy: A giant name for a giant cat.
- GooseBoy: The orange tabby from Captain Marvel who turns out to be far more than a cat.
- GrizzlyBoy: A big, shaggy bear name.
- HerculesBoy: The legendary strongman of Greek and Roman myth.
- InfernoBoy: A raging fire, for a fearless orange cat.
- JonesyBoy: The orange tabby that survives aboard the Nostromo in Alien (1979).
- KingBoy: For the ruler of the house.
- KodiakBoy: Named for the huge Kodiak bear.
- KongBoy: For a giant orange cat who climbs everything.
- MaverickBoy: The Top Gun pilot. Pairs well with Goose.
- MufasaBoy: Simba's mighty father in The Lion King, great for a big floofy boy.
- PussBoy: Puss in Boots, the sword-fighting orange tabby from the Shrek films.
- RockyBoy: A fighter who never gives up.
- RoninBoy: A samurai without a master in feudal Japan.
- SargeBoy: For a cat who runs the house like a drill sergeant.
- Shere KhanBoy: The fearsome tiger villain of The Jungle Book.
- TankBoy: For a solid, unstoppable cat.
- ThorBoy: The Norse god of thunder.
- TigerBoy: The original striped orange cat.
- TitanBoy: A giant from Greek mythology.
- VesuviusBoy: The volcano that buried Pompeii.
- VikingBoy: For a big, bold, shaggy cat.
- ZeusBoy: King of the Greek gods.
Badass female orange cat names
Goddesses, warriors and fierce heroines for orange girls who run the house.
- ArtemisGirl: The Greek goddess of the hunt.
- AthenaGirl: The Greek goddess of wisdom and war.
- BansheeGirl: A wailing spirit of Irish folklore, for a very vocal cat.
- EtnaGirl: An active volcano in Sicily.
- FreyaGirl: The Norse goddess said to ride in a chariot pulled by cats.
- HecateGirl: The Greek goddess associated with magic and witchcraft.
- QueenGirl: For the true ruler of the house.
- RogueGirl: An X-Men hero with a white streak in her hair.
- SekhmetGirl: The lioness-headed Egyptian goddess of war.
- TigressGirl: A female tiger, for a fierce striped orange girl.
- ValkyrieGirl: The warrior maidens of Norse mythology.
- VixenGirl: A female fox, for a fierce girl cat.
- XenaGirl: The Warrior Princess.
Badass gender-neutral orange cat names
Fiery names that work for any fearless cat.
- BronzeNeutral: A warm metal name for a tough cat.
- ChaosNeutral: For a cat who cannot be contained.
- FlareNeutral: A bright burst of light.
- FuryNeutral: For a small cat with a big temper.
- HavocNeutral: For a cat who wreaks it.
- KilkennyNeutral: An Irish county whose hurling team is nicknamed The Cats.
- LavaNeutral: Black rock and glowing orange, a match for a tortie.
- MagmaNeutral: Molten rock, hot and orange under the surface.
- MayhemNeutral: For a cat who leaves a trail of destruction.
- PhoenixNeutral: The mythical firebird that rises from its own ashes.
- PyroNeutral: For a cat obsessed with heat and sunbeams.
- ScorchNeutral: Fire with attitude.
- TorchNeutral: A blazing light.
- TornadoNeutral: Spins, crashes, leaves.
- VolcanoNeutral: Dark rock and glowing orange lava.
Fire and volcano names
Orange is the color of fire. These names bring the heat.
- FlameNeutral: A simple fiery name.
- EmberNeutral: A glowing orange coal, perfect for a dark cat with orange flecks.
- CinderNeutral: A glowing piece of coal, for black fur with orange patches.
- IgnisBoy: Latin for "fire."
- HomuraNeutral: Japanese for "flame."
- AgniBoy: The god of fire in Hinduism.
- CalciferBoy: The fire demon who powers the castle in Howl's Moving Castle.
- FireballNeutral: Small, fast and fiery.
- FirecrackerNeutral: For a cat with explosive energy.
Mythology names for fierce orange cats
Gods, goddesses and heroes from Greek, Norse, Egyptian and other traditions.
- BastetGirl: The ancient Egyptian cat goddess.
- RaBoy: The ancient Egyptian sun god.
- ApolloBoy: The Greek god of light, music and the sun.
- HeliosBoy: The Greek personification of the sun.
- MorganaGirl: Morgan le Fay, the enchantress of Arthurian legend.
Villains, antiheroes and rebels
For the cat with a dark side. Use with love.
- LuciferBoy: The scheming cat from Disney's Cinderella.
- BeetlejuiceBoy: The chaotic ghost from Tim Burton's movie. Say it three times.
- RufioBoy: The spiky-haired leader of the Lost Boys in the movie Hook.
Big cat names
Lions and tigers have been doing badass orange since long before your cat. These names honor them.
- SimbaBoy: The golden lion king of Pride Rock, a fit for a regal orange tom.
- AslanBoy: The great golden lion of C.S. Lewis's Narnia books.
- LeoBoy: Latin for "lion," a perfect fit for a regal orange cat.
- RajahBoy: Princess Jasmine's loyal tiger in Disney's Aladdin.
- Richard ParkerBoy: The Bengal tiger who shares a lifeboat with Pi in Life of Pi.
- BengalBoy: Named for the Bengal tiger.
- AmurNeutral: Named for the Amur tiger, a very large tiger subspecies.
- SumatraNeutral: Named for the Sumatran tiger, the smallest living tiger subspecies.
- ToraNeutral: Japanese for "tiger," ideal for a striped orange tabby.
Badass name pairs
- Maverick and Goose: Top Gun wingmen.
- Thor and Freya: Norse thunder and Norse cats.
- Ares and Athena: two Greek gods of war.
- Inferno and Blaze: double the fire.
- Ripley and Jonesy: the two survivors of Alien.
- Leonidas and Spartacus: two legendary fighters.
- Sekhmet and Bastet: Egypt's fierce lioness and its beloved cat goddess.
Is your orange cat really badass?
Plenty of orange cats are bold, confident and curious. Many owners describe their ginger toms as fearless explorers. That said, a cat who is aggressive, hides constantly, or suddenly changes behavior may be stressed, in pain or unwell. A sudden personality change is worth a call to your veterinarian.
A badass name is best for a cat whose toughness is part of the fun: the cat who claims the dog bed, chases off every leaf and walks into rooms like he owns them.
Tips for choosing a badass name
Tough names can be long. Spartacus and Vesuvius are great formal names, but you will want a short call name like Spar or Vee. And remember the classic joke: a very tough name on a very soft cat is its own kind of badass.
- Keep it to one or two syllables for everyday use. A longer formal name is fine, but give it a short call name. "Sir Fluffington" becomes "Fluff" by week two anyway.
- Say it out loud ten times. If you feel silly yelling it across the yard or at the vet's front desk, keep looking.
- Avoid names that sound like commands. "Kit" and "sit," or "Bo" and "no," can blur together for a cat who is still learning.
- Watch your cat for a few days. Personality is often the best tiebreaker. A kitten who climbs the curtains may be a Blaze, not a Biscuit.
- Use the name often and pair it with good things. Say it at mealtime and during treats. A 2019 study in the journal Scientific Reports found that pet cats can tell their own name apart from similar-sounding words.
Sort and filter badass orange cat names
This sorter starts with the filters for this page. Change them to explore all 935 names on the site.
More filters: theme and coat color
Loading names…
Frequently asked questions
What is a badass gender-neutral orange cat name?
Phoenix, Pyro, Scorch, Havoc, Chaos, Fury and Volcano work for any fearless orange cat, boy or girl.
What is a badass name for a small orange cat?
Napoleon, Tiny, Bruiser, Fury and Havoc are fun badass names for a small cat with a big attitude.
What is a badass name that means red?
Barbarossa means red beard in Italian, Erik the Red was a Viking explorer named for his red hair, and Rufus comes from a Latin word for red-haired.
What is a badass mythology name for an orange cat?
Ares, Thor, Zeus, Sekhmet, Freya, Valkyrie, Achilles and Hercules are mythology names with plenty of attitude.
What is a badass name for an orange cat?
Blaze, Inferno, Phoenix, Vesuvius, Khan, Maverick and Tiger are badass orange cat names. For girls, try Freya, Sekhmet, Ripley or Valkyrie.
What is a badass female orange cat name?
Freya, Sekhmet, Valkyrie, Ripley, Merida, Xena, Athena and Maeve all suit a fierce orange girl.
What is a badass male orange cat name?
Blaze, Inferno, Maximus, Khan, Spartacus, Thor, Goliath and Shere Khan are great for a tough orange tom.