Moon Names for Cats: From Luna to Callisto (And the Cats That Fit Them)

How to Match the Right Moon Name to Your Cat's Personality

I've lived with three cats that I gave moon names to, and each one earned the name in a different way. The first was a pale silver tabby who only came out at night and would sit on the windowsill watching the actual moon for an hour. The second was a black kitten born during a lunar eclipse, who screamed every night at exactly the same hour for the first month of her life. The third was an orange foster failure who fell asleep in the moonlight patch on the kitchen floor every evening at exactly the same minute. None of them are space cats. All of them earned a moon name. This page walks through the full moon name pool, organized by sub-theme, and helps you match the right moon to your cat.

The curated list is in the grid above. The grid pulls from the same word pool this article draws on, so any name you see here is also visible in the names list. If you are choosing between moon and another cosmic sub-theme, see the space names pillar for the cross-cluster view, or jump to planet names, mythological names, or mystical names for the other sub-themes.

Why Moon Names Work for Cats

Cats are nocturnal and crepuscular. They are most active at dawn and dusk, the hours when the moon is most visible. The cat's pupils dilate in low light the same way a telescope lens opens for night observation. A pale cat in moonlight is the visual equivalent of the full moon itself. A black cat in moonlight is the visual equivalent of a new moon, all silhouette and edges. Naming a cat after the moon is not abstract; it is matching the name to a behavior the cat already has.

Quick Picks: 10 Moon Names to Start With

• Luna: The classic. Soft, vowel-ending, never harsh. Works for any calm cat.
• Selene: Greek moon goddess. Elegant, female-leaning. Suits a graceful girl cat.
• Callisto: A moon of Jupiter, also a Greek nymph. Suits a strong, active cat.
• Artemis: Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt. Suits a quick, opinionated cat.
• Atlas: A moon of Saturn. Strong, sturdy. Works for a big boy cat.
• Phoebe: A moon of Saturn, also a Greek titaness. Suits a quiet cat with bright eyes.
• Io: A volcanic moon of Jupiter. Fiery, energetic. Suits an orange or red cat.
• Europa: A moon of Jupiter. Elegant, classical.
• Titan: A moon of Saturn. Strong, male-leaning.
• Nova: Not a moon, but a stellar explosion. Bright, modern, gender-neutral. Suits a cat that bursts into a room.

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Moon Names from Real Moons in Our Solar System

These are names of real moons, mostly named after Greek mythological figures by astronomers following the IAU convention. Each one has a discoverer, an orbit, and a story; the table below gives the short version. We reference the IAU's official gazetteer so the names are correct as of 2026 (the IAU has not renamed any of the moons we list).

• The Moon (Luna): Earth's only moon. The source of the name. Origin: Latin.
• Phobos and Deimos: Mars' two tiny moons. Origin: Greek, meaning fear and dread. Suits a cat with a dark, mysterious personality.
• Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto: Jupiter's four Galilean moons. Origin:Greek myth, lovers and companions of Zeus. The most usable moon-name pool.
• Titan: Saturn's largest moon. The only moon with a dense atmosphere. Origin:Greek myth, the elder Titans.
• Enceladus, Mimas, Rhea, Iapetus, Phoebe, Hyperion: Saturn's smaller moons. Origin: Greek myth, the Titans and the Gigantes.
• Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon: Uranus' five major moons. Origin: Shakespeare and Pope.
• Triton: Neptune's largest moon. Origin: Greek, son of Poseidon. The only large moon with a retrograde orbit.

Moon Goddesses and Gods Across Mythology

Many moon-themed names come from moon deities in world mythologies. We lean on the standard reference works (Bulfinch's Mythology, Edith Hamilton's Mythology, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History for cross-cultural moon-deity entries).

• Selene / Luna / Diana: Greek, Latin, and Roman versions of the same moon goddess.
• Artemis: Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt.
• Hecate: Greek goddess associated with the moon at the crossroads, often linked to magic.
• Khonsu: Egyptian moon god.
• Mama Killa / Mama Cocha: Incan and Aztec moon goddesses.
• Tsukuyomi: Japanese moon god.

Lunar Phases as Cat Names

The eight phases of the moon also work as cat names, especially for cats that cycle through visible personalities over the week.

• New Moon: A black cat or a cat that hides for the first week.
• Waxing Crescent: A kitten just opening up.
• First Quarter: A half-grown cat, halfway to full personality.
• Waxing Gibbous: Almost there, almost full cat.
• Full Moon: The maximum cat. The one who owns the house.
• Waning Gibbous: A senior cat, still full but slowing.
• Last Quarter: A cat that has mellowed with age.
• Waning Crescent: A very senior cat, almost a memory.

Star Names That Work as Moon Names

Many star names work as moon names because the night sky reads as a single system. We list a few here, but the full star pool lives on the space pillar page under the constellation and star sub-themes.

• Sirius: The brightest star. Suits a cat with bright eyes.
• Vega: A Lyra constellation star. Soft, female-leaning.
• Altair: An Aquila star. Short, easy to call.
• Polaris: The North Star. Steady, senior-friendly.
• Rigel: An Orion star. Strong, male-leaning.

Male Moon Names and Female Moon Names

Some moon names lean male, some lean female, and many are gender-neutral. Pick by personality, not by gender label, but here is a quick lean if you have a preference.

• Male-leaning moon names: Atlas, Titan, Endymion (the mortal loved by Selene), Khonsu, Orion (also a constellation), Mercury (a planet, but historically associated with the moon in some traditions), Phobos.
• Female-leaning moon names: Luna, Selene, Artemis, Phoebe, Callisto, Europa, Diana, Hecate, Diana, Ariel.
• Gender-neutral moon names: Io, Nova (technically a star explosion, but feels lunar), Vega (a star), Eclipse, Solstice.

How to Pronounce the Harder Moon Names

Most moon names are short and recognizable, but a few are visually intimidating. Phobos is "FOH-boss". Deimos is "DAY-moss". Callisto is "kuh-LISS-toh". Ganymede is "GAN-uh-meed". Enceladus is "en-SELL-uh-duss". Umbriel is "UM-bree-ell". The pronunciation hint on the cat name cards gives the phonetic spelling, and you can always look up the IAU's official pronunciation guide.

The most reliable fix for a hard name is a one-syllable nickname. Phobos becomes Phob, Ganymede becomes Ganny, Enceladus becomes Encel. The full version stays for vet records and the rare moment you want to use it.

Common Mistakes with Moon Names

The biggest mistake is overloading a household with similar names (Luna and Selene, or Atlas and Titan). One moon name per cat is plenty. The second biggest mistake is letting the cat's coat pick the name. A black cat can absolutely be Phoebe, and a white cat can absolutely be Atlas. Match personality first, coat second. The third mistake is choosing a moon name that sounds too similar to a command or to another pet in the home. Avoid names that rhyme with "sit", "stay", "come", or "no".

Where to Go From Here

For the broader cosmic pool, see the space names pillar. For planet-only picks, see planet names for cats. For mythologically-named picks that cross into moon and sky, see mythological cat names. For mystery, magic, and witchy picks, see mystical cat names. The cat name generator can also produce a custom shortlist filtered to the celestial or moon vibe.

Curated by the CatName Studio editorial team. Last updated September 2026. References: International Astronomical Union (IAU) named objects gazetteer, NASA Solar System Exploration pages, Bulfinch's Mythology (1855).