Some cat personalities can be a bit on the cantankerous side, and grumpy cat names can really show of your feline's frowny disposition. If you love your grumpy kitty and want a name that showcases this aspect of their personality, try some of these grumpy cat name ideas as inspiration.
Grumpy Kitty Names From Movies and TV
Names of famously grumpy actors, actresses, and their characters from television and movies can be a fun source of names for your irritable feline.
- W.C. (as in W. C. Fields)
- Carlin (as in George Carlin)
- Oscar (as in the Oscar Madison character from The Odd Couple movie and television show)
- Clint (as in Clint Eastwood)
- Rooney (as in Andy Rooney)
- Statler or Waldorf (the two grumpy old men from The Muppet Show)
- Wilford (as in Wilford Brimley)
- Beale (as in Howard Beale, the "I'm Mad as Hell" character from the movie The Network)
- House (as in Dr. Gregory House from the House television show)
- Basil (as in Basil Fawlty from the British Fawlty Towers television show)
- Kanye (as in Kanye West)
- Simon (as in Simon Cowell from American Idol)
- Anna (Anna Wintour)
- Miranda (Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada)
- Gordon (Chef Gordon Ramsay)
- Hartman (Gunnery Sergeant character from Full Metal Jacket)
- Foley (Drill Sergeant from An Officer and a Gentleman)
- Regina (Regina George from the movie Mean Girls)
- Elphaba (Wicked Witch of the West from Oz the Great and Powerful)
- Al Bundy (Married... with Children)
- Ron Swanson (Parks and Recreation)
Is there a grouchy TV or movie character that you absolutely love? Give your cat their first or last name (or both!). Even if others don't immediately understand the origin of the name, it can make for a fun story.
Surly Cat Names From Books
Literature is a treasure trove of ill-tempered characters with unique names that just may perfectly fit your foul-natured cat.
- Jeeves (from the P.J. Wodehouse books)
- Scrooge (from Dickens's A Christmas Carol)
- Humbug (favorite saying of Scrooge)
- Nietzsche (author Frederick Nietzsche)
- Darcy (Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice)
- Sherlock (Sherlock Holmes)
- Haymitch (Haymitch Abernathy from The Hunger Games)
- Katniss (heroine of The Hunger Games)
- Severus or Snape (Professor Snape from Harry Potter)
- Minerva or McGonagall (Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter)
- Bellatrix (Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter)
- Eeyore (from the Winnie-the-Pooh books)
- Garfield (the cat, of course!)
- Puddleglum (The Chronicles of Narnia books)
- Jadis (the White Witch, The Chronicles of Narnia)
- Templeton (from Charlotte's Web)
- Badger (from The Wind in the Willows)
- Holden (Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye)
- Ignatius (Ignatius Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces)
- Maleficent (from the movie Maleficent)
- Mencken (author H.K. Mencken)
- Heathcliff (from Wuthering Heights)
- Scarlett (Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind)
- Baba Yaga (a witch from Eastern European mythology)
- Grinch (from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss)
Descriptive Names for Cranky Felines
If you want to pick a name that instantly lets people know who your cat is (especially before they try to pick them up), go with one that describes their temperament. Good choices include:
- Arrabbiato ("angry" in Italian)
- Bourru ("surly" in French)
- Bravo ("angry" in Portuguese)
- Bubero ("surly" in Italian)
- Crabby
- Crabapple
- Crank
- Cur (short for curmudgeon)
- Feargach ("angry" in Irish)
- Frowny
- Griesgram ("grouch" in German)
- Grumps
- Grumpette
- Harpy
- Hosco ("surly" in Spanish)
- Moody
- Peevish
- Punk
- Râleur ("grouch" in French)
- Salty
- Sassy
- Scontroso ("sullen" in Italian)
- Snappy
- Testy
Geek Names for Grumpy Cats
If you love all things comics, cartoons, video games, and science fiction/fantasy, consider these names of malcontent characters for your ill-tempered cat.
- Tyrion (Game of Thrones)
- Tywin (Game of Thrones)
- Sandor (Game of Thrones)
- Cersei (Game of Thrones)
- Olenna (Game of Thrones)
- Rocket (Guardians of the Galaxy)
- Drax (Guardians of the Galaxy)
- Chrisjen (The Expanse)
- Amos (The Expanse)
- McCoy (Star Trek)
- Hulk (Marvel comic book and movie character)
- Loki (Marvel comic book and movie character)
- Moe (The Simpsons)
- Krusty (The Simpsons)
- Shelly (Shelly Marsh from South Park)
- Yosemite Sam (Bugs Bunny cartoons)
- Squidward (Squidward Quincy Tentacles from SpongeBob SquarePants)
- J. Jonah (J. Jonah Jameson from Spider-Man)
- Geralt (The Witcher books and video games)
- Kratos (God of War video games)
- Wario (Mario Brothers video games)
- Claptrap (from the Borderlands video games)
- Mad Max (from the movie series)
- Furiosa (from the Mad Max: Fury Road movie)
Names After Famous Feline Curmudgeons
If you want to name your cat after a feline character that’s on the sour side, you have plenty of choices. These iconic cats are known for being curmudgeons, but that just makes us love them even more.
- Mr. Tinkles (Cats & Dogs)
- Mr. Bigglesworth (Austin Powers)
- M.A.D. Cat (Inspector Gadget)
- Tom (Tom and Jerry)
- Salem (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
- Yzma (The Emperor’s New Groove)
- Lucifer (Cinderella)
- Sylvester (Looney Tunes)
Celebrate Your Moody Feline
While many people dislike cats because they find them grumpy, ailurophiles know that a cat's personality can run from friendly to cranky, and that's perfectly okay! If you enjoy the surlier side of your cat's disposition, have fun choosing a cool name that lets the world know your pet's true nature.
