Are you looking for that one perfect name for your new cat with a tri-color coat? From words that are associated the distinct calico appearance to famous calico cats, we are tickled pink to present a list of some of the best calico cat names for those who sport white, orange and black fur!
Cat Names Inspired by Calico Fur
- Amber
- Autumn
- Blossom
- Bubbles
- Cali
- Caramel
- Checker
- Chess
- Cleo
- Confetti
- Cookie
- Daisy
- Dapple
- Dot
- Ember
- Freckles
- Ginger
- Harmony
- Hazel
- Inky
- Jigsaw
- Kiki
- Luna
- Marble
- Marmalade
- Mosaic
- Nala
- Patches
- Pebbles
- Pepper
- Pixel
- Puzzle
- Rainbow
- Rorscach
- Rosie
- Rusty
- Sable
- Salsa
- Sierra
- Speckles
- Spice
- Sprinkle
- Starburst
- Sundae
- Sunrise
- Taffy
- Tangle
- Trixie
- Whimsy
- Zigzag
Terms Associated with Calico
Caliby— A cute combo of “calico” and “tabby.”
Tabico– A cat who is a combination of a calico and a tabby.
Dapple— Defined as spots or patches or either color or sunlight, the word could also describe the patches on the coat of a calico cat.
Fleck— Defined as spots of light or color, the word is descriptive of a calico cat’s coat.
Greige— A blend of beige and gray that can be spotted on the coats of dilute calicos.
Holly Hobbie— If you are a child of the 70s you might want to name your cat after the beloved “blue girl” doll in a patchwork dress, and if you are a fan of the children’s TV series Holly Hobbie, you could name your kitty after the Calico Cafe in the character’s hometown.
Marble— Did you know that in the state of Maryland a stone known as calico marble is quarried?
Maryland— The calico cat is the Official State Cat of The Old Line State!
Mikeneko— A Japanese word for “triple fur cat”, or calico!
Motley— While some may think that you’ve named your new furry family member after the 80s hair band Motley Crue, those in the know will recognize that motley is a synonym for calico.
Pepper— Also known as Capsicum annum, botanical buffs will recognize the calico pepper as a hot, ornamental pepper.
Speckle–– Much like the patches on a calico cat’s coat, speckle is defined as a tiny patch of color.
Tabico— A cat who is a combination of a calico and a tabby.
Tercet— Although used to describe three lines of verse, the word could also be an inspiration for the name of a cat with a coat consisting of three colors.
Famous Calico Cats
Jellylorum — When author T.S. Eliot penned Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, he named this kitty character after his own feline friend. Definitely one of the more unusual calico cat names!
Julius — The character of the cute calico in the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Danny DeVito comedy Twins. The name Julius means “downy-bearded.”
Maneki Neko — Meaning “welcoming cat,” this calico kitty with an upraised paw is the official Japanese symbol of luck, and is often seen in both businesses and homes.
Mr. Mittens — Jamie Foxx provided the voice of the calico cat in the Pixar movie Soul.
Mochi — Fans of the animated Disney hit Big Hero 6 will recognize the name of the calico Japanese bobtail who lives with Hiro’s family at the Lucky Cat Cafe. The name Mochi means Japanese rice cake. One of the most popular calico cat names.
Mungojerrie— Although music lovers may think that you’ve named your new pal who purrs after the 70s British rock band Mungo Jerry, Broadway buffs will recognize the name as one of a pair of chaos-causing kitties in the musical CATS.
Nitama— Meaning “second Tama,” this calico was named after the famous feline Tama, a stray cat who became a station master at Kishi station in Kinokawa, Japan. Also a cat who grew up on the rails, Nitama became Tama’s apprentice and took on the role of the station’s operating officer upon Tama’s passing.
Pig— A calico kitty with a corkscrew tail in the 2015 DreamWorks animated movie Home.
Pudge— If you love famous felines, why not name your new purring pal after the four-legged Instagram celebrity with more than half a million followers!
Rumpletezer— Along with Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer is one of a pair of “knock about clowns” in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s CATS.
Sheriff Callie–Actress Mandy Moore provided the voice of a guitar-strumming calico in the animated Disney Junior series Sheriff Callie’s Wild West. The name Callie means “beautiful.”
Sun-tama-tama— Meaning “third Tama,” this calico was originally meant to be a successor to the famous cat Tama and her apprentice, Nitama at the Kishi Station. Today she acts as station master in Naka-ku, Okayama.
Tama— Next to Kishi train station in Kinokawa, Japan fans of felines can visit a bronze statue of Tama, a calico cat who captured the collective heart of a country as the station’s official master and greeter. Among the different meanings of the name is a word that describes all calicos– “perfect.”
Yontama— Since 2017 train passengers have been greeted at Idakiso Station in Japan by a calico called Yontama, which means “the fourth Tama,” in loving memory of the original Tama, the four-legged station master at Kishi Station.
Calico Cat Names Related to Sewing Terms
As the word calico represents unbleached fabric in the eyes of many quilters, sewers and embroiderers, we have gathered a few sewing-inspired names:
Bargello— A style of embroidered needlework which incorporates several colors of thread.
Bobbin— A reel that holds thread for a sewing machine.
Calimanco— A fabric made of worsted wool yarn, this term has also been used to describe a dilute calico cat.
Cross Stitch— A series of criss-crossed stitches that create an embroidered pattern.
Darn— A term meaning to stitch up a hole in fabric.
Kalamink— Another word for calimanco, which is a fabric made of worsted wool yarn, kalamink has also been used to describe a dilute calico cat.
Quilt— A bed cover created from stitched-together fabrics, “quilt” is the quintessence of a cozy, homespun name.
Stipple— in the art world, to stipple is to create with a series of small dots. In quilting, the term is used for a stitch pattern that ambles randomly across a quilt.
Thimble— A small metal cap used to protect the finger when sewing, the term could be a cute moniker for a tiny calico.
Trapunto— A form of quilting which creates a puffed look.
Lucky in Different Languages
Is your calico cat your own lucky charm? Calico cats are often believed to bring good luck in various cultures and are sometimes referred to as “money cats” in the United States. Here’s the word for lucky in different languages.
- Afrikaans– gelukkig
- Bosnian and Croatian– sretan
- Danish and Norwegian– heldig
- Estonian– vedas
- Finnish– onnekas
- French– chanceaux
- German– Glucklich
- Hawaiian and Samoan–laki
- Icelandic– heppinn
- Indonesian– beruntung
- Italian– fortunato
- Javanese– begja
- Latin– felix
- Malay– bertuah
- Maori– waimarie
- Romanian– norocos
- Spanish– suerte
- Sudanese– untung
- Swahili– bahati
- Swedish– tur
- Uzbek– baxtli
- Welsh– lwcus
Famous Pet Parents of a Calico Cat
T.S. Eliot— A name synonymous with our feline friends, the author of Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (which would go on to be the inspiration for the musical CATS) shared his home with a calico cat called Jellylorum.
Martha Stewart-– Pet parents could name their new fur baby after the lauded lifestyle guru or her two pampered calico Persian kitties, Princess Peony and Empress Tang.
Florence Welch— The lead vocalist of Florence and The Machine found a calico meowing muse she named Missus and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. The singer stated: “I chose Missus because she was extremely friendly and, straight away, came to sit on my lap where she seemed to make herself very comfortable. She’ll be a very good writing partner and we’ll probably spend lots of time together.”
Famous People Named Calico
- Calico Cooper— An actress and daughter of shock rock icon Alice Cooper.
- Calico Jack— Ruling the waves during the first half of the 18th century, this pirate (who was born John Rackham) was nicknamed Calico Jack due to his preference for wearing calico attire.
- Tyrone Bernard Calico— A former wide receiver with the Tennessee Titans.
Fun Facts About Calicos
Did you know these fun facts about calicos?
Calicos have a Tri-colored coat.
Calico cat is not a breed of cat, but rather a color pattern. “Calico” refers to a cat’s coat color and pattern, which consists of three colors: white, black, and orange (or their diluted versions: gray, gold, and cream). The patches can vary in size and distribution.
Several cat breeds can be calicos.
Many different breeds of cats can have calico color patterns. For instance, you can have a calico Persian, a calico Maine Coon, a calico American Shorthair, etc.
Calico cats are almost always female.
Calico coloration is linked to the X chromosome. Female cats have two X chromosomes (XX), and since the genes for black and orange fur color are located on the X chromosome, female cats can express both colors along with white. Male cats, having one X and one Y chromosome (XY), can usually be either black or orange, but not both. However, there are rare cases of male calico cats; these males are typically XXY, a genetic anomaly.
Some Calicos are Diluted Calico.
Some calico cats exhibit a “diluted” color palette, with softer colors like gray (instead of black) and gold (instead of orange).
Calico is distinct from Tortoiseshell.
Tortoiseshell cats (often called “torties”) also have orange and black fur, but they lack the significant white patches seen in calico cats. When a tortie also has significant white markings, it might be referred to as a “tortie and white” or, informally, a “torbie.”
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