Got the idea from this thread yesterday:
I know the most common familiar animal is going to be a cat, but maybe we could do a list of some witchy pet name ideas for cats, dogs and whatever else people have?
I have a new little four-legged familiar who just wanted into my life, and I feel like she deserves something with real intention behind it, not just whatever sounds cute. I think I’m going to let her choose the one that she likes but we could use some ideas to get started.
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Congrats on your new little one finding you. The ones who choose us are always the most magical. When I named my last familiar, I leaned hard into deity names, since they carry real intention.
Hecate is the obvious pick if you’re into that current.
Nyx for night and shadow energy.
Cernunnos works if you’re after Horned God vibes for a dog.
Selene feels right for a moon-touched animal.
Freya for Norse magic
Circe if she’s got a mischievous side.
Ceridwen is underrated, the Welsh goddess of wisdom with white cats in her lore. It could suit a white or cream cat perfectly.
Less direct but still tied in are names like Cassandra or Delphi, or Durga the Hindu goddess who rode a tiger.
The name test works too. Say it and watch what she does. If she ignores it or walks off, try another. Mine straight-up left the room for the wrong ones and came running for the right one. They’ll tell you.
Whatever you land on, naming itself is a small ritual.
Something about pulling from the green world just feels grounding, especially if you garden or do any kitchen work with them.
Yarrow
Willow
Thistle
Briar
Heather
Foxglove
Hellebore
Mugwort
Vervain
Belladonna
Moon phases are another option.
If you want a name with some real weight behind it, the old witch trial records are worth a look. Most folks default to Salem or Sabrina, but the 17th-century accounts are full of odd, specific familiar names that haven’t seen much use since the 1640s.
Matthew Hopkins, the witchfinder who worked East Anglia during the English Civil War, recorded a list from a woman in Manningtree. Some of the names from that list:
Hopkins claimed the names were ones “no mortall could invent,” meant to prove they were demonic.
There’s something about using a name that’s already been spoken in the old records. You’re picking up a thread instead of starting one.
Elspeth has that perfect balance, dark and magical without being as obvious as Luna or Glinda. Something ethereal about it that feels right for a familiar.
Half my coven just raids Nordic mythology until something sticks.
Lumi (means snow in Finnish).
Skadi (the Norse winter goddess)
Ember works for the feisty ones.
Cerberus feels like a lot for a small familiar. Maybe too much. I secretly love the idea of calling a tiny puppy ‘Cerbie’ though. There’s something hilarious about slapping the name of a three-headed underworld guardian onto a lap dog.
Just wanted to add, I named mine Omen because then everything she does becomes a ‘Good Omen!’ It’s turned into this whole daily divination practice I didn’t expect.
Ursula gets my vote.
Tarot names are underrated. Page or Star. Fool works if you have one of those chaotic puppy types.
My cat is named after a minor character in some folk ballad nobody has ever heard of. That’s the most witchy thing about her.
Honestly, sometimes I think the name picks us. With my rabbit, I went through a whole list; nothing landed, and then one day Bramble just came out of my mouth, and she perked right up like she’d been waiting for it.
Felt like a quiet little pact between us. Nobody else needed to get it. I still think about how right it felt after all those other tries, almost like the others were just me asking the wrong question.
Mixed results, honestly. Naming after weather patterns felt right once. My old dog was Mist, because she moved so quietly around the house, like she was barely there at all. It suited her energy in a way that surprised me. I don’t know if that translates to every animal though. Sometimes the connection just happens.
Rowan is a good one. It’s got that earthy witch vibe but works for any pet.
My grandmother always said a familiar’s name should match their spirit.
Luna
Stella
Mossy
Ostara
Bridget
Willow
Juniper
Hazel
Twig
Cloud
Zephyr
McGonagall or Hagrid from Harry Potter
Omen, because if she does something good, that’s a good omen. Even when she messes up, puppies are always trying their best, so I’d still count that as a good omen.
Frey
Frigg
Kali
Lilith
Just be ready for the energy that comes with it.
What a gift, a familiar choosing you like that!
My old tabby was Onyx and the name suited him completely, all that protective grounding energy in a tiny furball. Jasper, Flint, Amber, Coral, Pyrite (Pyri for short, which is pretty cute on a small dog), or Obsidian if she’s got dark fur and an attitude to match.
There’s something nice about pulling a name from the earth like that.