Boy Cat Names That Start With Y

Brisk, preppy York is an underused classic with the potential to really shine in the 21st century. It's most familiar as a place name — York is a city in England — and surname. New York City and State were named after the Duke of York.
 
The most notable York in history was an enslaved man who was the only Black member of Lewis and Clark's expedition. York was a key member of the journey, skilled in hunting, medicine, and other survival skills. He was also invaluable in Native American diplomacy. At the end of the expedition, Clark denied York's freedom and instead sold him black into slavery.
 
Despite the sad ending to York's story, he is an American hero with a name worthy of consideration.

York

Predominantly used in Turkey, Yaman is a strong and virtuous choice, conveying a range of good qualities, from bravery and dauntlessness, to strength and intelligence, to respectability and skillfulness. Appearing in the UK Top 1000 for the first time in 2025, it also made its debut to the charts in the Netherlands the same year. In Turkey, it's been in the Top 100 since 2018.
 
Interestingly, despite deriving from same Proto-Turkic root as the name, yaman can also mean "wicked, evil, malicious" in Azerbaijani. In Turkish, however, this is now a dated, dialectal meaning, and it is better associated with strength, skill, and efficiency. 
 
Another interesting thing about the name: in Arabic, Indonesian, and Malay, Yaman may also refer to Yemen, or some one from the West Asian country. 
 
A notable bearer is Turkish actor, Can Yaman.

Yaman

Short yet impactful, this Japanese name with has two appealing meanings, depending on which kanji are used. It may be associated with joy, or with a wintery scene.

Yuki

A classic Japanese name known to kids around the world as a Nintendo video-game character. 

Yoshi

A possible <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">Christmas name</a> for a baby boy, if you find Noel too mundane. But we fear it doesn't sound very festive.

Boy Cat Names That Start With Y

The names

York

Yaman

Yuki

Yoshi

Yule