Maine Coon cat names that connect with the state of Maine

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These are my thoughts on Maine Coon cat names. The Maine Coon (MC) is an American cat. It developed, it is believed, as a cat breed over 400 years in Maine before it became formally recognised as a breed in 1950s. It was informally recognized in the 1860s being a farm cat and shown at farm livestock shows.

Classy MC needing a classy name. Pic in the public domain.



This is a gentle cat with a shaggy coat. The voice is quiet. The MC is independent but loyal and friendly. An all-American boy or girl in human terms. I guess the name should be built around this history and character. Boys are goofy and girls are more dignified. See personality.

I'd start with names of well-known people from Maine that fit the character.:

Males

Howie - nice name for a Maine Coon boy. After Howie Carr a journalist, born in Portland, Maine.

Nelson - named after the governor Nelson Dingley Jr. (lived 1832-1899).

Joey - named after Joey Gamache. World Boxing Association Lightweight Champion who boxed from 1992-2000. From Lewiston, Maine

Marsden - named after Marsden Hartley (1877–1943); artist, poet; born in Lewiston.

Judd - named after Judd Nelson (born 1959), actor, Breakfast Club, Suddenly Susan; born in Portland.

Bud or Buddy - MC's are loyal friends.

Willie - named after Will Holt (born 1929); singer, songwriter, librettist and lyricist; born in Portland.

Females

Tawny - named after Tawny Little (born 1956); former Miss America in 1976; born in Portland.

Ellie - modified from "Elle" - named after Elle Logan (born 1987), 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist in Women's rowing; born in Portland.

Ollie - short for Olympia - named after Olympia Snowe (born 1947); Congresswoman and U.S. Senator; born in Augusta & raised in Auburn. Could also be a male name.

Miss Tabitha - named after Tabitha King (born 1949); horror novelist; born in Old Town

Max - short for Maxine - named after Maxine Elliott (1868–1940); stage actress; born in Rockland.

Hope this helps. Naming Maine Coons is a very personal exercise. It should obviously be done with feeling and emotion. But some connection to Maine, I would have thought, is suitable.

Time to change the name of the breed?

Separately, I would like briefly to discuss the name of this cat breed. There are two parts to it. The first part "Maine" obviously refers to the US state of Maine. All well and good. The second part is troublesome particularly today when the woke movement dominates. 

There is a change in how we talk about and refer to things. And the word "Coon" is unacceptable to many people and in fact to some websites. For example, the website Pinterest does not allow you to use this word when searching within their website. 

If you search for "Maine Coon" on the Pinterest website it will not do a search for you. You have to drop the word "Coon" before you do a search. This means searching for "Maine cat" instead. This works. 

Also, the TikTok website does not accept a search for "Maine Coon". In both instances the custom search engine rejects the word 'Coon'. That is part of the modern movement. I tend to agree with it and ironically nobody knows why that word is in the name of this cat breed! It's a mystery to this day. So why should we keep it? 

Why don't we change the name of this cat breed? It is an unpleasant word and it is pointless really. It serves no purpose and it doesn't help the name. You could just call the cat breed "Maine". And refer to the breed as the "Maine Cat". That's just a suggestion but there are obviously many other possibilities.
Location: Maine, USA

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