Getting a new rat – whether it be your very first one or your tenth – is an exciting moment!

My name is Megan, and rats are one of my absolute favorite animals for a lot of reasons.

First, rats are, despite stereotype, extremely clean and spend a good portion of their day grooming themselves and others.

Next, due to the fact that rats are very intelligent – they can even learn tricks! – they will recognize you as their owner and form a close bond with you. And what’s better than rat cuddles?

While getting a new rat is an exciting and memorable experience, it’s not all good. And I’m not talking about anything dealing with your rat; I’m talking about names.

Rats live two to three years, and, while that isn’t as long as a dog or cat, that’s still a very long time, so your new rodent friend needs a good name.

After all, some rats can even learn their names! So, before you begin thinking of a name, here are a few things to consider to make the process easier.

What to Consider When Naming Your New Rat?

Rats are extremely unique. They have different fur patterns and colors, different personalities, and even different little quirks and habits.

Some are a little bit chubbier and others are a little bit furrier – each one is a special individual, just like a human! These are traits that you can use to help pick a name for your new rat.

Take an albino rat, for example. There are a lot of popular names that relate to their white fur.

You can think of names such as Snowball, Artic, and Snow. For a grey rat, one of my personal favorites, you can think of names like Smokey, Ash, and Bear.

Moving on from fur color, their personality says a lot too. If you have a rat that likes to eat more than others, a name like Chubby or Cheese is a good choice.

Sparky, Spunky, and Bitsy are more great names that say a lot about your rat’s personality.

If you feel like you’ve thought of every name and still can’t find a good one, don’t worry; I’ve complied a few lists of the top rat names, from cute to funny for both male and female!

A-Z List

Here’s a complete list of names for your brand new rat. From A-Z, there are over # names for you to choose from!

Rat Names Starting with A

Male Names

• Alexander – after Alexander the Great
• Apollo – the Greek god of the sun, healing, and music
• Archie – meaning ‘bold’ and ‘brave’
• Ares – the Greek god of war
• Arlo – an Italian variant of Charles meaning ‘between two highlands’
• Arctic – a popular name for albino rats
• Arnold – from the hit 90s TV series Hey, Arnold
• Ash – from the popular anime series Pokemon

Female Names

• Apple – a simple but popular name
• Applejack – from the popular children’s show My Little Pony
• Aphrodite – the Greek goddess of love and beauty
• Artemis – the Greek goddess of the hunt
• Arya – after Arya Stark from Game of Thrones
• Athena – the Greek goddess of wisdom and war strategy

Rat Names Starting with B

Male Names

• Bandit – a popular name for black and white rats
• Bart – from the show The Simpsons
• Beans – a cute but comedic name
• Bear – a simple cut name for your less than ferocious rat
• Bruno – after the magician Bruno Mars

Female Names

• Baby – a cute, simple name
• Bagel – a cute name for a hungry rat
• Bella – from Beauty and the Beast
• Betsy – a classic name for all animals from cows to rats
• Bitsy – a sweet name for a smaller rat
• Blue – a cute name, especially for rats with bluish fur

Rat Names Starting with C

Male Names

• Carl – meaning ‘strong man’
• Casper – like the ghost, a good name for albino rats
• Cheese – a comedic name for the rat that’s always hungry
• Champ – a strong, positive name
• Chip – a comedic name
• Chubby – a comedic name for the fluffier rats
• Chuck E. – after the children’s entertainment chain
• Clark – the first name of Clark Kent (Superman)
• Corky – a comedic name

Female Names

• Calypso – a Greek nymph
• Candy – a sweet name
• Ceecee – a simple name for a spunky rat
• Chick – a cutesy name for the cutest of rats
• Clara – meaning ‘bright’ and ‘clear’
• Cookie – another cute name
• Coral – for the rat with the sweetest pink nose
• Crystal – like natural gemstones

Rat Names Starting with D

Male Names

• Danny – from Grease
• Dino – meaning ‘spearman’
• Dodo – like the clumsy, but loveable bird
• Dumbledore – from Harry Potter
• Dumbo – the elephant from the movie of the same name

Female Names

• Daisy – a pretty, simple name
• Dana – meaning ‘generosity’
• Delia – an alternative spelling of Dalia which means ‘gentle’ and ‘tender’
• Demeter – the Greek goddess of agriculture
• Dora – from Dora the Explorer
• Dumpling – a cute, funny name

Rat Names Starting with E

Male Names

• Eagle – a strong name taken from a rat’s natural predator
• Echo – in case your rat likes to squeak every time you say something
• Elliot – a popular French name
• Emile – from Ratatouille
• Ernie – meaning ‘serious’
• Eros – Greek god of relationships

Female Names

• Ellie – a nickname for Ellen or Eleanor
• Emma – meaning ‘whole’ or ‘universal’ for the rat that’s your whole world
• Esther – multiple meanings but usually defined as ‘star’
• Everly – meaning ‘grazing meadow’

Rat Names Starting with F

Male Names

• Finn – meaning ‘white’ or ‘fair’
• Floyd  – meaning ‘grey’ or ‘grey haired’
• Flame – for your brightest rat
• Forrest – from Forrest Gump
• Frank – meaning ‘from France’; just in case Remy won’t do
• Fred – meaning ‘peaceful ruler’
• Frodo – from Lord of the Rings

Female Names

• Fifi – a cute name if Fiona is too long for you
• Fiona – from Shrek
• Floral – a sweet, simple name
• Flower – a sweet, simple name

Rat Names Starting with G

Male Names

• Gecko – for the rat that scales the side of their cage
• Geronimo – after the Apache warrior chief
• Ghost – a good name for a white or grey rat
• Glen – meaning ‘valley’
• Grey – a good name for a, well, grey rat
• Green – a simple name for the veggie loving rat
• Grizzly – a strong name for a strong rat
• Grouper – after the fist

Female Names

• Gem – for your most precious rat
• Gertrude – meaning ‘spear’ and ‘strength’
• Ginny – meaning ‘pure’
• Grace – meaning ‘God’s favor’
• Gwen – meaning ‘white’

Rat Names Starting with H

Male Names

• Hannibal – after Hannibal Lecter
• Harry – meaning ‘protector’
• Henry – meaning ‘home’
• Hercules – after the Greek hero
• Hero – for the strongest and bravest of rats
• Hippo – a funny name for your largest rat
• Homer – after the Greek author
• Houdini – after the illusionist

Female Names

• Hannah – meaning ‘favor’
• Hera – Greek goddess of marriage and birth
• Hestia – Greek goddess of the hearth
• Honey – a sweet, simple name
• Hope – a good name for your first rat

Rat Names Starting with I

Male Names

• Ian – meaning ‘gift’
• Ice – a good name for a white rat
• Ingalls – from The Little House on the Prairie
• Ivan – meaning ‘God is gracious’

Female Names

• Iggy – a funny but cute name
• Isabella -meaning ‘devoted’ or ‘beautiful’
• Ivy – a charming name
• Izzy – short for Isabella

Rat Names Starting with J

Male Names

• Jackson – meaning ‘son of Jack’ making it the perfect name for your grandrat if the father’s name was Jack
• Jerome – after the saint of the same name
• Jet – a good name for your inky black or grey rat
• Jin – meaning ‘bright and beautiful’
• Joe – nickname for Joseph
• Jon – meaning ‘gracious’
• Joseph – meaning ‘increase’
• Justin – from the Rats of NIMH

Female Names

• Jacky – a feminine version of Jackson
• Jenna – after the Youtuber Jenna Marbles
• Jenny – a variation of Ginny
• Jolene – meaning ‘increase’
• Josie – meaning ‘gracious’

Rat Names Starting with K

Male Names

• Kendall – meaning ‘river’
• Kenny – meaning ‘fireborn’
• Khaki – a good name for a brown rat
• Kyle – a great name for the ‘bro’ rat

Female Names

• Kelly – meaning ‘bright’
• Kiki – a cute name
• Kim – after Kim Kardashian
• Kiwi – a cute, funny name

Rat Names Starting with L

Male Names

• Lex – meaning ‘defender of men’ so not the best name for the temperamental rat
• Liam – meaning ‘the helmet of will’
• Link – from the game Legend of Zelda
• Linus – after Charlie Brown’s best friend
• Lord – a strong, elegant name
• Lou – a simple name for a simple rat
• Lucky – for your luckiest rat

Female Names

• Lady – an elegant, fancy name
• Lana – after Lana del Rey
• Lisa – meaning ‘oath’
• Lorde – after the hit pop singer
• Lucile – meaning ‘light’
• Lucy – from I Love Lucy
• Luna – relating to the moon

Rat Names Starting with M

Male Names

• Marble – a cute name for a multicolor rat
• Marshmallow – a funny but cute name
• Mickey – after the Disney mouse
• Milo – from Milo and Otis
• Moses – like the biblical figure

Female Names

• Marmalade – a funny, cute name
• Mia – from La La Land
• Minnie – after the Disney mouse
• Muffin – a cute name
• Frisby – from the Rats of NIMH

Rat Names Starting with N

Males Names

• Nacho – a funny name
• Nelly – meaning ‘shining light’
• Nico – meaning ‘victory’
• Nicodemus – from the Rats of NIMH
• Ninja – a good name for an extra agile rat

Female Names

• Nancy – meaning ‘grace’
• Nanny – for the sweet and gentle rat
• Natalie – after Natalie Portman
• Nessie – after the Loch Ness Monster
• Nina – meaning ‘pretty eyes’
• Noir – meaning ‘black goddess’

Rat Names Starting with O

Males Names

• Odin – after the Norse god
• Olaf – from Frozen
• Ollie – meaning ‘peace’
• Onyx – a good name for a black rat
• Oreo – a good name for a black and white rat
• Ozzy – after the rock singer

Female Names

• Olga – meaning ‘holy’
• Olivia – meaning ‘olive’

Rat Names Starting with P

Males Names

• Panda – a good name for a black and white rat
• Patchy – a good name for a rat with multiple colors
• Peanut – a cute name for a rat, especially if they’re brown
• Prince – for a regal rat
• Pretzel – a funny name for the constantly hungry rat

Female Names

• Parsley – a sweet name
• Pea – a sweet name for your smaller rats
• Pearl – a sweet, elegant name
• Phoebe – meaning ‘bright’
• Pinkie – a cute name for the rat with a pink nose or paws
• Pippi – after Pippi Longstocking
• Poppy – from the book series by Avi

Rat Names Starting with Q

Males Names

• Quake – for the strong, hefty rat
• Quincy – meaning ‘fifth’ perfect for your fifth rat
• Quinn – meaning ‘intelligence’

Female Names

• Queen – for the rat that rules the cage with elegance

Rat Names Starting with R

Males Names

• Ralph – from The Mouse and the Motorcycle
• Ratatouille – after the Disney movie
• Ratty – when simple is the way to go
• Remy – from Ratatouille
• Robbie – meaning ‘shining’
• Rocky – a great name for brown rats
• Roy – meaning ‘king’

Female Names

• Rainbow – a cute name
• Raindrop – another cute name
• Rihanna – after the hit singer
• Robin – from the show How I Met Your Mother
• Rosie – a cute, simple name for your rat with the pinkest nose

Rat Names Starting with S

Males Names

• Sage – a wise name
• Smokey – a good name for a grey rat
• Sparky – for a hyper rat
• Speedy – a good name for the rat that runs on its wheel all night long
• Splinter – from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Spunky – for a, you know, spunky rat

Female Names

• Sissy – a cute name for a smaller rat
• Sky – a cute name for a rat that fluffy like a cloud
• Spice – a good name for rats in a band
• Strawberry – a cute, sweet name

Rat Names Starting with T

Males Names

• Templeton – from Charlotte’s Web
• Thor – after the Norse god
• Timothy – from the Rats of NIMH
• Tom – a simple name
• Trojan – like the Trojan horse; full of surprises

Female Names

• Tina – meaning ‘river’
• Tiny – a cute name for your tiny rat
• Twinkle – a cutesy name for the rat with bright eyes

Rat Names Starting with U

Males Names

• Uno – Spanish for ‘one’

Female Names

• Umbra – a good name for dark colored rats

Rat Names Starting with V

Males Names

• Vaughn – meaning ‘small’
• Viktor – from Yuri!!! On Ice

Female Names

• Valerie – meaning ‘strong’
• Vanna – meaning ‘gracious’
• Vixen – for the rather foxy rat
• Vogue – for the rat with the pose

Rat Names Starting with W

Males Names

• Wick – a simple name for the wicked rat
• Wilson – meaning ‘desire’
• Wonder – a admiral name for your favorite or particularly special rat

Female Names

• Willow – after the beautiful tree
• Winnie – after Winnie the Pooh

Rat Names Starting with X

Males Names

• Xavier – meaning ‘the new house’ perfect for your first rat

Female Names

• Xena – from the show Xena: Warrior Princess

Rat Names Starting with Y

Males Names

• Yankee – after the song
• Yeti – for a particularly ferocious – or should I say, furocious – rat
• Ying – after the symbol
• York – the place in Northern England
• Yuri – from Yuri!!! On Ice

Female Names

• Yang – after the symbol
• Yolanda – from The Muppets

Rat Names Starting with Z

Males Names

• Zipper – a funny name
• Zoro – a fictional character from One Piece

Female Names

• Zelda – from the game Legend of Zelda
• Zuri – meaning ‘beautiful’

If scanning through those 261 names didn’t give you inspiration, here there are in new categories to help you decide – along with a few new ones!

Most Popular Names for Pet Rats

While not the most unique, these names are classics that you can’t go wrong with!

Most Popular Male Rat Names	Most Popular Female Rat Names
Remy	Honey
Whiskers	Cookie
Templeton	Baby
Snowball	Poppy
Stewart
Ralph

Cute Pet Rat Names

Rats are cute animals, and they deserve a name just as cute as them.

Cute Male Rat Names	Cute Female Rat Names
Beans	Honey
Bear	Baby
Chip	Sissy
Cheese	Sweetie
	Pinkie
	Rosie

Funny Pet Rat Names

Sometimes our rats do funny things. Other times, we do funny things to them. If you want to give your rat a name that’ll make you giggle every time you call them, these names are great!

Funny Male Rat Names	Funny Female Rat Names
Beans	Bagel
Nacho	Dumpling
Corky	Pippy
Chubby	Pea

Famous Pet Rat Names

It wouldn’t be a list of top rat names without including a special list filled with the names of the famous rats that have stolen our hearts, from Ratatouille to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

Famous Male Rat Names	Famous Female Rat Names
Remy	Mrs. Frisby
Templeton	Poppy
Nicodemus	Yolanda the Rat
Splinter
Emile
Timothy

Fancy Pet Rat Names

Rats may have a bad reputation, but they’re actually very clean, intelligent, fancy animals – give them a name to show it!

Fancy Male Rat Names	Fancy Female Rat Names
Lord	Lady
Alexander	Bella
Linus	Delia
Nicodemus	Esther
Templeton	Isabella
Viktor	Willow

Names for Pairs of Pet Rats

Two rats are better than one! Give your furry duo an iconic name to show your love for everything from Greek mythology to Orange is the New Black.

Two Males	Male and Female Pairing	Two Females
Alexander and Hephaestion	Beast and Belle	Mary and Laura
Damon and Pythias	Mickey and Minnie	Poussey and Taystee
Ben and Jerry	Romeo and Juliet	Sansa and Arya
Jekyll and Hyde	Tramp and Lady	Constance and Awkwafina
Batman and Robin	Marlin and Dory	Raven and Chelsea
Tom and Jerry	Charles and Caroline	Mary-Kate and Ashley
Bert and Ernie	Clyde and Bonnie

Unique Pet Rat Names

Rats are unique individuals, so give them a name that’s specials and just for them!

Unique Male Rat Names	Unique Female Rat Names
Lex	Aphrodite
Khaki	Lana
Ares	Bagel
Zeus	Pinkie
Pokey	Rosie
Xavier	Athena

Punny Pet Rat Names

Celebrities and fictional characters are some of the best places to steal names from. They’re even better if you can add a funny, punny twist to them.

Punny Male Rat Names	Punny Female Rat Names
Daniel Ratcliffe	Emma Ratson
Ratticus Finch	Naomi Ratts
Chris Rat

If you have any more great names to share with people tell us in the comment section below!