Pet Names · Cat Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 30 pages
of 30
Literary name or short form of Jedidiah, Hebrew
"Beloved by the Lord"
Star Wars fans may know the lore behind the origin of the word and the concept Jedi well enough to confidently choose their name for their child. It has to do with balancing the forces of the…
Latin
"Roman messenger god"
Adventurous parents are starting to look back to names of ancient gods like Mercury, Zeus, and Apollo. This one is also a planet and a metallic element, and has a friendly nickname, Merc. The Roman…
English
"large curl"
Though Davy Crockett is a childhood hero, a frontiersman, soldier, politician, congressman and prolific storyteller. But be aware that "crock" is American slang for a lot of nonsense or something…
Greek mythology name
"cassia juice"
Cassiopeia, the name of a mythological mother who became a stellar constellation, is challenging but intriguing, and has all those softening Cass nicknames available. And with all names Cass-related…
Greek
"gold"
Cressida is a golden, mythological, and Shakespearean name, much better known in Britain than it is in the US. Given to just 11 American girls in a recent year — though still the highest number on…
French
"flower"
Fleur is a generic, delicate flower name that emigrated into the English-speaking world when John Galsworthy bestowed it on one of the Forsytes in his celebrated saga. More recently, there was Fleur…
Diminutive of Jocelyn or Joseph, German
"member of the Gauts tribe; Jehovah increases"
Succinct and to the point, Joss may appeal to those who enjoy the likes of Jude, Jesse, Jem, and Ozzy. Brought into the spotlight by Joss Whedon , creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Angel and…
Roman god of the sea, freshwater springs, and horses.
This Roman mythology (and planet) name would be very hard to handle. It derives from a root meaning cloud.
"story of Odysseus; long journey"
Odyssey is a rare and weighty word name — following the footsteps of Hero, Legend, Prosper, and Story. Despite its literal connection to Odysseus, Homer's epic hero, Odyssey has always been slightly…
Variation of Otho
"wealth, fortune"
Possibly created as an elaboration of Otho or Otto, Othello is almost exclusively associated with Shakespeare's 1603 tragedy of the same name. Borne by a Moorish General who is tricked and…
German
"bear"
Benno is a cool name in its own right -- there was a tenth century Saint Benno -- though it is also used as a lively nickname for Benjamin. Saint Benno of Meissen is the patron saint of anglers and…
Variation of Sosi, Armenian, or diminutive of Susan or Sophie, Hebrew, Greek
"palm tree; lily; wisdom"
Sweet and cosy but with substance too, Sosie is a rare, multicultural name. Used as a short form of Susan, Sosan, Sophie and Sophia, it could make a fresh alternative to Suzy, Izzy, or Josie;…
Scottish
"windy place"
Guthrie, one of the most attractive Scottish names that's also a surname, has a particularly romantic, windswept aura, with a touch of the buckaroo thrown in. Guthrie's folkie quality is tied to the…
English variation of Barnabas, Aramaic
"son of consolation"
Barnaby, a genial and energetic name with an Irish-sounding three-syllable lilt, is an ancient appellation that manages to be both unusual and highly attractive and deserves to be used more than it…
Romani
"I awake"
Django — the D is silent as most everyone now knows — the nickname of the great Belgian-born jazz guitarist Django (originally Jean Baptiste) Reinhardt, makes a dynamic musical choice for…
Word name and literary name
Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs.…
Welsh and Galician variation of James and Jacob
Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello , was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.
English word name
"cardinal direction of north"
A lot of attention was drawn to this name when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced it as the name of their baby daughter, making it instantly unisex. North is a word name that's long been used,…
English, variation of Jessamine
"jasmine flower"
Jessamy and big sister Jessamine are all but unknown in the U.S., but make distinctive alternatives to overexposed Jessica, Jessie, and Jasmine.
Irish
"from the meadow"
Variation of Cluny best only if you're a major George fan. And even then, better go with George, Georgia, or Georgiana.
