Pet Names · Cat Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 10 pages
of 10
Mesopotamian
"lady of heaven"
An ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war and justice, with a name that fits modern tastes. In recent years it has become a rare but steady fixture near the bottom of the charts, and feels full of…
Latin
"lover of God"
Amadea is a strong and musical feminine form of Amadeus, as in Mozart. In more conservative times, Amadea might have seemed too strange for use on a contemporary baby, but by today's sensibility, it…
Diminutive of Melissa or Cherokee variation of Mary, Greek, Hebrew or Egyptian
"honeybee; drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Dutch
"bitter; beloved; drop of the sea + grace"
Popular Dutch name derived from a combination of Maria (Ria) + Anne, or as a short form of Marianne.
Hungarian and Dutch diminutive of Maria
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Robust and energetic with an even blend of spikiness and elegance, Mariska is a diminutive of Maria, notably used in Hungary and The Netherlands. Internationally, it was brought into the spotlight by…
Welsh
"blessed love"
A famous bearer is Carwyn Jones, leader of the Welsh Labour Party and First Minister of Wales since 2009. Feminine version is Carwen.
Irish
"love, friendship"
Connelly is a rollicking and rare example of the popular surname genre that may work even better for girls. A huge update on Colleen.
Welsh, Greek, French, "love, affection; fierce brightness; beloved"
"love, affection; fierce brightness; beloved"
On one hand, Caron is a place name, deived from the Welsh caru meaning "to love", and therefore related to Carys and Caradoc. Alternatively, it's influenced by the Greek Charon ("fierce brightness"…
Connelly is an open, inviting, and rarely used Irish surname that can make a perfect alternative to the overused Connor or Colin for a boy.
Maori, Hawaiian
"rock; beloved child"
Popular in Hawaii in the first decades of the 20th century, this name also means "rock" in Māori.
English
"loved or royal power"
Also spelled Kedric, this name has a double origin as either a variant of the surname name Kendrick, or a spelling spin on the literary Cedric, used by Sir Walter Scott for a character in his 1819…
English word name or Japanese
"air; love"
Aire is a poetic spelling of the word "air", once widely used in Middle English. Today, it's a brand new baby name, introduced to wider audiences when Kylie Jenner revealed it as the new name of her…
Combination name, Ama + issa
"little lover"
Amarissa is kind of cobbled together from two traditional elements: Ama, which means "love" or "lover" and is found in such more established names as Amabel and Amariah, and -issa, which is a common…
Hindi
"beloved"
An attractive and worldly name for a cherished baby son.
Greek
"love, affection"
Agapi has a sweet meaning of love and affection, but though this name is used in modern Greece, it's one of the Greek names for girls that has not yet emigrated to the US along with so many of her…
Māori
"love"
This beautiful Māori name meaning love (cognate with Hawaiian aloha ) is more wearable than the English word and softer Venus or Aphrodite. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern named her…
Feminine variation of Darrell, French
"dear one, beloved"
Dariel is one of many similar forms and variations of different names—Dara, Dariela, Daria and Darya—that are all unusual and pretty if not quite authentic-feeling.
Russian, Slavic, Yiddish, "love, lover, dear"
"love, lover, dear"
Its association with the word liebe gives this name an endearing, adored aura.
Cornish, English
"beloved day"
A loveday in medieval England was a day when people engaged in a dispute would come together and try to resolve their differences amicably. The name was sometimes given to babies, male or female, who…
English surname
"love joy"
Lovejoy's use as a surname follows that as a nickname. In Medieval times, when many people shared names, nicknames were relied upon to distinguish individuals. Many of these nicknames later became…
