Cat Names That Mean Moon
Cat names that mean moon go far beyond the mega-popular Luna. If you are looking for a lunar-inspired cat name for your kitty, look no further.
Female cat names that mean moon include the names of a variety of moon goddesses, including Selene, Artemis, and Hecate. Other names that mean moon and moonlight are Esmeray, Runa, and Livana. Female cat names related to the moon that are currently trending include Luna, Ayla, and Diana.
Male cat names that mean moon may be short and spunky, like Ziri and Reito, or they may be more elaborate, such as Moonglade or Aydemir. Male cat names that mean moon currently trending include Luan and Artemis.
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- Luna
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"moon"Description:
The name of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna is derived straight from the Latin word for moon, luna. Luna’s divine complement is Sol, the god of the Sun. In Roman art, Luna is often depicted driving a chariot.
- Ayla
Origin:
Hebrew, or TurkishMeaning:
"oak tree, or halo, moonlight"Description:
Tired of Ava and Isla? Consider Ayla, a more offbeat choice and a lovely name that means light as well as tree. Its literary reference is the independent and feisty heroine of Jean Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear.
- Cynthia
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"moon goddess or, woman from Kynthos"Description:
Cynthia is an attractive name -- in classical mythology an epithet for Artemis or Diana -- that was so overexposed in the middle of the twentieth century, along with its nickname Cindy, that it fell into a period of benign neglect, but now is ripe for reconsideration in its full form.
- Diana
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"divine"Description:
Diana, the tragic British princess, inspired many fashions, but strangely, not one for her name. For us, Diana is a gorgeous and still-underused choice.
- Selene
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"moon goddess"Description:
Selene may be the mythological Greek original, but Latin variation Selena is used more often in the US these days. Selene is the Greek goddess of the moon, sister of Helios the sun god. Selene is also sometimes called Cynthia and Phoebe. The name may be related to the word selas, which means light, and is one of the loveliest of the Greek goddess names.
- Selena
Origin:
Latinized variation of Greek SeleneMeaning:
"moon goddess"Description:
Selena is smooth, shiny, and sensual, a nineteenth-century name that found new life in the Latino community, following the biopic of slain Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, starring Jennifer Lopez. But you don't have to be Latin to love Selena, which is both distinctive yet in step with stylish modern names such as Seraphina and Celia.
- Luan
Origin:
PortugueseMeaning:
"moon"Description:
Luan is a handsome, unusual boy's name with surprisingly diverse origins. It's a rare Portuguese name meaning "moon", an Albanian name meaning "lion", a Vietnamese name meaning "justice; ethics", and a Gaelic name meaning "hound; warrior".
- Artemis
Origin:
Greek mythology nameMeaning:
"safe or butcher"Description:
Artemis, one of the key figures of the female Greek pantheon, is the ancient virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, childbirth, and a protector of young girls, later associated with the moon. Artemis is the equivalent to the Roman Diana, but a fresher and more distinctive, if offbeat, choice.
- Artemis
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"butcher"Description:
Although it could well sound masculine, Artemis was actually the Greek goddess of the moon, the equivalent of the Roman Diana. Also spelled Artemas and Artemus, this name has a mythological, historical, Three Musketeer-ish ring.
- Zira
Origin:
Berber, TamazightMeaning:
"moonlight"Description:
Attractive but uncommon name which has been used as a character name in several movies, including The Lion King II and Planet of the Apes. Ziri and Tiziri are variants.
- Runa
Origin:
Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, JapaneseMeaning:
"secret lore; moon"Description:
A strong and stylish alternative to the super-fashionable Luna, with a double background as a Scandinavian and Japanese name. It's the female form of the Nordic male name Rune, meaning "secret lore", and also a Japanese name meaning "moon" – making this an undiscovered celestial choice.
- Esmeray
Origin:
TurkishMeaning:
"dark moon"Description:
Lovers of Esme might also like this beautiful Turkish name, with its mysterious meaning. The last syllable sounds like "rye".
- Lua
Origin:
PortugueseMeaning:
"moon"Description:
Properly spelled Luã, this is a light and bright alternative to mega-popular Luna, with the same celestial meaning. Lua is also an attractive choice for tech-heads, with Lua being a popular programming language.
- Aylin
Origin:
TurkishMeaning:
"of the moon"Description:
This Turkish name has some of today's most popular sounds, especially the -lin ending. However, it has a bit of traditional origin to set it apart from just being another trendy invention.
- Mitsuki
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"full moon; beautiful moon; moonlight; snake vessel"Description:
Traditionally, this name is written with kanji that give it lovely meanings of "full moon," "moonlight," or similar. The character Mitsuki in Naruto uses kanji that denote the meaning "snake vessel," appropriate given he can summon magical snakes.
- Aelin
Origin:
Literary name, possibly inspired by Turkish or IrishMeaning:
"moon, light or desired"Description:
This character name from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas has an ancient appeal, even though it seems to be a modern coinage. It may have been inspired by similar sounding names, like the Turkish Aylin ("of the moon") or the Irish Eileen, a form of Helen or Aveline.
- Hecate
Origin:
Greek mythology nameMeaning:
"willpower or far-reaching"Description:
In Greek mythology, Hecate is associated with witchcraft and magic. The name may mean "willpower" or "far-reaching".
- Mayar
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"moonglow"Description:
Mayar is one of those names that has a host of different meanings across cultures. It's the name of a tribe and several places near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. It's a mountain in Scotland. It's a variant spelling of Hebrew Mayer. It's an Arabic name apparently meaning "moonglow." It's a Spanish verb meaning "to meow."
- Celina
Origin:
Greek, FrenchMeaning:
"moon or heavenly"Description:
A light and pretty pan-cultural name which can be considered a variant of either the Greek name Selene or Selena, meaning "moon", or of the French Celine, meaning "heavenly". An attractive choice that is surprisingly rare in the US: out of the Top 1000 since 2006.
- Chandra
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"goddess of the moon"Description:
Chandra is the name of the Hindu moon goddess last groovy when incense and meditation were hot new concepts but a new possibility with the resurgence of astrology and other non-Western spiritual beliefs.