Pet Names · Cat Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 122 pages
of 122
English from Latin
"pebbly place"
Calloway is one of those irresistibly jaunty, animated three-syllable surnames, like Sullivan, Rafferty and Finnegan — but this one has the added attraction of jazzy ties to the immortal "Dean of…
English Surname
"meadow with coarse grass"
We can't account for the popularity of this name, for either a boy or a girl, given the first syllable, the tacky connotations with a luxury car, and the range of other options which are more…
Hebrew
"God will hear"
Ishmael is most familiar through "Call me Ishmael," the opening line spoken by the youthful narrator of Moby-Dick . Few American parents have followed that advice, though the Spanish and Arabic…
Portuguese variation of John
"God is gracious"
A Portuguese classic, typically spelled with a tilde over the A. Many members of the Portuguese royal family were named João, and today it’s associated with a number of Portuguese and Brazilian…
Diminutive of Montgomery, Norman, Spanish
"man power; mountain"
Monte, pronounced with two syllables as brother Monty, is an old-fashioned nickname-name that's reclaiming a certain amount of dash and charm. It was recently chosen by actor Guy Pearce--which may…
Spanish
"bold wolf"
Romanticizes Rudolph and distances the name from the red-nosed reindeer. After remaining steadily in the US Top 500 for much of the twentieth century, Rodolfo has been slipping of late.
English from German
"ruler, strong as an eagle"
Strange as it may now seem, the venerable St. Arnold was a Greek by birth, a musician who became a member of the court of Charlemagne. The name is said to have been introduced into Britain by the…
Latin
"blind"
Once a powerful Roman clan name, Cecil has lost much of its potency over the years, though it retains a strong presence in the sports and jazz worlds. Past bearers include film giant Cecil B.…
Nature name
"dove, a bird"
One of the new bird names, like Lark and Wren, this one's associated with the billing and cooing sounds of love. Soft and gentle, Dove also has the admirable association with peace. Dove was actually…
Diminutive of June
A cute nickname, but June is a much better bet for the birth certificate.
German, diminutive of Siegfried and Sigmund
"victorious peace; victorious protection; victory"
Perhaps the ultimate nicknamey name, Ziggy manages to sound cool, cutesy, spiky, and energetic all at once. It brings to mind the glam-rock of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the cool vibes of reggae…
"bright"
The name of the guardian angel in It's a Wonderful Life is rarely heard the rest of the year because of its studious, near-nerdy image, but this could change in the current naming climate. An English…
Diminutive of Janet, Jane, Jean, and Jennifer
At the height of the Jennifer craze, many parents were cutting straight to the nickname and putting Jenny on the birth certificate. But now that Jennifer is the mom rather than the daughter, Jenny,…
English
"shield-wolf"
Medieval name without much of a future.
German word name from Slavic
"zeppelin; flail"
In a baby name landscape where word names and names that start with Z are infinitely cool, there are few options for parents who want to combine trends. Zeppelin is one of the best names at the…
Dininutive of Frederick, German
"peaceful ruler"
Just the kind of casual, flippant nickname that upscale Brits are putting on their sons' birth certificates, but few U.S. parents are.
German
"traveling wolf"
A name with plenty of grandeur, but a playful nickname, Wolfgang blends sophistication, wildness, and gothic imagery. While it may feel surprising in this century, it does have an allure for those…
"soft horse or pretty rose"
Rosalind has a distinguished literary history – used and popularized by Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare via one of his most charming heroines, in As You Like It . Along with a bouquet of other Rose…
Spanish place-name; "mountainous"
"mountainous"
Relaxed western place-name that still has some masculine punch, but be warned: this whole posse of similarly trendy names, like Sierra and Dakota, will soon ride toward the sunset.
Scottish
"blade of a sword"
First the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's 1822 novel The Pirate , then a glamorous 1940s debutante, then the troubled twin on Beverly Hills 90210, and now fading in favor of more modern Brenna, Briana,…
