Pet Names · Cat Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 122 pages
of 122
Short form of Theresa, English, Greek, or Cornish
"to harvest; third"
While Tessa is now preferred, this slightly sharper diminutive of Theresa was the more familiar option in the early 20th-century. It enjoyed a brief return to the US charts in the 60s and 70s but is…
Finnish
"wind"
A sweet and intuitive Finnish word name. The double U's up the quirkiness, for English speakers at least. Also used in Estonia, notable bearers include actress Tuuli Narkle, cartoonist Tuuli Hypén,…
Hindi
"rain"
This Indian name with a Slavic sound definitely has potential.
English
"windy"
And her sisters, Stormy and Sunny.
English diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
"pledged to God"
Although she declared her independence as far back as the reign of Elizabeth I — Good Queen Bess, Bess now sounds less passé than Beth or Betsy.
Word name, English from Hindi
"fine, downy wool"
Cashmere is soft, luxurious — and way out of the ordinary. One of the unique names found in The Hunger Games series, you might be surprised to learn that this fabric name has been appearing in the US…
Yiddish
"dark, black"
Popular name in Israel, worth considering for a dark-haired daughter with a bit of a bohemian cast.
Greek
"gold flower"
One of the rarest of the flower names, that of the blossom celebrated in Japan as a symbol of the sun and a possible object of meditation. One of the rare flower names counted among names for autumn…
Word name
"ashes, partly burnt coals"
More distinctive than Ella, if you're inspired by Cinderella, a rarer alternative to popular Ember, perhaps, or even a modern spin on Cindy. Cinder is the name given to partially burnt wood or coals…
Hindi; Sanskrit
"wealthy"
Soft and lovely option.
Italian
"split"
Haute couture baby names are on the rise — particularly Dior, Armani, and Kenzo. Fendi is among them but is still exceedingly rare, with only 8 baby girls given the name in 2024. Borrowed from the…
English variation of Georgios, Greek
"farmer"
For girls, typically used as a nickname for names such as Georgia and Georgiana, although Orange is the New Black stars Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli recently used it as a full name for their…
"demi-god"
Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their…
Medieval variation of Esther, Persian
"star"
The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter 's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an…
Greek mythology name
Io may be one of the slightest names in the book, but there aren't many two-letter names with as much substance as this Greek mythological example. Io, a name used for the largest moon of Jupiter,…
Spanish, Greek
"rainbow"
Iridiana is a name, predominantly used in Mexico, used as an even more elaborate form of Iridián. Both of these names are related to the Greek name Iris, who in Greek mythology was the…
"fate"
The next Destiny? Kismet seems like it might be fated for increased use.
English word name
"liquid, molten rock"
Molten rock from volcanos, and now a red-hot baby name possibility.
A name that's appeared out of thin air, in the same vein as such mystical favorites as Destiny and Nevaeh.
French
"blackbird"
A sleek, smooth, understated name off the grid in the US but among the Top 100 girl names in Germany. In the US, it is a unisex name, while in Germany and the Netherlands, it is predominantly…
