Pet Names · Cat Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 122 pages
of 122
Literary name
"tiger"
Rudyard Kipling created the name Bagheera for the black panther character in his classic collection The Jungle Book . It was derived from the Hindi word bagh , meaning "tiger." Today, Bagheera is a…
English
"dweller at the white cliff"
Haitian-born rap superstar and humanitarian Wyclef ("Fugees") Jean has lent this name a powerful musical beat.
Latin, from Greek, variation of Xanthos
"golden-haired"
Spelt Xanthos in Greek, this alternate name for Apollo has a noble sound (pronounced ZHAN-thus) and can always be shortened to Xan.
Icelandic variation of Ylva, Scandinavian
"wolf"
One of the top Icelandic girl names. It's very pretty — if you know how to pronounce it.
Word name or diminutive of Barbara
You can call your baby "babe," but don't name her that.
Feminine variation of Ulf, Scandinavian
Ylva may look like it belongs with the Eva family of names, but it actually derives from Ulf, a name meaning "wolf." It's not a very intuitive name to English-speakers, and likely won't get picked up…
Urdu
It's most commonly associated with the French elephant, but Babar ironically means "tiger."
Norse, Scottish Gaelic, “summer traveler”
A rare and evocative name which calls to mind warm, endless summer days. This is an Anglicized form of the Old Norse name Sumarliði, also found in Scottish Gaelic as Somhairle (pronounced SO-ar-lee).…
Turkish
"iron moon"
Like many other popular Turkish name, Aydemir is a strong option deriving from the root ay meaning "moon".
"voyager on foot"
This outdoorsy occupational name is edgier than Tracker, but has potential. The word Trekker or Trekkie can also refer to fans of the Star Trek franchise.
Japanese
"good girl; ocean child"
There are many in Japan, but for most Americans there's only one Yoko. Yoko Ono writes her name with characters meaning "ocean" and "child".
"from the yew estate"
Brisk, preppy York is an underused classic with the potential to really shine in the 21st century. It's most familiar as a place name — York is a city in England — and surname. New York City and…
"winter solstice"
A possible Christmas name for a baby boy, if you find Noel too mundane. But we fear it doesn't sound very festive.
Hebrew
"a scout of Jehovah"
The "Tz" beginning of Tzofia represents the Hebrew letter tzadi, which is pronounced more like ts. So Tzofia sounds like Sofia with a light t at the beginning — intriguing, but a difficult sound for…
French surname
"noble strength"
A fresh take on the fashionable Audrey and Aubrey, or another novel surname name which seems fitting for either sex.
Italian
"light wind"
A pretty addition to the Au-girl names like Audrey, Aurora and Autumn. The beginning Aur syllable, which often relates to gold, makes this an appropriate and one of the more unusual names for autumn…
Dutch
"travel to battle"
This Dutch name derives from the old Germanic name, Farahild. It is quite common in the Netherlands.
Hungarian variation of Wendell, German
"to travel, to proceed"
Finnish
This elegant Finnish feminization of Wendell is one of those rare names that has never appeared on the US official charts, but is straightforward to spell and say. It has been among the most popular…
Swahili place name from Persian
"black coast"
Zanzibar is an island region off the coast of Tanzania. It's never been recorded as a baby name, but for those with a connection to Zanzibar, it's an intriguing and unique option chock full of zesty…
