Pet Names · Cat Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 10 pages
of 10
French; English
"of the Passover; Easter"
The French-accented Pascal was historically used for sons born at Easter, and can make an interesting choice for a boy with Gallic roots arriving around that holiday. Pascal has a number of notable…
German variation of Frederick
"peaceful ruler"
One of the most familiar German names , with an upright Prussian image. Friedrich might just have been out for long enough to start coming back in.
French form of Latin Augustus
"great, magnificent"
French version of August, for both sexes. And for those who feel the spelling of August is too plain.
Anglicized variation of Welsh Dewi, nickname of Dafydd
"beloved"
Not heard since the 1980s, Dewey shot into the Top 20 in 1898 thanks to the popularity of Spanish-American War naval hero Admiral George Dewey. Dewey has subtle links to his Welsh roots and relation…
Arabic or Semitic
"goddess of the sun"
Nuha is an Arabic name meaning wise, and also a name from Semitic mythology of unknown origin, belonging to an ancient sun goddess.
Latin surname and Native American
"people of the standing rock"
Seneca was both a Roman philosopher-statesman and is a Native American Iroquois tribe. Occasionally used for both girls and boys, Seneca is now a Hunger Games character.
Russian, Sanskrit
"victor; house"
Sharp and spiky with international potential, as a feminine name, Nikita has its roots in Hindi, Marathi, and ultimately Sanskrit. It comes from niketa , meaning "home, habitation", and may also be…
English word name
"secret"
Runes are symbols in ancient Germanic alphabets. They are often viewed as mysterious and therefore as a name, Rune imparts a feeling of folkloric mystery. As intriguing as that might be, the homonym…
Latin
"stern"
The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories. Nero was born Lucius Domitius…
Greek
"superior; the best purpose"
The great philosopher's name is commonly used in Greek families, and is one that could work for daring, philosophical American ones. With user friendly nicknames such as Ari, Aris, Artie, and Ris,…
French
"noble type"
A chic and sassy French choice, popular in France but likely to be confused with the more prosaic Alex in English-speaking countries. Although sometimes used in the US as a variant spelling of Alex,…
British surname
Easy (Ezekiel) Rawlins is the hard-boiled detective created by Walter Mosley.
Literary name, variation of Harriet
A pretty, dainty name for one of the little characters in the children's book series The Borrowers . It was the basis for a later Studio Ghible animated film, The Secret World of Arrietty . While the…
Seneca's distinguished heritage as the name of the ancient Roman philosopher-playwright who tutored Nero, and of an Iroquois tribe makes this an interesting choice for either sex.
Tupi, Finnish variation of Tatiana, Russian
"morning star; secret"
A pretty, multicultural choice, Taina has its origins in South America and in Europe. As a Tupi name, Taina (also written as Tainá) means "morning star" and has been a popular choice in Brazil since…
Hispanic
This is another example of a name propelled into usage by a celebrity. Prior to 2015, Jonael had only been given to more than 4 boys in a given year once; that year was 2004, when 6 boys in the US…
"eagle"
An evocative ancient word that's used as a first name in the New Testament, among other places. It's also the name of an eagle-shaped constellation. That said, contemporary interest in the name…
English
"peasant, farmer; connection"
For 007 fans, a great middle name choice -- or even a first, Bond fits into the trend of one-syllable surname-style names like Banks, Brooks, Boone, Beck, and Briggs. As an English surname, it comes…
Sanskrit, one of the names of the Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, better known as Buddha, was the founder of the Buddhist philosophy and religion in 6th Century BCE. Born a nobleman, Buddha left a world of privilege and wealth to take up a more…
Sanskrit
"filled with knowledge"
Almost unknown in the western world, Gyan comes from a Sanskrit word for knowledge. It may appeal to parents looking for a name influenced by eastern philosophy, like Bodhi or Zen.
