Cat Names · Pet Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
Egyptian
"son of God"
Ramses was the name of several kings in Ancient Egypt, including the long-reigning Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great. Unfortuntely, some may associate it with the condom brand name.
Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Slovak, Czech, English
"willow tree; God is gracious; yew tree; bow warrior"
Short, sweet, and sharp, this multicultural choice is currently popular in Croatia, Czechia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. While not in the charts elsewhere, it is familiar in English…
Russian variation of George
Common Russian name familiarized here via cosmonaut Yury Gagarin and a character in Dr. Zhivago , but we don't see it ever gaining permanent resident status.
Slavic
"great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world"
Vladimir is a cultured and deep-rooted Slavic name associated in this country with cultural figures including piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz and the author of Lolita , Vladimir Nabokov. The name…
Latin
"love, desire"
The name of a heavenly planet and the Roman goddess of beauty and love was an intimidating no-no until tennis champ Venus Williams put an athletic, modern spin on it. Associated with the Greek…
German, from a pet form of Mathias
Diesel, which you can think of as a word name for the fuel or as a German surname that derives from a pet form of Matthew or Mathias, is a new entry to the American name lexicon thanks to celebrities…
Diminutive of William, German
"resolute protection"
A common surname that was popular as a given name in the late 19th and early 20th century, Willis dropped off the US Top 1000 back in the early 90s, just as alternative William diminutive, Liam,…
"to fight"
Boris is one of the old Russian names being revived by chic Europeans; it hasn't quite made a comeback yet in the U.S., but it does have potential. For a long time the name has been associated with…
Slavic variation of Helga, Norse
"holy"
This Slavic form of the Norse name Helga is a classic in many Slavic countries, including Russia and Poland, where it currently ranks within the Top 100 girl names. It has historically ranked among…
Russian, Greek
"defending men"
Alexei could well join the legion of Alex names popular in the US. There are countless opportunities to liven up Alexander, and Alexei (or Alexey) is one of the most straightforward and appealing.
Greek
"glory of the father"
A royal name in ancient Egypt that's never quite made it to the modern world, though nickname Cleo is widely used. Other now-extinct Cleopatra diminutives, including Cleora and Cleola, achieved some…
Russian, diminutive of Ekatarina, Russian variation of Katherine
"pure"
One of the warm and earthy Russian nickname names now coming into style. Denzel Washington gave his daughter the Katia spelling.
"royal child, prince"
Portrayed as having a human body with the head of a jackal, Anubis is the Ancient Egyptian god who guided the dead to the underworld. Also known as the protector of graves, the god of funeral rites,…
Word name or diminutive of Rocco
"rock or rest"
Rock definitely has a macho image, if a somewhat caricatured one, ala The Rock. But with the rise of word names and also of tough guy names, Rock feels more plausible than it did a generation ago.
Dmitry is a masculine name of Russian origin, serving as the Slavic form of Demetrius, which derives from Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility. The name literally means 'follower…
Osbaldo is a masculine name with Spanish and Italian roots, derived from the Germanic name Oswald. The original Germanic elements 'os' meaning 'god' and 'wald' meaning 'power' or 'ruler' combine to…
"sun"
The name of the sun god of Egyptian mythology could only be used in combination with a longer name.
Balkan variation of Tsar, meaning "Caesar or ruler"
"Caesar or ruler"
One way to set up a superiority complex in your child is to call your child Czar as American actor Rockmond Dunbar did in 2016.
"sun god"
Sounds like Horace, looks like the head of a hawk on the body of a human.
Old Norse via Russian
"warrior"
Musical association with Igor Stravinsky, but also Dr. Frankenstein's right-hand man.
