Pet Names · Cat Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 8 pages
of 8
Latin
"immortal"
Gentle but grandiose and beloved by British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose was a fast rising name in 2022. Entering the UK Top 1000 for the first time and proving…
German, Yoruba
"order, command; return"
Bode is a short and sharp name that has been on and off the US charts since the mid-2000s. Similar to on-trend choices such as Brooks, Beau, Boone, Brody, and Bodhi, Bode suffers a little, perhaps…
Diminutive of Henry, English, German
"estate ruler"
Harry is the medieval English form of Henry, which derived from the Germanic name Heimrich, meaning "estate ruler." Harry was the nickname of all eight King Henrys; it is also a diminutive of Harold…
Diminutive of Griselda
"gray fighting maid"
Classified as an early beauty, Zelda has long and often been used as such for characters in books and films. Since 1986, Zelda has been a prime Nintendo name, as in the Legend of Zelda: Twilight…
Hebrew
"son of"
Ben, the diminutive of Benjamin or Benedict, can easily stand on its own as a simple, strong, nice-guy choice, though it's somewhat attenuated. Ben is this generation's Bob or Bill.
Turkish
"saint, holy person"
Eren ranks among the Top 50 boys' names in Turkey, among the Top 1000 in England and Wales, and is virtually unknown in the US. With a sound that's similar to Aaron or Erin, it may be mistaken for…
Welsh
"white shadow, white wave"
Guinevere was the name of the beautiful but ill-fated queen of Camelot, for so many years eclipsed by its modern Cornish form Jennifer. Today, Guinevere could be a cool possibility for adventurous…
Diminutive or variant of Sebastian, Latin, Greek
"man of Sebastia"
A name that sounds both arty and rough-and-tumble, Bastian can be used as either a short form or a stand-alone variant of elegant Sebastian. Also spelled as Bastien, Bastiaan, and Bastían, it notably…
English
"strip of clearing in the woods"
With its surname-style, literary feel, and similarity in sound to Finley, Juniper, Pippa, Riley, and Presley, Ripley is an unexpected choice that was given to more than 200 girls in each recent year.…
Japanese, Latin
"water lily, lotus, romantic love, move forward; reborn"
A very popular unisex name in Japan, Ren is a concise and versatile choice that could work across multiple languages. A rising star in England and Wales where it ranks in the Top 1000, it is also on…
English color and flower name
"purple flower"
Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names…
Irish
"holly tree"
Cullen is an appealing Irish surname name that upped its cool factor considerably when it became the Twilight family name of Edward et al. It's considerably less popular than it was at its peak in…
Arabic, Sanskrit, Azerbaijani, Hebrew
"merchant; woods, grove; variant of Canaa; low, humble"
Kanan is multicultural name with a number of different origins, making it a versatile choice that travels well. A Top 50 choice in Azerbaijan, Kanan also made a brief appearance in the US Top 1000 in…
Welsh, variation of Ambrose
Magical and powerful, but gentle and approachable too, Emrys is a Welsh name which may be worth considering if you're looking for something less common that Dylan, Evan, or Morgan. An offbeat epithet…
Literature, Sindarin, Welsh
"noble maiden; fair, blessed"
Best known as the princess of the Elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings , Arwen is a fantasy-inspired choice that feels perfectly down to earth. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 400, making it one of…
Japanese
"ocean wave"
An aquatic Japanese choice that would work well cross-culturally. American parents are starting to pick up on this short and sweet international choice, with over 100 baby girls in the US receiving…
Greek
"seer, prophetess"
The image of the lovely Lady Sybil, tragic youngest daughter of the Crawley family on Downton Abbey is likely to go a long way towards reviving this almost forgotten name, off the list since 1966 and…
Literary name
"horse lover"
A literary name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for a Lord of the Rings noblewoman of Rohan. Properly spelled with an accent over the first E – Éowyn – it would make an interesting choice for literature…
Literature
"king"
The name of the King of Rohan in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings , supposedly a translation of Rohirric Tûrac ("king"). Tolkien based the Rohirric language on Old English.
Greek from Latin
"dragon"
For as long as we all shall live, Harry Potter's sneering nemesis.
