Cat Names · Pet Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 8 pages
of 8
African, Swahili
"mirage"
Lovely African name that you may recognize from The Lion King .
Turkish
"tiger"
A Turkish name with a cool animal meaning that would wear well in the English-speaking world too.
Greek
"tame, domesticated"
This feminine form of Damian projects a positive and lilting image, a distinct contrast to its male counterpart.
"heroic lion"
Alparslan is a combination of the Turkish words alp , meaning "hero," and arslan , "lion." The name is a reference to Alp Arslan, the title given to 11th-century Seljuk sultan Muhammad bin Dawud…
Popular culture, Latin
"catlike"
For many, this is a Disneyfied name: Faline was the sweet doe Bambi fell in love with. The name is possibly based on Feline, a Latin name meaning "cat-like", however other sources suggest it comes…
Persian & Hindi
"lion"
A powerful, storied name, used by countless significant figures throughout history in Central and South Asia, whose appeal in the U.S. may be limited by its near-homonymy with the word "sure."
Variation of Tiger, animal name
Tyger edges animal name Tiger, as in golfer Woods, closer to popular surname name Tyler. Which may not be a bad thing.
Hebrew
Arieh is a form of a Biblical name that can also be spelled Aryeh or Arye. There's also a feminine form, Ariyah. There were 100 boys in the US named Aryeh last year, with a handful given the other…
English
"wife or widow of a Duke"
This title name has not taken off yet in the naming world as others like Duke, King, Royal, and Reign have. Duchess was the name of the elegant and sophisticated cat in the classic Disney film, The…
Maori
A strong Māori nature name, famously borne by director Taika Waititi, who is of Māori descent.
Arabic and Sanskrit
"hope; ruler"
Indian princely title, more exciting than Prince or Duke, that is also a widely-used name for both genders. In the US, the names Rajah and Raja are uncommon: Ten baby boys were named Rajah last year…
Italian
Italian variation of Leon.
"triangular field"
Despite the presidential pedigree, it's still hard to shake the image of the cartoon cat (named after his creator Jim Davis's grandfather). However, there are other Garfields, such as Barbadian…
English variation of Robert
"bright fame"
All varieties of Hob are antiquated nicknames for Robert, though this one has the "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoon association too. It may also be linked to philosopher Thomas Hobbes, giving it a more…
Diminutive of Leonard
Better than Lenny, not as good as Leo, and tightly tied to Tonight Show host Jay Leno.
Mapuche
"jaguar"
A strong and interesting nature name of Native American (Mapuche) origin.
Irish
"cub, Leo"
If you like Dylan, Quinn, or Leo but find them too popular, Quillan could be a distinctive and interesting alternative. It is sometimes connected to the zodiac sign of Leo, making it a cool way to…
Indigenous Australian or Tswana, Sotho
"dusk, twilight; lion"
Tau, rhyming with cow, is a simple straightforward name with roots in two languages and cultures, the Kaurna language spoken by indigenous Australian people or the African Tswana language, a Bantu…
Latin
"lioness"
With male version Leon taking off all over Europe, the female variations, from Leona to Leonie to Leone, are coming back into style too.
Flower name, from French
"lion's tooth"
The bright yellow weed lends itself to a creative baby name, although we don't recommend the nickname Dandy.
