Cat Names · Pet Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 8 pages
of 8
Latin
"cat-like"
This Late Roman name is little-used in modern times, though the feminine forms Feline and Felina are popular in Europe. While some relate it to the happy-go-lucky Felix, it actually has a cat-like…
Arabic
"the northern (star) of the lion's head"
The dramatic-sounding name of a star in the constellation Leo that can be adapted as a unique Arabic name for boys . The similar-sounding Rasselas is the name of an allegorical fable by Samuel…
Feminine form of Felinus, Latin
This Top 100 girls' name in The Netherlands is unlikely to translate to the U.S., where it would undoubtedly pronounced fee-line and mistaken for the adjective that means cat-like. While the name…
Nature name
Several animal names, from Fox to Wolf and even to Tiger, ccan work, but Cougar should stay in its cage. Even John Mellencamp has dropped it.
Feminine variation of Slavic "Ruslan," from the Turkic/Persian word for "Lion"
"Lion"
Singer Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko, who goes by her first name, won the Eurovision contest in 2004 and remains a popular artist in Ukraine.
Choctaw, Native American
"red panther"
Scottish form of Katherine, Greek
"pure"
This Katherine variation, used through Ireland and Scotland, is pronounced like Katrina. The name became popular after the Crusaders brought home stories about the colorful fourth century martyr,…
Dutch diminutive of Catharina
Cato may have risen to new prominence in the English speaking world as an ancient Roman boys' name, popularized by The Hunger Games. But in the Netherlands, it's most widely used as a short form for…
Diminutive of Catherine, Greek
May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge. Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.
Diminutive of Tabitha, Aramaic
"gazelle"
Feline nickname for Tabitha — a bewitching vintage choice.
English word name
"cotton cloth imported from India; a blotched or spotted animal"
A word name with fashionable o -ending that has associations with both the homespun fabric and the mottled cat. Alice Cooper named his daughter Calico decades ago, while it was selected more recently…
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.
Indigenous Australian or Tswana, Sotho
"dusk, twilight; lion"
Tau, which rhymes with cow, is the alphabetical nickname Grimes and Elon Musk chose for their third child, Techno Mechanicus. Tau is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet and a common variable…
French surname
The surname Berlioz appears across Western Europe, notably connected to French composer Louis-Hector Berlioz. The name may be familiar through the gray-furred kitten in the classic Disney film,…
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…
Literary animal name
Tigger is the bouncing not-a-tiger from Winnie the Pooh , a symbol of buoyancy and resilience. As Tigger says in the books, he's "the only one", and it should probably stay that way when it comes to…
Spanish
If Bear and Fox can make it as baby names, why not Tiger. The Spanish Tigre has a more gender-neutral feel.
Greek
"lion honor"
This ancient name, belonging to a 4th century BCE Greek statesman and general, would be one of those unique baby names with lots of more down-to-earth nickname potential, including Tim and Leon.…
Urdu
It's most commonly associated with the French elephant, but Babar ironically means "tiger."
Hebrew
"lion-like"
In the Book of Genesis, Arioch is the King of Ellasar.
