Pet Names · Cat Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
English place-name
"Capital city of England"
The capital of England makes a solid and attractive twenty-first-century choice in the US where it is currently in the Top 1000. Given to nearly 1000 girls and 200 boys each year, it is a unisex…
Biblical place-name or Arabic
"safe"
Salem is a biblical place-name in Canaan, believed to be the same as Jerusalem. Americans may be more familiar with Salem as the name of the Massachusetts town famous for its witch trials in the late…
English word name
"rule"
Reign is one of a new, ahem, kingdom of word names that suggest a high-born child, joining Royal, Lorde, Titan, Saint, King, Princess, and Noble. We predicted this kind of defining name to be the…
Scottish
"mouth of the Roe river"
Monroe is a presidential name which, thanks to the immortal beauty of Marilyn Monroe, is catching on fast for baby girls. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon chose it for their twin daughter, honoring…
English
"place on a riverbank"
Between 1980s-era television private eye Remington Steele and Remington Arms, this name might seem all-boy. But in 2014, Remington entered the US girls' Top 1000, and it's been rising since. Why?…
Arizona place name and Greek
"dark red"
Phoenix is a New Age name symbolizing rebirth and immortality. It's also a place name, a color name, a mythological name, AND an animal name, combining several of today's hottest trends in one…
Spanish and English
"angel, messenger"
Angel is one of those names that has a very different trajectory for girls and boys. As a female name, it was most popular in the US from the 1970s until the turn of this century, almost breaking…
Dutch place name
"wooded land"
Holland is one of the coolest geographical names, unadorned and elegant, evocative of fine Rembrandt portraits and fields of pink and yellow tulips. It first entered the US Top 1000 for girls in…
Diminutive of Frances, Latin
"from France; free man"
Frankie is a vintage nickname name for girls, with a down-to-earth country feel. It's one of the hottest boyish nicknames for girls, in the forefront of that trend. This renewed interest placed…
Italian surname derived from Ermanno, German, Arabic
"; wish"
A designer baby name that has appeared alongside Gucci, Dior, Chanel, and Fendi in this era of branding everything from your purse to your offspring, Armani is an Italian surname, associated with the…
English occupational surname
"grinder of grain"
Miller is the third-most common surname in the United States and was one of the fastest-rising first names for both girls and boys in 2023. Miller rose nearly 300 places on the girls' side to vault…
French place-name
Paris, a one-time mythical and Shakespearean boys' name, peaked in 2004 at Number 157 at least in part due to the highly publicized Paris Hilton. Michael Jackson used it for his daughter.
English, combination of Brynn + Lee "burnt clearing; hill + meadow"
"burnt clearing; hill + meadow"
Brinley was a surprise entrant to the US Top 1000 in 2009, however, in 2023, it doesn't feel surprising at all. In fact, alternative spellings Brynleigh and Brynlee also rank in the Top 1000, with…
English, word name
Halo is a glowing word name that's both cosmic and spiritual, and with its shiny imagery and bright sounds, it was one of the fasted rising names in 2023. The word "halo" has been used in English…
"crooked mouth"
The seventh most popular surname in Scotland and an alternative to Camryn, Cameron, and Camila, Campbell is a cool, contemporary unisex choice — a no-frills sort of name that nevertheless offers…
Hebrew
"motion"
There is a female figure in the Old Testament named Noa or Noah, whose name derives from the Hebrew No'ah, meaning "motion". The popular Biblical male name Noah (sometimes spelled as the streamlined…
Greek
"of the lyre; songlike; a personal, emotive poem"
Associated with poetry, pop music, and the Greek lyre, Lyric has a light and zippy sound to it and joins the likes of Melody, Harmony, Cadence, and Aria as musical names that have become baby names.…
Word name
Legacy is proof that any attractive-sounding word can be turned into a name, and this one has the added attractions of an inspirational meaning and a cool creative namesake -- hot young artist Legacy…
Variation of Imani, Arabic
"faith"
Popular with Muslim and African-American parents, this virtue name also fits in with the trendy i ending names being seen at the moment. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 1996. Kenyan…
English surname derived from Elijah or Elias or Welsh
"benevolent"
Ellis, a surname used sparingly as a first in the Wallace/Morris period, sounds new now for girls, as a gender-neutral alternative to Ella or Alice. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for girls in 2015.--…
