Literary Cat Names

  1. Melchior
    • Origin:

      Dutch from Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "city of the king; king of light"
    • Description:

      The least used of the Three Wise Men's names, but a strong option for bold namers to consider.
  2. Keats
    • Origin:

      English literary name
    • Meaning:

      "kite"
    • Description:

      Poetic and easier to pronounce (it's keets) than Yeats (which is yates). This one of many poets' names to consider, such as Auden, Eliot, Frost, Byron, Lorca, Marlowe, Blake, Emerson and Tennyson, which was used by Russell Crowe.
  3. Lemuel
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "devoted to God"
    • Description:

      Lemuel is a neglected Old Testament name, with the friendly nickname Lem, that we're surprised hasn't been picked up on by parents who have known too many Samuels.
  4. Fitzgerald
    • Origin:

      Irish and Scottish
    • Meaning:

      "son of Gerald"
    • Description:

      Made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Fitzgerald Kennedy; still works best as a middle name.
  5. Aphra
    • Origin:

      Hebrew, variation of Aphrah
    • Meaning:

      "dust"
    • Description:

      Aphra would make an interesting choice-- especially since it's the name of the first professional female writer in English, the seventeenth century's Aphra Behn. Born in 1640, she was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration, and a spy.
  6. Ishmael
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "God will hear"
    • Description:

      Ishmael is most familiar through "Call me Ishmael," the opening line spoken by the youthful narrator of Moby-Dick. Few American parents have followed that advice, though the Spanish and Arabic spelling, Ismael, ranks at Number 362. With its warm and pleasant sound, though, we could see Ishmael tagging along behind Isaiah and Isaac.
  7. Moxie
    • Origin:

      English slang
    • Meaning:

      "aggressive energy, know-how"
    • Description:

      Like Penn Jillette, you can have your own little brash babe.
  8. Austen
    • Origin:

      Literary surname and shortened form of Augustine, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "great, magnificent"
    • Description:

      Parents who love the great English novelist Jane Austen may choose this spelling of the popular name Austin to honor the author of Emma and Pride and Prejudice.
  9. Aerin
    • Origin:

      Tolkien Middle Earth invention, or variation of Erin
    • Description:

      In Tolkien's world, the derivation of this airy name is Elvish. Regular folks might consider it an artsier form of Erin, borne by cosmetics heiress and socialite Aerin Lauder.
  10. Huckleberry
    • Origin:

      Word name and literary name
    • Description:

      Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs. Wild" star Bear Grylls, who, like many parents, will call the boy the much more manageable Huck. It was also the name of a child on TV's West Wing,
  11. Alcott
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "dweller at the old cottage"
    • Description:

      Alcott evokes shades of nineteenth-century New England, and memories of the author of the books Little Women and Little Men. Louisa May Alcott was the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, noted educator, writer and philosopher, and colleague of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
  12. Lolita
    • Origin:

      Spanish, diminutive of Lola and Dolores, Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "lady of sorrows"
    • Description:

      In Nabokov's notorious novel, Lolita is the pet name given by the pedophilic narrator, Humbert Humbert, to his victim: a young girl called Dolores and nicknamed Lola or Lo by her mother. Still, it seems that a few parents are prepared to look past this problematic association, seeing this as a offbeat option for those who defy convention. We would recommend thinking seriously about the background of this name before bestowing it on your daughter.
  13. Charity
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "charity"
    • Description:

      Charity is one of the Big Three abstract virtue names, along with Hope and Faith, though far less widely used than the others. But as Faith, Grace and Hope grow more common, some parents are beginning to look at the more unusual three-syllable choices like Verity, Amity, Clarity and Charity, which sound much fresher and also have that pleasingly rhythmic 'y'-ending sound.
  14. Gulliver
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "glutton"
    • Description:

      Gulliver is an obscure Gaelic surname known almost solely through its literary Travels until actor Gary Oldman used it for his son, instantly transforming it into a lively option. British actors Damian Lewis, of Homeland, and Helen McCrory also have a son named Gulliver.
  15. Tao
    • Origin:

      Spiritual word name, Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "large wave; the path; harmony of the universe"
    • Description:

      Tao is the Chinese word for the underlying harmony of the universe, combining both yin and yang. Extreme kayaker Tao Berman made this one of the spiritual names prime for adoption, and more recently, it has appeared in hit graphic novel and TV series, Heartstopper. Tao rhymes with cow.
  16. Sai
    • Origin:

      Hindi or Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "holy or difference"
    • Description:

      As an Indian name, Sai honors spiritual master Shirdi Sai Baba, who was revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Sai is the name of the young heroine of Kiran Desai's prizewinning The Inheritance of Loss, while Sai De Silva is a Real Housewife of NYC.
  17. Fitzwilliam
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "son of William"
    • Description:

      The Christian name of the dashing Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice— it was his mother's maiden name— is just one of several Fitz names, including Fitzroy, Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick, that could be used to honor a dad named William, Roy, Gerald or Patrick.
  18. Ellery
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "descendant of Hilary"
    • Description:

      Ellery is a rhythmic three-syllable boy's name that is familiar and yet rarely used--and just waiting to be discovered. It's long been identified with Ellery Queen--which was both the pen name of two cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, and the detective they created.
  19. Electra
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "amber, shining, bright"
    • Description:

      Though the plays by Sophocles and Eugene O'Neill and via the "Electra Complex" proposed by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, this name has, unfortunately, become associated with incest and murder.
  20. Gatsby
    • Origin:

      German surname and literary name
    • Meaning:

      "from Gaddesby"
    • Description:

      Gatsby is one of the most famous literary surnames, borne by the titular character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The book's Jay Gatsby gussied up his surname from Gatz, whose meaning is given variously as left-handed, cat, God, and person from Gat. As a first name, it's got a lot of energy and that great literary pedigree.