Science Cat Names

  1. Niels
    • Origin:

      Danish variation of Nicholas; Dutch diminutive of Cornelius
    • Description:

      Gives middle-aged Neil a new lease on life.
  2. Huxley
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "inhospitable place"
    • Description:

      Huxley is an increasingly popular surname-name for baby boys in the US and now is beginning to be used for girls as well. The -ley suffix, usually denoting a place, is common in names for both genders but more often for girls. Last year, about 30 baby girls were named Huxley in the US, versus about 350 baby boys.
  3. Nine
    • Origin:

      Dutch and Frisian diminutive of Katherine, English from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "pure"
    • Description:

      Nine is not a numerical name, but rather a Dutch nickname for Katherine. It's identical in sound to Nina, although the two are etymologically unrelated.
  4. Golden
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "gold colored"
    • Description:

      Like Silver, Golden is a shimmering, metallic color name, similar enough to the likes of Arden, Eden, and Gwendolyn that it might not over dazzle. It could work as an unexpected route to the vintage nickname Goldie or a less floral alternative to Marigold.
  5. Evariste
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "well-pleasing"
    • Description:

      Vanishingly rare in its home country nowadays, this French form of Evaristus belongs to several notable historical figures, including poet Évariste Désiré de Forges de Parny and mathematics prodigy Évariste Galois, who died in a duel at the age of just 20.
  6. Comet
    • Origin:

      Word name, English from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "comet"
    • Description:

      Soaring astral name has a great gender-free feel. It also has a pleasing christmas connotation, courtesy of the reindeer listed in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  7. Horizon
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      A name with vision.
  8. Meilin
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful forest, beautiful rose"
    • Description:

      A good cultural crossover choice for Chinese-American parents, Meilin has a beautiful meaning, an on-trend sound, and is straightforward in terms of pronunciation in an English-speaking environment. Meilin is also the name of the protagonist of Pixar's film, Turning Red.
  9. Aletta
    • Origin:

      Dutch from Germanic
    • Meaning:

      "noble, nobility"
    • Description:

      A form of Adelaide (and therefore related to Alice, too) used in the Netherlands. The country's first female physician was Aletta Jacobs. In the USA, Aletta is rare, but on a slight upward trend. It fits perfectly into the sweet spot of being deep-rooted and straightforward, yet barely used, and has Etta and Lettie as potential nicknames.
  10. Jemison
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "son of James"
    • Description:

      A variant of Jameson or Jamison, borne by the first Black woman in space, former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison.
  11. Ion
    • Origin:

      Romanian and Basque variation of John
    • Description:

      A cross between Ian and a group of atomic particles.
  12. Ultima
    • Origin:

      Latin, Italian
    • Meaning:

      "last"
    • Description:

      An uncommon Latin and Italian name which would make a fitting choice for a final baby – but be aware that many would associate it with the cosmetics brand or the Ultimo brand of lingerie.
  13. Million
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      The most common of the -illion numerical names, which are rising up the ranks.
  14. Comet
    • Origin:

      word name
    • Description:

      This cosmological name has a zippy feel that might work well for the galactic parent looking for the perfect name for their own little star.
  15. Solstice
    • Origin:

      English from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "when the sun stands still"
    • Description:

      Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother. But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021, and it was last on the charts for boys in 2018, when six baby boys got the name.
  16. Gravity
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Spacey.
  17. Meridian
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "midday / pinnacle"
    • Description:

      In geography, a meridian is a line drawn around the curve of the Earth between the North and South Poles. The term comes from Latin meridianus, meaning "pertaining to midday", and the association with midday has led to the word gaining an added figurative meaning of "pinnacle; culmination".
  18. Trig
    • Origin:

      English form of Trygve, Norse
    • Meaning:

      "trustworthy"
    • Description:

      While it might sound like a purely mathematical option, Trig is considered an Anglicized form of the Old Norse name, Trygve (pronounced TRUYG-vuh or TREEG-vuh, depending on region), which means "trustworthy" — a quality many parents would value. Also written as Trigg and Tryg, international variants include the Icelandic Tryggvi (TRIK-vee) and the Swedish Tryggve.
  19. Blackwell
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "black well or stream"
    • Description:

      Dark.
  20. Helix
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a curve in three-dimensional space"
    • Description:

      A scientific word name that would work wonderfully as a given name, given its similarity to Felix.

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