Pet Names · Cat Names
Updated November 2026
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English word name or combination of Mary and Lee
"cheerful, joyful; drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + meadow"
Slightly sing-song and very joyful, with a hint of Melody, a bit of Felicity, and a dash of Truly thrown in, Merrily was briefly popular in the 1940s. It can be considered a smoosh name, blending…
Diminutive of Patricia
"patrician"
Replaced Patsy as the midcentury's popular, peppy babysitter.
Greek
"toad"
A name with a less conventional animal meaning, rescued by the reputation of the Greek courtesan Phryne (more beautiful than Aphrodite, one of the wealthiest women in classical Athens) and the…
Irish
"sea tide"
Hurley is a possibility as a unisex surname-name ending with the "lee" sound. It is perhaps most associated with British actress Elizabeth Hurley, and is much rarer than Harley, because the "ur"…
"sorrow"
Bronagh, along with Anglicized form Brona, is a popular name in Ireland. It's the name of a sixth century mystic as well as a modern television character on Penny Dreadful.
Anglo-Saxon
"bright edge of a sword"
Egbert still suffers somewhat from being used as a stereotypical name for nerds and aristocrats. It would be a surprising choice, but with its edgy meaning and dusty charm, possibly it's so beyond…
English
"famous, brilliant"
Years ago we might have said that this name was unthinkable, but with clunky, old-fashioned names being so popular right now — consider Augustus, Stanley, Wilfred, etc — what's to stop Cuthbert from…
Feminization of Arnold, Dutch, German
"ruler, strong as an eagle"
A clunky and rare feminization of Arnold, Arnoldine may appeal to fans of Albertine, Ottoline, Geraldine, and Bernadette. Meaning "strong as an eagle", this name was notably borne by actress Dorothy…
Norwegian
"Thor's wrath, Thor's courage; Thor's protection"
Derived from the Old Norse name Þórmóðr , this rugged Norwegian name conjures up images of angry storms and striking weather. Associated with the god of thunder, Thor, it was quietly popular in…
"ill-starred"
Desdemona is as Shakespearean as a name can be, but because the beautiful and innocent wife of Othello came to such a tragic end, her name has been avoided for centuries. But at this point in time,…
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
Scottish and English
"from the burnt house"
The final s turns this name into a manservant.
Literary name
"ill will"
Coined by Shakespeare for the main antagonist in his comedy Twelfth Night , the unfortunate Malvolio’s name literally means "ill will". Incidentally, a peace-loving character in Romeo and Juliet…
English from Greek
"stable"
Eustace was originally popularized by St. Eustace, who was born a Norman nobleman and is said to have been converted to Christianity by seeing a crucifix between the antlers of the deer he was…
Variant of Phryne, Literature, Ancient Greek
Used by Shakespeare in his play Timon of Athens , Phrynia is a Shakespearean that hasn't caught on as Ophelia, Jessica, or Imogen have — possibly because of its unusual sounds, its toady meaning,…
Italian
Not the most obvious animal for a nature name, but perhaps for fans of Mr Toad of Toad Hall in The Wind in the Willows .Some may find the pronunciation too close to "baggage" for comfort.
Short form of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Marge used to be as common as Maggie or Megan, ranking on its own in the girls' Top 1000 from 1900 until right after World War II, when so many Old School names fell off the list in favor of a new…