Pet Names · Cat Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Roman god of the sea, freshwater springs, and horses.
This Roman mythology (and planet) name would be very hard to handle. It derives from a root meaning cloud.
Czech diminutive of Susan
"lily"
This sizzling nickname Zuzu is heard every Christmas as the name of Jimmy Stewart's little girl in "It's a Wonderful Life," but we love it all year round as a lively alternative to double names like…
English
"peacock"
An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of…
Hebrew
"not exalted"
Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab in the Hebrew Book of Kings, has long had a bad girl reputation. But in the modern secular world, this is somewhat mitigated by the feminist perspective of her as a…
English word name
"a day of religious observance and abstinence from work"
Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son. But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which…
Word name
"spell, curse, bringer of bad luck"
Jinx, a James Bond heroine name has an ominous meaning but kinetic energy. In the film "Die Another Day," the actual first name of the character played by Halle Berry is Giacinta. It could therefore…
Dagger is one of the new badass baby names , a sharp and scary choice that some parents may feel arm their child for battle in a cruel modern world.
"exposure to injury, pain, harm, or loss"
Prime example of the aggressive word names that are an off-the-grid branch of the new macho names. Makes Cannon, Maverick, and Ranger feel almost soft and sensitive by comparison.
Bird name
There is a whole new species of bird names open to the baby namer, from the light and feminine Lark to the sleek and powerful Falcon.
African place-name, Nigeria
"honor, tribute"
Kanye West propelled his name into the Top 900 in the early 2000s, at the height of his popularity, though now it has dropped off the baby-naming map. In addition to its African derivation, it is a…
An ubercool and mysterious name, brought to you by director M. Night Shyamalan.
Modern invented name
Cersei Lannister is one of the most villainous -- and, in a certain light, glamorous -- characters in HBO's Game of Thrones , played by beautiful actress Lena Headey. Though we can't say for sure how…
"sun dance"
Long synonymous with the American outlaw Harry Longabaugh, aka The Sundance Kid, who got his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was incarcerated as a teenager. The place name…
Greek
"demi-god"
Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their…
Polish
"glory of the Wends"
Should only be used when singing Christmas carols.
Latin
"heavy, dull"
Brutus is the quintessential brute--far too close to the word brutal. And any child with this name would spend much of his life hearing "Et tu." Originally an old Roman family name, borne by Marcus…
Wrecker is a new entry to the newly trendy group of badass baby names -- names mostly for boys that sound wild (or Wilder) and summon the kind of kid that races around (Racer), breaking things…
Wildly optimistic -- and unrealistic -- choice.
American invented name from Louisiana Creole
You know who Beyonce is. One of the most famous people in the world. When she was born, her name was truly unique; it was a riff on her mom's maiden name, Biyence, with an accent over the final E.…
English diminutive of Beatrice or any other B name
High-kicking cohort of Coco, Gigi, Fifi, Kiki, et al.
