Pet Names · Cat Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
English variation of Robert
"bright fame"
All varieties of Hob are antiquated nicknames for Robert, though this one has the "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoon association too. It may also be linked to philosopher Thomas Hobbes, giving it a more…
Irish
"descendant of Flannghal"
Long before the vogue of using Irish surnames for girls, writer Flannery O'Connor gave this one some visibility. It has a warm (flannelly) feel and the currently popular three-syllable ee-ending…
Latin
"red-haired"
A feminine form of Rufus, which has potential in the current trend for ancient Roman names.
Greek
"gold flower"
One of the rarest of the flower names, that of the blossom celebrated in Japan as a symbol of the sun and a possible object of meditation. One of the rare flower names counted among names for autumn…
English word name
"liquid, molten rock"
Molten rock from volcanos, and now a red-hot baby name possibility.
Arabic
"long life; red"
Omaira is an intriguing Middle Eastern possibility.
Diminutive or Derek or Dermot or Irish place-name
"like an oak"
With the fashions for tree names, place names, and nickname names, Derry is a three-way winner. The unusual Irish Derry was given to zero babies of either gender in the US last year, but it's a merry…
English
"a planet visible in the east just before sunrise; (poetic) the sun"
Ruadhan (sometimes spelt with a fada: Ruadhán) is a fashionable name in its native Ireland. Borne one of the Twelve Irish Apostles, it originated as a diminutive of Ruadh, meaning "red-haired". It…
"red enclosure"
Often thought of as a one-peson name because of Jungle Book writer Kipling, this was actually his middle name. He was middle-named for Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire, the beauty of which inspired his…
Cornish
"red"
Ancient martyr name that sounds totally modern, but perhaps too close to rumor.
"ruddy-faced"
Corky was a sitcom moniker of the fifties, Corcoran a better fit for these times.
Flower name, from English
"yellow wildflower"
Though Buttercup is most often reserved for cows (and pets of other kinds), this humble flower name was given to the princess in "The Princess Bride" and to one of The Power Puff Girls . Yet to rank…
Word name, English from Spanish and Portuguese
"banana"
Banana is one fruity name we wouldn't recommend. Pick Plum instead. There is a Japanese novelist whose pen name is Banana Yoshimoto--birth name Mahoko.
Sanskrit
The color red plays a prominent role in Hindu mythology, referring to the rising sun or the reddish horses of the "son of fire." Pronounced ahr-OO-shah, it has a stylish Russian flair. Hindi version…
Fruit name
A very unique fruit name heard more often on peachy-colored dogs than on baby girls.
Diminutive of Tabitha, Aramaic
"gazelle"
Feline nickname for Tabitha — a bewitching vintage choice.
Japanese
"apricot"
A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.
Word name
We've had Apples, Plums, Peaches, Cherries, and Berries added to the fruit basket: you could be the first to pick a Tangerine.
"golden brown"
Y-ending color adjectives like Tawny and Rusty are nowhere near as stylish as the more sophisticated Lilacs and Violets.
