Girl Cat Names That Start With N

  1. Nettie
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of names ending in -ette or -etta, or variation of Neta, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "plant"
    • Description:

      You may never have known a Nettie personally, but there well might be one hidden in your family history, considering that she was a Top 100 name until 1901 and stayed on the Social Security list until 1962.
  2. Niara
    • Origin:

      Hindi
    • Meaning:

      "nebula, mist"
    • Description:

      More unusual alternative to Tiara.
  3. Norma
    • Origin:

      English or Latin
    • Meaning:

      "from the north; or, the pattern"
    • Description:

      Invented for Bellini's opera, Norma had some star quality in the silent-screen and Marilyn Monroe days, but at this point it's a graying grandma in baby name limbo.
  4. Nila
    • Origin:

      Indian, Tamil, Hindi
    • Meaning:

      "dark blue; moon"
    • Description:

      A sweet, simple Sanskrit name which would work in many languages and has an sparkling, colorful meaning.
  5. Nightingale
    • Origin:

      Bird name from German
    • Meaning:

      "night singer"
    • Description:

      Charming nature name made even more appealing by the connection to iconic nurse and statistician Florence Nightingale.
  6. Ngozi
    • Origin:

      African, Nigerian-Igbo
    • Meaning:

      "blessing"
    • Description:

      Dynamic and creative; common in Africa, challenging here. Pronunciation isn't as difficult as you'd guess, but everyone will have to ask. Many favor n-GO-zee, but a native speaker tells us that it is closer to n-GAW-zee, and we've found at least one n-GAH-zee, too.
  7. Nebula
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "mist"
    • Description:

      Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.
  8. Nima
    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Arabic, and Hindi
    • Meaning:

      "thread, hair; blessing; margosa tree"
    • Description:

      Multicultural name often heard in the Near East. Also spelled Neema.
  9. Niko
    • Origin:

      Finnish variation of Nichoals; diminutive of Nikolaos, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "victory of the people"
    • Description:

      Niko was used for 14 baby girls in the US last year, and twin sister Nico for another 30 -- though that's still far fewer than the 1500 baby boys who were given one of those two names.
  10. Naja
    • Origin:

      Greenlandic, Arabic or Navajo
    • Meaning:

      "boy's younger sister; success; or silver hands"
    • Description:

      One of several similar feminine names often found in the Muslim world but also a Native American name. And in Greenlandic, Naja means "a boy's younger sister", which could be a sweet connection to a big brother. It's a relatively popular name in Denmark.
  11. Nirvana
    • Origin:

      Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "place of great bliss"
    • Description:

      Well, parents are naming their children Eden and Heaven...so why not?
  12. North
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      North's image and gender status was irrevocably changed when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced it as the name of their newborn daughter. But why not? West is firmly established as a name, Easton is coming up strong, and North has a nice solid sound as well -- certainly as appropriate for either gender. South, though, not so much.
  13. Nevada
    • Origin:

      Spanish place-name
    • Meaning:

      "covered in snow"
    • Description:

      Named for its snowcapped mountains, Nevada is a state name which, unlike Carolina, Montana, and Dakota, has been relatively undiscovered. Warning: today's unvisited place-name could become tomorrow's trampled tourist attraction.
  14. Nanna
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "daring"
    • Description:

      Nanna is a name from Norse mythology that is among the Top 30 names in contemporary Denmark. Popular in Norway in the 19th century, Nanna may also be considered a short form of a range of names, from Anna to Johanna to Marianne. As widespread as it is in Scandinavia, though, it's hard to imagine Nanna making a mark as a girl's name in modern day America, given its use as a name for grandmothers.
  15. Nigella
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Nigel; botanical name from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "black"
    • Description:

      A name that sounded unthinkably priggish until it became attached to Domestic Goddess British TV chef Nigella Lawson (named for her father), who gave it a big dollop of glamour.
  16. Nerio
    • Origin:

      Latin from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "strength, valor"
    • Description:

      Nerio was one of the Roman goddesses of war and a wife of Mars. Her name is among the many intriguing names that mean strong.
  17. Neil
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "cloud"
    • Description:

      One of the boys' names that sounds fresher today for a girl. Second-best-spelling for boys, Neal, may work even better for girls.
  18. Nuray
    • Origin:

      Turkish
    • Meaning:

      "bright moon"
    • Description:

      Nuray is one of the most popular girls' names in the Middle East though it's largely unknown and unused in the Western World. The meaning, related to the more familiar Noor, adds appeal.
  19. Nuha
    • Origin:

      Arabic or Semitic
    • Meaning:

      "goddess of the sun"
    • Description:

      Nuha is an Arabic name meaning wise, and also a name from Semitic mythology of unknown origin, belonging to an ancient sun goddess.
  20. Nenna
    • Origin:

      Literary name and Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "daring"
    • Description:

      Nenna is the name of the heroine of Penelope Fitzgerald's novel Offshore, but it's also sparingly used in Scandinavia as a variant of the name Nanna. Nanna is a diminutive of various names, including Anna, Johanna and Marianne, but it's also a name in its own right, possibly meaning "daring".