Gray Cat Names

Medieval name without much of a future.

Like many a popular name, Ornella is a theatrical creation. Italian playwright Gabriele d'Annunzio created this name for his dramatic heroine in the 1904 play La Figlia di Iorio. Ornella is a feminization of the orno or ornello, which is the Italian word for the Fraxinus Ornus, a type of tree which produces such sweet sap that it was compared to biblical manna.

A place name from Venezuela believed to come from an indigenous word for wind, this can make an innovative choice for a child of either sex.

Sefarina is dramatic and feminine, but Serafina is far more commonly used. Think of Sefarina as deriving from Zephyr, which can be used as a male name; the female version is Zephyrine or Zephyrina, or the Portuguese Zeferina.

Conroy is one Con name that feels a bit dated, though perhaps it's so far out it's coming in? Worth consideration if you like Connor but feel it's too widely used.

Lovella is most likely a feminine variation on Lovell, a surname. While it feels one of the invented-yet-antiquated girls' names, has the obvious attraction of containing the word "love" within it, as well as the opportunity to use "Ella" as nickname.

More unusual alternative to Tiara.

The phonetic spelling of Eyþór, without the thorn that would trip up many English-speakers.

This rarely used boys name is one of the few gem names for a boy. Obsidian is actually a type of volcanic glass, formed when lava cools very quickly. This ultra-cool name might spark a love of volcanoes and geology in a little boy.

Sure, he'd probably get a certain amount of red-nosed teasing around the holiday, but a boy named Rudolph could probably take it. Besides, he's got other, more distinguished namesakes -- the great ballet dancer Nureyev, silent screen Lothario Valentino and 9-11 Mayor Giuliani.

Hazen is a variation of the Dutch surname Hasin, which has two separate origins. The first is as a nickname for Haso, a Germanic given name derived from haswa, meaning "gray" or "black." Hasin was also a variation of Haas, a Dutch and German surname meaning "hare."

Altalune is an invention used by Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson as one of several middle names for their daughter. It's evocative Latin meaning roughly translates to "over the moon." Celebrity baby Altalune will be called the more familiar Luna for short.

While the most famous Channing is the very male Channing Tatum, the name is now given about a third of the time for girls. It makes an attractive surname-name for either gender.

There's a football player called Pepper (born Thomas and given the childhood nickname for sprinkling pepper on his cereal) Johnson -- but this sounds more like the name of a cheerleader.

A sparkling choice for a nighttime-born daughter.

Hard and shiny, Steel projects an image that's smooth, macho...and cold to the touch.

Bayou? No, but it sounds the same, and since both the Indonesian name and the English word have appealing nature meanings, this is a perfect choice for the family that wants to bridge cultures.

This ancient name is that of the hero of the epic Beowulf, which is thought to be the oldest-ever poem in English lit written in the vernacular. J. R. R. Tolkien used the poem as one of his inspirations for The Lord of the Rings.

Spelling variant of Arianwen. Note that in Welsh, the -wyn suffix is usually masculine.

It's a car brand, a planet, and the messenger of the gods -- but it's questionable whether it works as a little girl's name.