2000+ Cat Names

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.

Octave shortens Octavius to a more manageable length, keeping the "eighth" meaning. In English speaking countries, however, people could easily confuse this with the musical term octave.

Eniko Hart makes this Japanese name familiar in the US. In Hungary, it's a literary name invented by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty in the 19th century. He based it on the name of the legendary mother of the Hungarian people, Enéh.

An anglicised or dutchified spelling of the Icelandic name Eyþóra, brought to fame by the Dutch Olympic gymnast Eythora Elisabet Thorsdottir, whose parents are Icelandic.

A bird name from the same Latin root as Aurelio.

A fiery-sounding Breton name with a fierce animal meaning. Bleiz has also been used in honor of the Catholic Saint Blaise, due to its similar sound.

No babies of any gender were named Orange in the US in the most recent year counted. But that doesn't mean, in this era of anything-goes baby names, that it couldn't happen.

Pistol is one of the new names that entered the lexicon in the US in 2013, when it was given to nine babies of each gender. Call it an equal-opportunity badass baby name with an unfortunately violent image.

Surname of a fifteenth-century saint and a twenty-first-century quarterback, Brett Favre.

In addition to being the term for a job performing music, Gig has been used as a name, as in onetime actor Gig Young--who was born Byron but took his stage name from a character he played.

Benthe is a popular Dutch abbreviation of the feminine for Benedict.

Fervent fans of The Catcher in the Rye might want to consider this as a literary tribute. More mainstream alternative: Holden.

This is an outside possibility for opera-lovers, with the additional eco/color factor.

This name from the ancient Gilgamesh Epic would be a challenging choice; Hamish makes a more user-friendly option.

A rare and evocative name which calls to mind warm, endless summer days. This is an Anglicized form of the Old Norse name Sumarliði, also found in Scottish Gaelic as Somhairle (pronounced SO-ar-lee). The Sorley spelling is now more popular in Scotland.

In medieval France, a troubadour was a knighted lyric poet who composed and sang songs about courtly love. As a baby name, Troubadour makes a romantic and stately choice for a child, although this bold choice may be better relegated as a middle name.

Though often heard in the Hispanic and Italian communities, it hasn't made an impact here, perhaps because of the connection to the character of Faust and his pact with the devil. Variations: FAUSTINA, FAUSTIA, FAUSTIANA

Traditionally a feminine nickname for Katherine — the male usage of Kitty is entirely made up of cats.