Cat Names That Mean Cat

Overly ambitious choice, recently borne by the hapless hero of cult movie hit Napoleon Dynamite.

Leandre, the French form of the name of a Greek mythological figure, the doomed lover of Hero, is gaining modern notice in France. Leandre is one of many leonine names, including Leopold, Leo, Leonie, and Leon, that are fashionable now.

With the rise of many once-dated leonine names, from Leona to Lionel to Leonora, Leandra is an unusual choice that might be looking at a comeback..

With male version Leon taking off all over Europe, the female variations, from Leona to Leonie to Leone, are coming back into style too.

This international variation was publicized by Olympic skater Ekaterina Gordeeva.

Better than Lenny, not as good as Leo, and tightly tied to Tonight Show host Jay Leno.

The bright yellow weed lends itself to a creative baby name, although we don't recommend the nickname Dandy.

Old-school nicknames for boys are back, and Lenn is a great candidate for revival. Single-N Len may not be as cool as this Dutch version, originally a nickname for Lennart.

A literary name coined by the French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais for the central character in his plays The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother. It is thought that he based the name on his own nickname. In modern French, the word has come to mean "barber", due to the famous character's profession.

Tyger edges animal name Tiger, as in golfer Woods, closer to popular surname name Tyler. Which may not be a bad thing.

The bright yellow weed lends itself to a creative baby name, although we don't recommend the nickname Dandy.

An old-timey boyish nickname that works as a diminutive of Leona or Leonie, Alondra, Lorna or any female name with strong L and N sounds.

One of the most popular names of all time in Portugal and Brazil, with a romantic, lively sound. The main risk is confusion with other names that sound similar: Catalina, Katrina, and so forth. Caterina, with an "e," is more common in Italy.

The dramatic-sounding name of a star in the constellation Leo that can be adapted as a unique Arabic name for boys. The similar-sounding Rasselas is the name of an allegorical fable by Samuel Johnson and its lead character.

This Top 100 girls' name in The Netherlands is unlikely to translate to the U.S., where it would undoubtedly pronounced fee-line and mistaken for the adjective that means cat-like. While the name Feline -- and Felina and Felinus -- do have the same root, the considerably more charming pronunciation in modern-day Europe is fee-LEEN-ah. Some websites mistakenly relate it to Felix and give its meaning as happy or fortunate.

A Turkish name with a cool animal meaning that would wear well in the English-speaking world too.

Feline nickname for Tabitha — a bewitching vintage choice.

The surname Berlioz appears across Western Europe, notably connected to French composer Louis-Hector Berlioz. The name may be familiar through the gray-furred kitten in the classic Disney film, Aristocats.

Lovely African name that you may recognize from The Lion King.