Cat Names That Mean Cat

Lithe and leonine name chosen for her daughter by singer Erykah Badu, but fits in with wild nature names like Fox, Wolf and Bear for a boy.

Appealing name because, in German and Yiddish, it also means "dear" or "heart".

Tigger is the bouncing not-a-tiger from Winnie the Pooh, a symbol of buoyancy and resilience. As Tigger says in the books, he's "the only one", and it should probably stay that way when it comes to people names, though Tigger would certainly make a cute name for a cat.

Italian variation of Leon.

You've gotta be kitten.

A chic French vintage name on the rise there for both sexes, which would make for an unconventional route to Leo.

Worldly choice that translates well.

Roar! This popular name in the Arab world was once almost unused by English speakers, but is now given to a few boys in the States each year. It can also be spelled Fahad and Fahed.

This title name has not taken off yet in the naming world as others like Duke, King, Royal, and Reign have. Duchess was the name of the elegant and sophisticated cat in the classic Disney film, The Aristocats.

Tau, which rhymes with cow, is the alphabetical nickname Grimes and Elon Musk chose for their third child, Techno Mechanicus. Tau is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet and a common variable in physics, biology, and mathematics. In ancient Greece, it was a symbol of life and resurrection.

This Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Máille is seen worn by the tomcat "Thomas O'Malley" in the classic Disney film The Aristocats.

This Late Roman name is little-used in modern times, though the feminine forms Feline and Felina are popular in Europe. While some relate it to the happy-go-lucky Felix, it actually has a cat-like meaning. St. Felinus is a legendary third-century martyr.

Arieh is a form of a Biblical name that can also be spelled Aryeh or Arye. There's also a feminine form, Ariyah. There were 100 boys in the US named Aryeh last year, with a handful given the other two spellings. But Ariyah was by far the most popular, given to nearly 500 girls.

A unique form of the already-rare name Leontine. Leotine has been recorded as a name a handful of times throughout history, both as a given name and a surname.

A strong and interesting nature name of Native American (Mapuche) origin.

A powerful, storied name, used by countless significant figures throughout history in Central and South Asia, whose appeal in the U.S. may be limited by its near-homonymy with the word "sure."

Sounding like a cross between Nancy and Natalie, Nantale might have potential as same-but-different African-to-American crossover.

One of the most popular Muslim names for girls.

Rudyard Kipling created the name Bagheera for the black panther character in his classic collection The Jungle Book. It was derived from the Hindi word bagh, meaning "tiger."

Hebrew name rarely heard in the U. S. , making it a distinctive choice.