Bengal Cat Names

  1. Rajah
    • Origin:

      Arabic and Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "hope; ruler"
    • Description:

      Indian princely title, more exciting than Prince or Duke, that is also a widely-used name for both genders. In the US, the names Rajah and Raja are uncommon: Ten baby boys were named Rajah last year and 18 were given the Raja spelling.
  2. Garnet
    • Origin:

      Jewel name, from the French
    • Meaning:

      "pomegranate"
    • Description:

      One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl.
  3. Troian
    • Origin:

      Surname
    • Meaning:

      "trinity"
    • Description:

      This unusual surname name has been made famous by Pretty Little Liars actress Troian Bellisario. Troian is a family name on her father's maternal side, possibly meaning "of Troy", but more likely deriving from a Slavic name meaning "triad; trinity".
  4. Xanthus
    • Origin:

      Greek, variation of Xanthos
    • Meaning:

      "golden-haired"
    • Description:

      Usually spelled XANTHOS, this alternate name for APOLLO has a noble sound (pronounced ZHAN-thos) and can always be shortened to Xan.
  5. Lupine
    • Origin:

      Flower name from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "pertaining to the wolf"
    • Description:

      Lupine (spelled Lupin outside of North America) is a flower related to sweetpeas. It was given its wolfish meaning because the plant was said to deplete the soil. Comedian Jenny Slate used it as a middle name for her daughter Ida in 2020.
  6. Eisen
    • Origin:

      German surname
    • Meaning:

      "iron, iron cutter"
    • Description:

      In German, the word eisen means "iron." It was adapted as a surname for Ashkenazi Jews — many of which were ornamental and had no ties to one's family history. Metals such as gold (Gold), silver (Zilver or Silver), copper (Kupfer or Copper), and iron (Eisen) were common elements in ornamental surnames. Eisen was also seen as a habitational surname for someone from Eisenstadt, Austria.
  7. Laisha
    • Origin:

      Invented name, combining La prefix with Aisha, Arabic and Swahili
    • Meaning:

      "living, prosperous"
    • Description:

      Laisha made the US Top 1000 list for a few years in the early 21st century, thanks to its role on a Spanish soap opera. The name is a variation of the popular Arabic and Muslim name Aisha, which has many spellings and forms.
  8. Fayola
    • Origin:

      African-Yoruba, Nigeria
    • Meaning:

      "lucky, good fortune, blessed"
    • Description:

      Too close to "payola."
  9. Derry
    • Origin:

      Diminutive or Derek or Dermot or Irish place-name
    • Meaning:

      "like an oak"
    • Description:

      With the fashions for tree names, place names, and nickname names, Derry is a three-way winner.
  10. Collier
    • Origin:

      English occupational name
    • Meaning:

      "coal miner"
    • Description:

      This occupational surname could find new life with those wishing to honor someone in their heritage who was connected to the tough-as-nails breed that was the pre-modern coal miner. Coll and Collie are some sweet nickname options to tone down the formality of this name.
  11. Anzu
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "apricot"
    • Description:

      A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.
  12. Odetta
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "wealthy"
    • Description:

      The memorable folk singer, an early single-name celeb, brought this into the spotlight. The French variation is Odette.
  13. Colby
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "from a coal town"
    • Description:

      One of the first reality show-inspired names (he was a Texas hunk on an early season of "Survivor"); hugely trendy for boys but just starting for girls.
  14. Wolf
    • Origin:

      Animal name or diminutive of Wolfgang
    • Meaning:

      "traveling Wolf"
    • Description:

      Notable Wolfs like Blitzer, Mankowitz, and Kahn give this name a masculine bent, but nature names are inherently unisex, so we see no reason why Wolf can't be used on a baby girl.

      Historically Wolf has been more common among German (where it's pronounced Vulf) and Jewish families, occasionally as a nickname for Wolfgang.

      The nickname Wolfie softens and feminizes Wolf, while Wolfe turns it into a surname.

  15. Isambard
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "bright iron"
    • Description:

      Isambard is derived from Old German Isanbert, meaning "bright iron" or "famous iron". Its most famous bearer, rather fittingly, is the 19th century British civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, noted as one of the driving forces of the Industrial Revolution.
  16. Stormy
    • Origin:

      Word name; variation of Storm
    • Description:

      Stormy is on the rise following the birth of Kylie Jenner's daughter Stormi, although the starbaby's spelling has taken over the lead.
  17. Fortuna
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "luck"
    • Description:

      The Roman goddess Fortuna personified luck and ruled over fortune and fate. She is often depicted as blindfolded, and remains an important figure in Italian culture today, where a common saying translates to "Luck is blind."
  18. Shreya
    • Origin:

      Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "fortunate, auspicious"
    • Description:

      Shreya is an Indian name with several positive meanings--beautiful, fortunate, auspicious, favorable--and ties to the goddess Lakshmi.
  19. Bleddyn
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "wolf's cub"
    • Description:

      Unusual two-syllable choice with a real pronunciation challenge.
  20. Ralphie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Ralph
    • Meaning:

      "wolf-counsel"
    • Description:

      Ralphie is one of those short forms that have been out of style for so long it just might have a chance of coming back in, if you can get past seeing it as a desperate attempt to cute-ify a stodgy old man's name.