Searching for exotic and unusual cat names? There are a wealth of different places to look – when you start thinking about it.
Here is a selection of exotic cat names that will prompt you to start looking, if this is the kind of name that intrigues you.
Exotic Cat Names For Girls
- Calandra
A Greek name meaning “beauty” or “lark” – there is a calandra lark, found in and to the east of the Mediterranean.
- Indigo
A Greek word signifying the color. The question is: which color? There are apparently four quite different shades of color that are known as indigo, but generally, the color can be considered to be between blue and violet. The indigo plant (and yes, there are several types of these!) produces dye for cotton jeans and clothing.
In fact, the word “indigo” can also refer to a type of car, bird, as well as several music groups – and is used in the term “indigo children”, which I only heard about once I had had my son, so you might not be familiar with this. Indigo kids are believed by some to have special – or even supernatural – characteristics. Well, maybe your indigo cat has supernatural powers as well. How’s that for exotic?
- Jonquil
The name of a type of daffodil or narcissus. Taken from the Latin word for “reed” this is an unusual sounding name, which to me sounds like and means jolly and tranquil! The flowers are certainly cheery, often with yellow centers and white surrounding petals.
- Kalinda
A Hindi word meaning “sun”, Kalinda is also a kind of stick-fighting dance found during Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago! This is a really exotic sounding name, though, classy and pretty at the same time.
- Odette
A French name, last seen in the top 1000 catcat names in the US in 1905. It means “prosperity.” The first time I ever heard this name was when watching the film “Odette” as a teenager – all about Odette Sansom, a French-born British spy in the second world war. The name Odette is also associated with the ballet Swan Lake – and you can even get a Barbie Odette, of course…
- Querida
A Spanish name meaning “beloved.”
- Salome
Meaning “peace”, related to an Aramaic name which came from the Hebrew word for peace.
- Zandra
Short form of Alexandra. Appeared at rank 984 in 1971. A “helper and defender.” Zandra Rhodes is a famous and innovative fashion designer in the UK – she also designed for the late Princess Diana. And another royally connected name coming up next…
- Zara
From an Arabic word meaning “a flower in bloom.” Also “bright dawn.” Zara has appeared in the top 1000 cat name rankings for the first time, coming in at 920 in 2005. If she moves up any more – she’ll have to leave this page! This is a royal name, too – Queen Elizabeth II has a granddaughter called Zara.
Exotic Cat Names For Boys
- Anoki
A Native American name, Anoki means “actor.”
- Avalt
Avalt is a variant of Harold, meaning “army leader.” Another related exotic and unusual baby name is the Icelandic Haraldur.
- Arvan
Arvan is a Hindi name that means “horse.” It is sometimes found as a surname, as in the actor Jan Arvan.
- Kadar
Kadar originates from the Arabic Qadir, meaning “powerful.” Kadar is also the name of a small southern Indian tribe. And in Hungarian, the name Kadar means a barrel maker.
- Oswin
As a “divine friend” Oswin is also a Catholic saint – and he was a 7th century King of part of northern England, the patron saint of all who are betrayed – as he was himself.
- Tane
From the Maori word for “man” Tane is the Polynesian god of light, forests and trees. He created the tui, a New Zealand bird.
- Taree
Still in the southern hemisphere, Taree is a city in New South Wales, Australia, and comes from a native word meaning “fig tree”; in Japanese, Taree is a girls’ name meaning “bending branch.”
Exotic Cat Names From Literature
Some inspiration from literature. Uncommon cat names in literature can produce some real goodies. Try these for size:
Shakespearean Cat Girls’ Names
- Hermione
This character from The Winter’s Tale has also become famous through the Harry Potter stories. Her name can apparently mean “eloquence”, although it also seems to have some connection with “stones” or “statues”.
- Jaquenetta
A character in Love’s Labours Lost by Shakespeare. Could be connected to the name Jacques meaning “supplant.”
- Lavinia
This name disappeared from the top 1000 in 1929. Lavinia appears in Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, but she also features in Greek and Roman mythology. Can mean “purified” or “ladylike.”
- Leonine
Leonine, like the boy’s name Leo, refers to “lion” – so a good name for a determined little baby girl! This version of the name adds a rather feminine air to that lioness quality, however. Leonine appears in Pericles.
- Lucetta
Lucetta did make an appearance in the top 1000 baby names charts – way back in 1882, coming in at 864th position! You can find her in the Two Gentlemen of Verona. Related to the name Lucy, meaning “light” or “brightness.”
And For Cat Boys…
- Lennox
From the play Macbeth, Lennox is a Scottish name, referring to a place “where elm trees grow.”
- Lysander
From A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This uncommon baby name originates from an ancient Greek name meaning “release” or “liberation.”
- Montague
Another character from Romeo and Juliet. This is from the French, meaning “pointed mountain.”
- Nestor
This name hovers around at the back of the queue in the top 1000 and in 2005 only 223 babies were named Nestor in the whole of the United States (that’s 0.0107% if you are worried about this uncommon baby name being too popular!) A Greek name meaning “homecoming” or “traveler”; also the name of a very wise ancient Greek King. From the play Troilus and Cressida.
- Orsino
From Twelfth Night, Orsino simply refers to a “bear” as in the animal. You might like to know that Orsino was also the name of a small town in Florida that became part of the John F Kennedy Space Center.
Exotic Male Cat Names With Meaning
- Pillan
Meaning: God Of Stormy Weather
- Neo
Meaning: New
- Mykelti
Meaning: Who Is Like God?
- Belen
Meaning: Bethlehem
- Danny
Meaning: God Is My Judge
- Lalawethika
Meaning: Rattle Sound
- Malone
Meaning: Devoted To St. John
- Naruto
Meaning: Maelstrom
- Shayne
Meaning: God Is Gracious
- Ananda
Meaning: Bliss And Joy
- Brier
Meaning: Shrub, Tree
- Vajra
Meaning: Thunderbolt
- Bijan
Meaning: Hero
- Chaz
Meaning: Free Man
- Jase
Meaning: Healer
- Martinez
Meaning: Descendant Of Martin
- Ian
Meaning: God Is Gracious
- Ailill
Meaning: Elf
- Arty
Meaning: Bear
- Kyle
Meaning: Narrow
- Tyrone
Meaning: From The Land Of Eoghan
- Joe
Meaning: Short Form Of Joseph
- Brinly
Meaning: Burnt Meadow
- Axel
Meaning: My Father Is Peace
- Hansel
Meaning: God Is Gracious
- Thwaite
Meaning: From The Meadow
- Hayley
Meaning: From The Hay Clearing
- Egan
Meaning: Little Fire
- Krisztian
Meaning: Christian
- Minh
Meaning: Bright And Clever
- Fabrico
Meaning: Artisan
- Diara
Meaning: Gift
- Hien
Meaning: Meek And Gentle
- Ross
Meaning: Headland
- Brilliant
Meaning: To Sparkle
Exotic Cat Names Girls With Meaning
- Levana
Meaning: Moon Or White
- Viva
Meaning: Full Of Life
- Arva
Meaning: Fertile
- Helene
Meaning: Form Of Helen
- Anoush
Meaning: Sweet Disposition
- Bertille
Meaning: Bright
- Sancha
Meaning: Holy
- Alonsa
Meaning: Noble And Ready
- Sirvat
Meaning: Rose Of Love
- Lesley
Meaning: Joy
- Stacey
Meaning: Resurrection
- Amy
Meaning: Beloved
- Maricela
Meaning: Combination Of Maria And Celia
- Lucania
Meaning: Of Lucania
- Anahid
Meaning: Divine
- Callista
Meaning: Most Beautiful
- Itala
Meaning: From Italy
- Vivica
Meaning: War
- Katharine
Meaning: Pure
- Ghada
Meaning: Young Girl
- Medea
Meaning: Cunning
- Vivienne
Meaning: Alive
- Polly
Meaning: Great Sorrow
- Suewinda
Meaning: Created Name
- Jackie
Meaning: Supplanter
- Tamber
Meaning: Music Pitch
- Zsa
Meaning: Lily
- Nicole
Meaning: Victory Of The People
- Charissa
Meaning: Grace
- Kori
Meaning: Hollow
- Naeva
Meaning: Ingenue
- Kagami
Meaning: Mirror
- Braewyn
Meaning: Combination Of Braeden And Bronwyn
- Aniyah
Meaning: Form Of Anya
Exotic Cat Names From History
Looking back in time is one way to find exotic cat names. So what comes to mind when you haven’t got a time machine handy?
Well, how about taking a peek at myths and legends… or books and plays?
You might find the odd familiar name – or even some rare exotic cat names here.
Exotic Cat Names from King Arthur Girls
Remember King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? Excitement… danger… and love! Pretty exotic. Although the legend of King Arthur threatens to be a little male dominated, there are plenty of stalwart sweethearts hiding in the wings. So it’s “ladies first” with some interesting Arthurian-inspired exotic names for little girl kittens.
- Blanchefleur
Literally “white flower” in French, Blanchefleur was Sir Percival’s sweetheart in some versions of the tale. And Blanchefleur is also the name of a beautiful, sweetly scented white rose with pink tints. What more could you ask of an unique exotic cat name?
- Guinevere
Arthur’s queen, who fell in love with Sir Lancelot. Her name means “fair one”, and the name Jennifer is derived from it.
- Iseult
An Irish princess and the lover of Tristan – a great love match in Arthurian legend, following closely behind Guinevere and Lancelot. Her name is a variant of Isolde, which may come from the Welsh for “beautiful.”
- Olwen
Olwen was the daughter of a giant, who demanded that her bridegroom-to-be perform impossibly difficult tasks. The bridegroom was, however, King Arthur’s cousin – so you can imagine the rest! It is said that wherever Olwen walked, white clover grew – and her name means “white footprints.”
Exotic Cat Names from King Arthur Boys
- Andred
A cousin of Tristan, Andred’s name is probably a version of the name Andrew, which means “man.”
- Caradoc
A knight of the Round Table, Caradoc’s name has the meaning “beloved”, and variants include Caradog and Caradeg.
- Galahad
Another knight of the Round Table, and a son of Lancelot and Elaine. He searched for and found the Holy Grail, and is famous for his gentleness and purity. His name may come from the name of his father’s great friend Galahaut, meaning “tall Frenchman”.
- Geraint
A brave warrior and knight, he fell in love with Enid, so these two star in their own part of Arthurian legend. His name means “old man” – but don’t let this put you off; age was greatly respected when Geraint was around!
- Lancelot
Well, we can’t miss him out can we? As the most famous knight of the Round Table, Lancelot’s name could come from the French for “spear”, or it could be connected with the Celtic name for a “church.” Yet another source says it means “attendant.” The fact is – nobody really knows. The name Lance may or may not be an abbreviated form, but it’s a popular one. Lancelot, however, really is an uncommon cat name, not ranking at all within the top 1000 over the past century.
One Syllable Unique Cat Names
In this selection of unique cat names you’ll find one syllable cat names, kitten names that consist of only two letters (how many can you think of?) as well as longer names.
You won’t find “shock factor” names here!
Instead, the focus is on using simple ideas and a little detective work to find a cat name that is unique, yet stylish, memorable – yet even understated. Wow!
An impossible combination?
Not necessarily. Let’s look at our first group of little ladies:
One Syllable Girls’ Cat names
Why one syllable? They’re short and snappy, easy to remember, and can work well with shorter or longer surnames. Could this be the route for you to take?
Try some of these names out for size:
- Aure
- Becs
- Bede
- Belle
- Bess
- Bliss
- Blythe
- Bon
- Bree
- Bren
- Brett
- Cass
- Cloud
- Coeur
- Crete
- Dale
- Dot
- Drew
- Fern
- Glyn
- Jax
- Jazz
- Joss
- Kass
- Kit
- Lee
- Liv
- Lou
- Luz
- Maeve
- March
- May
- Nan
- Nat
- Nell
- Night
- Paige
- Pearl
- Quinn
- Rae
- Raine
- Sage
- Scout
- Sian
- Sid
- Swan
- Teal
- Wynne
Exotic Two Letter Cat Names
Short can be good. How about some of these unique names for cats… Just to get you thinking!
- Al
- An
- Bo
- Di
- Em
- Fi
- Io
- Jo
- Lu
- Su
- Vi
Not for everyone. Some of these unique cat names are used in double-combos, such as Fifi, Jojo, Didi or Lulu.
You could think up your own combination of repeat-syllable names such as Bibi, or Mimi, or start combining single syllables that you like into longer names to find a truly unique cat girl name.
Unique Cat Girl Names With Four or Five Syllables
Names with four or five syllables can provide more ideas for unique cat girl names. They are much more likely to be shortened in every day use, however – unless you, or your cat, insist on the full use of the name!
For some reason most of the names I came up with ended with “a” – so let’s go with the flow!
- Anastasia
- Alexandria
- Alexandrina
- Carmelita
- Celestina
- Evangelina
- Henrietta
- Jacquenetta
- Letizia
- Magdalena
- Marietta
- Philomena
- Rosalinda
- Theodora
- Valentina
- Wilhelmina
Surnames as Unique Cat Names
Surnames are pretty hot as cat names these days, and you might fancy taking a look back at your family history to find a name from your ancestry that you could use.
Surnames as unique cat names are fantastic for boys – but also work pretty well with girls, too. Here are some examples:
- Addison
- Averill
- Harper
- Hester
- Hurst
- Ingwood
- Kimber
- Lacey
- Lambert
- Makepeace
- Maybury
- Maycroft
- Nightingale
- Rayner
- Reeve
- Seymour
- Shaylor
- Venvell
More Cat Names
If by any chance you didn’t find that dream name for your new kitten, don’t worry, we have many more cat and unique kitten names to offer. You could try our Christmas cat names for uniqueness or you could check out our White cat names and the popular Black cat names for even more inspiration.
If you have a cat name suggestion, please use the comment section below and we will be more than happy to include your ideas.
