Egyptian Cat Names

40 hand-picked Egyptian cat names from the Name Vault — plus how to make one stick.

How to Pick One

Worth knowing which of these were worshipped and which were invented for a pet. Bastet, Sekhmet, Ra, Thoth, Horus, Hathor and Ptah are genuine deities of ancient Egyptian religion, and Bastet is the one with the direct cat connection, depicted as a lioness and later as a cat. Anubis, Osiris and Isis are the Greek forms of Egyptian names rather than the Egyptian ones. Nefertiti was a queen, not a goddess. Cleo shortens Cleopatra, a ruler of Greek Macedonian descent, so it is Egyptian by geography rather than by language. Luxor, Giza, Karnak, Ankh and Scarab are places and objects that became names only recently. On the awkward ones: Nefertiti is nef-er-TEE-tee, Anubis is uh-NOO-biss, Sekhmet is SEK-met. A cat learns the sound, not the history, and two syllables ending in a bright vowel gets the fastest response, which is why Cleo outperforms Khonsu at the back door.

FAQ

How do I choose the right Egyptian cat name?

Say your top three out loud at feeding time — the one that feels natural to call across a room is the winner. Two-syllable names ending in a bright vowel get the fastest response.

Is it disrespectful to name a cat after an Egyptian god?

Ancient Egyptian religion has no large continuing congregation, and cats were themselves sacred in it, particularly to Bastet, whose cult centre was at Bubastis. Most people regard naming a cat Bastet or Sekhmet as a nod rather than an insult. Small modern revivalist groups do practise forms of Egyptian religion, so the courteous move is simply to know what the name means before you use it.

Which Egyptian cat names on this list are actually ancient?

The deities are: Bastet, Sekhmet, Ra, Thoth, Horus, Hathor, Ptah, Sobek, Khonsu, Maat, Neith, Bes, Taweret, Seshat, Set and Apep. Nefertiti and Meritamen were royal women. Anubis, Isis and Osiris are Greek renderings of Egyptian names. Sphinx, Nile, Sahara, Luxor, Giza, Karnak, Papyrus and Pharaoh are places, titles or objects, and they work as names only because we now read them as Egyptian.

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