The images of gods and goddesses with cat faces, as well as the murals impregnated with the image of different felines are just some of the symbols of love and devotion that the Egyptian people felt for this animal. For them, the cat was a fascinating animal and, therefore, they used its characteristics to create several of their deities.
If you have just adopted a cat and want to give it an Egyptian name as a sign of your gratitude and affection towards him, in this article on our site we share a complete list of egyptian names for cats, made up of gods, goddesses, queens and pharaohs.
Cats from Egypt
Although the Egyptians worshiped all animals, it is known that they had a special predilection for cats, adopting them as pets and even transmitting many of their characteristics to several of their deities. Their love was such and they were so integrated into the family nuclei, that once deceased they were also buried and their humans had to go through a grieving process. mummified cats have also been found, indicating that the relationship between humans and cats has evolved over the years.
After the investigations carried out on the Egyptian findings found, it has been confirmed that the Egyptians called the cat "miu" and that, in Ancient Egypt, there were two main types:
- Felis chaus or marsh cat
- Felis silvestris lybica or African wild cat
It is not yet known for sure, but it seems that these two types were the ancestors of the Egyptian domestic cats we know today, such as the Egyptian mau, the Abyssinian or chausie Likewise, evidence has been found that the common European cat originated in Africa and Asia, being Egypt one of the countries involved, and the Romans spread it throughout Europe. On the other hand, several hypotheses[1] based on studies of the genome of various species of cats maintain that all feline breeds descend from crosses of Felis silvestris lybica, so it is difficult to highlight all the cats originating from Egypt with certainty due to the controversy that exists on this subject.
Egyptian names for female cats and their meaning
Whether your newly adopted cat has Egyptian features or not, one of these Egyptian names and meanings may be the one you're looking for:
- Nubia: name related to we alth and perfection. It would translate as "golden" or "perfect as gold".
- Camila: connected to perfection, which also means "messenger of the gods".
- Kéfera: means "first ray of the sun in the morning".
- Danúbia: related to perfection and brilliance. Its literal meaning would be something like "the brightest star".
- Nefertari: its meaning could be translated as the most beautiful or the most perfect.
Egyptian goddess names for cats
An excellent idea for those looking for a name for cats inspired by respect and admiration is, without a doubt, to go to the names of Egyptian goddesses, since they were the personification of these values:
- Amonet: "hidden" goddess, protector of everything hidden.
- Anukis: Goddess of water, lust and sexuality, whose name translates as "embrace".
- Bastet: means "she of the Bass" and was the guardian goddess of the home, protector of the deceased, representation of sweetness motherly and protective of cats.
- Isis: goddess of motherhood, birth, magic, marital fidelity and queen of the gods. She is the opposite of Nephthys
- Nephthys: translates as "mistress of the house", and was originally the goddess of darkness and death as a bridge to the afterlife, protector of the organs of the deceased. She is the opposite of Isis, even though they were sisters and used to work together.
- Nejbet: protective goddess of Upper Egypt, of the pharaoh and of births, considered a divine mother for nursing sovereigns.
- Nut: Goddess of the sky, creator of the universe and the stars.
- Satis: goddess of war, with the power to cause floods, guardian and protector of the king and the Nubian border.
- Sejmet: goddess of war, sent to punish humanity with diseases and epidemics, protector of the pharaoh and whose name is translated as "the most powerful" or "the terrible", although she is also attributed the title of goddess of love for her beauty.
- Sotis: Pharaoh's mother and sister, called "shiny of the new year" because she was the one who embodied the star that announced the annual flooding
- Tueris: goddess of fertility and patron saint of pregnant women, known as "the great one".
- Tefnut: Goddess of moisture, she was the first feminine creation and therefore represents the first concept of the feminine along with her husband, than the male version. She translates as "the one who has been spat on."
Cat names inspired by queens of Egypt
We have also made a selection with names of ancient Egyptian queens ideal for cats with character, strong personality but also brave and affectionate:
- Amosis
- Anjesenpepi
- Apama
- Arsinoe
- Benerib
- Berenice
- Cleopatra
- Duatentopet
- Euridice
- Hatshepsut
- Henutmira
- Henutsen
- Herneith
- Hetepheres
- Istnofret
- Jentkaus
- Karomama
- Khenthap
- Kiya
- Meritamón
- Meritatón
- Merytneith
- Mutemuia
- Nefertiti
- Neithhotep
- Nitocris
- Olympia
- Penebui
- Sitamon
- Tausert
- Tetisheri
- Tiaa
- Marmoset
- Tiye
- Yours
- Udjebten
Egyptian names for male cats
Although there are many representative Egyptian names, we highlight the following for cats:
- Nile: In Ancient Egypt, the Nile was called "Hapy", which translates to "river" or "canal". It was of great importance and, for this reason, it appears frequently in the history of the ancient Egyptian civilization, since it was vital for its development.
- Amón: means "the hidden one" and during history his title has been transformed, being god of the kingdom and dynastic god. He represents the omnipresent air.
- Ra: Sun god and the most powerful of the Old Kingdom. Father of all gods.
Names of Egyptian gods
As happens with the goddesses, the gods of Ancient Egypt were of great importance among the citizens, for this reason we have selected the most representative ones so that you can choose an egyptian name for male cats that best suits the characteristics of your feline:
- Amon: god of creative power.
- Anubis: one of the oldest gods, connected with the deceased and the place where embalming took place, he was considered the god of mummification.
- Apofis: god of chaos and destruction, representation of evil forces, related to the concept of evil and without which the solar cycle could not be completed.
- Apis: god of fertility.
- Atón: representation of the solar disk, creator of humans and animals.
- Keb: creator god and personification of the earth and nature.
- Hapy: god of floods, personification of the Nile and the fertility it brought
- Horus: means "the distant one" and is one of the oldest gods. God of heaven and war.
- Khepri: means "who comes to be", created himself and represents eternal life.
- Jnum: one of the oldest gods, who had different titles and was therefore considered the creator god of Elephantine, who originated the egg from which Ra was born, god of water as a source of life and guardian of the sources of the Nile.
- Osiris: another of the oldest gods who has had different titles, such as god of vegetation, god of death and from beyond, although his most important title was god of resurrection.
- Serapis: official god of Egypt and Greece.
- Seth: god of evil and darkness, related to drought, sterility, hunger, violence and the sea.
Pharaoh names for cats
The kings of Ancient Egypt had names designed to impose their presence above all else. In fact, they were considered as the representation on earth of certain gods mentioned above. Therefore, if your cat has a strong personality or you simply want to give it a powerful name, don't miss the names of the Egyptian pharaohs for cats:
- Menes
- Djet
- Nynetjer
- Sokar
- Djoser
- Huni
- Snefru
- Knufu
- Kephren
- Mycerinus
- Userkaf
- Sahure
- Menkauhor kaiu
- Teti
- Pepi
- Kheti
- Khety
- Intef
- Mentuhotep
- Amenemhat
- Hor
- Aaqen
- Nehesi
- Apophis
- Zaket
- Kamose
- Amenhotep
- Tuthmosis
- Tutankhamun
- Ramses
- Seti
- Smendes
- Amenemope
- Osorkon
- Takelot
- Chabataka
- Psamtik
- Cambises
- Dario
- Xerxes
- Amirteus
- Hakor
- Nectanebo
- Artaxerxes
- Claudius Ptolemy
Have you found an Egyptian name for your cat? If this is not the case and you would like to continue investigating, do not miss this list of names for cats and kittens.
