Egyption Names For Cats
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Ancient Egyptians worshiped cats. If we look at ancient Egyptian art, there is no doubt that cats have a strong hold on Egyptian imagery. The Egyptian people used cat symbolism to represent both the love and devotion that they held for this animal. Not only were cats represented through Egyptian sculpture and art, but their characteristics were also used for the creation of several deities.
Many people who have just adopted a cat give it an Egyptian name as a symbol of their gratitude and affection towards their new furry friend. For this reason, in this AnimalWised article, we aim to share with you a complete list of Egyptian names for cats. This list is made up of names from Ancient Egyptian; gods, goddesses, queens and pharaohs.
Do cats come from Egypt?
Although Egyptians generally worshiped all animals, it is known that they had a special predilection for cats. They both adopted them as companion animals and even transmitted many of their characteristics to several of their deities. Cats were so love and integrated into their family nucleus that when they died they were buried and their humans had to go through a process of mourning. There have even been findings of Mummified cats. Such studies aided in the understanding of the evolution of humans and cat relationships over the years.
After investigations were carried out on these Egyptian findings, it was possible to confirm that Egyptians refereed to all cats as ¨miu¨. The two most common "miu" from Old Egypt, are known as:
- Felis chaus (Swamp cat)
- Felis silvestris lybica (African wildcat)
It is still not known with certainty, but it seems that these two cat types were the ancestors of the Egyptian domestic cats which know today, such as the; Egyptian mau, the abyssinian or the chausie. In addition, evidence has been found that confirms the European common cat originated in Africa and Asia, with the inclusion of Egypt. On the other hand, several hypotheses [1] based on studies of the genome of several cats species maintain that all feline breeds descend from crosses of Felis silvestris lybica. Therefore it is difficult to confirm that all cats originated in Egypt.
Egyptian names for female cats and their meaning
Whether your newly adopted cat has Egyptian traits or not, here are several beautifully symbolic Egyptian names for your female cat:
- Nubian: related to wealth and perfection. It would be translated as "golden" or "perfect as gold".
- Nepit: goddess of grain.
Names of Egyptian goddesses for cats
If you are looking for a cat name which holds the significance of respect and admiration we have a list for you. Here is a list of names of Egyptian goddesses who embodiment of these values:
- Amunet: goddess "hidden", protector of everything hidden.
- Anuket: goddess of water, of lust and sexuality, whose name translates as "embrace".
- Bast: means "that of the Bas" and was the guardian goddess of the home and protector.
- Isis: goddess of motherhood, birth, magic, conjugal fidelity and queen of the gods. It is the opposite of Neftis.
- Nephthys: was originally the goddess of darkness and death as a bridge to the next life, protector of the bodies of the deceased. It is the opposite of Isis, although they were sisters and used to work together.
- Nekhbet: protective goddess of Upper Egypt, of Pharaoh and of births, considered divine mother for breastfeeding the sovereigns.
- Nut: goddess of heaven, creator of the universe and the stars.
- Satis: goddess of war, with the power to provoke floods, guardian and protector of the king and the border of Nubia.
- Sekhmet: goddess of war, sent to punish humanity with diseases and epidemics, protector of the pharaoh and whose name translates as "the most powerful" or "the terrible", although she is also credited with the title of goddess of love for Her beauty.
- Sothis (Sopdet): mother and sister of the pharaoh, called "brilliant of the new year" for being the one that embodied the star that announced the annual floods.
- Tefnut: goddess of humidity, moisture and water.
Egyptian queen names for cats
Here, we have composed a list of Egyptian queen names for cats that have character, a strong personality but, are also, brave and affectionate:
- Ahhotep
- Ahmose
- Ankhesenpepi
- Arsinoe
- Benerib
- Berenice
- Cleopatra
- Duatentopet
- Eurydice
- Hatshepsut- Merytre
- Henutmire
- Henutsen
- Herneith
- Hetepheres
- Iaret
- Ineni
- Karomama
- Khenthap
- Kiya
- Meritamn
- Merneith
- Mutemwiya
- Nefertiti
- Neith
- Nitocris
- Penebui
- Sitamun
- Teti
- Tetisheri
- Tiaa
- Tyti
- Udjebten
Egyptian names for male cats
Here we have collected the most well-known Egyptian gods to help you name your male cat:
- Nile: in Ancient Egypt, the Nile was called "Hapy", which is translated as "river" or "channel". It acquired great importance and, therefore, appears frequently in the history of the ancient Egyptian civilization, since it was vital for its development.
- Amun: means "the hidden" and during history has been transforming its title representing both the god of the kingdom and dynastic god.
- Ra: solar god and the most powerful of the Ancient Kingdom. Father of all the gods.
Names of Egyptian gods
As with goddesses, Ancient Egyptian gods were of great importance among citizens. Therefore, we have selected the most powerful and representational gods. Now you can choose an Egyptian name for your male cats that best suits its characteristics:
- Anubis: one of the oldest gods, connected with the deceased and the place where the embalming was carried out, was considered the god of mummification.
- Apophis: god of chaos and destruction, representation of malefic forces, related to the concept of evil and without which the solar cycle could not be completed.
- Apis: god of fertility.
- Aton: representation of the solar disk, creator of humans and animals.
- Geb: creator god and personification of the earth and nature.
- Hapi: God of the floods, personification of the Nile and the fertility that it contributed.
- Horus: meaning "the distant one" and is one of the oldest gods. God of the sky.
- Khepri: meaning "he who is coming into being", he created himself and represents eternal life.
- Khnum: one of the oldest gods, had different titles and, therefore, was considered: the creator god of Elephantine, (which originated the egg from which Ra was born), god of water as source of life and guardian of the the Nile sources.
- Osiris: another of the oldest gods of the afterlife, underworld and resurrection.
- Serapis: official god of Egypt and Greece.
- Seth: god of storms, disorder, violence and the desert.
Names of pharaohs for cats
The kings and/or pharaohs of Ancient Egypt had names which were designed to impose presence above all else. In fact, they were considered as representations of gods on earth. Therefore, if your cat has a strong personality or you simply want to give it name that represents strength, take a look at this list of names of Egyptian pharaohs for cats:
- Menes
- Djet
- Nynetjer
- Djoser
- Huni
- Sneferu
- Userkare
- Sahure
- Menkauhor kaiu
- Teti
- Pepi
- Kheti
- Khety
- Intef
- Herihor
- Nehesi
- Apophis
- Kamose
- Amenhotep
- Tuthmosis
- Tutankhamun
- Ramesses
- Seti
- Smendes
- Amenemope
- Osorkon
- Takelot
- Psamtik
- Cambyses
- Xerxes
- Hakor
- Nectanebo
- Artaxerxes
- Ptolemy
If you want to read similar articles to Egyption Names For Cats, we recommend you visit our Names category.
- Camps Rabadà, J. Nuevos argumentos sobre el origen de los gatos domésticos. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.
- Castel, E. Gran diccionario de mitología egipcia. Amigos de la Egiptología.