It is really not easy to find a unique cat name in English, but if you like Ireland, Irish language or culture, you will find a different new world of cat names.
Ireland is one of the first countries to adopt hereditary surnames. Many of these surnames can be used as cat names because cats are part of the family. Check out the below list of 46 cat names inspired by those common Irish surnames.
Boyle: The O Boyles were chieftains in Donegal, and the name means "having profitable pledges".
Brennan: This Irish family was very widespread, and it means "descendant of Braonan".
Brown: The Irish Brown families are most commonly found in the province of Connacht. The name was probably given in reference to brown hair or eyes.
Burke: Originated from the borough of Caen in Normandy, and the Burkes have been in Ireland since the 12th-century. The name means "from the fortified settlement".
Byrne: The name Byrne means "brook", and it is originally a surname for families living close to a stream.
Callaghan: The Callaghans were a powerful family in the province of Munster, and most numerous in Clare and Cork.
Campbell: The meaning of Campbell is "crooked mouth", it is a masculine name in Scotland, but used for both genders in the US.
Carroll: Manly. The O Carroll surname can be found throughout Ireland, and there is also a MacCarroll family from the province of Ulster.
Clancy: The name Clancy means "son of Flannchadh". Flannchadh is an ancient Irish name meaning "red warrior".
Clarke: One of the oldest surnames in Ireland.
Collins: The Irish Collins surname originated in Limerick, though after the Norman invasion they fled to Cork. There are also Collin families from the province of Ulster, most of whom were probably English.
Connell: Strong wolf.
Connolly: The name Connolly means "Brave or Wise". Originally an Irish clan from Galway, the Connolly families settled in Cork, Meath, and Monaghan.
Connor: The name Connor means hero or champion. The O Connors were one of three royal Irish families.
Daly: Gather together.
Doherty: The name Doherty means obstructive or hurtful. In the 4th century the Dohertys settled around the Inishowen peninsula in Donegal, where they've primarily stayed.
Doyle: The meaning of Doyle is "black stranger". The greatest concentration of Doyles is in Leinster, Roscommon, Wexford and Wicklow.
Duffy: The name Duffy means "dark skinned". Their original homeland was Monaghan, where their surname is still the most common.
Dunne: Irish for Brown. Dunne is the most common surname in Laois, where they originated.
Farrell: The meaning of Farrell is "hero, man of courage". The O Farrell chieftains were lords of Annaly near Longford and Westmeath.
Fitzgerald: The meaning of Fitzgerald is "son of the spear-ruler". Middle name of John F. Kennedy, and the last name of his grandfather, who was known as "Honey Fitz".
Flynn: Descendant of Flann. Made popular by the flamboyant Australian actor Errol Flynn.
Gallagher: The meaning of Gallagher is "foreign helper". The Gallagher clan has been in Donegal since the 4th century and is the most common surname in this area.
Healy: From the slope land. The Healy surname can most commonly be found in Cork and Sligo.
Hughes: Son of Hugh. The Hughe surname is most numerous in 3 provinces: Connacht, Leinster, and Ulster.
Johnston: Johnston is the most common name in the province of Ulster. The meaning of Johnston is "from John's farm".
Kelly: Means "warrior". Kelly families of Irish origin come primarily from Derry, Galway, Kildare, Leitrim, Leix, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon, and Wicklow.
Kennedy: Helmeted. The Kennedy surname hails from Clare, Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Wexford.
Lynch: Mariner. The Lynch families were originally settled in Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Sligo, and Westmeath, where the Lynch surname is most common.
MacCarthy: The MacCarthy surname originated primarily from Cork, Kerry, and Tipperary.
Maguire: The Maguire surname is the most common in Fermanagh, and the meaning of Maguire is "son of the beige one".
Mahony: Munster was the territory of the Mahoney clan, with Mahonys being most numerous in Cork.
Martin: Martin is of Latin origin, and the meaning of Martin is "dedicated to Mars". The Martin surname can be found primarily in Galway, Tyrone, and Westmeath.
Moore: The meaning of Moore is "dark-skinned". A place name for families who lived close to a bog or moor. The ancient Irish Moores settled in Kildare, while most Moores are from Antrim and Dublin.
Murphy: Murphy means "sea warrior". The most common of all Irish names, the Murphy surname can be found in all four provinces.
Murray: The meaning of Murray is "lord and master". The Murray surname is especially prolific in Donegal.
Nolan: Champion. Nolan families have always been very numerous in Carlow, and can also be found in Fermanagh, Longford, Mayo, and Roscommon.
Quinn: Quinn is an Irish surname occasionally used for girls, and the meaning of Quinn is "wise". The Quinns are primarily from Antrim, Clare, Longford and Tyrone, where their surname is the most common.
Reilly: Means "courageous". The Reillys are primarily from Cavan, Cork, Longford, and Meath.
Ryan: The meaning of Ryan is "king". The O Riain and Ryan families of Ireland are primarily from Carlow and Tipperary, where Ryan is the most common surname.
Shea: Means "admirable", also possiblly "from the fairy fort". Originally the Shea family was from Kerry.
Smith: The meaning of Smith is "blacksmith". Smith is actually the most common surname in Antrim.
Sullivan: Originally settled in County Tipperary, the Sullivan family spread into Kerry and Cork, where they are now most numerous and their surname is the most common. The meaning of Sullivan is "dark eyes".
Sweeney: Sweeney means "small hero". Sweeney families are found primarily in Cork, Donegal and Kerry.
Thompson: The second most common non-Irish name found in Ireland, especially in Ulster. The meaning of Thompson is "twin".
Walsh: The name came into use to describe the Welsh people who came to Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasions, Walsh families were very numerous throughout all four provinces of Ireland. Walsh is the most common surname in Mayo.White: The name White probably referred to the complexion or hair color of an ancestor. White families can be found in Ireland throughout Down, Limerick, Sligo, and Wexford.
See also