Neko is a Japanese word-name meaning "cat," used occasionally as a modern given name.
Neko occupies a fascinating intersection of cultures. In Japanese, neko (猫) is the everyday word for "cat," which has given the name an immediate association with feline grace, independence, and the slightly mysterious quality that cats carry in every culture. In Japan, cats are figures of both domestic comfort and otherworldly power — the beckoning maneki-neko is one of the most recognized symbols in East Asian culture — so naming a child Neko carries gentle but unmistakable mythological weight.
Beyond Japanese, Neko appears as a given name in several other traditions. In some Slavic and Eastern European contexts it functions as a short form of various names, while in Scandinavian usage it has been recorded as a variant of Nicholas or Nikolas derivations. The name's simplicity — two open syllables, easy across languages — gives it a kind of universality that transcends any single tradition.
Neko Case, the acclaimed Canadian-American singer-songwriter known for her powerful voice and literary lyrics, has made the name particularly visible in indie music and literary circles since the 1990s, lending it an artistic, idiosyncratic warmth. In the era of global naming, Neko appeals to parents drawn to names that feel both cross-cultural and quietly distinctive — short enough to be unimposing, layered enough to reward curiosity. It has a playful lightness while remaining genuinely name-like rather than merely whimsical. Whether its bearer grows up knowing it means "cat" in Japanese or not, they will likely find the association more charming than burdening.