Napoleon

Napoleon derives from the Italian Napoleone, possibly from the Old High German Nibelung (son of the mists) combined with the suffix -leone (lion), or alternatively from a place name near Naples. The name belongs indelibly to Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military genius who rose from Corsican obscurity to command an empire spanning most of Europe. For a pet, Napoleon is the quintessential name for a small companion with massive ambitions — the original Napoleon complex made lovable.

Napoleon is the gold standard of ironic pet naming — giving the name of history's most famously overcompensating military genius to a beloved household companion, especially a small one, is a joke that never gets old. Yet the name also has genuine substance: Napoleon Bonaparte was extraordinarily intelligent, fiercely determined, and driven by an ambition that reshaped the world. Companions named Napoleon tend to have at least a fraction of that energy — a certainty about their own importance and an absolute refusal to be underestimated. Magnificent for a tiny companion with enormous presence.