Cetus as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Cetus

What is the meaning of the name Cetus ?

The baby name Cetus is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈsiːtəs/ (SEE-tus).

Cetus is Greek in Origin.

Cetus comes from Latin cetus, “whale” or “sea monster,” ultimately from Greek kētos (κῆτος) meaning “great sea creature.” It names a southern constellation long known to Greco-Roman astronomers and linked to the tale in which a sea monster menaces Andromeda before being slain by Perseus. Through this celestial and mythic lineage, Cetus evokes the deep ocean and the night sky.

As a given name it is exceedingly rare, surfacing mostly in modern times among astronomy enthusiasts and seekers of distinctive maritime names. The form is generally treated as unisex but leans masculine by Latin grammatical gender. Variants and cognates include Ketos/Kētos (scholarly Greek), Ceto/Keto (the related Greek sea goddess), and the adapted diminutives Cet or Cee. The core meaning centers on “whale,” “leviathan,” or “great creature of the sea.”

⚙ Cetus is an extremely rare name. Across our dataset of national birth registries and international name records, Cetus appears only 7 times in total — found in 4 countries. If you're considering it, you'd be giving your child a name almost nobody else has.