It is always challenging to choose the perfect name for any pet, especially for exotic pets like reptiles and amphibians! Fortunately, unlike with dogs, where you will also want to choose a simple name they will be able to recognize and learn, you can name your turtle or tortoise almost anything. In this article, we have put together a few lists of the best names for turtles and tortoises to give you plenty of inspiration.
If you don’t find the perfect name, hopefully, you will at least find some ideas that point you in the right direction. Happy hunting!
Clever Turtle Names
Why not try one of these clever names based on the characteristics of a turtle?
- Bulldozer – since nothing stops a turtle once they are on the march
- Camo – many turtles’ shells provide them with clever camouflage!
- Caveman – because they live in their own personal cave
- Coconut – since they have a hard shell like a coconut, and they are also found on the beach
- Flipper – for their flipper-like feet
- Marshell – a militant (and punny!) name that uses their shell as inspiration
- Peek-a-Boo – since they will often play this with you
- Pokey – as they poke their heads out of their shells (and they’re slow-moving!)
- Scooter – as you will notice that they scoot around
- Sheldon – for their shell and the Big Bang Theory character
- Shell-Shocker – especially if they have a tendency to run into things
- Shelly – for their portable home
- Snail – the two animals do share some prominent traits!
- Snappy – when they bite, they often seem to snap their mouths (especially snapping turtles)
- Speedy – its meant to be ironic, but some turtles are quite fast
- Tank – because many turtles are built strong like tanks
- Turbo – another cheeky reference to their speed
- Turtleneck – the classic jumper is named after them
- Waddle – for their waddling walk
Thinking of adopting a turtle? Read our guide to the turtle species that make the best pets.
Names Based on Turtle Characters
There have been lots of famous fictional turtles throughout history in books, TV, movies, and more! Why not borrow a turtle name from pop culture?
- Bentley Turtle – the military turtle in Sly Cooper
- Bert the Turtle – the gullible turtle in Duck and Cover
- Bowser – the evil boss-turtle in Super Mario
- Burt – the turtle in Danger Rangers
- Cecil Turtle – the groggy turtle from Tortoise Wins by a Hare
- Crush – the surfer turtle that gives Nemo a lift in Finding Nemo
- Donatello – the purple Ninja Turtle that fights with a staff
- Franklin – the titular turtle in the kids’ cartoon
- Ghido – the turtle in Final Fantasy V
- Gramps – the grumpy old turtle in The Rescuers
- Kongwe – the beautiful turtle in The Lion Guard
- Lenny Turtletaub – the Hollywood turtle in Bojack Horseman
- Leonardo – the blue Ninja Turtle, often portrayed as the intellectual
- Michaelangelo – the orange Ninja Turtle the likes pizza the most
- Morla – the ancient turtle from the Neverending Story
- Oogway – the old master turtle in Kung Fu Panda
- Raphael – the red Ninja Turtle
- Sammy – the adventurous turtle from A Turtle’s Tale
- Squirt – the baby turtle in Finding Nemo
- Squirtle – the aquatic turtle in Pokemon
- Tank – the turtle from My Little Pony
- Terraspin – the fighting turtle in Ben 10
- Toby Tortoise – the slow turtle from the Tortoise and the Hare
- Toby Turtle – the shy turtle from Disney’s animated Robin Hood
- Tortoise John – the turtle cowboy from Rango
- Tortimer – the turtle from Animal Crossing
- Tuck – the Renaissance turtle in Wonder Pets
- Turtwig – the terrestrial turtle in Pokemon
- Verne – the friendly turtle in Over the Fence
- Yertle the Turtle – the Dr Seuss character
- Zippy – a reference to the adorable TY Beanie Baby turtle (a perfect name for surprisingly fast turtles!)
Getting a new turtle? Read our guide to the best turtle tank setups.
Divine and Mythological Turtle Names
Since most turtles love the water, why not name yours after one of the many gods of the sea?
- Abzu – Mesopotamian god of freshwater
- Aegis – Norse god of the sea
- Anuket – Egyptian god of the Nile
- Belisama – Celtic goddess of lakes and rivers
- Brigid – Irish goddess associated with water, where streams join
- Bunzi – goddess of rain, rainbows, and water in Kongo
- Dodola – Slavic goddess of rain
- Ezili – Benin goddess of sweet water, beauty, and love
- Funza – goddess or water and malformations in Kongo
- Hapi – Egyptian god of the annual Nile flood
- Grannus – Celtic god associated with thermal spas and mineral springs
- Jurturna – Roman goddess of fountains, wells, and springs
- Khnum – God of the Nile in Egypt
- Kinbazi – goddess of sea storms in the African Kongo religion
- Laume – Lithuanian goddess of wild waters
- Lir – Irish god of the sea
- Marduk – Mesopotamian god of water, vegetation, judgment, and magic
- Medusa – one of the Greek monstrous sea spirits
- Mokosh – Slavic lady of the water
- Moryana – Slavic giant female seas spirit
- Nammu – Mesopotamian goddess of the primeval sea
- Neptune – Roman god of the sea
- Nix – Nordic water spirits
- Njord – Asgardian god of the sea
- Nommos – amphibious spirits worshipped as ancestors in the Dogon religion
- Nu – Egyptian god of primordial waters
- Nyami Nyami – Zimbabwean water spirit
- Olokun – a Yoruba ocean orisha, or spirit
- Oshun – a Yoruba river orisha, or spirit
- Poseidon – Greek god of the sea
- Proteus – the shapeshifting Greek sea god
- Ran – Norse sea giant
- Satet – Egyptian goddess of the Nile
- Sobek – Egyptian Nile god with the head of a crocodile
- Thetis – Greek Nereid that presides over the spawning of marine life
- Tiamat – Mesopotamian goddess of saltwater and chaos
- Triton – King of the merpeople
- Veles – Slavic god of water and the underworld
- Venus – Greek goddess that emerges from a seashell
- Yam – Canaanite god of the sea
- Yemoja – principal water goddess or the Yoruba religion
Best Turtle Names from Foreign Languages
You could, of course, just call your turtle, “turtle,” but why not make it more interesting by using a foreign language? Here are some foreign words that make good names.
- Agua – “water” in Spanish
- Con Rua – “turtle” in Vietnamese
- Hav – “sea” in Danish
- Kilpikonna – “turtle” in Finnish
- Kornjaca – “turtle” in Croatia
- Mar – “ocean” in Portuguese
- Nadar – “swim” in Portuguese
- Plivati – “swim” in Croatian
- Simma – “swim” in Swedish
- Skildpadde – “turtle” in Danish
- Tartaruga – “turtle” in Portuguese
- Tortue – “turtle” in French
- Tortuga – “turtle” in Spanish
- Uida – “swim” in Finnish
- Vesi – “water” in Finnish
- Voda – “water” in Coratian
- Wasserschildkrote – “water turtle” in German
- Zee – “sea” in Dutch
- Zolw – “turtle” in Polish
- Pagong – “turtle” in Filipino
Best Turtle Names Based on Shields
Since the shell of a turtle looks a bit like a shield, why not look to famous shields and the heroes who wielded them from fiction and history for inspiration?
- Aegis – the famous Greek shield forged by the Cyclops
- Aeneas – he fled Troy with a shield forged by the god Vulcan
- Ancilia – a sacred shield from the Temple of Mars
- Berserker – the strongest of the Viking warriors
- Bucky Barnes – the Winter Soldier
- Centurion – Roman infantry warrior
- Clipeus – the shields used by the Romans
- Geralt (or Rivia) – the Witcher
- Jaivardhan – the shield of the Hindu god Vishnu
- Protego – the shield charm in Harry Potter
- Steve Rogers – Captain America’s real name
- Svalinn – legendary Norse shield that stands before the sun and protects the earth
- Valkyrie – divine Viking shieldmaidens
- Vikings – well-known for their round shields
Turtle Names Inspired by Mermaids
Like turtles, mermaids often live amphibiously and spend a lot of time in water and on land. Many mermaids from fiction and mythology could lend certainly their names to your turtle!
- Adella – one of Ariel’s older sisters
- Ariel – the titular protagonist from The Little Mermaid
- Azalea – a mermaid statute in Virginia
- Breena – mermaid from Waverly and the Magic Seashells
- Calypso – Greek nymph
- Celia – from The Mermaid Tales
- Coralia – mermaid from the 18th-century ballet
- Darya – Russian mermaid
- Fredrika – from the book Sleeping with the Fishes
- Ianthe – Greek ocean nymph
- Lorelei – legendary German mermaid
- Madison – the mermaid in Splash
- Miranda – from the book (and later movie) Aquamarine
- Naia – a mermaid from Mako: Island of Secrets (also means “dolphin” in Hawaiian!)
- Ryn – a mermaid from TV show Siren
- Sabrina – a mermaid from Celtic myth
- Sereia – “mermaid” in Portuguese
- Syrena and Tamara – the mermaids in Pirates of the Caribbean
- Triton – the father of Ariel
- Viviane – the Lady of the Lake in British myth
- Yemanja – Brazilian water spirit
Popular Turtle Names
Still not finding the inspiration you need? Below are some of the most popular turtle names.
- Aslan
- Aurelia
- Beryl
- Bean
- Bubbles
- Cantaloupe
- Clementine
- Cole
- Doris
- Flannery
- Flipper
- George
- Gloria
- Goji
- Jet
- Kale
- Nibbles
- Nugget
- Onyx
- Oriana
- Orville
- Peep
- Pipsqueak
- Plum
- Rosie
- Smiles
- Sunny
- Thalia
- Tiffany
- Tina
- Tricia
- Truffles
- Waddles
- Umber
Final Word
Finding the perfect name for your turtle can take a lot of searching around for inspiration. Aside from simply choosing something that feels right to you, there are no rules for choosing the perfect name. Unlike with dogs, where they will need to learn their name for training purposes, you can pretty much call your turtle anything.
Hopefully, you will find something that suits your scaly friend perfectly on our list of the best turtle names.
Do you have any recommendations for great names for turtles? Share them with the community in the comments section below.
