Cool Male and Female Snake Names

Choosing the best snake name for your new pet is a fun process! You get to decide what your snake will be called for the rest of its life. The process of choosing a name for your snake can help you bond with your new scaly best friend.

There are many different avenues you can take when deciding on a name. For example, you can choose to do something cool, you could pick up on something quirky and call your snake a fun or cute name, or you could play with their scientific name until you land on something you are happy with.

There are also many books, historical stories, myths, movies, and TV series that have famous serpents in them that you can name your snake after!

Read our lists of names and pick out your favorites!

Scientific Snake Names

All snakes belong to the suborder named Serpentes. This is why we call them ‘serpents’ collectively. Scientific names are interesting, unique to each snake, and fun to play around with. For instance, you could call your snake ‘Serpy’ in honor of them being a Serpentes.

Different species of snakes also belong to different families. There are 24 different families of snakes currently recognized by the scientific community. For example, all pythons belong to the Pythonidae family. You could use the family, genus, or species name of your snake to create a unique name for them.

Here are some other examples of different snakes’ family names:

• All boas belong to the Boidae family. If you have a boa as a pet, you could name it ‘Good Boi,’ ‘Boid,’ or ‘Boidy!’ Each boa has its own genus and species name. If you owned a rosy boa (Lichanura trivirgata), you could name it ‘Lichi’ or ‘Virg.’
• The corn snake’s scientific name is Pantherophis guttatus. You could name your corn snake ‘Panther’ or ‘Gutta.’
• There are many different subspecies of kingsnakes, but their genus name is Lampropeltis. You could name your kingsnake ‘Lampy,’ ‘Lampry,’ or ‘Pelty!’
• The Western hognose snake’s scientific name is Heterodon nasicus. You could name your derpy looking hognose something mighty sounding like ‘Heterodon,’ ‘Don,’ or ‘Nas.’

Research the scientific name for your snake’s species, genus, or family, and see if you can come up with something that is perfectly unique and completely appropriate.

Cool Snake Names

If you are a cool reptile owner and need a name for your snake that matches your level of epicness, then read on! This list comprises names for snakes that are badass and clever!

1. Hiss
2. Shadow
3. Venom
4. Fang
5. Slither
6. Diablo
7. King
8. Titan
9. Jupiter
10. Neptune
11. Onyx
12. Venus
13. Xena
14. Opal
15. Rex
16. Slider
17. Ghost
18. Spyro
19. Envy
20. Zeffer
21. Stones
22. Rogue
23. Ronin
24. Blaze
25. Void
26. Kuro
27. Optimus

Cute Snake Names

Snakes can be quite scary looking, and the thought of owning or touching one can be very intimidating for some. What better way to assuage feelings of terror than to give your snake a cute or funny name?

Here are some cute, funny, and punny names for your scaly baby:

1. Snek
2. Fluffy
3. Cuddles
4. Noodle
5. Nope Rope
6. Spaghetti
7. String Cheese
8. Pretzel
9. Biscuit
10. Sssssnuglessss
11. Noogy
12. Boop
13. Worm
14. Puff
15. Floof
16. Legless
17. Notoe
18. Longboy/girl
19. Mr./Ms. Hissy Pants
20. David Hisssslehoff
21. Hisstopher Walken (or Crawlin!)
22. Hissy Elliot
23. Kathiss Everdeen
24. William Snakespeare
25. Fanghiss Khan
26. Monty The Python

There are many other cute names, puns, and fun names you can come up with just by playing around! Choose your favorite actor/actress’ name and add a hiss, a fang, or a wiggle to it and see if you can land on a unique name for your snake!

Historical Snake Names

There are many well-known names associated with snakes throughout myth, history, and fantasy. You could use one of these names for your pet snake. If you are using a name from another culture, then remember to be respectful of the culture itself.

Ancient Iconography Snake Names:

Ouroboros is the snake eating its own tail. The ouroboros is a Greek word, but the symbol itself is evident in many ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Norse Pagans. The ouroboros is a symbol of rebirth, power, and continuity.

You could use this word to come up with a unique name for your snake. You could even alter it slightly to something that rolls off the tongue a bit easier, like ‘Boro,’ or ‘Oury.’

Greek Associated Snake Names:

Snakes were both revered and feared in Greek mythology, as they were symbols of life and death. There are many cases where snakes come up in the history and mythology of the Greeks.

1. Asclepius (Asclepius was the Greek god of serpents)
2. Medusa (Medusa was cursed with snakes for hair)
3. Caduceus (the Caduceus is the double serpent around the staff with wings, which is the emblem for modern medicine)
4. Gorgon (Gorgons were monstrous, bloodthirsty women in the mythology who had snakes for hair)
5. Chimera (Chimeras were monsters that often had the fangs, eyes, or tails of a snake)
6. Charybdis (a sea monster that challenged many heroes such as Jason, Odysseus, and Aeneas)

Norse Associated Snake Names:

Snakes were treated as symbols of power in Norse mythology. While Jormungandr was destined to swallow the world during Ragnarok, it was also revered as a god.

7. Jormungandr (the snake that encircles the seas and will one day swallow the world at Ragnarok)
8. Loki
9. Angrboda (Loki and Angrboda were the parents of Jormungandr)

Egyptian Associated Names:

Egyptians saw snakes as both good and evil. Snakes are able to shed their skin, and this plays a large role in their symbology in Egyptology.

10. Apep (the god who embodied chaos)
11. Apophys (Apophys was another name for Apep)
12. Asp (the asp is the snake that bit Cleopatra)
13. Cleopatra (Cleopatra committed suicide by getting an asp to bite her instead of being taken alive by the Romans and kept as a political prisoner)

Christian Associated Snake Names:

Snakes have a complicated relationship with Christian stories, as they represent evil as well as power.

14. Satan
15. Adam
16. Eve/Evie
17. Eden
18. Moses (Moses’ staff was turned into a snake)
19. Leviathan (the leviathan is found in the Book of Job and is a sea serpent)

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism Associated Snake Names:

Snakes form an important part of life in India and Asia. They are woven into many of the cultures and religions. In Hinduism, snakes represent mortality and rebirth. This is due to the fact that they shed their skin and look as though they are reborn.

20. Manasa (Manasa is the Hindu goddess of snakes, fertility, and prosperity)
21. Naga (Naga is the name for the mythical humanoid snake creatures who were part man and part cobra. Naga is also the Sanskrit word for serpent. They were the protectors of Buddha and the Dharma: Buddhist teachings.)
22. Madame White Snake (the Legend of the White Snake is well-known as a horror/romance myth surrounding love and pain)

Mesoamerican Associated Snake Names:

23. Quetzalcoatl (Quetzalcoatl is the feathered serpent who was the Aztec god of wind, rain, learning, and science)
24. Coatl (Coatl is the Nahuatl word for serpent)
25. Kukulkan (Kukulkan is the name of a Mayan god)

Fantasy Names

Snakes have popped up in books, TV series, movies, and fiction in general for centuries. Read through this list to see if one of these names sparks your interest!

Harry Potter:

1. Severus Snape (or Snake)
2. Basilisk
3. Serpensortia
4. Slytherin
5. Nagini
6. Salazar
7. Voldemort
8. Malfoy

Lord of the Rings:

9. Smaug
10. Nazgul (the nine human ring bearers’ mounts)
11. Sauron (Sauron took the form of the Black Serpent when he fought Huan)
12. Haradrim (the serpent was Haradrim’s heraldic banner)

Aladdin:

13. Jafar
14. Mulcho

Naruto:

15. Hebi
16. Orochimaru

Miscellaneous Names:

17. Shai-hulud (the gigantic sandworms in Dune)
18. Kaa (Jungle Book)
19. Salmissra (The Belgariad and Mallorean)
20. Master Viper (Kung Fu Panda)
21. Mara (Dr. Who)
22. Sammy (Sesame Street)
23. Inky (Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events)
24. Sir Hiss (Robin Hood)
25. Karai (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
26. Yuan-ti (Dungeons and Dragons)

FAQs About Naming Your Snake

Can I change my snake’s name?

You can change your snake’s name whenever you’d like! Reptiles do not respond to their names, as they cannot recognize them in the same way dogs and cats do. If you decide you want to change your snake’s name because their coloring changed or their personality developed differently, then go for it!

How do I choose my snake’s name?

Look at your snake’s coloring; are they pure black? Could you call them onyx? Are they gorgeous orangey-pink? Could you call them coral?

If you do not want to call them something based on their color, then what about their characteristics? Do they have big ‘Dopey’ eyes? Are they ‘Ssssslender?’

If they end up changing later on in life, you can always change their name.

I named my snake a boy’s name, but he just laid an egg! Must I change their name?

Telling the differences between male and female snakes is difficult if they have not been probed by a vet or expert (do not do this yourself, as you can hurt them). So, if you named your snake a boy name and it ends up being a girl, you can keep it the same or change it up!

Slithering Off…

The best names are always something personal to you or your snake. Hopefully, by this point, you have either chosen a cool snake name from our lists or you have derived inspiration from them!

Good luck with naming your scaly baby!