Animal Name Generator

Fantasy animal names: Origin, structure, and meaning

We all love naming pets. But fantasy animals are more than your standard housecats: they’re dragons and unicorns, sphinxes and centaurs. These furry, scaly, or wing-waving creatures need names that make them feel as real as a hamster in a wheel, just slightly more magical.

There are enough fantasy animals to fill a fantasy zoo: from Aslan the Lion to the owl Hedwig in Harry Potter, each species has its own rhythmic and lingual patterns to bring animal characters to life.

Fantasy animal naming conventions

Fantasy animal naming requires dialing down into individual species: dragons should sound fearsome and exotic with Xs and Zs in their names, while an owl like “Hedwig” seems somehow…realistic, doesn’t it? You might also touch on lingual traditions like Greek when animals are inspired by specific mythologies.

Fantasy animal name inspiration

Like the family dog, your fantasy animal will probably have a singular name that reflects its independence. Try to reflect lingual traditions from which the animals arise; a sphinx might sound Egyptian, for example. In George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, dragon names typically stem from Valyrian dragon traditions.

If you’re ready to name your “pet,” explore our fantasy animal name generator and see what strikes your fancy!

List of Fantasy Animal Names

Fire-breathers, magic birds, fearsome four-legged beasts, and cute assistants—fantasy animal names run the gamut of the entire fantasy landscape. But if you want to pick a name that grounds your fantastical ideas in some reality, check out these tried-and-true fantasy animal names: