Fish don’t always get the same attention as their furry pet counterparts, but they often become beloved family members just like cats and dogs. And like your four-legged friends they deserve a name that fits their personality. Coming up with fish names can seem challenging — after all, they spend all of their time in a tank and not romping around in the yard with their favorite toy like your pooch or snuggled up "making biscuits" with you on the couch like the family cat — but it doesn’t have to be.
Tips for Naming Your Fish
You can learn a lot about your fish by watching how they interact with everything from the rocks inside their fish tank to you when you come to give them their daily feeding and decide for yourself whether you’re dealing with a chill pet who just wants to float around or a curious explorer who is constantly checking out everything around them.
Once you have an idea about what makes your pet tick you can truly give them a name that matches their personality (like Bubbles), one that makes you laugh every time you say it (we love a good pet pun, and Ann Chovy is a personal favorite), or a name that works perfectly for your betta fish (when it comes to famous fighters, we always think about Rocky and Sugar Ray). No matter what direction you go in, we’re shore you’ll find the perfect moniker for your aquatic pal on this list.
Popular Fish Names
- Bubbles
- Bubba
- Calypso
- Cat
- Elvis
- Squirt
- Gilligan
- Fishy
- Bigmouth
- Harvey
- Flash
- Frank
- Hydra
- Kai
- Kraken
- Nessie
- Atlantic
- Pacific
- Skipper
Famous Fish Names
- Moby Dick
- Captain Ahab
- Dory
- Nemo
- Flounder
- Jaws
- Wanda
- Magikarp
- Squirtle
- Long John Silver
- Captain Morgan
- Flipper
- Willie
- Poseidon
- Captain Hook
- Jacques Cousteau
- Captain Jack
- Neptune
- Aquaman
- Ariel
- Happy Gillmore
Fish Species That Double as Names
- Marlin
- Tuna
- Angel
- Albus
- Plankton
- Tetra
- Oscar
- Orca
- Ray
- Beluga
Funny (and Punny) Fish Names
- Bait
- Fin
- Small Fry
- Sashimi
- Sushi
- Swedish
- Jetsam
- Flotsam
- Shelly
- Swim Shady
- Algae B. Eater
- Fish N. Chips
- General Finn
- Betta White
- Gill-bert
- Harley Finn
- Marlin Brando
- Lake Skywalker
- Bubble Fett
- Katie Current
- James Pond
- Salty
- Johnny Depth
- Tuna Turner
- Marlin Monroe
- Sharkira
- Guppie Goldberg
- Ann Chovy
- Gill Clinton
- Filet
- Tank
- Tsunami
Funny Names for Pairs of Fish
- Splish and Splash
- Ebb and Flow
- Phineas and Ferb
- Mary Kate and Ashley Ocean
- Salmon and Gillfunkel
Names for Goldfish
- Pumpkin
- Goldie
- Blaze
- Penny
- Ruby
- Tiger
Names for Betta Fish
- Rocky
- Ronda Rousey
- Muhammad Ali
- Sugar Ray
Lauren Wellbank is a freelance writer based in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Martha Stewart Living, and more. She has three small children, a husband, and an over eager dog at home. When she's not writing she likes to work in her garden with her family.
