This post may contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
Looking for some good names for a dinosaur? Then this ROARsome list is for you!
Below you’ll find the ultimate list of dinosaur name ideas, perfect for the new pet dinosaur in your life.
One day at the library, our toddler picked out a Jurassic Park video game. Each time a new dinosaur character appeared, it would let out a roar.
And that is how one of our baby’s first words turned out to be her roaring anytime she saw a dinosaur (or any big animal at the zoo that she confused with a dino…).
When your baby has a dinosaur party trick like that, you end up with a lot dinosaur themed gifts. After the holidays this year, we were flush with stuffed and toy “pet” dinosaurs in need of names.
Below you’ll find a list of names curated after hours of my research. I consulted references on dinosaurs, my own name database, and paleontological history to find unique and clever names for stuffed dinosaurs.
For better navigation, I’ve divided the list down into categories. Up first are names with dinosaur meanings, many of which are root words in dinosaur names.
Then you’ll find funny names for dinosaurs (including pun names) and cute dino names. For those looking for gendered options, I include boys and girls names that would be cute on a dinosaur.
We close the list with dinosaur character names from pop culture and names of famous paleontologists.
And don’t forget to check out my list of 325+ Cute & Clever Names for Teddy Bears.
On to the dino names!
Join our baby name facebook group!
Love chatting about baby names and trends? Join the discussion over on our new Facebook group. Plus, get FREE help finding the perfect baby name!
What does the name dinosaur mean?
The name dinosaur comes from the biologist and paleontologist Richard Owen (source), who coined the term dinosauria to mean “fearfully great reptile” or “terrible reptile.”
The name originates from Greek, with deinos meaning “terrible” and sauros meaning “lizard.”
Names with dinosaur meanings
First on our list of names for a “pet” dinosaur, we have ideas that derive closely from dinosaur species names. Each of the names in this section come from names of dinosaurs.
1. Cedar: a nickname for the dinosaur Cedarpelta and a gender neutral nature name that
2. Edmon: a name in honor of the dinosaur Edmontonia, and a name meaning “wealthy protector”
3. Terry: for teradactlys
4. Emmaus: a name meaning “hot springs” and a reference to the dinosaur Emausaurus
5. Gargoyle: Not only would Gargoyle be a cool name but there is also dinosaur called Gargoylesaurus
6. Gaston: not just a Beauty and the Beast character, there was a dinosaur called Gastonia
7. Gobi: for the Gobisaurus
8. Kent: a nickname for the Kentrosaurus dinosaur
9. Minmi: Minmi is a cute name and also the name of a small dinosaur
10. Tala: short for the Talarurus dinosaur
11. Ava: a shortened name from the Avaceratops
12. Atlas: a reference to the Atlascopcosaurus
13. Onyx: Onyx or Barry could be dino names in honor of the Baryonyx
14. Draco: for Dracorex, a former dinosaur name now considered part of the Pachycephalosaurus species. Draco also means “dragon” from Greek roots
15. Anzu: a oviraptor
16. Delta: for the Deltadromeus
17. Diablo: a name for a dinosaur called Diabloceratops
18. Maia: a short name for the dinosaur Maiasaura
19. Dino: perhaps a too obvious name for a dinosaur but Dino is also a given name of Italian origins meaning “little sword.”
20. Diplo: for the dinosaur diplodocus, or the famous American DJ
Funny dinosaur names
Next up are funny names for a dinosaur, including dinosaur pun names and pop culture references.
21. ROARy: a funny name for a dinosaur that is a play on the name Rory
22. DINO-mite: a pun name for a dinosaurs off dynamite
23. Dino-snores: a cute word play on dinosaur
24. ROARsome: a pun name for a dinosaur off the word awesome
25. Rex Harrison: a famous actor and a play on T-Rex
26. Tina Rex: a funny word play name for dinosaurs off of T-Rex
27. Fluffy: an ironic name for a dinosaur, especially a fierce one.
28. Clever Girl: a reference to the infamous quote from Jurassic Park
29. Sara Tops: a play on the name Triceratops
30. Butts: not only is Butts a funny name, it can also be a reference to the Jurassic Park quote “hold onto your butts”
Cute dinosaur names
I love the idea of juxtaposing a big or fierce dinosaur with an adorable and cute dinosaur name. Here are some cute and nickname-style names for a dinosaur.
31. Flossy: a cute nod to dinosaurs teeth
32. Ryoko: a Japanese originating girl name meaning “like a dragon”
33. Snowball: this cutesy name would be funny for a pet dinosaur
34. Rawr-rawr: for dinoaurs roars
35. Dash: Dash the Dino is a short and fun name idea
36. Skippy: Skippy is a charming nickname name
37. Nodo: from the name of the Nodosauridae dinosaur family, the root Nodo means “lumpy”
38. Lumpy: from the Nodo root above, Lumpy would also be a cute name for a dinosaur
39. Didi: a cute diminuitve name that would be perfect for a dinosaur
40. Demi-Jo: double-barrel names are definitely cute and this one flows well with “dino”
41. Dolly: Dolly would be a name you’d expect for a toy doll, which makes it a fun twist when you use it for a toy dinosaur instead
42. Huxley: Hux would be a cute nickname for a stuffed dinosaur named Huxley
43. Birdie: Birdie is an appropriate nickname for a pet dinosaur since birds are the surviving lineage of dinosaurs
44. Echo: one of the raptors in the movie Jurassic World
45. Fossil: a name for dinosaur fossils
46. Allo: a root word found in dinosaur names meaning “strange”
Good names for a toy dinosaur by gender
Then, we turn to good dinosaur names for boy and girl dinosaurs.
Boy dino names
47. Seymour: a boy name rhyming with dinosaur
48. Essex: Essex the Rex is a catchy name for a T. Rex.
49. Bo: a boy’s name rhyming with dino
50. Saul: Saul the ‘Saur
51. Dawson: an alliterative boy name for a pet dinosaur
52. Felix: Felix, the T. Rex
53. Titan: a name meaning “big, strong defender” which is an apt meaning for a dino name
54. Charlie: one of the raptors in Jurassic World
55. Timothy: the adult male name Timothy would be a funny choice for a pet dinosaur
56. Denzell: a boy name meaning “powerful” which is fitting for a pet dinosaur
57. Oswald: Oswald has the option for the cute nickname Ozzie
58. Talon: for the claws of dinosaurs
Girl dino names
59. Dina: this girl’s name sounds close to Dino
60. Daisy: an alliterative name for a girl dinosaur
61. Bree: Bree is an Irish girl name meaning “power,” like a powerful dinosaur
62. Deborah: Deborah the Dino has a nice ring to it
63. Rue: Rue is a short and sweet gender neutral name, though it is more often given to girls
64. Astra: a name that sounds akin to asteroids, which likely led to dinosaurs extinction
65. Persephone: a Greek name meaning “destroy” and “slay”, this girl name would work well for a fierce stuffed dinosaur
66. Claire: Claire is the name of the girl protagonist in the modern dinosaur movie Jurassic World, making it a good dinosaur name for a girl dino.
67. Dove: naming one animal a different kind of animal is always fun
68. Tala: Tala is the girl answer to the name talon
69. Delphine: I like the idea of a flowing and feminine name for a dinosaur
70. Holly: the name of a female character in the show Land of the Lost
71. Chloe: Chloe is a girl name meaning “green sprout” which would be fitting for a green dinosaur
Names of famous dinosaur characters
If you like pop culture references, consider one of these dinosaur character names from movies and TV shows.
72. Yoshi: the name of the dinosaur in Nintendo’s Mario
73. Reptar: the name of the T-Rex in Rugrats
74. Earl: the name of the father dinosaur in the show Dinosaurs
75. Fran: the name of the mother character in the animatronic show Dinosaurs
76. Charlene: the name of the daughter dinosaur in the show Dinosaurs
77. Robbie: the name of the son character in the show Dinosaurs
78. Ducky: a dino character name in Land Before Time
79. Littlefoot: the main character in Land Before Time
80. Cera: Cera is another character in Land Before Time
81. Arlo: the main character in Pixar’s the Good Dinosaur
82. Butch: a dinosaur character name in Pixar’s the Good Dinosaur
83. Prickle: Prickle was a character in Gumby
84. Adalar: the name of the main dinosaur character in Disney’s Dinosaur movie
85. Todd: the name of the dino in the comic strip Todd the Dinosaur
86. Rex: the name of the dinosaur characters in Toy Story and Night at the Museum
87. Barney: the name of the iconic purple dinosaur
88. Grumpy: the T-Rex in the show Land of the Lost
89. Dopey: a friendly dinosaur character in Land of the Lost
90. Denver: the name of the titular character on the show Denver, the Last Dinosaur
91. Dino: the name of the dinosaur in the Flintstone
92. Devil: the name of a dinosaur character in the Marvel comic series
Names for pet dinosaurs inspired by famous paleontologists
Finally, we close the list with names that reference the scientists who studied dinosaurs through the years. These names of famous paleontologists include people who discovered the T. Rex and who coined the word “dinosaur.”
93. Owen: in honor of Richard Owen, the paleontologist credited with coining the name “dinosaur”
94. Luis: Luis Alvarez is the scientist to develop the theory that a meteor impact killed the dinosaurs
95. Cuvier: George Cuvier is often called the “Father of Paleontology”
96. Barnum: Barnum Brown discovered the first T. Rex fossils
97. Mary: Mary Anning was a 1800’s fossil hunter who received scientific recognition not common for women at the time
98. Stephen: in honor of Stephen Jay Gould, the paleontologist famous for his evolutionary theories
99. Osborn: Henry Osborn named the T. Rex and was the president of the American Museum of Natural History
100. Darwin: a dinosaur name for the infamous Charles Darwin
101. Mudge: after scientist Benjamin Franklin Mudge
102. Jack: Jack Horner is a scientist working to use dino DNA to make modern dinosaurs, a la Jurassic Park
103. Alan: the name of the paleontologist character in Jurassic Park, and the name of a real paleontologist named Alan Walker
104. Ellie: another paleontologist character in Jurassic Park
Looking for more name ideas for your kid’s toys? Check out:
