Choosing a name for your pet turtle or tortoise may be straightforward if your creature exhibits distinctive markings, traits, or movements. If nothing comes to mind, consider these well-known fictional turtles from literature, film, comics, or history.
Alternatively, you can use the species’ names as a reference, such as red-eared slider (Rosy) or snapping turtle (Snappy). Consider some male and female names, humorous names, and literary and historical references to help you come up with a name for your reptile slowpoke.
Turtles’ Most Popular Names and Facts
- Donatello
- Flippy
- Leonardo
- Mack
- Michelangelo
- Mock Turtle
- Pokey
- Rafael
- Shelly
- Snappy
- Squirt
- Tank
- Turbo
- Yertle
- Zippy
Choosing a Name for Your Turtle or Tortoise
Turtles and tortoises are extremely long-lived animals; the majority of water turtles live up to 40 years, while bigger tortoises can live up to 100 years.
Choose a name that will endure the test of time for such a long-lived beast. Additionally, consider seeing a veterinarian or informing friends and family about the name.
Do you shudder or grin when you hear the name? Other factors that might assist you in deciding on a name for your pet include its shell or unusual characteristics.
You may choose names depending on the turtle’s gender or even on famous turtles like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or “Dr. Seuss.”
ALSO SEE: Can Tortoises Eat Bok Choy?
Is Your Turtle a Male or Female?
Names for Female Turtles or Tortoises
If you own a female turtle or tortoise and are looking for an appropriate female title for your pet, have a look at the following list.
- April
- August
- Bertie
- Cherry
- Ginger
- Goldie
- Holly
- Ivy
- Jade
- Kenya
- Kiwi
- Lady Boxworthy
- Lily
- Myrtle
- Molasses
- Opal
- Penny
- Ruby
- Sienna
- Tammy
Turtle or Tortoise Names for Boys
Turtle or tortoise names that are masculine indicate the animal’s rugged skin and powerful, steady character. It’s unsurprising that several gods from Greek mythology found their way into this selection of stories.
- Achilles
- Apollo
- Atlas
- Balboa
- Baldwin
- Bruno
- Duke
- Fergus
- Hercules
- Hermes
- Malcolm
- Melvin
- Mustafa
- Oscar
- Ozzy
- Popeye
- Paulie
- Romeo
- Rufus
- Taco
Names for Turtles and Tortoises That Are Not Common
When considering the features that make turtles and tortoises special, the first thing that comes to mind is their sluggish pace and their shells. While some scoot around and collide with objects, others slip into the water and swim using their flippers.
All of these characteristics contribute to the creation of distinctive names for these wondrous cold-blooded critters.
- Bulldozer
- Flippy
- Hard Top
- Pokey
- Red
- Rosy
- Scooter
- Shell-shocker
- Shelly
- Shyman
- Slider
- Slow Poke
- Snapper
- Snappy
- Stretch
- Stumpy
- Swimmer
- Tank
- Tonka
- Tucker
Turtle or Tortoise Nicknames That Are Hilarious
Certain pet owners like injecting comedy into their pets’ names. Consider some names that make light of its sluggish behavior, like as Speedy, or those that are clever with puns about its shell.
- Donnashello
- Grease Lightening
- Lickety Split
- Mary Shelly
- Nitro
- Peek-a-Boo
- Poptart
- Rocky
- Shelby
- Sheldon
- Shelly
- Sir Hides-a-lot
- Speedy
- The Flash
- Thunderdome
- Tortellini
- Turbo
- Turtleneck
- Turtle Recall
- Zippy
- Zoom
Pet Tortoise and Turtle Historical and Fictional Names
“Tom,” “Dick,” and “Harry” were the names of the first Galapagos tortoises gathered by scientist Charles Darwin; these names fit nicely for a trio of turtles. Alternatively, if you have four turtles, the perennially popular “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” quartet may be a natural alternative.
There are countless allusions available, ranging from Godzilla and Pokemon to “Dr. Seuss” and “Finding Nemo.”
- Br’er Turtle
- Churchy LeFemme
- Crush
- Donatello
- Franklin
- Fudukazi
- Gamera
- Leonardo
- Mack
- Michelangelo
- Mock Turtle
- Mudface
- Raphael
- Squirt
- Squirtle
- Toby the Turtle
- Tom, Dick, and Harry
- Tortura
- Verne
- Yertle
A to Z Turtle and Tortoise Names
A–B
- Achilles
- April
- Apollo
- Atlas
- August
- Balboa
- Baldwin
- Bertie
- Br’er Turtle
- Bruno
- Bulldozer
C–G
- Cherry
- Churchy LaFemme
- Crush
- Donatello
- Donnashello
- Duke
- Fergus
- Flippy
- Franklin
- Fudukazi
- Gamera
- Ginger
- Goldie
- Grease Lightening
H–L
- Hard Top
- Hermes
- Hercules
- Holly
- Ivy
- Jade
- Kenya
- Kiwi
- Lady Boxworthy
- Leonardo
- Lickety Split
- Lily
M–O
- Mack
- Malcolm
- Mary Shelly
- Melvin
- Michelangelo
- Mock Turtle
- Mudface
- Mustafa
- Myrtle
- Molasses
- Nitro
- Opal
- Oscar
- Ozzy
P–R
- Peek-a-Boo
- Popeye
- Pokey
- Poptart
- Paulie
- Penny
- Raphael
- Red
- Rocky
- Romeo
- Rosy
- Ruby
- Rufus
S
- Scooter
- Shelby
- Sheldon
- Shell-shocker
- Shelly
- Shyman
- Sienna
- Sir Hides-a-lot
- Slider
- Slow Poke
- Snapper
- Snappy
- Speedy
- Squirt
- Squirtle
- Stretch
- Stumpy
- Swimmer
T
- Taco
- Tammy
- Tank
- The Flash
- Thunderdome
- Toby the Turtle
- Tom, Dick, and Harry
- Tonka
- Tortellini
- Tortura
- Tucker
- Turbo
- Turtleneck
- Turtle Recall
V–Z
- Verne
- Yertle
- Zippy
- Zoom
Tortoise Names that are Well-Known
Who wouldn’t desire a well-known name? To be linked with a celebrity — to experience the glitz and glamour. However, enough of that…
Regardless of whether you own one or multiple tortoises, these are some fantastic celebrity names!
Esio Trot: Tortoise spelled backwards – Esio Trot is a cinematic adaptation of Ronald Dahl’s popular novel. Alfie the tortoise is the protagonist of the novel, who brings together his owner Mrs Trotter and her neighbor Mr Hopper in an endearing love story.
Ainsley: Are you a self-proclaimed chef at heart? Then why not name your closest friends and family members after a great chef….
Ant and Dec: The famous comedy pair who rose to prominence in the late 1980’s children’s play Byker Grove and then in the reality show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.
Bert and Ernie: A love/hate relationship that you may recognize! Two of the most well-known characters from the long-running children’s show Sesame Street. Ernie’s chattiness drove Bert insane, yet they remained great friends. Is this your pair?
Bonnie and Clyde: The infamous 1930’s American crime pair. If your tortoise pair is a crime-fighting team, this may be the name for them!
Bowser (aka King Kooper): If you’re a gamer, you’re probably familiar with Bowser from Super Mario Bros.
Dale and Chip: Do you recall these endearing chipmunks from your youth? Then, maybe, you should name your tortoises after them!
Gordon and Flash: Were you a Flash fan?
Florence, Dougal, and Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout: Another popular 1970s television show starring youthful and sensible Florence, her closest friend Dougal the Dog, who eats only sugar lumps, and the mystical, jack-in-a-box Zebedee.
Which Character Best represents Your Tortoise?
Why leave George Clooney in Hollywood when he can be found in your back garden?
Hermoine: Fans of Harry Potter will like this name.
Harry Potter:….And Hermoine cannot exist without Harry.
This takes us to a well-known pair inside the Royal family: Harry and Meghan. Harry and Meghan are really stunning.
Indiana and Jones: Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes of all time. Is your tortoise deserving of a heroic moniker?
Aladdin’s Jasmine: If you’re a Disney fan, this may be the tortoise’s name.
The Adventures of Laurel and Hardy You may be unfamiliar with this combo, but some of us at ExoticDirect are! They were the accident-prone team of the silent and black-and-white television eras, frequently getting into incidents. Is this evocative of your tort?
Need we say more about Leonard, Penny, Sheldon, and Amy from The Big Bang Theory?
Mercury: Could your tortoise be named after Queen’s renowned lead singer?
Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello: The story of four young mutant ninja turtles who defended New York City’s residents against criminals and extraterrestrial invaders. As far as superheroes are concerned, these were legendary.
Patsy and Eddie: Absolutely Fabulous’s closest buddies. Are your tortoises similar to them?
The Flintstones’ two endearing youngsters are Pebbles and Bam Bam.
Shakespeare’s betrothed lovers, Romeo and Juliette. Is your tortoises’ tale a romantic one?
Sherlock, Watson, and Moriarty: These are all extremely popular tortoise names inspired on the private detective fiction set in Edwardian and Victorian England.
Louise & Thelma: Are the ladies of your tortoises feisty, daring? Then their given names may be Thelma and Louise.
Peaky Blinders’ Thomas Shelby – Thomas Shelby is the mobster from Peaky Blinders. Not only is his moniker a pun, but his celebrity ensures that your tortoise will not be forgotten.
Tinkerbell: If your turtle is tiny enough, Tinkerbell may be the appropriate name.
Jerry and Tom We all appreciate a timeless classic, and what could be more timeless than Tom and Jerry? All that remains is for you to determine which tortoise is which…. Tom, the stubborn and determined one, or Jerry, the naughty’mouse/tortoise with nine lives’.
Mork and Mindy are a couple that have a lot in common. Do you recall? With the great Williams, Robin.
Unisex Names for Your Pet Tort & Turtles
If you purchase a new baby tortoise, you will not be able to determine its gender until the turtle grows to a certain size and age. As a result, you may choose to choose a name that is more gender neutral. Consider the following.
In Welsh, Cariad means ‘love’ and Crwban means ‘tortoise’.
Tortoise spelled backwards is esiotrot.
- Dandelion and Burdock
- Flash
- Fluffy
- Freckles
- Hinge and Bracket
- Itsy and Bitsy
- Mambo
- Mortje – (pronounced Morty)
- Nubbin
- Ramon
- Rompy
- Fleetfoot
- Peanut
- Shelly
- Shimmer
- Shine
- Sixpence
- Sparkles
- Speedy
- Stompy
- Thunder and Lightening
- Tic and Tak
- Tiddles
- Trigger
- Truffle
- Turbo
- Twix
- Zippy
- Zoom
- Jose, Mourinho and Quasi
- Indie
- Myrtle
- Tortie
- Raffi
- Jose
- Pistachio
- Sheldon
- Toby
- Twinkle and Flash
- Elizabeth
- Floss
- Kiwi
- Bugsy and Bitsy
- Bill
- Tommy
- Percy
- Nelson
- Stevie
- Crispy
- Spyro
- Leggs, Ruby-May and Pebbles
- Tortellini
- Rocky
- Turnip and Cabbage
- Titan
- Billy
- Kenny
- Marley and Mollie
- Petal and Dobby
- Tommy
Conclusion
We hope you’ve discovered an appropriate name for your new pet on this page. If not, you can join Tortoise-related Facebook communities. They’re an excellent opportunity to meet new people, exchange tortoise information, and get additional name options.
However, keep in mind that you should always consult your veterinarian for care recommendations.