Bonsai Name Generator

Names for the little tree you shape for years

Home, Life & Nature500 names

0 of 500 seen

This or that?

7 picks, 1 winner

Tap the name you like more.

Tap a name to copy it. The arrows swap one name.

Or browse all 500 names, A to Z

Names for a bonsai you plan to keep for years: Japanese tree words like Matsu and Momiji, small-size jokes such as Half Pint and Pocket Forest, old-master names like Old Man Juniper, trimming puns, style names and deadpan human names like Harold.

About bonsai names

A bonsai is the one houseplant people expect to keep for decades, so it tends to get a name that can grow old with it. The oldest source is Japanese: plain tree words such as Matsu (pine), Kaede and Momiji (maple), Sakura (cherry blossom), Ume (plum) and Sugi (cedar), and the names of the classic styles, which describe the trunk. Chokkan is formal upright, Moyogi informal upright, Shakan slanting, Kengai cascade, Han-Kengai semi-cascade, Bunjingi the sparse literati style, Fukinagashi windswept, Hokidachi broom, Sokan twin trunk and Yose-ue a forest planting.

The second source is the joke everyone makes: it is a whole tree at knee height or less. Half Pint, Pocket Forest and Not to Scale lean into the size, while Old Man Juniper, The Venerable and Thousand Autumns treat a small tree as the elder it resembles. Puns on trimming, wiring and roots (Shear Genius, Live Wire, Bonsai Voyage) suit a plant that needs regular haircuts.

The rest of the list is species and leaf colors, mountain and season names, shapes in English, and deadpan human names such as Harold and Mildred for a tree with opinions.

How to choose bonsai names

  • Name the trunk, not the pot. If the tree leans, cascades or twists, a style name such as Windswept, Cascade or Shakan (slanting) stays true for as long as you keep that shape.
  • Know the species before you use a species name. Juniper, Ficus, Hornbeam and Zelkova are honest labels only on the right tree, while a color or season name like Russet or First Frost fits anything.
  • Use a Japanese word only when you know what it says. Koke is moss, Nebari the visible surface roots, Shari a strip of bare deadwood on the trunk, Yamadori a tree collected from the wild and Shohin a small bonsai size class.
  • Choose a name that still works in twenty years. Size jokes and elder names stay true as the tree ages; a pun on this year's trend may not.
  • For a gift tree, write the name and its meaning on the care tag: Komorebi, sunlight filtering through leaves, or Kodama, a tree spirit in Japanese folklore.

Frequently asked questions

What are good names for a bonsai tree?

It depends on how you see the tree. For a calm, traditional name try Matsu, Momiji or Windswept; for an old-timer, Old Man Juniper or The Venerable; for a laugh, Half Pint, Shear Genius or Bonsai Voyage. A plain human name such as Harold or Mildred works on any species.

What do the Japanese names in the list mean?

The tree words are Kuromatsu (black pine), Akamatsu (red pine), Hinoki (cypress), Keyaki (zelkova), Kiri (paulownia), Icho (ginkgo), Yanagi (willow), Tsubaki (camellia), Satsuki (a type of azalea), Shimpaku (a juniper grown for bonsai) and Karamatsu (larch). The nature words are Yama (mountain), Mori (forest), Niwa (garden), Taki (waterfall), Kasumi (mist), Kaze (wind), Tsuki (moon), Yuki (snow), Midori (green) and Wakaba (young leaves), and Haru, Natsu, Aki and Fuyu are spring, summer, autumn and winter. Kokedama is a moss ball planting and Wabi-Sabi is the taste for weathered, imperfect things. The intro and the tips explain the style names and the remaining terms.

What is a good name for a very small or very old bonsai?

For a tiny tree, look at the size jokes: Thimble, Teacup, Pocket Pine and Fits in a Carry-On. For a tree with a thick trunk and real age, the elder names suit better, such as Elder Juniper, Hundred Winters, Graybeard and Keeper of Years.

Are the names matched to a species?

No. Only the species entries, such as Juniper, Ficus, Ginkgo, Larch and Trident, belong to a particular kind of tree, and they are that tree's own common name. Everything else is a pet name you can give to any bonsai.

Related generators

More like this

Browse category

All 500 bonsai names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 18 names

  • A Cut Above
  • A Little off the Top
  • Above the Clouds
  • Acorn
  • Against the Wind
  • Akamatsu
  • Aki
  • Alpine
  • Amber
  • Ambrose
  • Ampersand
  • Ancient Mariner
  • Atlas
  • Aunt Marjorie
  • Auntie Maple
  • Autumn Blaze
  • Autumn Ember
  • Azalea

B: 34 names

  • Bald Cypress
  • Bark Knight
  • Bark Ruffalo
  • Bark Side of the Moon
  • Bark Twain
  • Barking Mad
  • Barnaby
  • Baron Bark
  • Barry
  • Beatrice
  • Beech
  • Before My Time
  • Bernard
  • Beyonsai
  • Big Guy
  • Big Stan
  • Big Tree Energy
  • Birch
  • Bite Size
  • Black Pine
  • Bonsai Appétit
  • Bonsai Buddy
  • Bonsai Voyage
  • Bough Wow
  • Boxwood
  • Branch Office
  • Branching Out
  • Bronze
  • Broom
  • Brushstroke
  • Bud
  • Bud Break
  • Bunjingi
  • Burgundy

C: 31 names

  • Calligraphy
  • Candle Season
  • Captain Trunk
  • Cascade
  • Cedar
  • Celadon
  • Centenarian
  • Century
  • Chartreuse
  • Chemistree
  • Chokkan
  • Clarence
  • Cliffhanger
  • Clip Art
  • Cloud Break
  • Cloud Forest
  • Cloud Nine
  • Comic Re-Leaf
  • Compact Edition
  • Copper
  • Cork Oak
  • Corkscrew
  • Cotoneaster
  • Cousin Nigel
  • Crabapple
  • Crag
  • Crane Kick
  • Crew Cut
  • Crimson
  • Crooked Smile
  • Cutting Edge

D: 14 names

  • Dancer
  • Dawn Redwood
  • Deadwood
  • Deep Rooted
  • Deep Roots
  • Dennis
  • Deodar
  • Desk Forest
  • Dinky
  • Doctor Root
  • Dorothy
  • Down to the Wire
  • Driftwood
  • Duke of Juniper

E: 16 names

  • Edith
  • Edna
  • Edward Twiggerhands
  • Elder Juniper
  • Elder Pine
  • Elder Root
  • Elder Statesman
  • Elm
  • Elmer
  • Enid
  • Equinox
  • Ethel
  • Eugene
  • Evening Calm
  • Everest Junior
  • Evergreen

F: 20 names

  • Family Elder
  • Father Time
  • Fern
  • Ficus
  • Fine Print
  • Firethorn
  • First Frost
  • First Snow
  • Fits in a Carry-On
  • Flat Top
  • Fog Bank
  • Foothill
  • Footnote
  • Forest for One
  • Formal Upright
  • Forrest
  • Fukien
  • Fukinagashi
  • Fun Size
  • Fuyu

G: 15 names

  • Gale Force
  • Geometree
  • Gerald
  • Ginkgo
  • Gladys
  • Gnarls
  • Goldleaf
  • Goliath
  • Good Be-Leaf
  • Grandmother Maple
  • Grandpa Larch
  • Granny Ginkgo
  • Graybeard
  • Great-Grandfather Yew
  • Great-Uncle Elm

H: 23 names

  • Haiku
  • Half a Hedge
  • Half Pint
  • Han-Kengai
  • Harold
  • Haru
  • Harvest Moon
  • Hawthorn
  • Haywire
  • Heirloom
  • Hemlock
  • Herbert
  • Hidden Valley
  • High Peak
  • High Wire
  • Hinoki
  • Hokidachi
  • Honey, I Shrunk the Tree
  • Horace
  • Hornbeam
  • Howard
  • Hundred Winters
  • Hush

I: 7 names

  • Icho
  • Infinitree
  • Informal Upright
  • Ink Wash
  • Irene
  • Irving
  • Itty Bitty

J: 6 names

  • Jackpot
  • James Bonsai
  • Jin and Tonic
  • Juniper
  • Just a Trim
  • Just Harold

K: 18 names

  • Kaede
  • Karamatsu
  • Kasumi
  • Kaze
  • Keeper of Years
  • Kengai
  • Keyaki
  • Kiri
  • Knee High
  • Knot Today
  • Knotty
  • Knotty by Nature
  • Kodama
  • Koi Pond
  • Koke
  • Kokedama
  • Komorebi
  • Kuromatsu

L: 25 names

  • Lady Larch
  • Lap Tree
  • Larch
  • Last Leaf
  • Laurel
  • Leaf Fall
  • Leaf It to Me
  • Leaf of Faith
  • Leaning Tower
  • Leif
  • Leonard
  • Lichen
  • Lightning Strike
  • Lilliput
  • Limb-itless
  • Linden
  • Lionel
  • Literati
  • Little Big Tree
  • Little Legend
  • Little Stan
  • Little Timber
  • Live Wire
  • Lord Twiglington
  • Low Rise

M: 30 names

  • Madame Maple
  • Major Trim
  • Maple
  • Matchstick
  • Matsu
  • Maurice
  • Mick Twigger
  • Midori
  • Mighty Mite
  • Mildred
  • Milton
  • Mini Redwood
  • Mister Fitzgerald
  • Misty Ridge
  • Momiji
  • Moon Gate
  • Mori
  • Morning Dew
  • Morning Fog
  • Moss Appeal
  • Moss Boss
  • Moss Definitely
  • Mossbeard
  • Mossy Stone
  • Mountain Hermit
  • Mountain Mist
  • Moyogi
  • Mrs. Abernathy
  • Mugo
  • Muriel

N: 11 names

  • Nana
  • Nano
  • Natsu
  • Nebari
  • Neville
  • New Growth
  • New Leaf
  • Nigel
  • Niwa
  • Norman
  • Not to Scale

O: 16 names

  • Oakley
  • Old Friend
  • Old Growth
  • Old Lady Azalea
  • Old Man Elm
  • Old Man Juniper
  • Old Master
  • Old Monk
  • Old Mossy
  • Old Reliable
  • Old Soul
  • Olive Branch
  • One-Tree Forest
  • Oswald
  • Out on a Limb
  • Overhang

P: 25 names

  • Pagoda
  • Paper Lantern
  • Paperbark
  • Parasol
  • Patience
  • Peanut
  • Peewee
  • Phyllis
  • Pine and Dandy
  • Pint Size
  • Pocket Edition
  • Pocket Forest
  • Pocket Pine
  • Poetree
  • Pomegranate
  • Pompom
  • Ponderosa
  • Pot Luck
  • Pot of Gold
  • Potted History
  • Privet
  • Professor Emeritus
  • Professor Pine
  • Prudence
  • Pruney Tunes

Q: 3 names

  • Question Mark
  • Quiet Pond
  • Quince

R: 14 names

  • Raft
  • Rain Shadow
  • Raked Gravel
  • Redleaf
  • Ridge Line
  • Rings of Wisdom
  • Root 66
  • Root Canal
  • Root Cause
  • Root over Rock
  • Rootin' Tootin'
  • Rowan
  • Rupert
  • Russet

S: 68 names

  • S-Curve
  • Sakura
  • Sap Happy
  • Satsuki
  • Scale Model
  • Scarlet
  • Second Flush
  • Semi-Cascade
  • Sequoia
  • Serissa
  • Seventeen Syllables
  • Seymour
  • Shakan
  • Shari
  • Shear Delight
  • Shear Genius
  • Shear Luck
  • Shimpaku
  • Shohin
  • Short Cut
  • Short Stack
  • Shortcake
  • Shorty
  • Sidewinder
  • Silverbark
  • Since Forever
  • Sir Bonsai
  • Sir Reginald
  • Sir Trims-a-Lot
  • Skyscraper
  • Slow and Steady
  • Small but Mighty
  • Small Fry
  • Small Green Sage

S, continued

  • Small Wonder
  • Smallest Forest on Earth
  • Smallwood
  • Smidgen
  • Snip Dogg
  • Snip Snip Hooray
  • Snip Van Winkle
  • Snippy Longstocking
  • Snowcap
  • Sokan
  • Solstice
  • Spekboom
  • Spiral
  • Sprig
  • Spring Thaw
  • Spruce
  • Square Root
  • Squirt
  • Stanley
  • Stepping Stone
  • Stick Around
  • Stick Figure
  • Still Water
  • Stillness
  • Stone Lantern
  • Stretch
  • Stumped
  • Sugi
  • Summer Shade
  • Summit
  • Swept Back
  • Sylvester
  • Sylvia
  • Symmetree

T: 66 names

  • Tabletop Timber
  • Take a Bough
  • Taki
  • Tall Order
  • Tall Tale
  • Tamarack
  • Tea Garden
  • Teacup
  • Thaddeus
  • The Abbot
  • The Abridged Version
  • The Ancestor
  • The Barber's Friend
  • The Bonfather
  • The Canopy
  • The Colonel
  • The Colossus
  • The Dowager
  • The Hermit
  • The Inheritance
  • The Legacy
  • The Long Game
  • The Old Guard
  • The Old Scholar
  • The Patriarch
  • The Philosopher
  • The Professor
  • The Sage
  • The Slant
  • The Understory
  • The Venerable
  • The Wizened One
  • Thimble

T, continued

  • Thousand Autumns
  • Three Generations
  • Thumbelina
  • Thunderhead
  • Timberline
  • Timekeeper
  • Tiny Titan
  • Tom Thumb
  • Toothpick
  • Top Knot
  • Travel Size
  • Tray Bien
  • Tray Chic
  • Tree Musketeers
  • Tree of a Kind
  • Tree Pose
  • Tree-Rex
  • Treemendous
  • Treet Yourself
  • Trevor
  • Trident
  • Trim Burton
  • Trim Reaper
  • Trim Shady
  • Trunk Show
  • Tsubaki
  • Tsuki
  • Twig Deal
  • Twig Shot
  • Twiggy
  • Twiglet
  • Twin Trunk
  • Twister

U: 5 names

  • Umbrella
  • Ume
  • Uncle Juniper
  • Uncle Morris
  • Under the Wire

V: 4 names

  • Verdigris
  • Vermilion
  • Vernon
  • Viridian

W: 22 names

  • Wabi-Sabi
  • Wakaba
  • Walter
  • Waterfall
  • Wax Off
  • Wax On
  • Weathered
  • Wee One
  • Wendell
  • White Pine
  • Why Knot
  • Wilfred
  • Windowsill Giant
  • Windswept
  • Winston
  • Winter Rest
  • Winter Silhouette
  • Wire Transfer
  • Wired Up
  • Wise Old Elm
  • Wisteria
  • Woody

Y: 6 names

  • Yama
  • Yamadori
  • Yanagi
  • Yew
  • Yose-ue
  • Yuki

Z: 3 names

  • Zelkova
  • Zephyr
  • Zigzag