Hermit Crab Name Generator

Hermit crab names run in a few well-worn grooves, and most keepers end up picking from more than one. The biggest is the pun: Shelldon, Clawdia, Hermione Crabger, Sir Pinch-a-Lot and anything built on shell, claw, pinch, snip or hermit. A close second is the tropical beach register, because land hermit crabs come from the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific: Coconut, Mango, Tiki, Kokomo, Leilani, Tortuga. Then there are the house-hunting jokes that only make sense for a hermit crab (Landlord, Timeshare, Downsizer, Fixer-Upper) and the grumpy-retiree names like Harold, Mabel and Doris that suit a creature who glares at you from inside a shell.

The species themselves are a good source. Pet-store crabs are usually Caribbean Purple Pinchers (Coenobita clypeatus) or Ecuadorians (C. compressus), and keepers happily call them PP, Eccie, Clypeatus or Compressus. Strawberry, Ruggie (C. rugosus), Viola (C. violascens) and Indo (C. brevimanus) are all real hobby nicknames, and Birgus Latro, the giant coconut crab, makes a grand name for a tiny crab.

Because hermit crabs live in groups and swap shells constantly, names that work as a set are worth the effort. Pirates, sushi, tropical cocktails, Hawaiian words or a whole retirement home of Ethels and Wendells all give a crabitat a cast of characters, and a shell-swap joke gets funnier every time it happens.