Octopus Name Generator

Inky, eight-armed names for octopuses great and small

Animals & Creatures500 namesUpdated Sep 2026Free · no sign-up

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Generate octopus names for a plush, an aquarium octopus, a story character or a mascot: eight-themed names like Octavia and Ocho, ink and sucker puns, famous octopuses from film and science, mythic krakens, and the word for octopus in a dozen languages.

About octopus names

Octopus names usually start from one of three ideas: the number eight, ink, or that bendy, grabby body. Eight gives you Octavia, Octavian, Otto, Ocho, Octane and Eightball, all of which sound like real pet names rather than jokes. Ink gives you Inky, Inkwell, Inkblot, Splotch and Smudge, and the body gives you Wiggles, Squiggles, Noodles, Slinky and Houdini. Famous octopuses work too: Paul, the World Cup-predicting octopus; Hank from Finding Dory; Inky, who slipped out of a New Zealand aquarium through a drainpipe; and Ursula, the sea witch who is half octopus.

If you want something less cute, the list pulls from mythology and science. Kraken, Akkorokamui (the giant octopus of Ainu folklore), Lusca, Scylla and Cthulhu suit a monster or a large tank resident. Real species and body parts make surprisingly good names: Dumbo, Blanket, Mimic, Argonaut and Wunderpus are all kinds of octopus, and Sepia, Chromatophore and Cephie come from cephalopod biology. There are also the words for octopus in other languages, including Tako (Japanese), Pulpo (Spanish), Polpo (Italian), Poulpe (French), Wheke (Maori) and He'e (Hawaiian).

Because octopuses change colour, colour names such as Ember, Indigo, Coral, Sienna and Chameleon fit well, and because they are among the smartest invertebrates, Einstein, Sherlock and Tesla are popular with aquarists.

How to choose octopus names

For a plush or cartoon octopus, pick a short, bouncy name with a double consonant or -y ending (Wiggles, Squishy, Blotto); they are easiest for kids to say and remember.
For a real aquarium octopus, names tied to its species or colour (Bimac, Blue Ring, Ember, Sienna) make it easier to tell individuals apart in logs and conversation.
Play with the number eight only once: Octavia or Ocho is charming, Octavia Eightarms Octopoda is overkill.
Non-English words such as Tako, Pulpo or Wheke give you a name that is clearly about an octopus without being a pun, which works well for a story character.
Dignified vintage names (Bartholomew, Henrietta, Percival) are funny on an octopus precisely because they are so formal, and they age better than topical jokes.

Frequently asked questions

What are good names for a pet octopus?

Aquarists tend to go with eight-themed names like Octavia, Otto or Ocho, ink names like Inky or Splotch, or names that nod to intelligence and escape artistry such as Houdini, Einstein and Sherlock. Colour names (Ember, Indigo, Coral) are also common because octopuses change colour so dramatically.

What are some famous octopus names?

Paul the Octopus predicted football results during the 2010 World Cup; Hank is the seven-armed octopus in Finding Dory; Inky escaped New Zealand's National Aquarium in 2016; Ursula from The Little Mermaid is half octopus; and Octodad and Doctor Octopus are well-known fictional cephalopods.

What is the word for octopus in other languages?

Tako in Japanese, Pulpo in Spanish, Polpo in Italian, Poulpe in French, Polvo in Portuguese, Krake in German, Ahtapot in Turkish, Chtapodi in Greek, Gurita in Indonesian, Wheke in Maori and He'e in Hawaiian. All of them work as names.

Can I use these names for a squid or cuttlefish instead?

Most of them, yes: ink, sea and colour names apply to any cephalopod. Only the eight-themed names are octopus-specific, since squid and cuttlefish have ten arms. For more squid-specific options, see the squid name generator.

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All 500 octopus 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: 24 names

Abalone
Abyss
Admiral Armsworth
Admiral Ink
Ahab
Ahtapot
Akkorokamui
Amber
Ammonite
Amphitrite
Anchor
Anemone
Aqua
Aquamarine
Aquarius
Aquila
Argonaut
Armand
Armando
Arminta
Armstrong
Ash
Atoll
Azure

B: 34 names

Bạch Tuộc
Bagel
Bao
Barnaby
Barnacle
Baron von Sucker
Bartholomew
Beaky
Beatrix
Bendigo
Bendy
Benedict
Bernadette
Bertram
Bimac
Blackbeard
Bladderwrack
Blancmange
Blanket
Blobby
Blooper
Blotsworth
Blotto
Blue Ring
Bluebell
Blush
Bosun
Brainy
Bramble
Briareus
Briny
Bubbles
Buccaneer
Buttons

C: 45 names

Calamari
Calypso
Camo
Captain Calamari
Captain Eightarms
Cayenne
Cephalo
Cephas
Cephie
Cerulean
Ceto
Ceviche
Chameleon
Charybdis
Chromatophore
Chtapodi
Churro
Cinder
Cipher
Circe
Clingy
Clover
Clutch
Cobalt
Cockle
Coconut
Commodore Cuttle
Compass
Conch
Coral
Coralee
Corsair
Countess Cephalia
Cove
Cowrie
Crimson
Crumpet
Cthulhu
Cuddles
Cuppy
Curie
Curlicue
Curly
Custard
Cyanea

D: 23 names

Daddy Longlegs
Dahlia
Daisy
Dame Inkerly
Dapple
Darwin
Davy Jones
Delphine
Doc
Doc Ock
Doctor Octavius
Dofleini
Donut
Doris
Dory
Dot
Doubloon
Driftwood
Duchess Tentacula
Dulse
Dumbo
Dumpling
Dusky

E: 9 names

Ebony
Eightball
Eightrick
Eighty
Einstein
Elastica
Ember
Enigma
Escapo

F: 16 names

Fathom
Fe'e
Ferdinand
Fettuccine
Figure Eight
Fingers
Fitzwilliam
Fizz
Flame
Flapjack
Flexi
Flicker
Florence
Flounder
Francesca
Freckles

G: 27 names

Galatea
Galileo
Gaston
Gecko
Gelato
Gertrude
Ghost
Giacomo
Gideon
Ginger
Giuseppe
Glassy
Glimmer
Gloopy
Gloves
Glubglub
Gnocchi
Godfrey
Grabby
Greta
Grippy
Grotto
Gulliver
Gumby
Gummy
Gurita
Gwendolyn

H: 12 names

Hadal
Hamish
Handful
Hands
Hank
Harbor
He'e
Hoshi
Houdini
Huggy
Hugo
Hydra

I: 18 names

Indigo
Infinity
Ink Floyd
Ink Sinatra
Inka
Inkadink
Inkay
Inkblot
Inkerbell
Inkerton
Inkling
Inkognito
Inkspot
Inkster
Inkwell
Inky
Inky the Escapee
Ishmael

J: 7 names

Jacques
Jelly
Jet
Jiggle
Jolly Roger
Joubini
Juggles

K: 9 names

Kaleido
Kelp
Kelpie
Knuckles
Krake
Kraken
Krakie
Kumo
Kymopoleia

L: 17 names

Lady Inkwell
Lagoon
Lantern
Lapis
Latch
Leggy
Legs
Leviathan
Lily
Limpet
Linguine
Longlegs
Loopy
Lord Squigglesworth
Lotus
Lurker
Lusca

M: 30 names

Macropus
Madame Blotto
Malamar
Mantella
Mantle
Mariana
Marigold
Marisol
Marlin
Marlowe
Marmalade
Marshmallow
Maya
Medusa
Meridian
Midnight
Mimic
Mirage
Mister Wiggles
Misty
Mittens
Mochi
Momo
Morgana Deepink
Morsel
Morwenna
Moss
Muffin
Murron
Mussel

N: 14 names

Nami
Nautica
Nautilus
Navy
Nemo
Neptune
Nereus
Nessie
Newton
Ninja
Noodles
Nori
Nugget
Nyx

O: 40 names

Oberon
Oceana
Ocho
Ocho Loco
Octagon
Octalina
Octane
Octavia
Octavian
Octaviana
Octavio
Octavius
Octet
Octillery
Octo
Octobert
Octodad
Octolegs
Octolivia
Octonaut
Octopia
Octopus Prime
Octorok
Odette
Odin
Ollie
Omastar
Onyx
Oona
Opal
Ophelia
Orla
Orson
Oscar
Oswald
Otto
Otto the Great
Ottoline
Oyster
Ozzy

P: 39 names

Pancake
Paprika
Patches
Paul
Pearl
Pelagia
Periwinkle
Petunia
Phantom
Pinky
Pitch
Pixel
Polka
Polpetto
Polpo
Polvinho
Polvo
Pontus
Pop
Poppy
Porthole
Poseidon
Poulpe
Poulpette
Pretzel
Prism
Professor
Professor Suckerton
Professor Tentaculus
Proteus
Pudding
Pugita
Pulpa
Pulpito
Pulpo
Pulpo Fiction
Pulpo Gallego
Pumpkin
Puzzle

Q: 1 name

Queequeg

R: 12 names

Ramen
Raven
Ravioli
Reef
Riddle
Ripple
Riptide
Rubberband
Rubescens
Rubik
Ruby
Rusty

S: 59 names

Sable
Saffron
Sage
Salty
Sapphire
Sargasso
Sashimi
Scallop
Scarlet
Scuttle
Scuttlebutt
Scylla
Seaweed
Sebastian Crabbe
Sepia
Seven-Arm
Shadow
Sherlock
Shimmer
Sienna
Siphon
Sir Inksalot
Skipper
Slick
Slinky
Slippy
Slurpy
Smokey
Smooches
Smudge
Sneaky
Snuggles
Soda
Soot
Sora
Spaghetti
Speckle
Spider
Splash
Splat
Splotch
Spot
Spyglass
Squeezy
Squidge
Squidney
Squidward Tentacles
Squiggles
Squirmy
Squirt
Squishy
Sticky
Stretch
Stripes
Suckerpunch
Suckers
Sunset
Sushi
Sybil

T: 30 names

Tabasco
Taffy
Tagliatelle
Tako
Tako Poke
Tako Sensei
Takochan
Takoyaki
Tango
Tavi
Teal
Tentacle Tim
Tentacles Magee
Tentacool
Tentacruel
Tentacula
Tenty
Tesla
Tethys
Thalassa
Thumbs
Tidepool
Tintenfisch
Tortellini
Triton
Tulip
Turquoise
Twiggy
Twilight
Twisty

U: 7 names

Udon
Ultramarine
Umi
Undertow
Urchin
Ursula
Ursula Nightwater

V: 4 names

Vampyro
Velcro
Vesper
Vulgaris

W: 16 names

Waffle
Wakame
Watson
Wheke
Wheke Nui
Whelk
Whirl
Wiggles
Wiggleworth
Winkle
Wobble
Wobbleton
Wolfi
Wonton
Wriggles
Wunderpus

Y: 1 name

Yuki

Z: 6 names

Zelda
Zephyr
Ziggy
Zigzag
Zipper
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