Octopus Name Generator

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.