Opossum Name Generator

Names for pet, rescue and character opossums: snack names like Pickles and Biscuit, Southern favourites like Earl and Loretta, night-time names like Dusk and Nocturne, and jokes about playing dead, fifty teeth and raiding the bins. Great for wildlife rehab babies, plushies, OCs and game characters.

About opossum names

The Virginia opossum is North America's only marsupial, and most of its best names come straight from its habits. It is nocturnal, so dusk and moon names fit (Nocturne, Dusk, Luna, Moonpie). It plays dead when cornered, which gives you Mortimer, Lazarus, Casper and Playdead Pat. It has fifty teeth and an impressive hiss (Snaggletooth, Hisstopher, Chompers), a pink nose, pink toes and a naked prehensile tail (Pinky, Toesies, Curlytail), and it will happily clear your yard of ticks and fallen fruit, which is where Tick Eater, Persimmon, Pawpaw and Muscadine come from.

Because opossums are so associated with the American South and Appalachia, old-fashioned Southern names land especially well: Earl, Loretta, Clyde, Darlene, Bubba, Opal, Cletus, Jolene. Country food is the other big vein, and it suits a small grey animal that eats anything: Biscuit, Grits, Cornbread, Hushpuppy, Butterbean, Gravy, Pickles.

If you are naming a rehab baby or a litter, short two-syllable names are easiest to call and record (Pip, Nugget, Dottie, Ozzie). For a cartoon or game character, lean into the joke with a title (Professor Playdead, Duchess Dumpster, Sir Hiss-a-Lot) or a pun (Awesome Possum, Opossumus Prime). Note that keeping a wild opossum as a pet is illegal in most places; these names are for licensed rehab animals, characters and plushies.

How to choose opossum names

• Start with the animal's own traits: grey fur, pink nose, hiss, play-dead reflex, bin-raiding. A name that matches a visible trait (Pinky, Grizzle, Snaggletooth) is easier to remember than an abstract one.
• For a litter of rescued joeys, pick a theme so they stay straight in your records: all snacks (Biscuit, Waffles, Nugget), all country singers (Dolly, Waylon, Merle) or all Southern towns (Tupelo Honey, Macon, Biloxi).
• Opossums are nocturnal and quiet, so calm night names (Dusk, Eventide, Nocturne) feel truer than hyperactive ones; save the loud names for the hissy ones.
• If you want a joke name, use the play-dead angle or the marsupial pouch angle (Lazarus, Lady Pouchington, Pouch Potato); they are funnier than generic 'trash' jokes, which usually belong to raccoons.
• Check local wildlife laws before naming a found opossum as a pet. In most states only licensed rehabilitators may keep them, so a wild baby should go to a rehabber who will happily use the name you chose.

Frequently asked questions

What are good names for a pet opossum?

Short, soft names work best for a small nocturnal animal: Pickles, Biscuit, Nugget, Opal, Ozzie, Pip, Dottie, Dusk. Southern names like Earl and Loretta suit the species' range, and play-dead jokes like Mortimer or Lazarus add personality.

What is the difference between an opossum and a possum?

Opossums are the American marsupials (Didelphis virginiana and relatives); possums are the Australian and New Guinean marsupials such as brushtails and ringtails. In casual American speech 'possum' means opossum, so both spellings appear in this generator.

Are these names suitable for a wildlife rehab opossum?

Yes. Rehabilitators often name their charges for record-keeping, and two-syllable names grouped by theme (snacks, singers, towns) make it easy to track a litter. Just remember that most wild opossums should be released, not kept.

What funny names fit an opossum's personality?

Play on the play-dead reflex (Professor Playdead, Lazarus, Rigor), the fifty teeth (Snaggletooth, Chompers, Sir Hiss-a-Lot), the pouch (Lady Pouchington, Pouch Potato) or the diet (Tick Eater, Leftovers, Duchess Dumpster).

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