Praying Mantis Name Generator

Poised, patient names for pet mantises

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

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Browse 500 names for pet praying mantises and mantis characters. The list runs from martial arts names like Sensei and Kata and gentle monk jokes like Friar and Vesper to Matchstick, Tiny Assassin, Roswell, Cattleya, Mantissa and Gary.

About praying mantis names

A praying mantis gives you its name ideas just by standing still. The folded forelegs look like hands at prayer, which is where the common name comes from, and the word mantis itself comes from the Greek for a seer. Keepers turn that into gentle monk and chapel names (Friar, Abbot, Vesper, Evensong) and seer names such as Sibyl and Augur.

The same pose looks like a fighting stance, and there is a real Chinese martial art, Northern Praying Mantis kung fu, modeled on the insect. That gives the list Sifu, Seven Star and Tanglang, Chinese for mantis. Sensei, Kata and Dojo are Japanese martial arts words, and Kamakiri is Japanese for mantis. Other sets name the hunt and the stare (Quickdraw, Tiny Assassin, Swivel, Side-Eye), the camouflage (Matchstick, Bay Leaf, String Bean, Houseplant) and the face that looks like a visitor from space (Roswell, Greenling, Close Encounter).

Species matter to keepers too. Orchid mantises are pink and white like the flower and suit Cattleya, Pirouette and Blush. Ghost mantises look like a dried leaf and suit Wisp, Crinkle and Rustle. Giant Asian, Chinese and spiny flower mantises get names from their scientific names and markings, such as Hierodula, Tenodera and Number Nine. The rest are plain human names, because a mantis called Gary is hard to beat.

How to choose praying mantis names

Watch your mantis for a day before you choose. One that sways like a leaf suits Sway or Slow Dance, one that tracks you across the room suits Swivel or Side-Eye, and a bold feeder suits Quickdraw or Tiny Assassin.
Match the name to the species. Flower names such as Cattleya and Camellia fit an orchid mantis, Wisp and Crinkle fit a ghost mantis, and Matchstick or String Bean fit the long green and brown kinds.
Young mantises are hard to sex, so pick a name that works either way if you are naming a nymph: Kata, Pesto, Blip and Zen all do.
If you keep several, name them as a set. A dojo (Sensei, Senpai, Kohai), a chapel (Friar, Abbot, Vicar) or a salad drawer (Kale, Celery, Chive) is easier to remember than unrelated names.
Short names are easier to write on an enclosure label and a feeding log. Save the long jokes, such as Take Me to Your Leader, for the one mantis that has earned it.

Frequently asked questions

What are good names for a pet praying mantis?

The classics come from the pose: martial arts names like Sensei, Sifu, Kata and Black Belt, or gentle monk names like Friar, Abbot and Vesper. Camouflage names such as Matchstick, Bay Leaf and Bamboo work well for green and brown mantises, and plain human names like Gary, Doris and Nigel are a keeper favorite.

What should I name an orchid mantis or a ghost mantis?

For an orchid mantis, try flower and ballet names: Orchidea, Cattleya, Vanda, Peony, Pirouette or Blush. For a ghost mantis, which looks like a dried leaf, try Wisp, Specter, Crinkle, Rustle or Ghostleaf. The list also has Hymenopus and Phyllocrania, taken from the scientific names of the two species.

Are there funny praying mantis names?

Yes. There are word jokes on mantis and pray, such as Mantissa, Mantilda, Samantha, Praymond, Let Us Prey and Sir Prays-a-Lot. There are also names for the long folded arms, like Salad Tongs, Tweezers and Jazz Hands, and alien jokes like Take Me to Your Leader.

Why are there martial arts words in the list?

Because the mantis has its own fighting style. Northern Praying Mantis is a Chinese martial art based on the way the insect hooks and strikes, and Seven Star and Plum Blossom are two of its branches. The list uses real style, rank and training words, including Dojo, Kumite, Shodan and Wing Chun.

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All 500 praying mantis 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: 21 names

Abbess
Abbot
Acolyte
Aikido
Alien
Amanda
Amen
Android
Andromeda
Antennae
Apex
Apparition
Apprentice
Arabesque
Arugula
Asparagus
Astro
Atlantis
Augur
Avocado
Azalea

B: 39 names

Ballerina
Bamboo
Bandleader
Barbara
Bay Leaf
Beansprout
Benediction
Bernard
Bionic
Biscotti
Black Belt
Bleep
Blepharopsis
Bless You
Blessing
Blip
Blossom
Blush
Bo Staff
Bodyguard
Bok Choy
Bonsai
Borneo
Bounty Hunter
Bouquet
Boutonniere
Boxer
Bract
Breadstick
Brenda
Brother Bramble
Brother Twig
Brown Belt
Bruce
Bud
Budwing
Bug Zapper
Bug-Eyed
Bullseye

C: 48 names

Camellia
Camo
Can Opener
Canticle
Cantor
Caper
Capoeira
Carol
Carolina
Cassandra
Cattleya
Celadon
Celery
Chapel
Chaplain
Charity
Chartreuse
Chiffon
Chive
Choir Practice
Chopsticks
Chorister
Chuck
Cinnamon Stick
Clasp
Cloister
Close Encounter
Compline
Composure
Conductor
Conehead
Contessa
Cornichon
Coronatus
Corsage
Cosmo
Count to Zen
Creobroter
Cricket Critic
Crinkle
Crispy
Crop Circle
Crossing Guard
Crouton
Cucumber
Curate
Cyborg
Cymbidium

D: 21 names

Daddy Longarms
Dagger
Deacon
Decoy
Deep Breath
Delphi
Dendrobium
Dennis
Deroplatys
Devil's Flower
Devout
Diabolica
Dill
Disciple
Doctor Pincers
Dojo
Doorman
Doris
Doug
Dry Leaf
Dry Rustle

E: 9 names

Earl
Edamame
Edna
Empty Hand
Empusa
Enid
Evensong
Exterminator
Eyespot

F: 18 names

Fabre
Ficus
Fiddle
Fig Leaf
First Contact
Fist Bump
Five Eyes
Flowerpot
Flycatcher
Flyswatter
Folded Hands
Forrest
Frank
Freeze Frame
Friar
Friar Tuck
Frond
Fruit Fly Fan

G: 20 names

Gadget
Garden Gate
Gary
Gerald
Ghost
Ghostleaf
Gizmo
Glorp
Gnatcatcher
Gongylus
Grace
Grandmaster
Grasp
Grassblade
Greeble
Green Bean
Greenhouse
Greenling
Greg
Griffin

H: 23 names

Hall Monitor
Hallelujah
Hapkido
Hatchling
Head Gardener
Head Tilt
Heads Up
Hedgerow
Herb
Hermit
Hide-and-Seek
Hierodula
High Five
High Guard
Holy Moly
Homily
Hook Hand
Hooks
Horse Stance
Houseplant
Howard
Hymenopus
Hymn

I: 4 names

Idolo
Incognito
Inner Peace
Iron Palm

J: 10 names

Jab
Jackie
Jade
Jalapeño
Janet
Java
Jazz Hands
Judo
Judo Chop
Jujitsu

K: 18 names

Kale
Kama
Kamakiri
Karate
Karate Chop
Kata
Katana
Kendo
Kenpo
Kepler
Kevin
Key Lime
Kiai
Kindling
Kneeler
Koan
Kohai
Kumite

L: 13 names

Lady Orchid
Lanky
Leaf Litter
Leaflet
Leek
Leggy
Let Us Prey
Lifeguard
Lime
Linda
Little Green
Lord Mantington
Lunge

M: 35 names

Madagascar
Madame Blossom
Maestro
Major Mantis
Mantastic
Mantelope
Manticore
Mantid
Mantilda
Mantis Fist
Mantissa
Mantle
Mantlepiece
Mantonio
Mantra
Manty
Marge
Martian
Matcha
Matchstick
Matins
Mecha
Mercy
Microgreen
Mime
Mimic
Mindful
Mint Leaf
Miomantis
Miss Mantis
Mister Mantis
Monstera
Morning Glory
Mosquito Hawk
Mothership

N: 11 names

Nebula
Neil
Nidan
Nigel
Night Watchman
Norman
Northern Mantis
Novice
Number Nine
Nunchaku
Nutcracker

O: 11 names

Oakleaf
Obi
Oncidium
Ooth
Ootheca
Open Palm
Oratoria
Orbit
Orchid
Orchidea
Organza

P: 37 names

Padre
Pale Petal
Pam
Paradoxa
Parson
Pea Pod
Pea Shoot
Peony
Periscope
Pest Control
Pesto
Petal
Pew
Phyllis
Phyllocrania
Pilgrim
Pink Lady
Pirouette
Pistachio
Pliers
Plum Blossom
Poise
Porcelain
Pothos
Prairie
Pray Tell
Praymond
Preacher
Prey Day
Prima
Prior
Prioress
Professor Prey
Provence
Psalm
Pseudopupil
Puppeteer

Q: 5 names

Quasar
Queen of Hearts
Quickdraw
Quiet Time
Quietude

R: 19 names

Rapier
Raptor
Raptorial
Razor
Reed
Referee
Religiosa
Reverend
Rhombodera
Robot Arms
Rocker
Romaine
Romantis
Ronin
Rosebush
Roswell
Roundhouse
Russell
Rustle

S: 75 names

Saber
Sai
Sakura
Salad Tongs
Samantha
Sash
Saucer
Savate
Say Grace
Scallion
Scissor
Scythe
Seafoam
Secateurs
Semantis
Senpai
Sensei
Sepal
Serenity
Sermon
Seven Star
Sexton
Shamrock
Shears
Sheila
Shield
Shinobi
Shodan
Shroud
Sibyl
Side Kick
Side-Eye
Sifu
Silent Retreat
Sinensis
Sir Prays-a-Lot
Sister Leaf

S, continued

Six Harmonies
Slow Dance
Snap
Snap Pea
Sniper
Solemn
Soothsayer
Southpaw
Space Cadet
Sparring Partner
Spearmint
Specter
Sphodro
Spiny Flower
Sputnik
Stagmo
Stakeout
Stan
Staredown
Starman
Statue
Steeple
Stem
Steve
Stiletto
Still Life
Stoic
Stradivarius
Stretch
Strike
String Bean
Stuart
Sugar Snap
Sunday Best
Susan
Sway
Swivel
Swivelhead

T: 27 names

Table for One
Taekwondo
Tai Chi
Take Me to Your Leader
Tanglang
Tarragon
Tea Leaf
Tea Stain
Tenodera
Terrarium
The Gardener
Thornhand
Tiny Assassin
Tiny Menace
Tiny Reaper
Tomatillo
Tomato Vine
Tonfa
Tongs
Toothpick
Tractor Beam
Traffic Cop
Tranquil
Trellis
Triangle
Tweezers
Twiglet

U: 5 names

Umpire
Unblinking
Undercover
Unicorn
Uppercut

V: 10 names

Vanda
Vanilla
Vanilla Pod
Vanishing Act
Verger
Vesper
Vicar
Vigil
Violin
Visitor

W: 14 names

Wahlbergii
Wait-for-It
Wallflower
Walter
Wandering Violin
Watercress
Wayne
White Belt
Widget
Windowbox
Wing and a Prayer
Wing Chun
Wisp
Wushu

X: 2 names

Xeno
Xenon

Y: 1 name

Young Grasshopper

Z: 4 names

Zen
Zen Master
Zeta
Zucchini