Science Pet Name Generator

Names from the lab for dogs, cats and classroom pets

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Generate science pet names for dogs, cats, fish, reptiles and classroom pets, from scientists like Curie and Darwin to particles like Quark and Boson and lab gear like Beaker and Pipette. Species-matched jokes are included too, such as Pavlov for a dog and Schrodinger for a cat.

About science pet names

Science gives pets names that are short, easy to call and come with a story. This list holds 1,000 of them from ten corners of science: scientists' surnames and given names (Curie, Darwin, Hypatia), particles and forces (Quark, Boson, Gluon), elements and compounds (Cobalt, Zinc, Graphene), units and constants (Joule, Kelvin, Planck), astronomy, biology and anatomy, rocks and fossils, lab equipment, and maths and computing.

The tenth style is the species-matched joke. Pavlov suits a dog because Ivan Pavlov's conditioning experiments were done with dogs, and Schrodinger suits a cat because his thought experiment put a cat in a sealed box. Fibonacci fits a rabbit, since his number sequence comes from a puzzle about breeding rabbits. Beagle is the ship Darwin sailed on and Sirius is the Dog Star. Real animals from the history of science are here as well, such as Laika, Felicette, Dolly and Koko.

Scientists appear as one surname or one given name, the way pets are usually named after them. The styles are mixed together, so one batch can set a lab bench name beside a star, a fossil and a pun.

How to choose science pet names

  • Choose one or two syllables for a name you will call across a park: Quark, Bohr, Zinc, Joule, Volt and Pi all carry well. Longer names shorten nicely, so Archimedes becomes Archie and Fibonacci becomes Fib.
  • Match the science to the animal: Pavlov, Beagle or Sirius for a dog, Schrodinger, Tabby or Cation for a cat, Fibonacci for a rabbit, Python or Hiss-togram for a snake, Slow Neutron or Shell Model for a tortoise, Sonar or Fintegral for a fish.
  • Name two pets as a pair: Proton and Neutron, Mortar and Pestle, Xylem and Phloem, Belka and Strelka, Big Dipper and Little Dipper, Major Axis and Minor Axis.
  • For a classroom pet, pick a name that teaches something and tell the class what it means. A kelvin is a unit of temperature, a quark is one of the particles that make up protons and neutrons, and a tardigrade is a microscopic animal also called a water bear.
  • Say the name out loud a few times and write it down before it goes on a tag or a vet record. Leeuwenhoek and Archaeopteryx are fun to own but easier to live with when a short nickname comes with them.

Frequently asked questions

What are cool science names for a dog?

Pavlov is the classic, after the scientist whose conditioning experiments used dogs. Laika was the first dog to orbit the Earth, and Belka and Strelka flew in 1960 and came home safely. Beagle, Sirius and Canis all have a dog connection, and the list adds puns such as Barkimedes, Collie-der and Lab Partner for a Labrador.

What are good science names for a cat?

Schrodinger leads the way, after the thought experiment with a cat in a box. Felicette was the first cat sent into space, Tabby is the nickname of a much-studied star, and a Cation is a positively charged ion. For puns, try Mewton, Copurrnicus, Purrnoulli or Meowlecule.

Which names suit fish, reptiles and small pets?

Fish take names like Sonar, Plankton, Benthos and Finstein. Reptiles suit Rex, Raptor, Ecto and Brumation, the word for a reptile's winter slowdown. Hamsters and other small pets fit Hamstein, Turbine, Pocket Proton and Mito, and a rabbit can be Fibonacci or Bunsen Bunny.

Are the scientists on the list real people?

Yes. The scientists are figures from the history of science, each entered as one surname or one given name, such as Curie, Faraday, Hypatia or Ada. Fictional scientists and sci-fi characters are left out, because the theme is real science.

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All 1,000 science pet 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: 66 names

  • Abacus
  • Absolute Zero
  • Abyss
  • Ada
  • Aerogel
  • Agar
  • Albedo
  • Albert
  • Alembic
  • Aleph
  • Algae-bra
  • Algebra
  • Algol
  • Algorithm
  • Alhazen
  • Aliquot
  • Allele
  • Allosaurus
  • Alloy
  • Alpenglow
  • Altimeter
  • Amalgam
  • Ambystoma
  • Ammeter
  • Ammonite
  • Amniote
  • Amoeba
  • Ampere
  • Amygdala
  • Andromeda
  • Anemometer
  • Anemone
  • Anion

A, continued

  • Ankylo
  • Annelid
  • Anning
  • Anolis
  • Antenna
  • Aorta
  • Apatite
  • Aphelion
  • Aplysia
  • Arabidopsis
  • Archaeopteryx
  • Archean
  • Archie
  • Archimedes
  • Argon
  • Aristotle
  • Arrhenius
  • Arthropod
  • Ascii
  • Astrolabe
  • Asymptote
  • Atom
  • Aunt Amp
  • Autoclave
  • Avian
  • Avogadro
  • Axion
  • Axolittle
  • Axolotl
  • Axon
  • Aye-Aye
  • Azimuth
  • Azurite

B: 66 names

  • Babbage
  • Baby Boson
  • Barbel
  • Bark Matter
  • Barkimedes
  • Barkium
  • Barnacle
  • Barometer
  • Baron Bunsen
  • Baryon
  • Basalt
  • Bayes
  • Beagle
  • Beaker
  • Beakquerel
  • Becquerel
  • Beebe
  • Belemnite
  • Belka
  • Bell Curve
  • Bell Jar
  • Bellatrix
  • Benthos
  • Bernoulli
  • Berzelius
  • Betelgeuse
  • Betta
  • Biceps
  • Big Bang
  • Big Dipper
  • Binary
  • Binocular
  • Biolume

B, continued

  • Biome
  • Birdoulli
  • Bismuth
  • Bit
  • Bitmap
  • Bivalve
  • Black Hole
  • Blazar
  • Blueshift
  • Boa Constant
  • Bohr
  • Bohrium
  • Boltzmann
  • Boolean
  • Borax
  • Boron
  • Bose
  • Boson
  • Boyle
  • Brachiopod
  • Brahe
  • Bronto
  • Brownian
  • Brumation
  • Bubbler
  • Buckyball
  • Bung
  • Bunsen
  • Bunsen Bunny
  • Bunsen Burrow
  • Burette
  • Butterfly Effect
  • Byte

C: 104 names

  • Cache
  • Cajal
  • Calcite
  • Calculus
  • Caldera
  • Caliper
  • Callisto
  • Calorie
  • Cambrian
  • Canid
  • Canis
  • Cantor
  • Capra
  • Captain Kelvin
  • Carapace
  • Carassius
  • Carbon
  • Carson
  • Casimir
  • Cassini
  • Cassiopeia
  • Cat Scan
  • Catalysis
  • Catalyst
  • Catenary
  • Cation
  • Caudal
  • Cavia
  • Celsius
  • Centauri
  • Centrifuge
  • Cephalopod
  • Ceres
  • Cesium
  • Chadwick
  • Charm
  • Chaser
  • Cheek Pouch
  • Chelonia
  • Cherenkov
  • Chernushka
  • Chert
  • Chordate
  • Chromatophore
  • Chromo
  • Chrysalis
  • Cilia
  • Circadian
  • Clade
  • Clamp
  • Clavicle
  • Clawsius

C, continued

  • Clever Hans
  • Cobalt
  • Cobol
  • Coccyx
  • Cochlea
  • Cocoon
  • Codon
  • Coelacanth
  • Cog
  • Collagen
  • Collider
  • Collie-der
  • Colloid
  • Compass
  • Compton
  • Compy
  • Condenser
  • Conjecture
  • Constant
  • Control
  • Copepod
  • Copernicus
  • Copper
  • Coprolite
  • Copurrnicus
  • Copycat
  • Corgium
  • Coriolis
  • Cornea
  • Cortex
  • Corundum
  • Corvid
  • Cosine
  • Coulomb
  • Cousin Cosine
  • Cousteau
  • Crepuscular
  • Cretaceous
  • Cricetus
  • Crick
  • Crinoid
  • Crookes
  • Crucible
  • Crust
  • Cubit
  • Cumulus
  • Curie
  • Curium
  • Cuttlefish
  • Cuvette
  • Cuvier
  • Cyclotron

D: 42 names

  • Dalton
  • Danio
  • Daphnia
  • Dark Matter
  • Darwin
  • Darwoof
  • Data Point
  • Datum
  • Debug
  • Decibel
  • Decimal
  • Deinonychus
  • Delta
  • Deltoid
  • Democritus
  • Dendrite
  • Derecho
  • Descartes
  • Desiccator
  • Devonian
  • Dewar
  • Dewlap
  • Dezik
  • Diatom
  • Digitigrade
  • Dimetrodon
  • Diode
  • Diplo
  • Dipole
  • Dirac
  • Diurnal
  • Doctor Whiskerton
  • Dogma
  • Dolly
  • Doppler
  • Dorsal
  • Double Helix
  • Dropper
  • Drosophila
  • Dry Ice
  • Dunkleosteus
  • Dynamo

E: 33 names

  • Ebb
  • Echidna
  • Ecto
  • Eddy
  • Einstein
  • Einsteinium
  • Einswine
  • El Nino
  • Electron
  • Elegans
  • Ellipse
  • Embryo
  • Emulsion
  • Enamel
  • Endotherm
  • Eniac
  • Enos
  • Enthalpy
  • Entropy
  • Enzyme
  • Eocene
  • Epsilon
  • Equus
  • Erlenmeyer
  • Error Bar
  • Escape Velocity
  • Estivate
  • Euclid
  • Euglena
  • Euler
  • Eureka
  • Europa
  • Eurypterid

F: 55 names

  • Fahrenheit
  • Faraday
  • Fata Morgana
  • Fathom
  • Fault
  • Feldspar
  • Felicette
  • Felid
  • Felis
  • Femur
  • Fermat
  • Fermi
  • Fermion
  • Fetch
  • Feynman
  • Fibonacci
  • Fibula
  • Fin
  • Finch
  • Finstein
  • Fintegral
  • Firefly
  • Fishics
  • Fissure
  • Fizz
  • Flagella
  • Flask
  • Fledgling
  • Flehmen
  • Fleming
  • Float
  • Fluorite
  • Flux
  • Flywheel
  • Foehn
  • Fortran
  • Fossey
  • Fossil
  • Fourier
  • Fractal
  • Fraction
  • Franklin
  • Free Radical
  • Friction
  • Frogress Bar
  • Frond
  • Fructose
  • Fruit Fly
  • Fulcrum
  • Fulgurite
  • Fullerene
  • Fumarole
  • Funnel
  • Furlong
  • Furo

G: 40 names

  • Gabbro
  • Gadget
  • Galena
  • Galileo
  • Galileow
  • Gallium
  • Gallus
  • Gastropod
  • Gauss
  • Geiger
  • Gene
  • Genome
  • Genus
  • Geode
  • Geyser
  • Gill
  • Gillbert
  • Gizzard
  • Glucose
  • Gluon
  • Glyptodon
  • Gneiss
  • Gnomon
  • Godel
  • Goggles
  • Golden Ratio
  • Golgi
  • Gondwana
  • Googol
  • Gordo
  • Gram
  • Graphene
  • Graphite
  • Graupel
  • Graviton
  • Gravity
  • Green Flash
  • Gulf Stream
  • Gypsum
  • Gyre

H: 45 names

  • Haboob
  • Hadean
  • Hadron
  • Half-Life
  • Halley
  • Halo
  • Halogen
  • Ham
  • Hamstein
  • Hareodynamic
  • Hash
  • Hatchling
  • Hawking
  • Hawking Radiation
  • Heisenberg
  • Helium
  • Helix
  • Hematite
  • Herbivore
  • Herschel
  • Hertz
  • Heuristic
  • Hexagon
  • Higgs
  • Hippocampus
  • Hippocrates
  • Hiss-togram
  • Holocene
  • Hooke
  • Hop Count
  • Hopper
  • Hoptics
  • Hot Plate
  • Hubble
  • Humboldt
  • Humerus
  • Huxley
  • Huygens
  • Hydrogen
  • Hygrometer
  • Hypatia
  • Hyperbola
  • Hypercube
  • Hypotenuse
  • Hypothesis

I: 20 names

  • Ichthyosaur
  • Iguanodon
  • Imago
  • Imprint
  • Incisor
  • Incubator
  • Inertia
  • Infinity
  • Instar
  • Instinct
  • Integer
  • Io
  • Iodine
  • Ion
  • Iridium
  • Isaac
  • Isobar
  • Isomer
  • Isopod
  • Isotope

J: 4 names

  • Jacobson
  • Jet Stream
  • Joule
  • Jurassic

K: 15 names

  • Kaleidoscope
  • Kanzi
  • Kaon
  • Keel
  • Kelvin
  • Kepler
  • Keratin
  • Kernel
  • Khwarizmi
  • Kinetic
  • Kirchhoff
  • Koko
  • Krill
  • Krypton
  • Kuiper

L: 50 names

  • La Nina
  • Lab Assistant
  • Lab Coat
  • Lab Partner
  • Lab Rat
  • Lab Report
  • Lactose
  • Lagomorph
  • Lagrange
  • Laika
  • Lamarck
  • Lambda
  • Lancelet
  • Larva
  • Laser
  • Lateral Line
  • Lattice
  • Laurasia
  • Lava
  • Lavoisier
  • Leakey
  • Leavitt
  • Leeuwenhoek
  • Leibniz
  • Leidenfrost
  • Lemaitre
  • Lens
  • Lepton
  • Lepus
  • Lever
  • Leyden
  • Lightyear
  • Limestone
  • Linnaeus
  • Lipid
  • Lisp
  • Lithium
  • Litmus
  • Litmus Test
  • Little Dipper
  • Loam
  • Lodestone
  • Lonesome George
  • Loop
  • Loris
  • Loupe
  • Lovelace
  • Lungfish
  • Lynx
  • Lyra

M: 81 names

  • Macak
  • Mach
  • Macro
  • Magma
  • Magnet
  • Magnetar
  • Magnetite
  • Magnus
  • Maiasaura
  • Major Axis
  • Malachite
  • Mandelbrot
  • Mandible
  • Manifold
  • Mantis
  • Mantle
  • Margulis
  • Marie
  • Markov
  • Marsupial
  • Mastodon
  • Matrix
  • Maxwell
  • McClintock
  • Medaka
  • Median
  • Medulla
  • Megalodon
  • Megatherium
  • Meissner
  • Meitner
  • Mendel
  • Mendel's Pea
  • Mendeleev
  • Meowlecule
  • Meowsure
  • Merian
  • Meson
  • Mesozoic
  • Messier

M, continued

  • Methane
  • Mewton
  • Mica
  • Micrometer
  • Microraptor
  • Microscope
  • Minor Axis
  • Miocene
  • Mirage
  • Miss Baker
  • Miss Meiosis
  • Missing Link
  • Mister Mitosis
  • Mistral
  • Mito
  • Mobius
  • Modulo
  • Moho
  • Mohs
  • Moire
  • Mole
  • Molecule
  • Mollusk
  • Molt
  • Moly
  • Momentum
  • Monomer
  • Monotreme
  • Monte Carlo
  • Moonbow
  • Mortar
  • Mosasaur
  • Mudskipper
  • Muon
  • Mus
  • Mushka
  • Mustela
  • Mustelid
  • Mutualist
  • Myelin
  • Myriapod

N: 28 names

  • Nano
  • Nanotube
  • Nautiloid
  • Nautilus
  • Neap
  • Neodymium
  • Neon
  • Neural Net
  • Neuron
  • Neutrino
  • Neutron
  • Newt
  • Newton
  • Newtrino
  • Nibble
  • Niche
  • Nickel
  • Niels
  • Nikola
  • Nim
  • Nobelium
  • Noble Gas
  • Noether
  • Nucleus
  • Nudibranch
  • Null
  • Null Result
  • Numbat

O: 19 names

  • Occam
  • Ohm
  • Okapi
  • Olivine
  • Omega
  • Omnivore
  • Oort
  • Operculum
  • Ordovician
  • Orrery
  • Oscilloscope
  • Osmium
  • Otolith
  • Otoscope
  • Outlier
  • Ovis
  • Oxide
  • Oxygen
  • Ozone

P: 98 names

  • Pachy
  • Pangaea
  • Pangolin
  • Panthera
  • Parabola
  • Paradox
  • Paramecium
  • Parasaur
  • Parsec
  • Pascal
  • Pasteur
  • Patella
  • Pauli
  • Pauling
  • Pavlov
  • Paw-sitron
  • Pawlimer
  • Pawlynomial
  • Pawsteur
  • Pawvlov
  • Pchyolka
  • Pectoral
  • Peer Review
  • Pegasus
  • Peltier
  • Pendulum
  • Peptide
  • Perceptron
  • Perihelion
  • Periscope
  • Perl
  • Permian
  • Pestle
  • Petri
  • Petrichor
  • Phasmid
  • Pheromone
  • Phi
  • Phloem
  • Phonon
  • Photon
  • Photophore
  • Phylum
  • Pi
  • Pi-thon
  • Pico
  • Pinna
  • Pion
  • Pipette

P, continued

  • Pistil
  • Planarian
  • Planck
  • Plankton
  • Plantigrade
  • Plasma
  • Plastid
  • Plastron
  • Platinum
  • Platypus
  • Pleiades
  • Pleistocene
  • Plesiosaur
  • Pliocene
  • Plumb Bob
  • Pocket Proton
  • Poecilia
  • Pogona
  • Pointer
  • Polaris
  • Polliwog
  • Polly Mer
  • Polymer
  • Polyp
  • Positron
  • Priestley
  • Prime
  • Prism
  • Procyon
  • Professor Beaker
  • Professor Quark
  • Proof
  • Proton
  • Proxima
  • Psittacus
  • Pterosaur
  • Pulley
  • Pulsar
  • Pumice
  • Pupa
  • Purkinje
  • Purrcentile
  • Purrie
  • Purrmafrost
  • Purrnoulli
  • Purrotein
  • Pyrite
  • Pythagoras
  • Python

Q: 8 names

  • Quadrant
  • Quadruped
  • Quantum
  • Quark
  • Quasar
  • Qubit
  • Quokka
  • Quotient

R: 31 names

  • Radon
  • Raman
  • Ramanujan
  • Raptor
  • Rattus
  • Rayleigh
  • Reagent
  • Recursion
  • Redox
  • Redshift
  • Reflex
  • Refraction
  • Regex
  • Regolith
  • Retina
  • Retort
  • Rex
  • Rheostat
  • Rhodium
  • Rhombus
  • Ribo
  • Ribosome
  • Rico
  • Riemann
  • Rift
  • Rigel
  • Ring Stand
  • Rontgen
  • Rosalind
  • Rotifer
  • Rutherford

S: 74 names

  • Sagan
  • Salk
  • Sample Size
  • Sandstone
  • Scales
  • Scapula
  • Schist
  • Schrodinger
  • Scope
  • Scute
  • Seebeck
  • Seed Bank
  • Seismograph
  • Serpens
  • Setter
  • Sextant
  • Shell Model
  • Sieve
  • Sig Fig
  • Sigma
  • Silica
  • Silicon
  • Silt
  • Silurian
  • Sine Wave
  • Sir Isotope
  • Sirius
  • Slide Rule
  • Slow Neutron
  • Smilodon
  • Sniffer
  • Snuppy
  • Sodium
  • Solvent
  • Sonar
  • Sonic Boom
  • Spark

S, continued

  • Spatula
  • Specimen
  • Spectroscope
  • Spectrum
  • Spin
  • Spinosaurus
  • Spore
  • Sprocket
  • Sputnik
  • Squeakquation
  • Sssigma
  • Stamen
  • Standard Model
  • Stapes
  • Stego
  • Stentor
  • Sternum
  • Stethoscope
  • Stickleback
  • Stir Bar
  • Stirrer
  • Stoma
  • Stopper
  • Strange
  • Stratus
  • Strelka
  • Stromatolite
  • Subwoofer
  • Sucrose
  • Sundial
  • Sundog
  • Swim Bladder
  • Symbiont
  • Synapse
  • Synchrotron
  • Syrinx
  • Syzygy

T: 63 names

  • Tabby
  • Tachyon
  • Tadpole
  • Talc
  • Tapetum
  • Tardigrade
  • Tarsier
  • Tau
  • Taxon
  • Tectonic
  • Tektite
  • Telescope
  • Tendon
  • Tephra
  • Terminal Velocity
  • Tesla
  • Tesla Coil
  • Tesseract
  • Test Subject
  • Test Tube
  • Testudo
  • Tetrapod
  • Thales
  • Theorem
  • Theory
  • Thermal
  • Thorax
  • Thundersnow
  • Tibia
  • Tidal
  • Tiktaalik

T, continued

  • Tin
  • Titan
  • Titanium
  • Titrate
  • Toadal Eclipse
  • Tokamak
  • Tombaugh
  • Tongs
  • Torpor
  • Torque
  • Torque-toise
  • Torus
  • Tourmaline
  • Trapezoid
  • Triassic
  • Trike
  • Trilobite
  • Triops
  • Tripod
  • Tsygan
  • Tuatara
  • Tube Rack
  • Tuff
  • Tungsten
  • Tunicate
  • Tuning Fork
  • Tuple
  • Turbine
  • Turing
  • Tweeter
  • Tycho
  • Tyndall

U: 10 names

  • Ugolyok
  • Ulna
  • Uncertainty
  • Uncle Ohm
  • Unicode
  • Up Quark
  • Updraft
  • Urchin
  • Ursus
  • Utahraptor

V: 23 names

  • Vacuole
  • Vacuum
  • Vagus
  • Valence
  • Variable
  • Variance
  • Vector
  • Vega
  • Velocity
  • Ventral
  • Venturi
  • Vernier
  • Vertebrate
  • Veterok
  • Vial
  • Vibrissa
  • Virga
  • Volt
  • Volta
  • Voltmeter
  • Volvox
  • Voyager
  • Vulpes

W: 13 names

  • Wallace
  • Washoe
  • Watch Glass
  • Water Bear
  • Watt
  • Wee Watt
  • Wegener
  • Wheel
  • Whisker Theory
  • Williwaw
  • Wimshurst
  • Woofer
  • Wormhole

X: 3 names

  • Xenon
  • Xenopus
  • Xylem

Z: 9 names

  • Zap
  • Zebrafish
  • Zeeman
  • Zeolite
  • Zinc
  • Zircon
  • Zooid
  • Zvezdochka
  • Zygote