Whale Name Generator

Moby Dick is the most famous fictional whale, inspired by a real white sperm whale called Mocha Dick. Real famous whales include Keiko (the orca who played Willy in Free Willy), Shamu, Migaloo the white humpback, Humphrey the humpback who swam into San Francisco Bay, Old Tom of Eden, Australia, and the Southern Resident orcas Granny (J2), Tahlequah (J35) and Tokitae (Lolita). Monstro from Pinocchio and Destiny and Bailey from Finding Dory are popular cartoon whales.

Cute whale names play on how round and gentle whales are: Blubber, Squish, Marshmallow, Dumpling, Pudding, Puddle, Mochi, Bubbles, Wally, Lulu and Tubby. For a beluga try Snowball or Qannik (Inuktitut for snowflake); for a baby orca try Domino, Oreo or Panda; for a narwhal try Spike or Tusk.

Wild whales are usually catalogued by a code (like J35 for orcas or a humpback fluke ID number) and then given a nickname based on a distinctive marking, scar or fluke shape, the place or date they were first seen, or a theme the research group uses. That is why real whales have names like Ruffles (for a wavy dorsal fin), Scarlet, Granny, Springer and Migaloo (an Aboriginal word for 'white fella').

Wise or ancient whales suit Leviathan, Fathom, Paikea, Cornelius, Old Greybeard or Sedna; playful sidekicks suit Spout, Flapjack, Bubba or Whalter; and mythic sea beasts can borrow Cetus, Bakekujira, Aspidochelone, Jasconius or Jormungandr. Pick a name that matches the whale's role and size rather than just the species.