Dolphins are one of the most popular sea animals. They are known for their playful nature and intelligence. People love to watch these marine mammals swimming and playing in the ocean.
Explore our list of 150+ best dolphin names. They range from playful to sophisticated, giving you lots of options for naming your marine friend.
Best dolphin names
These are some of the best names for a dolphin:
- Aqua
- Ariel
- Azure
- Blue
- Coral
- Echo
- Finley
- Flipper
- Indigo
- Ocean
- Sapphire
- Shimmer
- Silver
- Star
- Tide
- Tropic
- Wave
Girl dolphin names
Here are some beautiful name ideas for a female dolphin.
| Adella | “Noble” (German) |
| Adriana | “From Adria” (Latin) |
| Aqua | “Water” (Latin) |
| Aquamarine | “Sea water” (Latin) |
| Coraline | “Coral” (French) |
| Cordelia | “Daughter of the sea” (Latin and Celtic) |
| Daisy | |
| Daniela | “God is my judge” (Hebrew) |
| Danielle | “God is my judge” (Hebrew) |
| Delfina | “Dolphin” (Greek) |
| Delly | “Noble kind” (German) |
| Delphia | “Dolphin” (Greek) |
| Delphine | “Dolphin” (Greek) |
| Delphinium | “Dolphin” (Greek) |
| Delta | “River-mouth” (Greek) |
| Denise | “Follower of Dionysus” (French) |
| Destiny | |
| Dolly | “Gift of God” (British) |
| Dora | “Gift” (Greek) |
| Doris | “Gift from the sea” (Greek) |
| Emerald | Dolphins live in emerald-green oceans, so this is a fitting name for them. |
| Esmeralda | “Emerald” (Spanish) |
| Fina | “White, fair” (Scottish) |
| Fiona | “Fair” (Scottish) |
| Isla | “Island” (Spanish) |
| Jenny | “White wave” (Cornish) |
| Kailani | “Sea and sky” (Hawaiian) |
| Laguna | An Italian girl’s name that means “pond” or “lake”. |
| Luna | “Moon” (Latin) |
| Maren | “Star of the sea” (Latin) |
| Marina | “Star of the sea” (Latin) |
| Maya | “Water” (Hebrew) |
| Meri | “Sea” in Finnish |
| Misty | |
| Naia | A Hawaiian girl’s name that means “dolphin”. |
| Nami | “Ocean wave” (Japanese) |
| Nereida | “Sea nymph” (Greek) |
| Nikki | ”Victory” (Greek origin) |
| Oceana | “Ocean” (Greek) |
| Serena | “Serene” (Latin) |
| Tropicana | |
| Vera | “Faith, truth” (Slavic) |
Boy dolphin names
Try these sea-themed names for a male dolphin.
| Adrian | “Son of Adria” (Latin) |
| Bardo | “Water” (German, Aboriginal, Tibetan) |
| Caspian | Associated with the Caspian Sea. |
| Cove | Means “small bay” (English origin). |
| Daniel | “God is my judge” (Hebrew) |
| Darwin | “Dear friend” (British) |
| Delfino | “Dolphin” (Greek) |
| Deniz | “Sea” (Turkish) |
| Dennis | “Follower of Dionysus” (Greek) |
| Dover | “The waters” (Celtic origin) |
| Dylon | “Son of the sea” (Welsh) |
| Finn | “Fair” (Irish) |
| Gizmo | “One who is playful” (American). This name has the perfect meaning for dolphins! |
| Jasper | “Treasurer” (Persian) |
| Jonah | “Dove” (Hebrew) |
| Kai | “Sea” (Hawaiian) |
| Ken | “Handsome” (Scottish origin) |
| Marinus | “Of the sea” (Latin) |
| Neptune | The god of the sea in Roman mythology. |
| Oceanus | A personification of water in Greek mythology. |
| Poseidon | God of the sea in Greek mythology. |
| Triton | A merman in Greek mythology. |
| Verner | “Army defender” (German) |
Unisex names for dolphins
| Azul | “Blue” (Spanish) |
| Calypso | “Hidden” (Greek) |
| Cleo | “Glory” (Greek) |
| Delfin | “Dolphin” (Greek) |
| Denny | “Follower of Dionysus” (Scandinavian) |
| Domino | “Lord, master” (Latin) |
| Dorian | “From the sea” (Greek) |
| Finley | “Fair-haired” (Irish) |
| Kalani | “Heavens” (Hawaiian) |
| Kelly | “Lively” (Irish) |
| Marin | “Of the sea” (Latin) |
| Marlin | “Sea fortress” (Welsh) |
| Morgan | “Sea-circle” (Welsh) |
| Nikita | “Victor” (Russian) |
| Nori | “Seaweed” (Japanese) |
| Ocean | “Sea” (Greek) |
| Opal | “Precious stone” (Sanskrit) |
Cute dolphin names
Dolphins are friendly animals and have been known to help humans in need. It makes sense to give cute names to these gentle creatures!
- Bubbles
- Cleo
- Coral
- Dilly
- Dippy
- Flippy
- Glimmer
- Melody
- Nemo
- Pearl
- Pebbles
- Sandy
- Sparkle
- Splashy
- Starshine
- Sunny
- Twinkle
Funny dolphin names
- Bottle
- Clicky
- Dilly Dally
- Dorsal Delight
- Einstein
- Fintastic Fanny
- Fisher
- Flapjack
- Flip Flop
- Hopper
- Jumpy
- Pirate
- Smiley
- Snorkel
- Speedy
- Splash
- Squeaky
- Squirt
- Tidal Teaser
- Tuna
- Whistle
Famous dolphin names in movies and TV
These are the names of dolphin and orca characters in movies and television. We’ve included orcas, or killer whales, in the list because orcas are classified as dolphins.
| Amethyst | A dolphin character in the animated film Barbie Dolphin Magic. |
| Basil | A dolphin in the Disney Channel film A Ring of Endless Light. |
| Bernie | A dolphin that befriends a brother and a sister in the movies Bernie the Dolphin and Bernie the Dolphin 2. |
| Beta | A female dolphin with the nickname “Bea” in the 1973 science fiction thriller The Day of the Dolphin. |
| Bubbles | A magical bottlenose dolphin in the animated film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. |
| Echo | A young bottlenose dolphin in the documentary film Dolphin Reef. |
| Emerald | A dolphin in Barbie Dolphin Magic. |
| Flipper | Flipper is probably the most famous of all dolphins. He appeared in the 1963 film Flipper and its sequel and remakes. |
| Hope | A rescued bottlenose dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. She starred in the movie Dolphin Tale 2 along with Winter. |
| Keiko | Keiko was the first captive orca fully released into the ocean. He starred in the film Free Willy and its sequels. The documentary film Keiko: The Untold Story was released in 2010. |
| Kumu | The mother of Echo in the documentary film Dolphin Reef. |
| Luna | The killer whale Luna was the subject of the 2011 documentary film The Whale. |
| Mitzy | The pet dolphin of an orphaned teenager in the movie Dolphin Island. |
| Roxanne | A dolphin who befriends a dog in the 1997 film Zeus and Roxanne. |
| Ruby | One of the dolphin characters in Barbie Dolphin Magic. |
| Tilikum | Orca Tilikum, nicknamed Tilly, was the subject of the documentary film Blackfish. It was about the controversy of keeping orcas in captivity. |
| Topaz | A dolphin in Barbie Dolphin Magic. |
| Willy | A captive orca in the 1993 film Free Willy. |
| Winter | An injured bottlenose dolphin Winter lost her tail and was housed at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. She received a prosthetic tail. The movie Dolphin Tale is based on Winter’s story. |
| Zuma | A dolphin in the animated film Barbie in a Mermaid Tale. |
How to choose a dolphin name
You probably don’t have a pet dolphin. Actually, I hope you don’t. That’s because these marine mammals are highly intelligent and don’t do well in captivity. Dolphins are better off living in the ocean where they belong.
However, you might be looking for a name for a dolphin stuffed animal or a fictional dolphin character. Dolphin names are also a good option for a pet fish or a mermaid.
Since dolphins are sea creatures, ocean names are the perfect fit for them. There are also a few names that mean dolphin. Naturally, they’re optimal for these animals.
Do dolphins have unique names?
When it comes to real dolphins, we don’t even need to come up with names for them. That’s because, according to research, dolphins name each other!
Scientists discovered that dolphins use unique whistles to address each other. That’s the equivalent of having a name.
As humans, we’re not skilled at using whistles for communication. Real dolphins may not think much of the names we give them, but we’ll just have to think of monikers that sound as dolphin-like as possible.
I hope you’ve found some good name ideas in this post. For more oceanic inspiration, you might also like our list of whale names. Or try our post on amazing narwhal names!
