History Main / AnimalNamingConventions

Compare to LawOfAlienNames. Contrast to StockAnimalName, which are names humans commonly use to address animals, and IWasNamedMyName. Sub-trope to FantasticNamingConvention.

* In Louise Searl's ''Literature/TheWayOfKings(2021)'', male lions have names ending in A or O, whilst female names end in I or U. Hyenas start life with a one-syllable name and add a syllable each time they achieve something, meaning they can have very long names.

* Pufftail from ''Literature/{{Stray}}'' by A.N. Wilson is a cat who claims cats have NoNeedForNames. He only reluctantly lets others use "Pufftail" for convenience's sake. However, pet cats don't seem to follow this rule and seem fine with their names.

** The feral Clan cats have portmanteau names such as "Bluestar", "Dappletail", "Dawncloud", and "Oakheart". Their names are based around nature or things that feral cats would realistically know[[note]]for example, Tigerclaw was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally]] called "Hammerclaw" in drafts before they realized cats wouldn't know what a "hammer" is[[/note]]. Certain prefixes are especially common depending on the Clan; RiverClan tends to have more names related to water or fish, for instance.

** The feral Clan cats have portmanteau names such as "Bluestar", "Dappletail", "Dawncloud", and "Oakheart". Their names are based around nature or things that feral cats would realistically know[[note]]for example, Tigerclaw was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally]] called "Hammerclaw" before it was realized cats wouldn't know what a "hammer" is[[/note]]. Cats will even sometimes name their kits after respected predators, like badgers or foxes, though no character has been called "Dog[x]" yet (possibly because feral cats don't respect dogs much). Certain prefixes are especially common depending on the Clan.
** When a kittypet joins a Clan they're generally [[MeaningfulRename renamed]], such as when Rusty became "Firepaw" in the first book. Clan cats receive several name changes during their life. When they're born they're called "[x]kit" but when they become 6 moons old, and become either warrior apprentices or medicine cat apprentices, they are renamed "[x]paw". When they finish their training they're renamed again, however the end part of their name can be anything and doesn't follow a trend. If a cat ends up becoming a Clan [[TheLeader leader]] then they're renamed again, "[x]star". Rarely, cats can be renamed in order to match injuries they've received (like "Halftail" or "One-Eye") or even more rarely a young cat can be renamed after a disability they gained.

** A badger named Midnight and a cougar named Sharptooth appear in the series, however no others of their species are named.
** Rogues don't follow the Clan naming schemes. Some are ex-kittypets while others apparently named themselves (or were named by their mothers). They generally use naturalistic names like "Pounce", "Snapper", "Snowflake", and "Sniff".
** Originally Clan cats didn't have their 'standard' compound names. It took a while for that to develop. They started out with names more like those of [[spoiler:their Tribe kin, only shorter]]. The original leaders thus were named [[spoiler:"Tall Shadow" ([=ShadowClan=]), "Wind" ([=WindClan=]), "Thunder" ([=ThunderClan=]), "Clear Sky" ([=SkyClan=]), and "River Ripple" ([=RiverClan=]).]]

** ''Tailchaser's Song'' is about feral cats. They have three names: their "heart name" that [[FirstNameBasis only cats close to them use]], their portmanteau "face name" that is [[LastNameBasis what most others call them]], and their "tail name" which a name they figure out for themselves. The protagonist is a cat named Fritti Tailchaser. Other characters include the [[KidSidekick tagalong kitten]] Pouncequick, the TalkativeLoon Eatbugs, and the SoleSurvivor of a massacre [[spoiler:Firsa]] Roofshadow. A heart name is derived from the old cat-exclusive language while the face name comes from the common language used by all animals.

* ''Literature/JulieOfTheWolves'': Wolves are named after signature characteristics. Examples include Wind Voice and Sweet Fur.

** Granite's siblings are predominantly named after things related to nature: Digger, Nugget, and Cricket. However, they were named by humans,

* ''Literature/TheBookOfTheNamed'' had both the Named, who did have names, and the unintelligent Unnamed, who rarely had names. One Unnamed did pick up the name Bonechewer. Ratha was the main Named character and her daughter was Thistlechaser, showing a bit of different name styles. The hunter cats had a leader named True-of-Voice, although that was a title just as much as it was a name, since it was passed on to each leader.

* The jellicle cats of Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's hit play ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'' have their own names, though a few accept the name bestowed upon them by their human companions. Some of these names are Quaxo, Skimbleshanks, Rumpleteaser and Bombalurina. TheObiwan of the jellicles is Old Deuteronomy.

* In ''Literature/HuntersMoon1989'', foxes in England have names like O-ha, A-ho, A-konkon, O-sollo, O-mitz, and A-cam. Vixens have "O-" names and todds have "A-" names. Camio is the OddNameOut because a fox from an American zoo.

* In ''Literature/RavenQuest'',the ravens, crows, and wolves have different naming conventions for one another. The animals refer to humans as Two-Legs, and to manmade objects with names based on what they resemble or noises that they make. For instance, an airplane is referred to as an airgrawl, while guns are referred to as firesticks.

* ''Literature/ClanGround'' had both the Named, who did have names, and the unintelligent Unnamed, who rarely had names. One Unnamed did pick up the name Bonechewer. Ratha was the main Named character and her daughter was Thistlechaser, showing a bit of different name styles. The hunter cats had a leader named True-of-Voice, although that was a title just as much as it was a name, since it was passed on to each leader.

* Creator/AndreNorton=[‘s=] ''A Breed to Come'' had uplifted cats, dogs, rats and pigs. The cats did have names; the main character is Furtig. But they had simple names for each species. The Barkers were the dogs, the rats were Ratons, the pigs were Tuskers, and the cats simply referred to themselves as The People.

* Creator/AndreNorton ‘s ''A Breed to Come'' had uplifted cats, dogs, rats and pigs. The cats did have names; the main character is Furtig. But they had simple names for each species. The Barkers were the dogs, the rats were Ratons, the pigs were Tuskers, and the cats simply referred to themselves as The People.
* ''Literature/ClanGround'' had both the Named, who did have names, and the u intelligent Unnamed, who rarely had names. One Unnamed did pick up the Bonechewer. Ratha was the main Named character and her daughter was Thistlechaser, showing a bit of different name styles. The hunter cats had a leader named True-of-Voice, although that was a title just as much as it was a name, since it was passed on to each leader.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' spinoffs such as ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' and ''VideoGame/PokeparkWii'' imply that Pokémon subvert this trope. They have NoNeedForNames and simply [[ADogNamedDog use their species names]].

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In ''WebAnimation/MyPride'', Pride lions use different naming conventions for males and females. Female cubs do not have names, being called "Daughter", "Sister," etc., until they come of age. After they take a hunting assessment and are deemed worthy full members of the pride, they are given a descriptive name based on their strengths or characteristics, such as Powerstrike, Sharptongue, or Longrun. Male cubs, on the other hand, are given one-word naturalistic or descriptive names such as Fire, Feather, or Proud. Should he successfully take over a pride, he adds the suffix "-mane" to his name, as the dominant male of a pride is called the Mane. Then you have Prideless lions, who typically have one-word names, the most prominent being Hover.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles'' most of the rats have portmanteau names like "Twitchtip", "Ripred", and "Twirltongue".

* ''{{Literature/Dinotopia}}'' has both. Some dinosaurs have names from their own languages, like a ''Saurolophus'' hatchling named Gosnold, the swift moving, and Enit and Enots the ''Deinonychus'', while others come from natural abilities and features. There’s Highjump the ''Struthiomimus'', Lightwing the ''Quetzalcoatlus'' Brokehorn the ''Triceratops'' (his original name was different, but he broke one forehead horn) and Bigtusk the mammoth to name a few. Names from nature show up as well, especially among Skybaxes (''Quetzalcoatlus'') and carnivores. There’s Cirrus, Nimbus and Windchaser the Skybaxes, Copperjaw the ''Tyrannosaurus Rex’’ and Stinktooth the ''Giganotosaurus'' among others.
Creator/AndreNorton ‘s ''A Breed to Come'' had uplifted cats, dogs, rats and pigs. The cats did have names; the main character is Furtig. But they had simple names for each species. The Barkers were the dogs, the rats were Ratons, the pigs were Tuskers, and the cats simply referred to themselves as The People.
''Literature/ClanGround'' had both the Named, who did have names, and the u intelligent Unnamed, who rarely had names. One Unnamed did pick up the Bonechewer. Ratha was the main Named character and her daughter was Thistlechaser, showing a bit of different name styles. The hunter cats had a leader named True-of-Voice, although that was a title just as much as it was a name, since it was passed on to each leader.

* ''{{Literature/Dinotopia}}'' has both. Some dinosaurs have names from their own languages, like a ''Saurolophus'' hatchling named Gosnold, the swift moving, and Enit and Enots the ''Deinonychus'', while others come from natural abilities and features. There’s Highjump the ''Struthiomimus'', Lightwing the ''Quetzalcoatlus'' Brokehorn the ''Triceratops'' (his original name was different, but he broke one forehead horn) and Bigtusk the mammoth to name a few. Names from nature show up as well, especially among Skybaxes (''Quetzalcoatlus'') and carnivores. There’s Cirrus, Nimbus and Windchaser the Skybaxes, Copperjaw the ''Tyrannosaurus Rex’’ and Stinktooth the ''Giganotosaurus'' among others.

* ''{{Literature/Dinotopia}}'' has both. Some dinosaurs have names from their own languages, like a ''Saurolophus'' hatchling named Gosnold, the swift moving, and Enit and Enots the ''Deinonychus'', while others come from natural abilities and features. There’s Highjump the ''Struthiomimus'', Lightwing the ''Quetzalcoatlus'' Brokehorn the ''Triceratops'' (his original name was different, but he broke one forehead horn) and Bigtusk the mammoth to name a few. Names from nature show up as well, especially among Skybaxes (''Quetzalcoatlus'') and carnivores. There’s Cirrus, Nimbus and Windchaser the Skybaxes, Copperjaw the ''Tyrannosaurus Rex’’ and Stinktooth the ''Giganotosaurus'' among others.

* ''Literature/Dinotopia'' has both. Some dinosaurs have names from their own languages, like a ''Saurolophus'' hatchling named Gosnold, the swift moving, and Enit and Enots the ''Deinonychus'', while others come from natural abilities and features. There’s Highjump the ''Struthiomimus'', Lightwing the ''Quetzalcoatlus'' Brokehorn the ''Triceratops'' (his original name was different, but he broke one forehead horn) and Bigtusk the mammoth to name a few. Names from nature show up as well, especially among Skybaxes (''Quetzalcoatlus'') and carnivores. There’s Cirrus, Nimbus and Windchaser the Skybaxes, Copperjaw the ''Tyrannosaurus Rex’’ and Stinktooth the ''Giganotosaurus'' among others.

* ''Literature/Dinotopia'' has both. Some dinosaurs have names from their own languages, like a ''Saurolophus'' hatchling named Gosnold, the swift moving, and Enit and Enots the ''Deinonychus'', while others come from natural abilities and features. There’s Highjump the ''Struthiomimus'', Lightwing the ''Quetzalcoatlus'' Brokehorn the ''Triceratops'' (his original name was different, but he broke one forehead horn) and Bigtusk the mammoth to name a few. Names from nature show up as well, especially among Skybaxes (''Quetzalcoatlus'') and carnivores. There’s Cirrus, Nimbus and Windchaser the Skybaxes, Copperjaw the ''Tyrannosaurus Rex’’ and Stinktooth the ''Giganotosaurus'' among others.

* Some of the animals in ''Franchise/TheLionKing'' lean into this. For example, Simba's name [[ADogNamedDog shows that he's a lion]]. According to a [[Literature/TheLionKingSixNewAdventures licensed book]] Scar was originally named "Taka" ("to wish", or "trash", in Swahili) before gaining his scar and [[ThatManIsDead renaming himself]].

** A cat may be given a MeaningfulRename if their name no longer fits, such as if they receive a severe injury. Whether they change their name or not is up to the individual. To [[DeliberateValuesDissonance outsiders]] names like "Deadfoot" or "Halftail" are {{Unfortunate Name}}s, but to warriors they're a mark of pride. It's considered a feat to survive such injuries with little-to-no issue. It proves the strength and adaptability of cats.

** Additionally many characters tend to have surnames indicative of their species or some physical characteristic. Ie. Cornflower Churchmouse, Colin Vole, Basil Hare, Ambrose Spike, etc.

* Some of the [[FunnyAnimal Mute]] [[PlanetOfHats groups]] in ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'' use these:
** The Timbercats have slightly ''Literature/TailchasersSong''-esque "first name, compound last name" names that fit their lumberjack [[PlanetOfHats theme]]. Their two leaders are Yumyan Hammerpaw and Molly Yarnchopper.

* In ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', werewolves have "wolf names" that are the sort of names humans would imagine wolves have (Angua's parents Guye and Serafine are also known as "Silvertail" and "Yellowfang"). Wolves themselves do not have names like this. (Two named wolves appear in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant''. One has a scent-marker name which Gaspode translates as "Arsehole", and the other uses the name Gavin because "he once ate someone named Gavin".)

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', dinosaurs refer to their species by descriptive names like Long Necks, Spike Tails and Sharptooths. As for proper names, they zigzag between descriptive names (Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike) and names derived from their scientific names (Cera the ''Triceratops'', Petrie the ''Pteranodon'').

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]