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Gorillas are some of the most beloved animals in the animal kingdom. They are highly intelligent, funny, and curious, and they resemble humans in many ways, which is why we feel such a strong inclination to name these beautiful beasts.
There are two major groups of gorillas – eastern (gorilla beringei) and western – and each group has a few different subspecies. Each gorilla is unique with its own personality and quirks which is why they deserve a name of their own.
Here are over 200 great gorilla names for you to choose from.
Best Gorilla Names
- Chump
- Gozo – Gozo the Bozo.
- Basil
- Ghost – Gorillas can move surprisingly quietly when they want to.
- Crispy
- Parsley – Parsley is rich in Vitamin C and would probably be a good addition to the gorilla’s diet.
- Glove
- Paprika
- Shisa Nyama – A spicy Zulu dish of burnt meat
- Piri-Piri
- Glaze
- Jollof – Named after the spicy and delicious Jollof rice.
- Geoff
- Fufu – Bunny fufu the gorilla if you want to use the full name. Most gorillas will be fine with fufu.
- Zimber – Like Simba but a little zazzier.
- Garage
- Helicopter
- Angora
- Hakeem – Named after one of the best to ever lace them up, Hakeem Olajuwon.
- Girlboss
- Joel
- Glimmer
- Gloom
- Pascal – Named after African basketball player Pascal Siakam.
- Dikembe
- Mutombo
- Ally
- Aloof – A good name for a gorilla with a particularly aloof personality.
- Bismack
- Biyombo
- Olive
- Emmanuel – A name meaning god is with us.
- Victor
- Bam
- Edrice – Edrice is a north African name meaning prosperous ruler.
- Aniseed
- Alaric – Alaric is an old name that means power. It is also one of the most popular characters in the Vampire Diaries. I’m not sure which part of its origin is more important…
- Aminu
- Farouq
- Serge
- Minty
- Juniper – Named after juniper berries. Gin is the favorite alcoholic beverage of the gorilla because they are fans of alliteration and juniper berries.
- Andre
- Giannis
- Adongo
- Fritz
- Capsicum – Named after the sweet, and sometimes spicy, bell peppers.
- Fritter
- Pineapples
- Croissant
- Albion
- Argus – The thousand-eyed soldier who is said to never miss a thing (having a thousand eyes might help with that)
- Atlas
- Curb
- Celso – Celso is a Portuguese name that means high, it is a female name but can also be used for boys (if you use a K instead of a C), which represents the gorillas’ proclivity for climbing high into the treeline.
- Oni
- Rion
- Thai – Gorillas have a hilarious addiction to Thai food, and can you blame them?
- Tarvos
- Tito – The Spanish word for large.
- Windigo
- Naira
- Garm
- Gerd – No, not the acid reflux issue. If you want to call your gorilla acid reflux that’s a little mean but to each their own, Gerd is a Scandinavian name that means garden.
- Hansika – Hansika is a Hindi name that means swanlike. Because let’s be honest, gorillas are pretty graceful for now gargantuan they are.
- Mightyena
- Vigoroth
- Slakoth – A giant apelike pokemon who is notoriously strong (and equally lazy)
- Archard
- Broderick
- Kedar – Kedar means all-powerful lord of the mountains.
- Ulric
- Tarkin
- Obi-One – Who is the better swordsman, Obi-One or Anakin?
- Waldorf – Named after the famous salad. Because why not?
- Thor – God of thunder and lightning.
- Loki – Trickster god of Norse mythology.
- Freya
- Byron – A famous English Poet
- Wordsworth – Named after the famous poet.
- Kong
Featured post: Monkey names
Names For Female Gorillas
- Nala
- Ola
- Onika – Onika is Nicki Minaj’s real name and means “who is greater than god?”
- Sade
- Zendaya – A famous and beautiful actress as well as an African name that means “to give thanks”.
- Taraji
- Zolo
- Ada – Her name is nobility.
- Lovelace
- Ayaan
- Chilean
- Cleopatra – The ancient Egyptian queen. Cleopatra was born closer to the time of the moon landing than she was to the time the ancient pyramid of Giza was built. Which is pretty crazy when you think about it.
- Victoria
- Ginny – Named after Ginny Weasley
- Femi
- Alison
- Marie
- Hermione – Named after Hermione Weasley. HA! I bet you thought we were going to say “Hermione Granger”.
- Molly
- Lily
- Dian – After Dian Fossey a well-known American primatologist and her work in gorilla conservation
Names For Male Gorillas
- Jarod
- George – George of the jungle.
- Gregory
- Grubbins – Grubbins the gorilla is perfect for a gorilla whos a messy eater or just generally messy.
- Zubat
- Golem – Named after the rocky pokemon.
- Ephraim
- Harambe – Harambe might be one of the most famous apes of all time.
- Tucker
- Hayden
- Gugulethu – Gugulethu is a famous town in the western cape of Africa and a popular name that means pride.
- Hadiza
- Hibu
- Hannibal – Hannibal was an ancient African General who led the elephants over the alps and into the north of Italy to fight Scipio.
- Scipio – Scipio, despite being far less famous, actually got the better of Hannibal, eventually.
- Kenya
- Boban
- Kemba – Named after African American NBA player Kemba Walker.
- Bongo – A cool as heck instrument that isn’t actually African! But most people think it is, so please feel free to use it. If anyone questions your gorilla about the bongo’s origin he can use it as a conversation piece.
- Timber
Unisex Names For Gorillas
- Rizzle
- Oak – Gorillas are as strong as oak trees!
- Willow – Gorillas are as flexible as willows (or some other such tenuous link!)
- Cedar
- Soybean – A sweet name for a smaller gorilla.
- Bobby
- Dani – Daniel, Daniella, Dana Bobana, and any other common “Dan” names. Yep, all equally common.
- Billie
- Ray
- Kobe – Named after the basketball player? No, named after the type of beef. Beef is genderless, remember.
Cute Baby Gorilla Names
- Teeny – On the off chance that you happen to find a teeny tiny gorilla, or, are a fan of irony.
- Daffy – Named after Daffy Duck (Who has a rough relationship, at best, with gorillas historically!)
- Toffee
- Popsicle
- Caramel Apple
- Pancakes
- Bunny
- Tigger – let’s be honest, we all preferred Tigger to Winnie the Pooh despite Pooh being the main character. Right?
- Bear – A cute name for a big dog or a big monkey.
- Tofu
Good Names For Gorillas
- Abu
- Cyclops – Named after the one-eyed giants who are strong and powerful beyond compare.
- Titan – Gorillas are as strong as a titan.
- Alora – A small town in Spain. Why? Because that’s where gorillas like to spend their free time.
- Uranus – The seventh planet from the sun and the Grandfather of Zeus. Father of Kronos, god of time.
- Fabian
- Samuel – His name means God and God is good.
- Gaea – The supreme goddess of our earth, mother of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Wife of Kronos.
- Gabe
- Hanuman
Funny Names For A Gorilla
- Tiny
- Monk
- Congorilla – From the comic books.
- Chewbacca – Do you think Chewbacca and the rest of the Wookies were based loosely on a gorilla or some other primate?
- Peanut
- Tinkerbell – This name just feels right for a gorilla. Can you think of a better name?
- Jabba the Hut – Who is bigger Jabba the Hut or a gorilla? We know which one is faster!
- Bigfoot – Gorillas do indeed have rather big feet!
- Yeti
- Steven – Gorillas can be called steven, what’s wrong with that?
Cool Names For Gorillas
- Thumper – Named after the small rabbit in Bambi. Perfect for such a “small” primate, don’t you think?
- Muscles – Gorillas have incredibly powerful muscles that are so much more efficient than our own.
- Bossman
- King – Are lions king of the African animal kingdom? Or is it the gorilla? Who would win in a fight, a gorilla or a lion?
- Skipper – Skipper, captain, leader. A great name for a gorilla who rules the group.
- Zulu – In honor of the fierce and effective Zulu warriors.
- Admiral – Named after Admiral Ackbar (It’s a trap!)
- Hulk – Does anyone else think that the incredible hulk kind of looks like a green gorilla?
- Bruce Banner – The Incredible Hulk’s real name.
- Avenger – The Hulk is one of the most important members of the Avengers.
Unique Names For Gorillas
- Bumba – The African god of the Kuba people in central Africa.
- Eshu – Eshu is the Nigerian trickster god who loves people. And, loves to torment them!
- Nana – The supreme goddess of the Yoruba people.
- Mandela – Named after Nelson Mandela.
- Groot – Named after the African great snake from mythology.
- Inkanyamba – The monstrous eel from South Africa that can control the weather.
- Bili – Legends of the ghost ape named Bili have cropped up in many stories from many cultures across Africa.
- Ninki – Ninki is the Gambian river monster who is supposed to be 50 feet long.
- Argan – Referencing Morocco’s famous argan forest.
- Miombo – Named after the Miombo woodlands.
Names Of Famous Gorillas From Movies
- King Kong
- Buck – From the planet of the apes.
- Luca – An evolved gorilla from the dawn of the planet of the apes.
- Urko -Dr. Zaius uses Urko as his enforcer to fight his battles.
- Aldo – Aldo is the general of the gorilla militia in escape from the planet of the apes.
- Ursus – Ursus is the gorilla general seen in short series beneath the planet of the apes.
- Johnny – The gorilla in Sing that is played by Taron Egerton.
- Bing – Bing is the guard for Maurice in the Madagascar spinoff series Kingdom Come.
- George – From the movie Rampage.
- Koko – Named in honor of the most famous gorilla of all.
Koko the gorilla is by far the most famous example of a primate learning to communicate with us using a mixture of sign language, body language, and noises. Koko the western lowland gorilla was capable of signing more than 1000 unique signs and could understand well over 2000 words of the English language.
Names Of Cartoon Gorillas
- Ajax – Ajax the gorilla antagonizes Donald Duck in one of his oldest cartoons to date!
- Magilla – The 1960’s cartoon.
- Grodd – A gorilla supervillain in The Flash.
- Terk – A friend of Tarzan in the 2002 sequel (Tarzan and Jane).
- Gor – Gor is a sentient robotic gorilla in Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys.
- Iron Kong – Iron Kong is a mecha gorilla in the show the Zoids.
- Windsor – From my gym partner is a monkey (Cartoon Network).
- Spidermonkey – One of Ben 10’s aliens that is a gorilla/spider hybrid.
- Majinuni – A member of the Lion Guard.
- Momo – Momo made a guest appearance in Cartoon Network’s Class of 3000 series.
African Gorilla Names
- Gulay – Meaning rose moon.
- Gahji – Meaning the hunter.
- Gamba – Meaning warrior or fighter.
- Gowon – A West African name meaning rainmaker
- Gwandoya – This name means met with misery but is often used as a symbol of the strength of character.
- Gyasi – Gyasi means wonderful baby and is perfect for a newborn gorilla!
- Fola – Meaning honor, usually female but not always.
- Foluke – Foluke is a Nigerian name that means placed in gods care and is often meant as a blessing.
- Fujo – Born after a quarrel.
- Cario
- Kinshasa – Named after the capital of the Congo.
- Durban
- Giza – Named after the pyramids of Giza in northern Africa.
- Kafue
- Etosha – This national park in West Africa is home to gorillas and many other African native animals.
- Chobe – A lovely grassland national park in Botswana.
- Tsavo – An African desert.
- Kruger – A south African nature reserve that is home to a ton of amazing animals including lions and elephants.
- Boma – An amazing national park on the Sudan/Ethiopia border.
- Luangwa – A Zambian national park.
Name Inspiration
Gorillas may have managed to make their way around the world in the name of science and zoology. But, they all (like the human race itself) originated in the African continent.
Africa is such a vast and diverse place with peoples, animals, cultures, religions, myths, and stories, varying so much and being so rich in history, how could you not play on those concepts when naming your gorilla? Many, but not all, of these names are derived from African culture and history.
While there are references to western cultures and stories, the majority is true to its African roots, and rightly so.
Help Choosing The Perfect Name
Everyone needs a little help when choosing the right name for their new pet, adoptee, zoo resident, or safari friend.
Gorillas are so human-like that the desire to name them is probably quite a bit stronger than most other animals and the drive to pick the perfect name even more so.
If you are struggling to find the right fit for your gorilla, maybe it’s time to look to their unique characteristics and personality to help look for inspiration.
Is your gorilla especially fidgety and restless? His he a bit of a lazy bum beyond compare? Is she nurturing and loving?
Try finding names that play off of these personality traits to help you find the best name possible.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this comprehensive guide of over 200 gorilla monikers has managed to pair your gorilla with the right name, or at least you hopefully got pretty close!
These great apes are amazing and deserve a name that truly suits them and who they are. If you are looking for other naming sources, consider your favorite storybooks or television shows from your childhood.
Perhaps an old film favorite or music artist? If you are still struggling, why don’t you check out some of our other naming guides to look for further inspiration?
With thousands of names across dozens of articles, there is bound to be something you like the sound of.
Good luck with your gorilla and happy naming!