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If you’ve ever been to Sea World Orlando, Florida, you’ve probably been exposed to some interesting orca whale names. There are five orcas in captivity at Sea World and, according to Sea World, they will be the last.
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are toothed whales and they’re far from what you envision when you think of typical whales.
They’re shaped more like a dolphin but much larger, with jet black colorations over 75% of their body, white bellies, and a distinctive, white oval mark close to the eyes.
While they’re not as beefy as humpback whales or most of the other whales in the wild, orcas are fast, fiercely intelligent, and powerful.
They can be found all over the world but mostly in the Pacific Northwest.
With that being said, let’s dig into some killer whale names for these majestic, powerful creatures.
Best Killer Whale Names
There are roughly 50,000 killer whales out there and many of them have no names.
Some of them, especially ones that have been tagged or live in captivity have some interesting and unique names.
But some names simply rise above the rest as the best.
- Thanos – because why not?
- Hannibal
- Mad Max
- Darth Vader – a killer whale certainly fits the mold
- Terminator
- Diesel
- Fury
- Quasimoto
- Titan
- Ares
- Athena
- Titus
- Leonidas
- Nefertiti
- Quetzalcoatl – The feathered serpent god of the Aztecs. Seems fitting
- Galactus – he is the eater of worlds, after all
- Artemis
- Apollo
- Iceberg
- Samson
- Gibraltar – they’re certainly big enough
- Sapphire
- Demon
- Wolf
- Bruiser
- Challenger
- Storm
- Aragorn
- Reaver
- Titan
- Aphrodite
- Odin
- Mercury
- Locomoto
- Ben Hur
- Phoenix
- Skylar
- Alpha – what better name for an apex predator?
- Alexandra
- Jinx
- Scorpio
- Andromeda
- Raven
- Dragon
- Blade
- Fearghus – it means “man of great strength,” which is very fitting
- Alexander
- Maximus
- Xavier
- Xena – warrior princess if fitting indeed
As killer whales are the largest members of the dolphin family check out our dolphin names post for more related name inspiration! (These ideas are perfect for orcas, dolphins and porpoises)
Names For A Girl Killer Whale
Female orcas may be a tad smaller than their male counterparts but they still top out around 16,500lbs of killer aggression and precision hunting finesse.
Here are some fantastic names for a girl killer whale to honor these hunters of the sea. They also have short dorsal fins.
- Aquamarine – “water of the sea” stones make perfect sense
- Marina
- Grace
- Gabriella
- Helena – she started the Trojan war, after all
- Philomena
- Amelia
- Tyra
- Angel
- Diamond
- Serena
- Persephone
- Nova
- Dark Phoenix
- Luna
- Hermione – needs no introduction
- Lillith
- Ruby
- Delilah
- Beatrix
- Althea
- Freya – mother of Thor and Baldur, two of the most epic Norse gods
- Nakia – Arabic for “pure”
- Tornado
- Sapphira
- Chifundo – African name for “mercy”
- Farai
- Bontu
- Amarachi
- Ife
- Mirembe
- Solana – Spanish for “sunshine”
- Farrah
- Naomi
- Xenia – not quite the warrior princess Xena, but Greek for “welcoming”
- Tempest
- Ripley – she was pretty good in Aliens
- Alani
- Zanna
- Galadriel – she’s got an interesting new series on Amazon Prime
- Lupine – like the wolf
- Lucero – Spanish for “light”
- Andrea
- Beyonce
- Queen
- Kana
- Philomena
- Annabelle
- Rose
- Muse
Names For A Boy Killer Whale
Male orcas are the fiercest hunters and will often collaborate and plan their attacks.
Together, orcas have learned to flip sharks upside down, immobilizing them before eating them alive.
- Silver
- Thaddeus
- Baldur – aforementioned son of Freya
- Tyson – of Mike Tyson fame
- Majesty
- Butch
- Titanic
- Tank
- T-800
- Griffin
- Felix – Latin for “lucky”
- Frederick – German name for “leader”
- Ace
- Caylon
- Atticus
- Barnabus
- Gunner
- Hercules – “the glory of Hela”
- Manus
- Nero
- Mantis
- Falcon
- Tuuli – Irish for “mighty people”
- Vincent
- Malin’
- Nigellus
- Sebastian
- Cole
- Max
- Sweeney
- Makani
- Takara
- Caspian
- Sebastian
- Zoro
- Dutch
- Poncho
- Mac
- Gunner – typically the machine gunner in a fireteam
- Indigo
- Winter
- Giant
- Thunder
- Killer
- Butcher
- Anubis
- Bull
- Papa
- Conan
- Sauron
Unisex Names for Killer Whales
Some names just transcend everything else. Besides, a killer whale is a killer whale and whether the name is masculine or feminine, you’re dealing with an intelligent, apex predator that essentially rules the oceans.
- Fallon
- Caelan – an Irish name that carries several meanings, including slender, warrior, strength, and narrow
- Armani
- Arrow
- Francis
- Kerry – Gaelic for “dark and mysterious” which certainly encompasses an orca’s aesthetic and living environment
- Jude
- Indigo
- Jace
- Hunter – “one who hunts”
- Grayson
- Forrest
- Devan
- Dominique – Has French and Latin connotations and generally indicates lordship or just “lord”
- Cedar
- Madison
- Mackenzie
- Sydney
- Rio
- Keegan
- Rio
- Kai – Hawaiian for “comes from the sea” which fits perfectly
- Kian
- Jesiah
- Imin – African for “faith”
- Indiana
- Jayden
- Ira
- Hart
- Jace
- Kaden – Arabic for fighter or battle. Its also spelled Kayden and has the same historical meaning
- Lark
- Juniper
- Irving
- Justice
- Bowie – Scottish for “blonde.”
- Brooklyn
- Ashley – This was a man’s name for a century before it became a predominately woman’s name. Now it can be both!
- Bellamy
- Dakota
- Ellery
- Abalone – historically a Spanish name for “sea snails”
- Zion – Hebrew for “highest point”
- Wilder
- Wylie
- Tennessee – maybe this was a unisex name before it was a state?
- True
- Umber
- Skylar
- Somers – old English way to say “summers”
Cute Killer Whale Names
They’re killer whales after all, so why can’t they have cute names too?
- Peanut
- Cuddles
- Peewee
- Bubba
- Cutie
- Peaches
- Blubber – Killer whales definitely have this going on
- Bingo
- Nemo
- Shrek
- Splash
- Flipper
- Whale
- Spot
- Snoopy
- Scooby
- Walley
- Whalerus – interesting take on the name
- Slappy
- Mousse
- Sparrow – has to go with the smallest orca in the group
- Bruce
- Pokey
- Onyx
- Pooh
- Baity
- Big Blue
- Sport
- Bradley
- Yo Mama
- Giganto
- Shrimp
- Baluga
- Pointer
- Flappy
- Swimmer – that’s what they do!
- Snuggles
- Lumpy
- Snarky
- Petals
- Patches
- Pirate
- Jack Sparrow
- Davey Jones
- Wanda
- Frumpy
- Betty
- Wanda
- Snorkles
- Bubble
Good Names for Killer Whales
It’s hard to find the perfect name for a killer whale but we can certainly come up with some good ones.
- King
- Jade
- Gwen
- Migaloo – happens to be a famous killer whale name
- Rocky
- Shamu
- Speedy
- Atlas
- Akiak – a wacky word that means “Brave”
- Sandra
- Winter
- Poseidon – makes the most sense, naturally
- Jasmine
- Hector – naturally leads to the next one
- Achilles – and here we are
- Kimalu
- Belle
- Elsie
- Leviathan
- Namu
- Monstro
- Lester
- Anana
- Pepper
- Shadow
- Oscar – believe it or not, it means “champion”
- Hope
- Fortune
- Speedy
- Cleopatra
- Tilak
- Jumbo
- Tut
- Sea Wolf
- Black Fish
- Killer Dolphin – a rather apt observation
- Vale
- Sea Torpedo – killer whales can swim up to 35mph
- Kage
- Oreo
- Sea Panda
- Orca – well then…
- Freefire
- Pug
- Tik Tok
- Sparkle
- Tuna
- Bobo
- Prawn
- Hagrid
Unique Names for Killer Whales
Sometimes it’s a good idea to go back to the drawing board and come up with something truly unique.
- Amaya
- Tilikum
- Skana
- Corky
- Mahalo
- Tuar
- Lolita
- Bingo
- Spooky – they are kind of spooky
- Moby Doll
- Tua – not of Miami Dolphins quarterback fame but fitting nonetheless
- Orcs
- Mammal – because they are
- Grampus – the old man of the bunch
- Diskin
- Narwhal
- Devil
- Zeus
- Greybeard
- Samus
- Viper
- Moby Dick
- Keiko
- Roxanne
- Lightning
- King Kong – the size seems just about right
- Thunder
- Ariel
- Aurora
- Queenie
- Moby Doll
- Heavyweight
- Ice
- Windlass
- Longsword
- Claymore
- Justice
- Deputy
- Halo
- Texas
- Destroyer
- Dominion
- Lucifer
- Saint
- River
- Maul
- Bard
- Basilisk
- Hexen
- Verdict
Famous Killer Whale Names
There are a lot of famous killer whales both in history and in the present day.
Sadly, most famous killer whales were or are in captivity.
- Tahlequah – The famous, grieving killer whale from 2018. She was grieving the loss of her calf and her sadness was palpable.
- Lolita – The oldest known orca in captivity.
- Springer – Set aloof after the passing of her mother and was found offshore near Washington state
- Old Tom – Ironically, Old Tom and his “pod” were known for herding whales toward harpooners, who would kill the whales and reward the orcas with free food, mostly in the form of whale tongues and lips.
- Willy – The orca’s name that played the orca, Willy. The movie, Free Willy, was originally filmed and released in 1933 but has since been remade.
- Winter – Winter was the inspiration for the movie, Dolphin Tale.
- Keiko – The remake of the 1933 film, Free Willy, obviously couldn’t use the same orca from the original. So they used Keiko, who sadly died of pneumonia after filming.
- Namu – Namu is the name of the killer whale that starred in its own movie, Namu.
- Tilly – Another killer whale of Hollywood fame who starred in her own movie, Tilly.
- Springer – Springer was made famous when she was separated from her pod by hundreds of miles. She was captured and returned to her pod without incident.
- Ulises – Ulises is one of the oldest male orcas that remain in captivity, currently at Sea World: San Diego
- Tilikum – Died not long after being a subject of the documentary, Blackfish.
- Ikaiki – Ikaiki was born as the son of Tilikum, the orca that was the subject of the film, Blackfish. Ikaiki is currently in captivity at Sea World: San Diego.
- Shamu – The name of an orca at SeaWorld San Diego that was put on several baby orcas.
Cartoon Names for Killer Whales
There have been a few cartoon killer whales to come and go in the long and interesting history of cinema.
Here are a few and a few that could have been.
- Spot the Killer Whale
- Monstro
- Rex
- Buffy
- Samson
- Luna
- Migaloo
- Humphrey
- Tilley
- Bubbles
- Bluey
- Willey Ocean
- Admiral
- Peacock
- River
- Turquoise
- Royal
- Jay
- Stone
- Bluebell
- Midnight
- Blueberry
- Seablue
- Navy
- Sky
Name Inspiration
Killer whales have a certain aura that surrounds them. Sure it’s nice to be funny and apply some comical names, cute names, or unique names to them but they are anything if not serious mammals.
They have fun with each other (as a family) but they are easily the most deadly predators in the ocean, just not to people (at least not usually). A great white shark is nothing to a killer whale and that kind of thing makes it easy to come up with a few, epic names.
Not only are they brutal, apex predators–they’re also majestic, streamlined, and terrifyingly fast. That’s not the most disturbing inspiration, however. Killer whales are also fiercely intelligent, able to rapidly learn, overcome, adapt, and improvise.
All of those things help to create inspiration for names.
Help Choosing the Perfect Name
Coming up with a name is not just a solo activity. The most feared of the whale species is bound to foster creativity in both friends and family. They should be able to offer quite a bit when it comes to cool and unique names.
It’s also easy to associate the supreme mammals of the oceans with powerful, mythical gods in a number of ancient religions from a variety of cultures. When it comes to comedic names, orcas spend their free time flipping sea lions, so it’s not too difficult.
Conclusion
There you have it. That’s quite a few names to cover orcas from Puget Sound to Vancouver Island, all the way to British Columbia.
If you ever need help trying to come up with a unique name for these whales in the wild, you know where to look.