389 Killer Whale Names (Good, Cute & Famous Naming Ideas)

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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.

  1. Thanos – because why not?
  2. Hannibal
  3. Mad Max
  4. Darth Vader – a killer whale certainly fits the mold
  5. Terminator
  6. Diesel
  7. Fury
  8. Quasimoto
  9. Titan
  10. Ares
  11. Athena
  12. Titus
  13. Leonidas
  14. Nefertiti
  15. Quetzalcoatl – The feathered serpent god of the Aztecs. Seems fitting
  16. Galactus – he is the eater of worlds, after all
  17. Artemis
  18. Apollo
  19. Iceberg
  20. Samson
  21. Gibraltar – they’re certainly big enough
  22. Sapphire
  23. Demon
  24. Wolf
  25. Bruiser
  26. Challenger
  27. Storm
  28. Aragorn
  29. Reaver
  30. Titan
  31. Aphrodite
  32. Odin
  33. Mercury
  34. Locomoto
  35. Ben Hur
  36. Phoenix
  37. Skylar
  38. Alpha – what better name for an apex predator?
  39. Alexandra
  40. Jinx
  41. Scorpio
  42. Andromeda
  43. Raven
  44. Dragon
  45. Blade
  46. Fearghus – it means “man of great strength,” which is very fitting
  47. Alexander
  48. Maximus
  49. Xavier
  50. 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.

  1. Aquamarine – “water of the sea” stones make perfect sense
  2. Marina
  3. Grace
  4. Gabriella
  5. Helena – she started the Trojan war, after all
  6. Philomena
  7. Amelia
  8. Tyra
  9. Angel
  10. Diamond
  11. Serena
  12. Persephone
  13. Nova
  14. Dark Phoenix
  15. Luna
  16. Hermione – needs no introduction
  17. Lillith
  18. Ruby
  19. Delilah
  20. Beatrix
  21. Althea
  22. Freya – mother of Thor and Baldur, two of the most epic Norse gods
  23. Nakia – Arabic for “pure”
  24. Tornado
  25. Sapphira
  26. Chifundo – African name for “mercy”
  27. Farai
  28. Bontu
  29. Amarachi
  30. Ife
  31. Mirembe
  32. Solana – Spanish for “sunshine”
  33. Farrah
  34. Naomi
  35. Xenia – not quite the warrior princess Xena, but Greek for “welcoming”
  36. Tempest
  37. Ripley – she was pretty good in Aliens
  38. Alani  
  39. Zanna
  40. Galadriel – she’s got an interesting new series on Amazon Prime
  41. Lupine – like the wolf
  42. Lucero – Spanish for “light”
  43. Andrea
  44. Beyonce
  45. Queen
  46. Kana
  47. Philomena
  48. Annabelle
  49. Rose
  50. 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.

  1. Silver
  2. Thaddeus
  3. Baldur – aforementioned son of Freya
  4. Tyson – of Mike Tyson fame
  5. Majesty
  6. Butch
  7. Titanic
  8. Tank
  9. T-800
  10. Griffin
  11. Felix – Latin for “lucky”
  12. Frederick – German name for “leader”
  13. Ace
  14. Caylon
  15. Atticus
  16. Barnabus
  17. Gunner
  18. Hercules – “the glory of Hela”
  19. Manus
  20. Nero
  21. Mantis
  22. Falcon
  23. Tuuli – Irish for “mighty people”
  24. Vincent
  25. Malin’
  26. Nigellus
  27. Sebastian
  28. Cole
  29. Max
  30. Sweeney
  31. Makani
  32. Takara
  33. Caspian
  34. Sebastian
  35. Zoro
  36. Dutch
  37. Poncho
  38. Mac
  39. Gunner – typically the machine gunner in a fireteam
  40. Indigo
  41. Winter
  42. Giant
  43. Thunder
  44. Killer
  45. Butcher
  46. Anubis
  47. Bull 
  48. Papa
  49. Conan
  50. 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. 

  1. Fallon
  2. Caelan – an Irish name that carries several meanings, including slender, warrior, strength, and narrow
  3. Armani
  4. Arrow
  5. Francis
  6. Kerry – Gaelic for “dark and mysterious” which certainly encompasses an orca’s aesthetic and living environment
  7. Jude
  8. Indigo
  9. Jace
  10. Hunter – “one who hunts”
  11. Grayson
  12. Forrest
  13. Devan
  14. Dominique – Has French and Latin connotations and generally indicates lordship or just “lord”
  15. Cedar
  16. Madison
  17. Mackenzie
  18. Sydney
  19. Rio
  20. Keegan
  21. Rio
  22. Kai – Hawaiian for “comes from the sea” which fits perfectly
  23. Kian
  24. Jesiah
  25. Imin – African for “faith”
  26. Indiana
  27. Jayden
  28. Ira
  29. Hart
  30. Jace
  31. Kaden – Arabic for fighter or battle. Its also spelled Kayden and has the same historical meaning
  32. Lark
  33. Juniper
  34. Irving
  35. Justice
  36. Bowie – Scottish for “blonde.” 
  37. Brooklyn
  38. Ashley – This was a man’s name for a century before it became a predominately woman’s name. Now it can be both!
  39. Bellamy
  40. Dakota
  41. Ellery
  42. Abalone – historically a Spanish name for “sea snails”
  43. Zion – Hebrew for “highest point”
  44. Wilder
  45. Wylie
  46. Tennessee – maybe this was a unisex name before it was a state?
  47. True
  48. Umber
  49. Skylar
  50. 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?

  1. Peanut
  2. Cuddles
  3. Peewee
  4. Bubba
  5. Cutie
  6. Peaches
  7. Blubber – Killer whales definitely have this going on
  8. Bingo
  9. Nemo
  10. Shrek
  11. Splash
  12. Flipper
  13. Whale
  14. Spot
  15. Snoopy
  16. Scooby
  17. Walley
  18. Whalerus – interesting take on the name
  19. Slappy
  20. Mousse
  21. Sparrow – has to go with the smallest orca in the group
  22. Bruce
  23. Pokey
  24. Onyx
  25. Pooh
  26. Baity
  27. Big Blue
  28. Sport
  29. Bradley
  30. Yo Mama
  31. Giganto
  32. Shrimp
  33. Baluga
  34. Pointer
  35. Flappy
  36. Swimmer – that’s what they do!
  37. Snuggles
  38. Lumpy
  39. Snarky
  40. Petals
  41. Patches
  42. Pirate
  43. Jack Sparrow
  44. Davey Jones
  45. Wanda
  46. Frumpy
  47. Betty
  48. Wanda
  49. Snorkles
  50. 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. 

  1. King
  2. Jade
  3. Gwen
  4. Migaloo – happens to be a famous killer whale name
  5. Rocky
  6. Shamu
  7. Speedy
  8. Atlas
  9. Akiak – a wacky word that means “Brave”
  10. Sandra
  11. Winter
  12. Poseidon – makes the most sense, naturally
  13. Jasmine
  14. Hector – naturally leads to the next one
  15. Achilles – and here we are
  16. Kimalu
  17. Belle
  18. Elsie
  19. Leviathan
  20. Namu
  21. Monstro
  22. Lester
  23. Anana
  24. Pepper
  25. Shadow
  26. Oscar – believe it or not, it means “champion”
  27. Hope
  28. Fortune
  29. Speedy
  30. Cleopatra
  31. Tilak
  32. Jumbo
  33. Tut
  34. Sea Wolf
  35. Black Fish 
  36. Killer Dolphin – a rather apt observation
  37. Vale
  38. Sea Torpedo – killer whales can swim up to 35mph
  39. Kage
  40. Oreo
  41. Sea Panda
  42. Orca – well then…
  43. Freefire
  44. Pug
  45. Tik Tok
  46. Sparkle
  47. Tuna
  48. Bobo
  49. Prawn
  50. 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.

  1. Amaya
  2. Tilikum
  3. Skana
  4. Corky
  5. Mahalo
  6. Tuar
  7. Lolita
  8. Bingo
  9. Spooky – they are kind of spooky
  10. Moby Doll
  11. Tua – not of Miami Dolphins quarterback fame but fitting nonetheless
  12. Orcs
  13. Mammal – because they are
  14. Grampus – the old man of the bunch
  15. Diskin
  16. Narwhal
  17. Devil
  18. Zeus
  19. Greybeard
  20. Samus
  21. Viper
  22. Moby Dick
  23. Keiko
  24. Roxanne
  25. Lightning
  26. King Kong – the size seems just about right
  27. Thunder
  28. Ariel
  29. Aurora
  30. Queenie
  31. Moby Doll
  32. Heavyweight
  33. Ice
  34. Windlass
  35. Longsword
  36. Claymore
  37. Justice
  38. Deputy
  39. Halo
  40. Texas
  41. Destroyer
  42. Dominion
  43. Lucifer
  44. Saint
  45. River
  46. Maul
  47. Bard
  48. Basilisk
  49. Hexen
  50. 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.

  1. Tahlequah – The famous, grieving killer whale from 2018. She was grieving the loss of her calf and her sadness was palpable.
  2. Lolita – The oldest known orca in captivity. 
  3. Springer – Set aloof after the passing of her mother and was found offshore near Washington state
  4. 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.
  5. 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. 
  6. Winter – Winter was the inspiration for the movie, Dolphin Tale.
  7. 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. 
  8. Namu – Namu is the name of the killer whale that starred in its own movie, Namu.
  9. Tilly – Another killer whale of Hollywood fame who starred in her own movie, Tilly. 
  10. 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.
  11. Ulises – Ulises is one of the oldest male orcas that remain in captivity, currently at Sea World: San Diego
  12. Tilikum – Died not long after being a subject of the documentary, Blackfish.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.

  1. Spot the Killer Whale
  2. Monstro
  3. Rex
  4. Buffy
  5. Samson
  6. Luna
  7. Migaloo 
  8. Humphrey
  9. Tilley
  10. Bubbles
  11. Bluey
  12. Willey Ocean
  13. Admiral
  14. Peacock
  15. River
  16. Turquoise
  17. Royal
  18. Jay
  19. Stone
  20. Bluebell
  21. Midnight
  22. Blueberry
  23. Seablue
  24. Navy
  25. 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.

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