Every leopard in the world belongs to the family genus Panthera Pardus which comes from the Greek word leopardus which interestingly means a combination of the word lion (Leon) and Pardus (Panther) and it’s easy to see why.
Leopards are probably the most diverse member of the big cat family coming in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, and belonging to all sorts of climates.
They seem to be thriving the most in Central Asia. Luckily, despite being at risk for quite some time leopards are NOT on the endangered species list. According to some sources, there could be as many as 250,000 left in the wild, maybe more!
Since leopards come in so many different colors and shades it gives us a LOT of flexibility when it comes to naming them.
If you have recently adopted a leopard, seen one on safari, or brought home a delightful stuffed animal from your local zoo then there is a good chance you are in sore need of some naming options. And some good ones at that!
This comprehensive guide to leopard naming will cover all sorts of leopards, no matter the gender or age, so there is bound to be the right one for you and your new furry friend.
Here are over 200 cool leopard names:
Best Leopard Names
- Leopold – Named after king Leopold, maybe he was named after leopards himself?
- Rolph
- Bandit
- Silky
- Big Toes – Leopards do most certainly have big toes. But, then again, they are big cats.
- Derek
- Maria
- Carlos – Carlos stands for valiance and the will to fight for freedom.
- Ludwig
- Lemon
- Pancakes – Wild cats unfortunately rarely get to try pancakes.
- Feng
- Gary
- George – George of the Jungle. Leopards can certainly be jungle cats.
- Haider – Haider is the Arabic word for lion. Perfect for Leon Pardus, don’t you think?
- Muffin
- Helmet
- Shiba – The Shiba Inu was originally meant to be a hunting dog. But, they probably wouldn’t have been as effective as a hunting leopard. Why didn’t they think of that?
- Evelynn
- Lux
- Swain
- Jamal – Jamal is a male name meaning beauty. There isn’t a leopard alive who wouldn’t suit the name, Jamal.
- Stella
- Buddy – The perfect name for your new furry little friend.
- Chip
- Smokey
- Whiskers – Leopards use their whiskers to aid their vision and navigate an often very dark environment.
- Noah – Named after Noah and his ark. Surely he had more than 2 leopards on there?
- Judy
- Luke – Luke Skywalker – Leader of the Rebel Alliance.
- Marcus
- Jimmer
- Dwayne – Dwayne means dark which is perfect for any pitch black leopards you may be lucky enough to see.
- Layla
- Diana
- Michael – Micheal is derived from an ancient Hebrew name that means gift from god. Which, having the chance to name your very own leopard certainly is!
- Sam
- Fiona – Wife to Shrek.
- Regal – All big cats have at least a little bit of regality in them.
- Jungler
- Penny
- Beluga – Beluga whales are one of the only two members of the genus Delphinapterus
- Edwin
- Joffrey – Named after the tyrant boy king in Game of Thrones.
- Walter
- Jamarcus – Jamarcus means from the god of mars, who in turn was the god of war, perfect for these elite hunters of the night.
- Lorraine
- Michelle – Michelle, meaning she who resembles God.
- Snuffles
- Kitty – Leopards are just oversized kitty cats, after all, right?
Female Leopard Names
- Amy – The name Amy means beloved which is perfect for these beloved feisty felines.
- Melony
- Anna
- Leah – This is a perfect leopard name since Leah the leopard sounds so lovely and Leah as a name means delicate – which leopards certainly are NOT.
- Lola – Lola is a sweet name that loosely stems from the word sorrows across many translations.
- Fefe
- Tinkerbelle
- Snow White – (perfect for a female snow leopard!)
- Julia
- Sandra
- Padme – Mother to Luke and Leia Skywalker and wife to Anakin Skywalker.
- Arya
- Lady – Sansa named her Direwolf Lady in HBO’s game of thrones.
- Sansa
- Brenda – Brenda is a Germanic name that means fire or sword which is perfect for a particularly tough leopard!
- Margret
Male Leopard Names
- Ang – Ang means messenger of god.
- Pete
- Frank – Frank means free to be which is very applicable to leopards as they are free to do whatever the heck they want, try telling them “no” and see what happens!
- Jon – Lord Commander Jon Snow of Winterfell (great for a snow leopard!)
- Rob
- Ned
- Ghost – Named after John Snow’s famous Dire Wolf
- Finn
- Han – Han Solo, who most definitely shot Greedo first!
- Po
- Captain
- Chewy – It could be Chewbacca – It could be all the chewing they do on the bones of their prey!
- Ron
- Harry
- Leviathan – The Leviathan is a mythological Sea Serpent
- London – A cool name and a cool city for a cool cat
Unisex Names For Leopards
- Aki
- Brady – In scientific terms, the word Brady often means heavy or slow moving. Perfectly suitable for these rapid felines if you like a little irony.
- Cameron
- Denver – The Denver mountain ranges would be an interesting home for leopards in the market for a home that’s a little different!
- Genesis
- Jovi – Jovi, meaning happy. Which is similar to the world Jovial.
- Jackie
- L-dog – L-dog knows no gender. L-dog only knows the leopard lifestyle.
- Leppy
- Kit – Could be Kit could be Kat a sweet name for a girl or boy big cat.
Cute Names For Leopards
- Fluffles
- Floofer
- Honey Bear – Perfect for a stuffed animal or for a leopard who prefers the sweeter things in life.
- Candy
- Angel – Every leopard is an angel (of sorts!)
- Darling
- Love – How can you not love leopards?
- Amore – An Italian word meaning love.
- Beanie Baby – The fur babies with the absolute biggest toe beans.
- Snickers
- Lollipop – There is nothing cuter than the idea of a leopard with a lollipop. In some zoos, when it is very hot zoo keepers freeze blocks of blood and water to encourage big cats to hydrate and cool down.
- Hershey
- Monster Munch – All Leopard’s favorite flavor of crisps is Monster Munch, didn’t you know?
- Angelica – Close to Angel but not quite so on the nose.
- Syrup – Sweet like syrup.
Good Names For Leopards
- Charity – Leopards aren’t in the habit of being charitable themselves. But, if you adopted one as a charitable donation this may be a fitting name.
- Virtue
- Candor – The quality of being open and a lovely name to boot.
- Truth
- Sidekick – Whos the real sidekick, you or your leopard?
- Ace – Suitable for elite pilots and elite big cats!
- Anisa
- Eragon – Dragon rider and ruler of his people.
- Brom
- Saphira – Leopard eyes glisten in the darkness like sapphires.
Funny Names For A Leopard
- Waffles – Who wouldn’t love a leopard named waffles?
- Eggplant – The only leopard you will find eating eggplant is a leopard gecko!
- Drumstick
- Big Dawg – Leopards are the biggest dawgs.
- Mouse – A perfectly ironic name for a not-so-mouse-sized critter.
- Tabby – The biggest dang tabby cat you ever did see.
- Stormageddon – Destroyer of worlds.
- Ramen
- Toast
- Sneezles – If you are feeling blue, a fun thing to do would be to look on Youtube for videos of leopards sneezing. There is no better way to cheer yourself up!
Cool Names For Leopards
- Shooter
- Gunner
- King – Sorry lions, but leopards are the real kings of the jungle.
- Ripper – Leopards use their sharp claws for ripping into their prey or to climb trees.
- Pounce
- Paws – Leopard’s feet are between 8 cm and 9 cm long depending on their gender!
- Tom – Tom and Jerry are a classic example of the cat and mouse games leopards play. Though they play it with far bigger prey!
- Hunter
- Stalker – Leopards often stalk their prey for hours at a time waiting for an opportune moment to make their move.
- Apex – Leopards are most often the Apex predator in their environments. Even when humans are involved.
Unique Names For Leopards
- Twinky – A tasty treat.
- Shi Huang – Ancient Chinese Emperor of lands adjacent to the leopard’s home in East Asia.
- Wu -Emperor of Han.
- Sun Tzu – The art of war is an art that the leopard would be very talented at.
- Heffalump – The Heffalump is an elephant-type creature in the world of Winnie the Pooh.
- Eeyore – A very good friend of Winnie the Pooh.
- Jimmu – Emperor Jimmu reigned over japan for 75 years and was one of their first emperors.
- Kogen – Emperor of Japan from 214bc to 158bc (56 years).
- Ozai – Ruler of the Fire Nation.
- Boo – For leopards who go bump in the night.
Famous Leopard Names In Movies
- Trey – Trey is a snow leopard featured in the movie Rock dog.
- Sultan – Sulata is the leopard king of the jungle in Delhi Safari.
- Yuvraj – The son of Sultan and his wife Begum
- Badilli – An African Leopard in the Lion Guard
- Mapigano – A brutish bully leopard in the Lion Guard (perfect for any rough and tumble leopard)
Disney Leopard Names
- Sabor – Sabor was a ruthless leopard who killed Tarzan’s parents.
- Bagheera – Mentor and protector of the Jungle Book’s Mowgli
- Tai Lung – Kung Fu leopard from Kung Fu Panda
- Princess Romy – Around the world with Willy Fog
- Sleek – Babar and the adventures of Badou
Names Of Cartoon Leopards
- Fabienne Growley – From the move Zootopia
- Fuli – From the Lion Guard
- Jiona – From the Lion Guard
- Kaj – The Legend of Tarzan
- King Leopold
- Azaad – From the Lion Guard
- Chase – From the kids’ cartoon T.O.T.S
- Nuru – Fighting leopard from Tarzan
- Sheeta – Fighting leopard from Tarzan
- Colonel Neopard
Mythical Names For Leopards
- Artemis – Greek goddess of the hunt
- Diana – Roman goddess of hunting
- Odin – Norse King of the Gods and god of battle and hunting
- Ogun – African god of hunting and Iron
- Orion – Greek minor god of hunting
- Dawon – Hindu god of hunting
- Sekhmet – Egyptian god with the head of a giant cat
- Yali – Mythical lion from Hindu lore and mythology
- Aqua – The Native Americans believed that there was a leopard who could live underwater and hunt the seas.
- Aslan – The “God” of the land of Narnia who has decided to take the form of a giant talking Lion.
Names For Snow Leopards
- Ullr – The Norse god of snow.
- Jack – Named after Jack Frost
- Tenglui – A snow goddess from ancient Chinese mythology.
- Boreas – The Greek god of winter
- Snow cone – Named after the tasty ice cold treat
- Frosty – Frosty the snowman wannabe
- Icicle – Teeth as sharp as icicles.
- Chilly – Snow leopards do so like it chilly.
- Pingu – Name a more iconic penguin.
- Nane – The Iranian folklore character (similar to Jack frost but for a girl)
Names For Black Leopards
- Kohnsu – The Egyptian god of the moon.
- Astraeus – Greek Titan of dusk, stars, and planets.
- Hades – Greek god of the underworld and darkness.
- Nyx – Greek primordial goddess who personifies nighttime.
- Luna – Goddess of the moon.
- Nox – Roman goddess of nighttime (also a spell in Harry Potter to turn out the light on the tip of your wand!)
- Rahu – Hindu god of darkness and eclipses.
- Nott – Norse god, she is a personification of night.
- Ira – Polynesian goddess of the sky and the stars.
- Shadow – Do you think you could see a black leopard if they hid within the shadows of the Jungle? You better hope so!
Names For Amur Leopards
- Elbrus – Named after the tallest mountain in Russia (Where the Amur leopard is native too).
- Tau – Named after the second tallest mountain in Russia.
- Perun – The Russian god of thunder.
- Veles – A shapeshifting trickster god.
- Lada – Goddess of love and beauty.
- Ruski – A play on the word Russia.
- Ivan – A typical Russian name.
- Akim – Russian name meaning god.
- Catherine – Named after the Russian queen Catherine the Great who reigned for 34 years.
- Sochi – Named after a beautiful Russian national park.
Names For African Leopards
- Kenya – Named after both the African country and the famous mountain.
- Sudan – Named after the very famous Sudan in North Africa
- Elgon – An African mountain over 4km high
- Freeka – A play on the word Africa
- Gessi – A huge mountain range
- Savannah – Many leopards roam the savannah plains in Africa.
- Coffee – A nice name and one of Africa’s most important exports.
- Nelson – Named after Nelson Mandela who changed the course of African history for the better.
- Nala – named after the lioness in the Lion King.
- Zulu – Named after the famous warrior tribe who have made a huge imprint in British movies and television.
Name Inspiration
Most of these names come from some kind of Asian origin or from popular names taken around the world that potentially reflect the leopard’s personality.
Leopards are found globally but originated in South Asia and East Africa which is why many of these names reflect names of these origins.
Leopards are powerful, curious, and a little goofy (and the names on this list certainly reflect that side of them!).
Help Choosing The Perfect Name
It’s never easy picking the perfect name. Most of the time, we tend to lean towards human names for our pets but that isn’t always the right fit.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with naming a leopard “Andrew”, your leopard may prefer something a little more feisty.
A name should mean something, even if it only means something to you. do you have a favorite book growing up, or a favorite movie?
Maybe the protagonist of your favorite story has a fitting name for your fierce feline!
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article has helped you find the perfect leopard name for your pet, adoptee, stuffed animal, or new safari friend.
Hopefully, the name you choose helps you build a real connection to your leopard and allows you to move on together as something more than friends.
If you can’t think of any names that may be suitable you could always go the Pokemon route and name your pet after the species, Pikachu is Pikachu, Squirtle is Squirtle, maybe your leopard can be leopard?
The choice is up to you.