Last Updated: July 28, 2022 by Flora Gibbins
What should I call my Betta Fish?
So, you have just brought home your cute and colorful little Betta fish. Now it’s time to choose a name for your new watery friend… But, ermm Betta fish names… What’s a good betta fish name? What should I call my betta fish!? I hear this all the time (especially on Twitter)!
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Choosing your betta fish’s name can be a tricky thing to do. You want it to be perfect! You don’t want to commit to a name you will get bored of or that you find just doesn’t suit your betta – there’s actually a little bit of pressure once you start thinking too much! But relax, owning a betta fish should be 100% pleasurable and naming your betta should be fun. Don’t over think it, name them and you will be surprised how often your betta’s personality will perfectly match their name.
How to choose a name for your Betta Fish
There are a number of ways to choose a name for your new betta fish friend. Whether picking a name you always thought was cute, looking at any distinctive marks or features of your fish, learning an interesting fact about Betta, or picking a name that means something to you.
I like choosing a name that will always mean something to you / always put a smile on your face. To do this here is my technique.
I think of a movie, TV show that has really stuck with me throughout my life – it could be a current movie or it could be an oldie from your childhood. I then think of characters from within that movie or even sub-characters from the movie. And if you have a shared tank (not a shared tank of betta fish – they should not be kept together) with more than one fish think of partnerships from within those movies, too.
So here are a few good Betta fish name examples (with the inspiration behind the names in brackets)
- Chunk and Sloth (The Goonies)
- Joey and Chandler (Friends)
- Marty (Marty McFly – Back to the Future)
- Patrick (Spongebob Squarepants)
- Rocky (Rocky II 😉)
Or, another way I like to come up with names is to wait a few days and find the personality of my betta fish, then choose a name that matches the personality or is ironic of its personality.
Scrappy, Sleepy, Bubbles, Bitey, Jumper – You can always add Mr or Mrs to the start of a name like this to give it an extra cute and humorous effect! 🙂
I would love to hear the names of your current betta fish in the comments below – To help give our readers some more tips and inspiration – plus I know there are some imaginative names out there I just wanna hear! 🙂
I like to use names that resemble Japanese fighter names. It just feels right. Haha. Betta fish are so cool to choose names for.
Haha, good thinking! So do you have any examples?? 🙂
i named my betta Lantern because me and my friend were getting him and found a super tiny and really cute lantern and it just felt like it would’ve been the perfect name!i even ended up putting the lantern in the tank.
I named my blue betta fish posiedan after the Greek god of the sea
My sister named her pink one bubbles after…. No one
Lou Kang is one. Mortal Kombat 😉
My son and I saved my betta when we lost power and heat during Hurricane Sandy. The poor fish was getting colder and colder. We heated some water in a small cup and carefully added to his tank. Then we put the small tank near our water heater, which was still functioning since it was a gas heater. Those two steps saved the fish, so we named him Sandy.
Great story! 🙂
Awesome story. Mine is named a water like name… Marshal!
Mine is named Charlie because of dory’s dad from finding dory
i have an Elephant Ear Betta i named Heffalump (like in winnie the pooh) a Crowntail named Spunky a Veil Tail named Kermit a Halfmoon named Finn and a Delta Tail i cannot think of a name for i have had Spunky since Sept 13 2010 i got Finn and Kermit on Aug 19 2011 and got the Delta Tail on Feb 10 2013 and Heffalump on Feb 17 2013 my first Betta was Veil Tail i got on Oct 31 2008 i named him Goober and he sadly passed away Feb 7 2013 i got the delta because of goobers death and heffalump for valentines day
Iam sorry for your loss may I hear more about goobers?
I had 7 bettas and my 7th one died 5/8/14.
Yamstammer McGoo
I named my betta i got yesterday Spiderman Yoshe Yosuo Suki Narak Kaida it seems very long but they all mean something about my fish Spiderman (because he is red blue black and alil bit shiny emerald) Yoshe(Japanese for beauty) Yasuo(Japanese for peaceful one) Suki(Japanese for beloved) Narak(Japanese for cute) and Kaido(Japanese for little dragon)
Srry i actually got my male betta Spiderman 3/9/13 at petsmart
I got two boys and one girl. Blue boy…Taz, Red boy…Bugs, and red girl…Lola.
I named my red girl Lola too. I got her today and right when i saw her I knew her name would be Lola . Haha
Cool, good luck with your new pet! 🙂
I have a Mae and female
Male: Pucker
Female : Pearl
I picked the names, Thorn and Rogue for my sweethearts. Thorn for my Crowntail Betta because of the way his thins are, and Rogue for my Halfmoon because he’s moody some times like Rogue from X-Men. But mostly because he’s a bit of a bully and and loner. He’s the bad boy of the two. XD
Jessica, do you keep males together?
Heck no they will kill each other
Today I just got my fish and named him jaws. He is blue and a boy. I got him at 3/22/13.
Oh yeah and no don’t ever put them together or they will kill and/or hurt each other .
I don’t have one but what about
Dino Ed
I named mine Huron. He started out as a table decoration and door prize at a marina dinner party. The location was on the Huron River, Huron, OH. Not all the fish were wanted at the end of the party, so I brought him home and he now resides in a 3 gallon tank equipped with a light, heater, filter, and plastic plants. I also bought him a leaf hammock which he uses.
He currently seems under the weather and not doing well? I have had him for 1.5 years.
Hi,
I had a Betta in a 5foot tropical aquarium with many other fish when I was 10 and he was called Simon because of the Siamese name. 34yrs later I decide to get a small tank (24 litres) to help me drift off to sleep so I buy a new one and have called him Steve just because it was the first name that came into my head! I adore him already so won’t be without one anytime in the future. I don’t know why I waited so long!
I have a beautiful female Betta with pink and turquoise coloring. I named her Aoife because I love Irish names. It’s pronounced “Ee-fa”.
🙂 Cool!
Thanks for sharing with the betta mad readers!
You guys don’t have the best names and also if any of you have throught of ninja it’s MY NAME!!!!
I named my fish Mustafa after “Mufasa” from the “Lion King”! He is awesome and full of spunk!
I’m sorry y’all, but our betta’s name is the best ever… and none shall compare… EVER
KATHERINE BETTA JONES… OR K.B.J
haha 😉 very good betta fish name!
I got my Betta splendens today 1/6/2013 and i thought a cool name for him would be Splender, after the Australian music festival(splender)
Cool! Hope he lives up to his rock name! 🙂
Has one of these fish once, and the obvious name was
Max.
As in Betta Max.
🙂
Ours was named that too!
i have a white beta and he looks like a marshmallow, but with all do respect he acts way to tough for “Marshmallow”… so i named him Marshal
Cool name! thanks Em 🙂
I have a white male and because my nan gave me the money for my tank I called him Ed as my nans name is Edna so that he represents my nan
Nice story!
Hello all,
I rescued a beta from Walmart three days ago. I call him Mr. Flame Boyant because he’s the color of flames…red, orangey red, and some aqua blue. A very pretty, flamboyant kind of fish. I bought the betta pro bottled water for him and plan to change half the water every three days.
Hi Mande, great story! Thanks for saving a betta fish!
I named my betta Sheldon from the Big Bang theory one of my favourite tv shows
I just named my female betta after me!:)
Chubbles is my betta’s name 🙂
Hi Bettainfo you gave me this link so I could name my tetra well I named him blue macral because he is a neon blue tetra and like in old (sea) movies macral means beautifull
I had a betta named freckles because of the funky little dots on the top of his head….NOT ICH!!
I named my Crowntail Betta, Earl… I chose it BEFORE I even got him, and it just seems to fit him well. ^-^
🙂
Just to make it little easy, I maintain a Betta Fish name list on Twitter #BettaFishName.
Plenty of inspirational names there 🙂
Great! I’ll check it out!
I just brought home my forth Betta home today, I wasn’t at all looking at getting a new one, but, I just fell in love with him. My First Betta is Clockwork (The Half Moon), then I got Beiju (The Elephant Ear Placket), then Ciel (The CrownTail), and now Wisp (The Elephant Ear Half Moon). Its funny, before I got Clockwork, I was not a fan of Betta’s, but I believe thats mostly because none of my family members like them either, some don’t even like fish, but, after getting Clockwork and seeing his personality, and seeing how much of a stress reliever he was, I found that I do much better and am much happier when around my fish. Happy to have them in my life <3
Thanks for your comment Yunaji 🙂
just got mine yesterday. named him Bruce Gillis. Also thought of Swimmy Page, Jessica Swimson, and Swim Shady.
I got my first crowntail 7 weeks ago I first saw him when I went to buy my tank he stood out and I feel in love. I got so excited when he was still there about a week later. Seeing as he is white blue and red my mum wanted me to name him 4th of July but his colors made me think of Confetti. He has the best personality and loves hiding under his little mermaid statue, using his leaf hamic but he is the pickiest eater.
Both great ideas for betta fish names!
to be honest there are tons of names for fish but you should really match it up to their personality and color like I did! i named my fish stormy because he likes to storm of a lot here are some other names for betta fish blue jay fire flame finley icey ice sunshine sunny sun speedy cece
So i heard you need some chinese fighting fish names well I don’t want to get into a great big list of them but I will give you tips on how you can name them!You should always take a good look at them for the first step it should say on the jar if they are male or female so think should i name it finley or georgia you know things like that but also look at it’s color if it’s blue you may name it oceanna if it’s a girl or Blue jay if it’s a boy If it’s red you may name it if it’s a boy maybe devil or Saitin or if it’s a girl maybe Hot Than after a few hours make it official find out it’s personality and base it’s name off that but also make it tie in with it’s color and gender.
flame
I bought a midnight blue veil tail mail and named him Camoah Sushi. Camoah is a combination of my 7 year old granson’s first and second names, Cameron Noah. Sushi was just for fun! lol My grandson’s mom, my daughter, died in October this year and he needed to see some new life. Camoa Sushi belongs to both of us and we’re setting up and decorating his tank together, learning about Bettas together and giving him the most natural home possible, as I do with all my pets. Camoah Sushi has been good medicine for my little guy and for me.
This is a great site and everyone is so helpful. I’ll visit often!
Great story! Thanks!
Also thanks for the nice feedback! It’s appreciated. 🙂
My daughter and I have had many Betta fish over the years. Our first was a blue, green with red veil tail we name King Frank. The second and third were both black crown tails, one with white tips on his tail the other with red and silver along his body and fin base, their names were Cinder Wolf and Dragon (but we almost called Dragon ‘Nazgool’ as he had inky, curling fins and tail that almost looked like those Lord of the Rings characters). The next two we just got, one has a dark red (nearly black) body and deep red fins/tail we are considering scorch for him. The next is a royal blue with purple/pink shimmer I’m thinking of several names: Pharroh, Muse and Jewel. Vastly different names, I have to get to know him first!
Happy naming all!
Thanks!! 🙂 Some great names!
I will get a betta soon and am thinking of naming him Matt Fish (like Matt Smith) or the thai word fo waterfall! 🙂
Haha! Some great ideas!
My female is named Maggie.
Our first betta was a blue veiltail male with some purple on his body and fins. My brother named it Floppy, and somehow it stuck! He died exactly 3 weeks ago from fin rot, though. Today is my birthday, and we got another blue veiltail male, but he’s you get, smaller, and gentler than Flippy was- nobody can replace Flippy, he was an absolutely extraordinary betta!!! We haven’t really named the new one, but by habit I’ve started to call it Flip! These names don’t really mean anything, but we just started to call the fish by these names, and they really suit the fish! So I think my new fish’s name is Flip! I love him very much,and I can’t wait to train him!
🙂 Flip is a cool name!
A bit like flipper
I named it “Squishie”
I named my Betta fish Alastair. Alastair is a white eyed demon from hell who tortures all of the souls. My betta fish has a white face with deep ruby red coloring so I thought it fit him. But it is quite Ironic because my betta is so sweet and nice. And because he has a turquoise band on his midsection. He is absolutely beautiful.
I have 11 Bettas Wally, Lulu, Saphire, Amethyst, Pepper, Coco, Chanel, Rainbow, Zoe, Dumbo and last but not least Olaf.
Wow! Great names for your many many betta fish!! 🙂
Today I bought a gorgeous Crowntail and he is red, white and blue. I didn’t know what to name him Cameron and he has a bubbly personality of what I’ve seen so far. Glad to say I’m a Betta momma!
I just got my Betta fish today 7/26/2014 from Petsmart!
He’s a male blue,greenish color. What should I name him?
I just got my beta fish yesterday, and I’m going to name him E-or, from Winn-the-poo, because he kinda keeps to himself and he’s a beautiful dark blue
Me getting a beta today
I named my fish Sheldon because I thought he looked like a sheldon and because Sheldon is kind of an aquatic name
SUSHI
First Beta was named Tai, so the current is Tai Too (or two)
I have a green and black VT male and I named him Hamlet. My roommate has a blue and white VT male named Horatio.
I just got my 3rd Betta today. He’s and Emerald green/dark blue Half Moon, but he has black edges on his fins that look like his fins were dipped in ink, and he has a black stripe along the top of his head. Because he’s so unusual (and I’ve never seen a Betta with his color or markings) I named him Kaiju, which literally translates into “Strange Creature”
Excellent unique name! Love it!
i got myself a young midnight blue male vt betta…. it has taken me 2 weeks now to come up with a name… he has a very weird personality…he sleeps alot even in the brightest part of the day. he either lays on the pebbles down at the bottom or on the fake plant at the top of the water… when i first got him i bought some beta flakes but it didnt look like he was eating them, so i bought him some pellets or whatever its called lol… i dropped a couple in the water above him… and he had this particular action that was almost dog like.. he took a pellet held it in his mouth and then swam around the bowl, pellet still in mouth…. needless to say ive decided to call him Moon, figured hes a night shade in color and he sleeps alot. so why not.
Thanks for the comment Kirsty! Nice name! 🙂
I have a midnight bluish Halfmoon King male. I couldn’t think of anything to name him, so I named him Halfmoon because his tail fin is a perfect onyx crescent moon. He’s a very feisty loner. He will flare at anything.
Cool name for your betta! 🙂
I am getting a fighting fish and I hope to call it
-Gylfie
-Gillian
-Indabowl
-Ringo Star
-Shamrock
-Smore
– Eureka
– Poisiedon
ect.
Only one name for a male betta : RAMBO.
I called my male fighter crown ‘Esau’ from the biblical character whose name means ‘Red’ because he is red, and also because Esau was a hunter/fighter. Esau is very happy and is blowing bubble nests.
My Betta is named James T. Betta! Thanks to my grandson.
im going to name my future betta mr.bubbles
I have a red and pink betta. He is really relaxed and likes to show off his huge fins. But I can’t think of the perfect name for him. Any suggestions?
I have a beautiful pink and orange betta fish. He loves to show of his long fins, and is much calmer than the betta fish I’ve had in the past. But a can’t think of the perfect name for him. Any suggestions?
oops, sorry about the second comment. I didn’t think the first one worked!
Grapefruit? XD
I might get one and I’m thinking about the names Moonbeam and Fantasy
I got my first male betta from Petsmart yesterday. I named him Chumlee. Chumlee on Pawn Stars always makes me laugh and I think he has a great, fishy name. 🙂
Haha! Excellent!!
Hey,
I currently got a new Half Moon Betta today. He is gorgeous! He currently in a 20L tank with filled with plants, a play tunnel ornament (he loves it), good filteration, a heater, and some gravel.
The only problem i have is the name. I dont know what to call him…his very fast, playful, and curious…he is a light cream, with some slpats of blue of this tail, any name ideas?
I currently have a orange betta too. His got an awesome black frill, his names Neptune 😀
So do you guys have any name ideas for my new Betta? Thank you!
Just from your user name I’m thinking… Creeper?
Haha call him splat if he splashes of blue kind of funny and fitting LOL!!
I’ve had quite a few betta.
I had an almost entire blue one that I called Magi (like the Gift of the Magi), Another lighter blue that I called Andrialphus (Andrial for short), a white-pinkish one that I called Mew, A teal one that had red and blue mixed in that I called Asia. I just got a new betta today. He is white-pink with red coloring in his fins, closer to his body. I’m still deciding on a name, though Neelix is one that I’m leaning toward atm lol
Awesome!! 🙂 Loving all your names.
I named mine globo!! He has eyes that slightly stick out and lips that almost pout so I thought globo fit perfectly!!!!
Haha! Great name! Thanks for joining the conversation. I saw your comments helping another reader out 🙂
My first Betta was a large red one. Not sure of type but his fins were flashy. I named him Hell Boy. He lived 4 years. I just got a blue veil tail for my birthday. Looking for the perfect name.
Cool name!
How about Beast for the new betta fish? After the Marvel character.
Our blue betta is named Thor. We’re in the process of upgrading him to a bigger, more permanent tank with live plants, filters, etc. but so far he’s been content in a gigantic brandy balloon bowl with a few plastic plants, some fairy stones, and a betta hammock.
Cool! I’v written about the betta fish hammock on this blog post about betta fish toys.
My first 3 females were Josie n the pussycats, then Tabby nMaude who lived with Harold until she ate off all his fins n killed him…my favorite has been Toothless the only black fancy one I’ve ever seen, but sadly we lost him this week…so now besides my 2 girls I have on my betta wall Toby,Scotty,Timothy, Christopher, Tiberius, Joe Robbie(Miami dolphin colored), Aussie(opal colored),&Eragon…Am currently searching for just the right solid red one to be Hell-Boy 2
I’m recently getting a new Betta and I am struggling to find the right name…I’m thinking Simon but this doesn’t sound right.
My old fish, Deathwing died just a week ago, I got a new one yesterday. I named my other fish Deathwing because he was orange and black, like Deathwing from World of Warcraft. My new fish is very cool, he has spots on his head, his body near the tail is kind of purple, and then his tail is red with blue outlining the red. I haven’t thought of a name for him, and I need some help.
My 4 year old granddaughter named my beautiful purple/red male “Rainbow Rainbow Super Color Fish” LOL I decided to call him Bow for short.
I think Bow for short is a good idea! Haha!! Thank is quite a long name!
I have just recently purchased a male delta tail betta that my 3 yr old has named ‘Scruff’ because he thinks with all the pleats in his fins and tail he looks scruffy. But actually he is a very stunning betta with a pinky/purple body and deep red fins with a red and bluey/ white tail.
Haha – great name from your 3 year old! 🙂
Scruffy Tail Betta 🙂
I named my fish bubbles from the movie nemo
I purchased a blue betta as an 8-year anniversary gift for my girlfriend. She named it Fishstick.
Two weeks ago I got a beautiful Beta for my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter. She named him “Bob” & no she doesn’t watch Sponge Bob Square Pants so I really don’t know where she came up with the name but it’s rather cute lol
I named my little guy Ninja beause he like’s to angle himself sideways with the plants so he can’t be seen. Just like a true ninja.And also because Ninjas are Asian like the fish. : )
I got my first betta fish yesterday. It is a mostly red but the top of it is blue and the middle between the blue and red is purple. I named him subastion. And I don’t know to much about what they do in there tanks, but I want to make sure mine is OK. He digs in hid pebbles that I got for his base. And he goes to the very top of his tank gets air in his mouth and holds it for a few seconds and then let’s the air bubbles out of his mouth. Please respond and give me answers. I am worried 🙁
Hi Diane, this sounds like normal betta fish behavior! 🙂
I just got a male veiltail betta, he’s Midnight blue, loves to swim around and is camera shy but isn’t afraid when you run your finger along the bowl. His body and head has light lavender flakes through out. I just got him today but can’t think of a name. When I was young my sister had Charlie 1, Charlie 2, Charlie 3… Charlie 27, and when I was in college I had a blue and green veiltail named Poseiden. Thought about naming him Midnight, Midnight Sky, Lunar, Storm, Moon or Neptune, but not totally sold.
Suggestions? Please and Thank you 🙂
Hi, BLAQROZE333, i got my bettas mimmi the girl and ripple, the male. i got them this week and last week. ripple is blue, mimmi is multicoloured. i really like Lunar and Storm as a name
here are some suggesions:
Tide
River
Sailor
Diver
Splash
i named my betta sushi
Haha! great name! (But don’t tell him what it means 🙂 )
I have 3 females and a male betta. Male: blue veiltail named Midnight, females: 1) matching blue veiltail named Luna shy but willing to stand her ground, 2) red veiltail unnamed very friendly, 3) whiteish with 2 black striped down the sides plakat unnamed very docile and loves to be around other fish.
Anyone want to help with the names of my females? 🙂
I have two male bettas and there names are Yin and yang!
I also have a 3 time wining black and turquoise male half moon named Theo. 😀 I love my boys
Aka: the 3 amigos!
I have 2 male betas. The first (even though it’s like my tenth beta) is a elephant eared beta and I he is blue, white, purple, and pink hues all over and I named it hefalump thanks to whinnies the poo! The second is a butterfly and I named him Poseidon and his body is blue then his fins are white and pink at the end.(I was also thinking of captain America for that one but I didn’t cause nothing is as hot as captain America)
Excellent names for you betta fish!! 🙂
My first male I namrd Shogun, after the series that was on. It seemed appropriate though. The males I have now are Bonsai and Zen , and the females are Geisha and Asia. I love these fish!
I have two Betta’s kept in separate tanks called Nike and Spotify. I named them that cause those are one of my favorite brands. Nike is really colorful like Nike shoes and Spotify is black with green at the base of his fins, colors of the Spotify logo.
Haha! Great choices!! 🙂
My bettas are named 赤 (Aka), which means “red” in Japanese who lives in a 6 gal aquascape with some cherry shrimp, and Roosevelt (as in Franklin Roosevelt) who’s in a ten gallon tank with some guppies and shrimp. I also have a 20 gallon betta sorority with six females and some tetras (rummynose), shrimp and corydoras.
Hello everyone, I have a beautiful male butterfly Betta from Petco that is electric blue and white. He is a rarity, I have never seen anything like him before. I took my time to think of a really good name for him. I named my beauty “Ghost Wave”. Ghost is because he’s mostly white, and wave because he is partly blue, and he is aquatic.
I have 3 bettas. Their names are Winter, Flare, and Leroy. Winter is white and never stops swimming……ever. Flare is red with a blue tint and loves to FLARE. Leroy is dark blue and light blue with a little red and loves to follow his little snail friend, gary. winter and flare are veiltail bettas and leroy is a crowntail.
i got a betta fish about a week ago i named him handsome and he is gold and really small today i found these bubbles on the top of his tank turns out it was just a bubble nest 🙂
Ours was named “Popplejay”, the kids named him. for He lived 3 years. We used to pick aphids off our roses to feed him.
I named mine, ” Omar” after the character from “The Wire”
Buddy. Buddy the Beta. My Buddy 🙂
I named my baby, Finnian Thadeus; I call him Finn . I liked the name, and the added pun was a bonus by accident. Thadeus just sounded like a good Irish middle name to go with it. I’m weird.
I call my Betta Cami, short for chameleon. He appears to change color under different lighting and when goes into combat mode. He has red on fins and head but blueish purple in room lighting. If you shine a light or camera flash on him, his body is green. When he goes into combat mode he is purple.
My Berta is the color of an orange creamsicle so his name is Dreamsicle
Mine is Bart Bart the Beta
I named my Yuki (Halfmoon Tail Male Betta) and Yuri (Butterfly Male) both of which have died from “ick” and I was very sad. I now have a Paradise male Betta that is unique looking and I am having trouble coming up with a name for him. His tail and fins are a solid full fan coffee/taupe color and his body is blues and purples.
My little guy’s name is Ruff, he’s like a little dog and he’s also had a really rough life. I also thought of Gilligan, because he’s my little buddy, and he has gills. 🙂
My old beta was named Tap, I don’t know why I named him that, but i just thought the name fit him. Today (7-21-17) I got a beautiful butterfly male. He if bright blue with white fins. I’m thinking about naming him Blue, Splash, or Pedal. What do you think?
My first betta was named Legolas… For the elf in LOTR and because he was leg less!!
My betta is called James pond
I named by purple and red Betta Prince! It fits him. Of course I call him Princie too.