Daenerys Targaryen rode them. Hagrid hid them. Even Peter, Paul, and Mary had dragons on their mind. Stories about these creatures date as far back as 2700 BC. From there, we run into the likes of Fáfnir, a dwarf turned into a dragon by the power of Nordic folklore, and Quetzalcóatl, a deity once celebrated as the creator of all humanity. And there’s still a lot of territory to cover, which is why we’re bringing you some of the most famous dragon names in history.
Below, you’ll find even more characters from ancient mythology, some Disney film creations, and tons of other famous dragons from literary history. We’ve even thrown in some suggestions for anyone interested in creating a dragon tale of their own. Because really, what’s more embarrassing than finding out that your fire-breathing friend has the same name as someone else’s?
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Mythological Dragon Names
- Amaru: A multi-headed dragon from the Inca tradition.
- Apep: The Egyptian god of evil and darkness. Its root also means “to slither.”
- Beithir: A large snakelike creature or dragon associated with Scottish folklore.
- Bolla: A fearsome dragon associated with Albanian mythology that has a serpent-like body, four legs, and small wings.
- Cadmus: A Greek myth about a Phoenician prince who killed a dragon and planted its teeth.
- Chumana: From the Hopi tribe of Arizona meaning “snake maiden.”
- Hydra: According to Greek mythology, this water dragon had 100 heads and was eventually slain by Hercules.
- Imoogi: A hornless ocean dragon associated with Korean folklore.
- Kaliyah: A mythical dragon from the Hindu tradition who killed a multi-headed serpent.
- Tatsu: A dragon born of Japanese mythology who is a master of water.
- Tiamat: A dragon goddess from ancient Mesopotamia who would create chaos.
- Yamata no Orochi: An eight-headed and eight-tailed dragon from Japanese mythology.
- Wyvern: A two-legged or bipedal dragon famous in European folklore.
- Zomok: A giant winged snake from Hungarian mythology often ridden by men who have learned magic.
- Zmei: The name given to dragons in Russian folk fiction.
Names for Pseudodragons
- Ash: A reference to the dark remnants of a fire.
- Blaze: Somewhat self-explanatory but oh-so-fitting.
- Dell: A gender-neutral name meaning “small valley or glen.”
- Draco: Derived from the ancient Greek name Drakon, meaning “dragon” or “serpent.”
- Drago: The Italian word for dragon.
- Flint: An English boy’s name meaning “born near an outcrop of flint.”
- Frumpkin: An adorable frumpy pumpkin?
- Greenie: In honor of the most popular dragon shade.
- Kayda: A Japanese name for one who “looks like a little dragon.”
- Libelle: The German word for “dragonfly.”
- Longwei: A Chinese name meaning “dragon greatness.”
- Lumi: A popular name in Finland meaning “snow.”
- Mystic: A not-so-subtle name for a mythical creature.
- Nuri: A Hebrew name meaning “my fire.”
- Tails: Hey, it’s an important part of the uniform.
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Fire Dragon Names
- Aiden: A powerful dragon name of Irish origin meaning “little spark or little fire.”
- Albus: A Latin name meaning “bright” or “white.”
- Apollo: An Olympian deity and god of the sun.
- Azar: A Hebrew word meaning “flame.”
- Brantley: This dragon name means “fire” in German.
- Broil: An English word meaning to become very hot, often due to sun exposure.
- Ember: The English word for the smoldering of a fire.
- Haco: A Celtic name meaning “fire” or “flame.”
- Helios: A masculine name of Greek origin meaning “sun.”
- Kai: A Scottish boy’s name meaning “fire.”
- Kimba: An Aboriginal name for a brush fire.
- Reese: A Welsh name meaning “born of fire.”
- Rubeus: A masculine name of Latin origin meaning “red.”
- Tanwen: A Welsh name meaning “white fire.”
- Torch: An English word meaning to set fire to.
Dragon Names for Girls
- Adalinda: A perfect name for a dragon princess of German origin.
- Alina: A Slavic name meaning “bright” or “beautiful.”
- Belinda: A dragon name meaning “beautiful serpent.”
- Brenna: A dragon name of Celtic origin meaning “blazing light.”
- Cassandra: A feminine name of Greek origin meaning “shining upon man.”
- Dalinda: A German name meaning “noble serpent.”
- Edna: A female Hebrew name meaning “fiery red.”
- Electra: A name of Greek origin meaning “shining.”
- Gertrude: A Germanic name meaning “spear” or “strength.”
- Gwendolyn: A Welsh name meaning “fair bow” or “blessed ring.” Legend holds that Merlin the Magician had a wife of the same name.
- Hinata: A gender-neutral Japanese name meaning “facing the sun.”
- Ignacia: A feminine form of the Spanish word for fire.
- Melinda: A dragon name born of Latin roots meaning “sweet” or “beautiful.”
- Seraphina: Derived from seraphim, meaning “fiery ones.” The word also appears in the Bible to describe an order of angels.
- Tanis: A Greek name for baby girls meaning “serpent.”
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Dragon Names for Boys
- Antinanco: A Native American name meaning “eagle of the sun.”
- Ator: An Americanized version of the German name Ater, meaning “poison,” or “venom.”
- Dracul: A Romanian name meaning “dragon or devil.”
- Drake: A variation of the Greek word for “dragon.”
- George: A reference to Saint George, the legendary dragon slayer.
- Herensuge: The Basque word for “dragon.”
- Idris: A Hindu name meaning “fiery.”
- Knucker: A word used to refer to water dragons in Old English.
- Nieves: The Spanish word for “snow.”
- Nithe: An Old Norse name meaning “dragon” or “serpent.”
- Nilakanta: One of the many names given to the Hindu deity Shiva meaning “blue throat.”
- Ormar: A name from the Old Norse tradition meaning “serpent army.”
- Ryuu: A Japanese boy’s name meaning “dragon.”
- Vasuki: A Sanskrit name representing a king with a gem on his head.
- Viper: A Latin word meaning “king of snakes.”
Famous Dragon Names From Fiction
- Bahamut, Dungeons and Dragons (Fun fact: The name was inspired by a creature from pre-Islamic Arab mythology, often described as a “gigantic fish” holding up the world.)
- Balerion or the “Black Dread,” Game of Thrones
- Caraxes, House of the Dragon
- Darksmoke, Adventures of a Teenage Dragon Slayer
- Elliot, Pete’s Dragon (Fun Fact: Elliot is also a popular British name meaning “the Lord is my God.”)
- Eragon, Eragon
- Falkor, The Never Ending Story
- King Ghidorah, Godzilla (Fun Fact: King Ghidorah’s origin story has changed several times, from being an extraterrestrial, to a genetically engineered monster from the future, to a god from another dimension.)
- Mushu, Mulan
- Nicol Bolas, Magic: The Gathering
- Norbert, Harry Potter. (Fun fact: Norbert is actually a female dragon and was renamed Norberta.)
- Shenlong, Dragon Ball
- Shenron, Dragon Ball (Fun fact: The name “Shenron” is a Japanese translation of “Dragon God.”)
- Smaug, The Hobbit
- Syrax, House of the Dragon