The easiest way to name a betta is to start from its colour: Wikipedia says the natural colouring of a wild Betta splendens is generally green, brown and grey, so every red, blue and white fish in a shop is the product of breeding, and each colour suggests its own kind of name. Below are 200+ betta fish names sorted that way, then by fighter attitude, Thai roots and puns.
You’ll also find the names real keepers chose in r/bettafish, which turn out to be less solemn than most lists, and a straight answer on whether your betta will ever know its name.
Betta Fish Names by Colour
Colour is the one thing you know about a betta on the day it comes home. Sex isn’t always obvious, so the lists below stay open to either, and each colour pulls towards a different register of name.
Red. Hot, spicy or fruity names suit a red betta. Names: Flame, Blaze, Ember, Cherry, Ruby, Crimson, Scarlet, Cayenne, Paprika, Chilli, Salsa, Ketchup, Rosso, Poppy, Garnet, Rusty, Lava, Sriracha, Tomato, Pomegranate.
Blue. Water, sky and jewel names fit blues and teals. Names: Sapphire, Neptune, Blueberry, Cobalt, Indigo, Azure, Denim, Navy, Marlin, Tidal, Lagoon, Cerulean, Smurf, Storm, Ink, Iris, Moonstone, Ripple, Bluey, Surf.
White and pale. Cold, sweet and soft names work for a pale fish. Names: Frost, Ivory, Pearl, Snowflake, Ghost, Casper, Marshmallow, Cotton, Opal, Meringue, Alabaster, Sugar, Tofu, Coconut, Vanilla, Ice, Angel, Whisper, Blizzard, Dumpling.
Black and dark. A dark betta looks best with a name that sounds like a villain or a night sky. Names: Shadow, Midnight, Onyx, Inky, Raven, Eclipse, Obsidian, Domino, Liquorice, Espresso, Cinder, Noir, Panther, Vader, Batman, Phantom, Soot, Jet, Mocha, Ninja.
Yellow, orange and gold. Food and sunshine names go well with warm colours. Names: Sunny, Mango, Marigold, Honey, Saffron, Butterscotch, Clementine, Tangerine, Goldie, Nugget, Custard, Biscuit, Maple, Tiger, Marmalade, Apricot, Sunflower, Lemon, Amber, Pumpkin.
Purple, pink and multicolour. For a fish that can’t pick one colour, try sweets or flowers. Names: Violet, Lavender, Plum, Orchid, Grape, Lilac, Mulberry, Bubblegum, Blossom, Flamingo, Rainbow, Skittles, Confetti, Kaleidoscope, Tie-Dye, Calico, Jellybean, Prism, Sprinkles, Fruit Salad.
Betta Fish Names Real Keepers Have Used
People who keep bettas pick funnier names than the lists suggest. In an August 2026 r/bettafish thread titled “New betta! Please help with names”, which collected 1,273 upvotes, a reply of just “Pina Colada” earned 271 upvotes of its own, and another reply said “Yes I vote pina colada”.
Another post from the same month, with 765 upvotes, shows how personal the choice gets:
“So my betta’s name is Sushi, and I was recently BRUTALLY attacked for this decision”
– r/bettafish, August 2026 (765 upvotes)
Several replies defended the name. One keeper listed a Gravy and two earlier bettas called Fish and Chips:
“mine is called gravy, i previously had 2 female koi betta that were named Fish and Chips. i also have a Chinese striped neck turtle named Soup. i haven’t been attacked for it but who cares, it’s just a name? the fish can’t understand lol”
– r/bettafish, August 2026 (441 upvotes)
A third reply mentioned a new fish called Fishing Rod Stewart. In the posts quoted here, the names lean towards food and wordplay rather than warriors, though that is a handful of threads, not a count.
Fierce and Royal Betta Names for a Fighter
The species is called the Siamese fighting fish for a reason. Wikipedia says bettas were first bred for aggression and fought in gambling matches, and that males kept together often fight, which without a means of escape usually ends in the death of one or both fish. A bold name lets you lean into that.
Warriors and gods. Names: Ragnar, Achilles, Spartacus, Maximus, Odin, Thor, Loki, Zeus, Ares, Hercules, Conan, Excalibur, Gladiator, Samurai, Viking, Warrior, Kraken, Titan, Rocky, Rambo, Tyson, Bruiser, Fury.
Fighters and queens. Names: Mulan, Xena, Athena, Boudicca, Brienne, Valkyrie, Artemis, Freya, Hera, Leia, Ripley, Furiosa.
Royal and ranked. Names: Duke, Baron, Admiral, Captain, Sultan, Emperor, Rajah, Majesty, Regent, Marshal.
Thai and Southeast Asian Betta Names
Wikipedia says the betta is native to Mainland Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, and that Thailand made it the national aquatic animal in 2019. The Thai word for the fish, pla kat, translates as “biting fish”, and “plakat” is also used for the short-finned ornamental strains.
Place and word names. Names: Siam, Pla, Plakat, Naga, Matsya, Mekong, Angkor, Saigon, Phuket, Lotus, Jasmine.
Food names. Names: Pandan, Lychee, Durian, Satay, Laksa, Pho, Boba, Pad Thai, Tom Yum, Sambal, Rendang.
Funny Betta Fish Names and Puns
Puns suit a betta because the species name already invites one — beta, better, bet — and a pun is easy to remember.
Fish puns. Names: Swim Shady, Fish Timothy, Fishy McFish, Gillbert, Finneaus, Sir Swims-a-Lot, Finn Diesel, Fishing Rod Stewart, Lord of the Fins, Gill Murray, Reel Deal, Scampi, Calamari, Mr Wiggles.
Betta puns. Names: Betty White, Betta Call Saul, Betta Davis, Beta Test, Bettalicious, Alpha Betta, Beta Carotene.
Food and drink. Names: Sushi, Gravy, Pina Colada, Fish and Chips, Nacho, Taco, Waffles, Pretzel, Noodle, Wasabi.
Unisex Betta Names for a Fish You Can’t Sex Yet
Wikipedia notes that male and female bettas can look similar, and that one way to tell is the ovipositor tube females carry. If you can’t tell yet, a name that works for either saves a rethink later.
Names: Sage, River, Ash, Sky, Rowan, Quinn, Charlie, Kai, Remy, Finley, Bailey, Sam, Alex, Robin, Jordan.
Does a Betta Know Its Name?
Nobody has tested it. PetMD’s 2016 piece by Adam Denish, DVM, reports that trained archerfish picked a familiar human face 81 per cent of the time, rising to 86 per cent once the images were evened out, and that Ambon damselfish could recognise individual fish. None of that involved bettas, and none of it involved names.
What it does suggest is that fish may learn faces, and Denish says fish may associate a human presence with food. So the useful part is to say your fish’s name the same way each time you feed it. As the Gravy keeper put it, “the fish can’t understand”, so the name is really for you.
Choosing Between Betta Names
Pick three names, say them aloud a few times, and give yourself a week or two to watch the fish before settling.
A name is easier to match to a fish you’ve seen swim, and if one still makes you smile after saying it to the tank, keep it. Naming another pet? The site’s axolotl names and its page of pet names for dogs, cats, birds and rabbits cover other animals.
