Chances are, if you’re reading this article, you’re not planning on naming an actual, real-life lion (unless you’re the rare exception, as someone working in a zoo or wildlife sanctuary). But what if you want a fine, ferocious name for a fictional lion character, or a plush animal? Heck, maybe you think your pet cat or dog has strong lion-esque features, and you’d like to find a name that fits those features best.
Whatever the case may be, you’re on the hunt for some good lion names—and we’ve got ’em. From iconic lion names that everyone recognizes to regal pet names, to Simba-inspired names and strong dog names with lion inspiration, here are some fierce names befitting any king (or queen) of the savannah!
Lion Names for Strong Pets
Lion-inspired names can make for strong, regal pet names, especially if your pet has a fierce mane to shake out. But what exactly makes for a “lion-like” name? Since lions live predominantly in Africa, and many real-world lions in zoos often have names in Swahili or other African languages, we collected a series of rich and meaningful names from languages across the African continent that we believe would be perfect for any lion (or lion-like cat or dog).
- Xolani (male, “peace” in Zulu)
- Baraka (male, “blessing” in Swahili)
- Folasade (female, can mean “honor brings a crown” or “rule with nobility” in Yoruba)
- Sifiso (male, “wish” in Zulu)
- Neo (unisex, “gift” in Tswana)
- Tesfaye (male, “hope” in Amharic)
- Malaika (female, “angel” in Swahili)
- Olufemi (male, “God loves me” in Yoruba)
- Zuri (female, “beautiful” in Swahili)
- Bontu (female, “proud” in Oromo)
- Ade (unisex, “crown” in Yoruba)
- Kirabo (unisex, “gift” in Luganda)
- Moti (male, “leader” in Oromo)
- Melisizwe (male, “leader of the nation” in Xhosa)
- Mbali (female, “flower” in Zulu)
- Nkosana (male, “prince” in Xhosa)
- Ayele (male, “to become powerful” in Amharic)
- Abeba (female, “flower” in Amharic)
- Ayaan (female, good luck in Somali)
- Uhuru (male, freedom in Swahili)
- Kgosi (male, chief in Tswana)
- Abioye (unisex, born in royalty in Yoruba)
Related: 11 Dogs That Look Like Lions
Royal and Regal Names
For many, many years, the mighty lion has been called “The King of the Jungle”—in spite of the fact that lions these days live predominantly in grasslands, not jungles. Nevertheless, they are associated with nobility, royalty, and power in many cultures across the world, hence why we chose these majestic names with regality and meaning to them.
- Kingston
- Victor/Victoria
- Sheik
- Shogun
- Reina
- Fathi
- Duke/Duchess
- Pharoah
- Attila
- Raja
- Queenie
- Amir
- Caesar
- Shaka
- Sirhan
- Vladimir
- Moti
- Xerxes
- Rex
- Julius
- Khan
- Rani
Pop Culture Lion Names (Simba, Mufasa, etc.)
Chances are, if I ask you to name the first lion character you can think of, Simba would probably be the first one that’d come to mind (followed closely by Mufasa or Nala). But while The Lion King may have given us a treasure trove of iconic lion names (many of which are on this list), they’re not the only iconic lion characters with awesome names. If you’re looking for strong dog or cat names with a bit of pop culture power behind them, you might consider one of these:
- Kimba (Kimba theWhite Lion)
- Kiara (The Lion King II)
- Theo and Cleo Lion (Between The Lions)
- Brave Heart Lion (Care Bears)
- Cowardly Lion (The Wizard of Oz)
- Zuba (Madagascar II)
- Kovu (The Lion King II)
- King Richard (Disney’s Robin Hood)
- Lion-O (Thundercats)
- Nala (The Lion King)
- Leonore (Zootopia)
- Simba (The Lion King)
- Alex the Lion (Madagascar)
- Scar (The Lion King)
- Sarabi (The Lion King)
- Mufasa (The Lion King)
- Mott (Animal Crossing)
- Prince John (Disney’s Robin Hood)
- Samson (The Wild)
- Mayor Lionheart (Zootopia)
- Aslan (The Chronicles of Narnia)
- Elvis (Animal Crossing)
Related: Lion Cub Sneakily Wakes Dad From Nap Then Bolts to Mom Like a Naughty Human Kid
Unique vs. Common Lion-Inspired Names
While there’s nothing wrong with choosing a classic when naming a pet, many pet parents understandably want to choose something that’s a bit more off the beaten path for their one-of-a-kind animal. We decided to give a few examples of both more common and more unique lion names to show that either option can be meaningful, majestic, and magical for your furry friend!
Common (or Famous) Lion-Inspired Names
A lot of lions have names that are similar to or derived from “Leo”—understandably so, as “Leo” is the Latin word for lion. Thus, you’ll find a lot of “Leo” names among our list of common examples, though we threw in a few names worth considering as well.
- Cecil (a Zimbabwean lion who sparked international outrage after being killed by a trophy hunter in 2015)
- Sahara
- Leona
- Naya (Swahili for “purpose” or “aim”)
- Leo
- Leopold
- Kenya
- Elsa (a famous lioness raised by British game warden George Adamson)
- Leonidas
- Ariel (unisex, “lion of God” in Hebrew)
- Leonardo
- Jabari (Swahili for “brave” or “ruler”)
Unique Lion-Inspired Names
Though these names are not as common among lions, all of them more or less translate to “lion” or are related to lions in meaning, making them unique yet ideal options as lion names. We’ve listed the languages of their origin next to each one.
- Llewelyn (Welsh)
- Usama (Arabic)
- Tau (Tswana)
- Sher (Urdu)
- Lev (Russian)
- Singh (Sikh name derived from Sanskrit)
- Haidar (Arabic)
- Asad (Arabic)
- Lencho (Oromo)
- Hari (Hindi)
- Ari (Hebrew)
Related: 350+ Bunny Names That Are Cute, Clever, and Totally Hoppable