100 Gorilla Names From Real Life And Fiction, Plus Ideas

Georgia Stone
Feb 16, 2024 By Georgia Stone
Originally Published on Dec 17, 2020
Big gorilla beating its chest.



If you have been to a zoo or a sanctuary, then you know how remarkable gorillas are.

We are all familiar with the most famous gorilla, Kong, better known as King Kong, a gorilla brought to fame through the famous 'King Kong' movie franchise. But what about all of the other gorillas?

Sadly these amazing creatures are a critically endangered species. Gorillas are classified into two groups, the eastern and western mountain gorillas.

The scientific name for the mountain gorilla is the Gorilla beringei (for the eastern gorilla) or simply the Gorilla gorilla (for western gorillas). Simple right?

Male gorillas can grow as tall as six feet and they are called silverbacks.

A silverback gorilla is just as heavy as a full grown man and they can sometimes be dangerous if not in a controlled environment.Gorillas are warm blooded mammals and a gorilla baby (also known as an infant) is nursed by their mothers just like a human baby.

This similarity may be due to the fact that gorillas are genetically closely related to humans, with between 95 - 99% of the same genetic makeup!

If you are looking for some good gorilla names of famous gorillas and real life gorillas, as well as some ideas for new gorilla names, you have come to the right place! Here are over 10 of the best mountain gorilla names!

For more animal names, check out these monkey names and these punny panda names that all animal lovers will enjoy.

Names Of Famous Gorillas In Zoos And Sanctuaries

National parks and zoos are famous for naming their gorillas. In Rwanda the ceremony for naming a new gorilla even has a name, a Kwita Izina.

A Kwita Izina celebrates all of the baby gorillas that have been born in the past year, it is usually attended by about 5000 people who name all the gorillas babies in the National Park. In the year 2020 a virtual Kwita Izina was even organized!

On this list you will find some real male gorilla names and female gorilla names of different types of gorillas from the Kwita Izina. Here are some baby gorilla names, real silverback gorilla names and more, just for you.

1. Arakaza (Rwandan origin) meaning “welcome”.

2. Ikoranabuhanga (Rwandan origin) meaning “information technology”.

3. Imirasire (Rwandan origin) meaning “ray of sun”.

4. Inkesha (Rwandan origin) meaning “star”.

5. Inkingi (Rwandan origin) meaning “pillar”.

6. Inyange (Rwandan origin) meaning “handsome and smart”.

7. Iriba (Rwandan origin) meaning “water source”.

8. Isuku (Rwandan origin) meaning “cleanliness”.

9. Iyamarere (Rwandan origin) meaning “enthusiastic”.

10. Kurudi (Rwandan origin) the meaning of this name is not clear.

11. Mahirwe (Rwandan origin) meaning "lucky".

12. Matibiri (Rwandan origin) this gorilla was named by Dian Fossey.

13. Mitimbili (Rwandan origin) means "hill".

14. Mudahinyuka (Rwandan origin) meaning “truthful and reliable”.

15. Nsanganira (Rwandan origin) means "well accepted".

16. Rugira (Rwandan origin) the meaning of this lovely gorilla name is unknown.

17. Tamu (Rwandan origin) means "gift of God".

18. Tegereza (Rwandan origin) the meaning of this name is not clear.

19. TemberoRwanda (Rwandan origin) meaning “visit Rwanda”.

20. Ubudasa (Rwandan origin) meaning “remarkable”.

21. Ubwiza (Rwandan origin) meaning “beautiful”.

22. Ukuri (Rwandan origin) meaning "truth'.

23. Umutware (Rwandan origin) meaning “leader”.

24. Urugano (Rwandan origin) meaning “generation”.

25. Uruyange (Rwandan origin) meaning “shiny”.

Famous Gorillas In Fiction

Gorillas have been extensively portrayed in various works of fiction, from comics and novels, to TV series, animation, film and so on. Here are some famous gorilla names that you might just recognize thanks to their widespread popularity. We hope you enjoy these popular names of gorillas from great works of fiction and film!

26. Ajax, a character from the cartoon 'Donald Duck And The Gorilla'.

27. Armored Gorilla, from the manga ‘One Punch Man’.

28. Ape, is from the movie parody ‘George Of The Jungle’.

29. Congorilla, a character from the DC comics.

30. Dr Sliverback, a playable character from the popular superhero game ‘Champions Online’.

31. Gor, a made up sentient in the cartoon series ‘Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys’.

32. Grodd, the supervillain from the animated DC Comic ‘The Flash’.

33. Hafifu, a character from the Disney cartoon series ‘The Lion Guard’.

34. Kala, the gorilla mother who took care of Tarzan from the movie ‘Tarzan’.

35. Kago, a character from ‘Tarzan II’.

36. Kerchak, a character from the movie ‘Tarzan’.

37. King Sokwe, from the Disney cartoon series ‘The Lion Guard’.

38. Kong, from the popular movie franchise ‘King Kong’ and ‘King Of Kong Island’.

39. Majinuni, from the Disney cartoon series ‘The Lion Guard’.

40. Mama Gunda, a character from the animation ‘Tarzan II’.

41. Momo, a gorilla from an episode of the cartoon ‘Class Of 3000’.

42. Paul, the gorilla friend of Jane of the Jungle from the TV show ‘The Electricity Company’.

43. Ranko, a character from the comic ‘The Adventures Of Tintin: Black Island’.

44. Shujaa, from the Disney cartoon series ‘The Lion Guard’.

45. Solovar, the nemesis of Grood from the DC comic series.

46. Terk, Tarzan’s adopted brother in the animation ‘Tarzan’.

47. Tublat, a character from the animation ‘Tarzan’.

48. Uto, one of the characters from the animation ‘Tarzan II’.

49. Winston, from the game ‘Overwatch’.

50. Zugo, a character from the animation ‘Tarzan II’.

Ideas For Cute Gorilla Names

If you would like to find the perfect names for a gorilla, this is the best list of adorable gorilla names. Mountain gorillas are a dwindling species and they deserve all the love they can get, including the very best names.

If you are ever lucky enough to name a gorilla, why not be inspired by one of the names on this list? They are perfect for any gorilla species.

51. Azizi

52. Chewie

53. Chimes

54. Colo

55. Dolly

56. Gargantua

57. Gilligan

58. Imani

59. Jade

60. Jenny

61. Jim

62. Joanne

63. Judy

64. Kamilah

65. Katie

66. Kokamo

67. Koko

68. Mara

69. Massa

70. Monroe

71. Morida

72. Ozzie

73. Samson

74. Snowflake

75. Trudy

Ideas For Funny Gorilla Names

Mountain gorillas names need not be so serious all the time. You can switch things up by suggesting one of these hilarious names that are perfect for these furry creatures.

You can also come up with your own funny name for any gorilla you are familiar with, based on things they love, their favorite snack, certain features, and so on.

In the meantime, here are some of the best and most hilarious names for gorillas right now. We hope you love this list of names, so without any more delay, let's dive right in!

76. Bananas,because gorillas love bananas.

77. Big Pete

78. Big Steve

79. Bonzo

80. Boots

81. Chunky Monkey

82. Eggo

83. Freddy

84. Goriladin

85. Inferno

86. Johnny

87. Kidogo

88. Kudzoo

89. Kevin

90. Lulu

91. MojoJojo, a gorilla character from the cartoon series 'The Powerpuff Girls'.

92. Monkey Man, an ironic name for a gorilla.

93. Olympia

94. Optimus Primal, based on the 'Transformer' series' protagonist.

95. Peaches, a beautiful name for a female ape.

96. Sukari

97. Tygarr

98. Thunderstomp, a powerful gorilla name.

99. Toto

100. Waffles

Kidadl has lots of great  names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for gorilla names from real life and fiction plus name ideas, then why not take a look at something different like these 4terrific tiger names for your cat or these gorgeous giraffe names from around the world?

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Written by Georgia Stone

Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

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Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.

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