170+ Handpicked Hermit Crab Names That Are Cute And Cool

Abhijeet Modi
Jan 15, 2024 By Abhijeet Modi
Originally Published on Aug 25, 2021
Hermit crab on the beach sand.
Age: 0-99
Read time: 8.9 Min

Hermit crabs are the perfect pet if you are looking for something low maintenance.

Unlike most other crabs, they are unlikely to snap off your fingers, which is why they're one of the most popular crabs to have as a pet. Overall, they are great pets to own!

These cute creatures are different from standard crabs. Firstly, they're not actually true crabs, as they can't grow a hard exoskeleton in the same way other species can, like the giant crab. They are called hermit crabs due to their need to find a shell to live in in order to survive. Living without a shell is very dangerous for them as, without it, their fragile exoskeletons are exposed. It is also best to keep them in pairs as they are social creatures.

Unlike other sea pets, hermit crabs can survive outside of water, meaning they don't need to be submerged all the time. Land hermit crabs do need water every now and then, though, so make sure to always have a bowl nearby that your pet crab can crawl into and out of when it likes. While some hermit crabs live on land, preferring tropical locations like sandy beaches, others favor the ocean like their sea crab counterparts. Hermit crabs can live for quite a long time (about 30 years in their natural habitat,  given they don't get eaten). However, they have a shorter lifespan in captivity (which can be anything between less than a year and 20 years).

These cool creatures have a total of 10 legs, which help them scuttle across the sand. Their hind legs are used to hook onto their temporary shell homes. Most hermit crabs are nocturnal and different species can be found all over the world.

You can't easily tell the gender of a hermit crab from its appearance unless you're an animal expert, that's why most of the names on this list are gender-neutral for your hermit crab. However, if you know you have a male or female hermit and want to stick with a stereotypically 'boy' or 'girl' name, you'll find a few more specific names in our list. Of course, names aren't really gendered, so you can feel free to call your pet hermit anything you want! Cool hermit crab names come in all shapes and sizes.

If you're looking for the perfect name for your new pet hermit crab, we've come up with a list of creative ideas for cool hermit crab names for pet owners to be inspired by. From funny names and ocean-themed names to snappy names inspired by characters from your favorite movies, there are tons of names for your new pet hermit crabs to choose from. If you don't know whether to choose a male name or a female name, don't worry as gender really isn't important for these little pet crabs!

If you would love to get a new hermit crab as a pet, here are some cool hermit crab name ideas to inspire you when naming your pet. Whether it's Coral, Leonardo, Hermie, or Coconut, you'll find the perfect name for a male hermit crab as well as a female hermit crab here. For more pet names and related ideas, check out these funny fish names or these fresh fish names.

Cute Hermit Crab Names

Hermit crabs are cute (especially baby hermit crabs!) and deserve cute names to match. They're usually super shy but in general they are pretty adorable pets to have. Whether you've got a male hermit crab or female hermit crab, here are some cute hermit crab name ideas for your new crawling pet.

Hermit crabs are cute (especially baby hermit crabs!) and they deserve cute names to match. They're usually super shy, but in general, they are pretty adorable pets to have. Whether you've got a male hermit crab or female hermit crab, here are some cute hermit crab name ideas for your new crawling pet.

1. Abby

2. Aquamarine

3. Bob

4. Bubbles

5. Clawdia

6. Coral

7. Coconut

8. Dwebble

9. Ellie

10. Fred

11. Groucho

12. Henry

13. Hermana, meaning 'sister' in Spanish; perfect if you're looking for female hermit crab names.

14. Horace

15. Jacques

16. Jams

17. Kraken, referring to a huge giant sea monster.

18. Little Creep, for your little creeper.

19. Marshmallow

20. Mimi, a French word that means 'super cute'.

21. Mittens, an adorable name; imagine hermit crab claws wearing mittens!

22. Moe

23. Molly

24. Mouthful

25. Pearl, referencing the glistening object found within mollusks such as oysters.

26. Periwinkle, a cute name for your pet hermit crab.

27. Pincer

28. Pinchy, for your pinchy little pet.

29. Poops

30. Puddle

31. Rainbow

32. Rover

33. Sashimi

34. Scuttle

35. Seychelles

36. Sideways,describing the way hermit crabs scuttle across the sand.

37. Snippy

38. Squeezy

39. Squirt

40. Starboy

Hermit crab in the sand.

Funny Hermit Crab Names

A baby hermit crab makes a great addition to your home. They don't take up much space and are absolutely fascinating creatures. They're probably a bit different from other animals you're used to looking after, so why not give them a funny name? If you are bored of the usual Captain Hook and Mr Krabs suggestions, here are some funny hermit crab names that will crack you up.

41. Anemone

42. Cantankerous, for a crab that destroys stuff.

43. Churl

44. Claws, when your pet uses his or her little pincers a lot.

45. Crabby, for a moody crab.

46. Fish-ish

47. Gill

48. Groucho

49. Grumpy, for a crab that is always grumpy.

50. Huffy

51. Jabby

52. Kvetch

53. Mumpish

54. Oscar,because some of the funniest names for your hermit crab are the most random.

55. Peeves, if your misbehaving hermit crab is your pet peeve.

56. Prickle

57. Recluse, a name for a shy crab.

58. Rocky, for your little champ.

59. Salty, you know, because they are from the sea!

60. Sandy

61. Scrab, a cute and funny name for your pet.

62. Seamore

63. Shell-by

64. Shelly

65. Snappy

66. Stabby, for a crab that likes to poke at things.

67. Starla

68. Sushi, a funny name inspired by a type of seafood.

69. Sulky, for a crab that sulks a lot.

70. Surly

71. Tetchy

72. Wave

Big Hermit Crab Names

All you need is a little creativity to think up some good names for hermit crabs. Hermit crabs aren't the biggest of creatures, so why not choose an ironic name based on this physical feature? Here are some big hermit crab names for the smallest pet crabs with the biggest spirit.

73. Arnold

74. Backspace

75. Bashful, because big crabs can be shy too!

76. Big Mac

77. Biggie, for the biggest crab.

78. Billy

79. Billy Bob

80. Bobby

81. Brucie

82. Brutus, for a pet that uses brute force.

83. Buddy, for your best bud.

84. Burt

85. Carl

86. Chucky

87. Claudio

88. Corky

89. Crusty

90. Derek

91. Dino, because hermit crabs almost look like they belong in Jurassic Park.

92. Elmore

94. Freddie, a common male name that would also suit big hermit crabs.

95. George

96. Henry

97. Herbert

98. Hermie, a classic name for giant hermit crabs.

99. Jamie

100. Jimmy

101. Maxie,for big and strong pets.

102. Niko

103. Ollie

104. Oreo, for your biscuit lookalike pet.

105. Pip

106. Ronnie

107. Sammie

108. Scribbles

109. Sharky

110. Surf

111. Teal

112. Timmy

113. Tony

114. Tobey

115. Vince
 

Hermit crab on beach.

Tiny Hermit Crab Names

When walking along the shore, you might spot some tiny hermit crabs without shells. This is because they have either grown out of their shell, or their shells may have been damaged in an attack. These hermit crabs will be on the lookout for new shells to make their home. When you bring your new pet hermit home, make sure you've got the perfect name for it. Here are some great names for either a tiny adult crab or hermit crab babies.

116. Apollo

117. Captain Crab

118. Cherry, for your little cherry.

119. Chuck

120. Claude

121. Claudia

122. Copper, referring to both material and color.

123. Crabette

124. Crabina

125. Crabmeister

126. Digger, for a pet crab that likes to dig.

127. Dudley

128. Groucho

129. Harold

130. Heidi

131. Hydra

132. Jade

133. Marina

134. Miso

135. Nigel

136. Nipper, for a crab who likes to nip stuff.

137. Pebble

138. Penny Pincher

139. Poopsie

140. Poseidon, after the Greek god of the sea.

141. Prickle

142. Seabiscuit, perfect for a tiny crab.

143. Squirtle

144. Tamatoa

145. Zoe, perfect for a smallish pet.

Names For Your Crab Inspired By Pop Culture And History

There are tons of great hermit crab names out there that take inspiration from well-known elements of pop culture and famous figures from history. Some are funny names, some are cute and some are so random that they just make sense. With boy, girl, and gender-neutral names, the possibilities are endless for your pet hermit.

146. Ariel, after 'The Little Mermaid'.

147. Batman, the famous superhero.

148. Bruce, can also refer to Bruce Wayne from 'Batman'.

149. Bubba Gump, inspired by 'Forrest Gump'.

150. Captain Hook, from the cartoon 'Peter Pan'.

151. Charmander,a famous Pokémon character.

152. Dory, after the cartoon character fish called Dory.

153. Edward Scissorhands, for crabs with sharp pincers.

154. Elmo, a character from 'The Muppets'.

155. Elvis, the name of the famous and iconic musician.

156. Gordon Ramsea, hilarious for an ill-tempered crab.

157. Homer, from the cartoon 'The Simpsons'.

158. Jack Sparrow, from the movie 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'.

159. Jaws, from the movie 'Jaws'.

160. JoJo Sea-wa, inspired by the family-favorite singer, dancer and YouTuber JoJo Siwa.

161. Kermit, after the cartoon character Kermit the frog. Kermit the hermit just sounds great!

162. Mr Krabs,after one of TV's most famous crabs.

163. Nemo, from the cartoon 'Finding Nemo'.

164. Neptune, after the Roman god of the sea.

165. Ocean Mendes, a play-on-words for the musician Shawn Mendes.

166. Pokémon, after the famous cartoon and video game.

167. Princess Peach, after the character in the famous 'Super Mario' franchise.

168. Quasimodo, another name from a cartoon character.

169. Ronald, either after Ronald Weasley or Ronald McDonald.

170. Sand-ra Dee, after one of the main characters in the hit musical 'Grease'.

171. Sebastian, named after the crab in 'The Little Mermaid'.

172. Shell-don, the name of a character from 'The Big Bang Theory'.

173. Shellena Gomez, after the famous actress and singer.

174. SpongeBob, from the famous cartoon series 'SpongeBob Squarepants'.

Kidadl has lots of great names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for hermit crab names, then why not take a look at something different like these funny cow names, or these chicken names that will make you chuckle.

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Written by Abhijeet Modi

Master of Computer Science

Abhijeet Modi picture

Abhijeet ModiMaster of Computer Science

An experienced and innovative entrepreneur and creative writer, Abhijeet holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Computer Application from Birla Institute of Technology, Jaipur. He co-founded an e-commerce website while developing his skills in content writing, making him an expert in creating blog posts, website content, product descriptions, landing pages, and editing articles. Passionate about pushing his limits, Abhijeet brings both technical expertise and creative flair to his work.

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