Good Goldfish Names

So you've brought your shiny fishy friend back from the pet shop in a clear plastic bag. After you've settled him comfortably in his tank, you'll want to give him an appropriate moniker. A nautical name is an obvious but effective choice, so here's a few ideas to get you started.

Fortunately goldfish aren't required to "fetch", "sit" or "heel", so you don't need a short, pithy name as you would for a dog. With a fish name , you can be as fancy and/or as quirky as you like. Just one more reason to have them as a pet.

Admiral

Algy

Ahab

Argonaut

Ariel

• It's a myth that fish have a three second memory. They can actually recall information for several months
• Goldfish can't close their eyes, even when asleep
• The bigger the tank, the bigger a goldfish will grow {though one foot is about the maximum]
• Goldfish are said to bring good luck to those who keep them
• Goldfish are able to distinguish between individual humans
• The vast majority of goldfish breeds come from China

Baggywrinkle [A covering for cables that prevents sail chafing}

Bargey

Barnacle

Beacon

Black Pete

Blackbeard

Billy Budd

Briggs

Bubbles

Burgee [a small flag flown from the masthead of a yacht to indicate yacht membership]

Captain

Captain Bligh

Captain Blood

Captain Hook

Captain Pugwash

Caspian

Columbus

Coral

• Never overfeed a goldfish. They can be quite greedy and overfeeding is the no.1 cause of death
• Try to feed them at the same spot in the tank every time. They like the routine
• Give your fish tank some nautical ambiance with interior design. Fish like scenery to look at and swim around but make sure it's nothing they can get stuck in or has sharp edges
• Fish appreciate light, so don't stick the tank in a dark and miserable corner.
• Soap and goldfish don't get along, so it's best not to use it to clean the tank

Davy Jones

Diver

Drake

Drifter

Fathoms

Fishcakes

Fishface

Fishfingers

Fletcher

Flipper

Floater

Flotsam

Flounder

Gidget

Gillbert

Goggles

Hemmingway

Hooker

Horatio

Hornblower

Long John Silver

Lusitania

If they are properly looked after, a goldfish can live, on average, from five to fifteen years, though some have reputedly lived much longer; so keeping one as a pet is a commitment!

Jack [another name for a sailor]

Jaws

Jetty

Jetsome

Jigger

Jollies [navy nickname for the Royal marines]

Jonah

Maelstrom

Marina

Mariner

Marlinspike

Matey

Mina

Minnow

Moby Dick

Moondoggie

Navigator

Nelson

Nemo

Neptune

Noah

Oceania

Pearl

Periwinkle

Pegleg

Pirate

Pirate Pimm

Poseidon

Poopdeck

Popeye

Purser

QE2 [an ocean liner]

Reefer

Rummy

Sailor

Salty

Sandy

Seabert

Seamus

Seaweed

Scurvy

Sharky

Shelly

Shivers

Sinbad

Siren

Skipper

Smithy

Spinnaker

Surfer

Tempest

Titanic

Turbulence

Treasure

Trident