Witch Familiar Names: Historical, Fairy Tale, & Nature Inspired
Whether you are naming a magical pet or familiar spirit, this is the ultimate list of witch familiar names. For centuries, witches have had familiars to aid in their magical workings. The traditional familiars came in fairy or human-form, or in animal form like the cat, toad, dog, bird, hare, ferret, rat, goat, sheep, horse, frog, butterfly, fly, wasp, and pig. But the Wiccan familiar comes in all shapes and sizes and can be physical or spiritual. This list will include traditional and historical witch familiar names, as well as mythical, fun, and nature names.
Traditional & Historical Witch Familiar Names
From the Pendle Witch Trials in England, there are witch familiar names and the accused witches’ names to choose from. According to the Discovery of Witches written by Thomas Potts in 1613, each of the Pendle witches had his or her own familiar spirit. Prince Rupert, Isobel Gowdie, and Besse Dunlop all had familiars, as well.
- Ball – Elizabeth Device’s familiar spirit, a brown dog
- Dandy – James Device’s familiar spirit often in the form of a brown dog
- Fancy – the familiar spirit of Anne Chattox
- Tibb (or Tibbs) – the familiar spirit of Elizabeth Demdike
- Bulcock – the last name of an accused witch
- Chattox – last name
- Device – last name
- Hewitt– last name
- Nutter – last name
- Redferne – last name
- Robey – last name
- Boye – Prince Rupert’s “magical dog” that rode into battle with him
- Tom Reid – accused Scottish witch Besse Dunlop’s familiar spirit
- Queen of Elphame – the fairy queen that aided Isobel Gowdie
- Devil – familiars were often called “devils” or were thought to be the devil himself
- Imp – another name for a familiar, fairy, or goblin of some kind
Fairy Tale Names
Name your Wiccan familiar after a beloved fairy tale creature. Many of the fairy tales talk of animals helping the protagonist, which in some scholars’ opinions echoes the concept of a witch familiar. You don’t have to limit your witch familiar names to animal names – there are hundreds of cute fairy tale names to choose from!
- Rumpelstiltskin – from the traditional fairy tale
- Puss In Boots – a cat from the fairy tale who shows up magically when needed (some scholars believe this reflects the concept of a familiar)
- Jiminy Cricket – Disney’s name for Pinocchio’s animal guide, the cricket
- Bill the Lizard – from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- Cheshire Cat – also from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- Bambi
- Grip – the bird’s name from a Swedish fairy tale called The Bird ‘Grip’
- Henny Penny
- Bluebeard
- Hansel and Gretel
- Seven Dwarves – sleepy, grumpy, doc, happy, sneezy, dopey, and bashful
- Hedwig – of Harry Potter fame
- Scabbers – HP fame
- Mrs. Norris – HP fame
Inspired by Gods and Goddesses’ Names
Next we move on to gods and goddesses names. Nearly any deity’s name serves as inspiration for a Witch’s familiar name. Choose your favorite god or goddess or the name that your familiar likes.
- Celtic Gods and Goddesses: Aine, Angus Og, Artio, Bel, Blodeuwedd, Bran, Branwen, Brighid, Cernunnos, Cerridwen, Cliodhna, Dagda, Danu, Epona, Eostre, Flidais, Lugh, Maeve, Manannan, Morrigan, Nemain, Ogma, Rhiannon, Sequana, Shannon, Taliesin, Teutatis
- Egyptian Gods and Goddesses: Amun, Anubis (great name for a dog), Bast (name for a cat), Hathor, Heket (for a frog familiar), Horus (bird familiar name), Mehit (cat familiar name), Set, Sobek (a great name for a lizard or reptile familiar), Tefnut (cat), and Thoth
- Norse Gods and Goddesses: Baldur, Freya, Frigg, Heimdall, Hel, Loki, Odin, Nerthus, Thor, Tyr, Skadi
- Roman and Greek Deity Names: Juno, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Aries, Mars, Neptune, Poseidon, Triton, Siren, Medea, Circe, Jason, Hecate, Diana, Artemis, Bacchus, Dionysus, Pan
Nature Names for the Wiccan Familiar
Anything in nature, such as trees, plants, animals, etc. serves as a great witch familiar name, including:
- Flower Names: Amaryllis, Anemone, Aster, Begonia, Bella Donna, Bellflower, Bluebell, Buttercup, Calla Lily, Cana Lily, Chrysanthemum, Clematis, Clover, Cosmo, Daffodil, Dahlia, Daisy, Daphne, Day Lily, Delphinium, Forsythia, Foxglove, Fuschia, Heather, Hellebore, Hollyhock, Honeysuckle, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, Jasmine, Kalmia, Lantana, Lavender, Lilac, Lily, Lupin, Mallow, Marigold, Mayflower, Mimosa, Moonflower, Morning Glory, Narcissus, Orchid, Passion Flower, Penta, Petunia, Phlox, Pointsettia, Poppy, Powder Puff, Queen of the Meadow, Rose, Silene, Snapdragon, Snowdrop, Snowflake, Sundrop, Sunflower, Sweetpea, Tiger Lily, Tulip, Ursinia, Verbena, Vinca, Viola, Violet, Waterlily, Windflower, Winter Berry, Wisteria, Yarrow, Yellowbell, Zenobia, Zinnia
- Tree Names: Alder, Apple, Ash, Aspen, Bay, Beech, Birch, Blackthorn, Camphor, Cinnamon, Cherry, Dogwood, Elder, Fig, Gorse, Hawthorn, Hazel, Holly, Honeylocust, Ivy, Maple, Mistletoe, Oak, Olive, Reed, Rowan, Spruce, Palm, Pine, Willow, Yew
- Landscape Names: Bog, Cliff, Creek, Desert, Field, Forest, Lake, Meadow, Moor, Mountain, River, Sea, Valley, Spring
- Animal names (seems redundant but naming a dog “Wolf” or “Bear” would be cool, right?): wolf, bear, hawk, panther, llama, sloth, lynx, raccoon, coyote, eagle, owl, fox, crow, raven, snake
Examples of Witch Familiar Names
Take your favorite deities and combine them with nature names. Or take two names from nature and put them together to create the perfect Wiccan familiar name. Here are some examples:
- Blackthorn River
- Willow Wisteria
- Elder Fox
- Maple Silene
- River Lily
- Desert Anubis
- Buttercup Briar
- Zinnia of the Meadow
- Branwen of the Valley
- Aspen Ibis
- Yellowbell Creek
- Ivy Moonflower
- Violet Reed
- Ash Meadow
- Oak Wolf
- Poppy Hare
- Black River Fox
22 Comments
Anonymous
March 14, 2021 at 12:45 amMy brown horse familiar is called storm, it is very fitting. His nickname tho is spot, because of a light spot (duh) on his nose.
Barbara
February 6, 2021 at 5:11 amMy new cat is white with an orange/black/grey calico patch across her forehead and down her nose, so I called her “Smudge”
BloodRayne
November 25, 2020 at 1:42 pmI have a gray and black tiger striped kitten and I’m not sure what to name her
ELLA
August 27, 2020 at 7:12 pmwhat would be a good name for a black hare
David Racioppi
May 31, 2020 at 12:58 amI like jinx for my new pure white kitten…boy or girl…I believe he/she is an authentic familiar from a wonderful white witch and great friend
Perri
April 13, 2020 at 4:17 amHow can I figure out what my spirit animal is?
Jade
April 5, 2020 at 12:20 amI was thinking about naming my familiar orion is that an ok name?
admin
April 5, 2020 at 4:54 pmof course!
Jess
May 30, 2020 at 9:03 amWr can choose a name for ourselves?
Aspix
April 1, 2021 at 4:04 amThe familiar must be able to choose from a list of names when you contract them into being a familiar, though finding proper information is a bit tricky when about 50% of the time people usually think a familiar is just a normal spiritual pet
Moon queen
March 27, 2020 at 9:56 amIs hazel riahnnon a good name for a raven familiar?
admin
March 29, 2020 at 1:29 pmSure! Why not?
terri
September 26, 2019 at 6:08 pmSkunky and Alsma -my furry kids (cat and dog) now waiting at the rainbow gate for me
Anonymous
August 9, 2019 at 5:08 amSnowdrop Wisteria
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Moon beam
February 13, 2019 at 6:14 amBlueBell lilly! 😏🐎
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Hide
August 16, 2018 at 8:58 pmFoxglove River.
admin
August 17, 2018 at 1:22 pmLove it!
katy Clarke
April 3, 2020 at 11:53 pmWhat name would you recommend for a grey dog
Sadie McCormick
June 17, 2020 at 12:26 amCanis Lupin
Anonymous
December 20, 2020 at 12:50 pmHi. I’m making a Lynx familiar OC at the moment, and I’m wondering what to call it. I still haven’t decided on the gender. 😑🤔
Hmmmmmm.