Stuck for pony name ideas? Look here! · 12:54pm Sep 27th, 2023

One of the things authors are always struggling with, it seems, is coming up with names for things, especially characters. In the world of pony, names don't really work the same way they do in our world. Aside from a few exceptions, most names use different nouns and adjectives. The possibilities are endless... which makes things harder in a way, because you don't really know where to turn.

Perhaps, one day, I'll make one of those MLP Name Generators with these ideas in mind, but for now, I'm putting suggestions for how to come up with name ideas in this blog post. Here's what I've come up with.

Descriptions of the sky and weather

Twilight Sparkle. Sunset Shimmer. Starlight Glimmer. Sunny Skies. Zipp Storm. Argyle Starshine. Luna. Rainbowshine. Moonlight Raven. The sky is the limit.

Fruit

The Apple Family. The Pear Family. Cherry Berry. Aunt and Uncle Orange. Rainbow horses are fruity.

Flowers

Roseluck. Wallflower Blush. Posey. Lily Valley. Flower Wishes. If there's a name for a flower, there's a name for your horse.

Plants in general

I have an OC named Oak Leaf. He's a Lunar Guard with a bit of a love for pushing boundaries and messing around - like the oak trees near where I live that keep throwing acorns at my head at this time of year. I swear there's a G2 pony named Ivy, as well. Go name your ponies after plants and fungi - although you might raise a few eyebrows if your rainbow horse is called Magic Mushroom.

Natural locations

I still can't believe I haven't seen a canon character or OC named Misty Mountains. It seems like an obvious choice. I've heard there's a Mountain Dew pony, but I'm pretty sure they're named after the drink, not after mountains or dew per se. Swirl of G4 is named after, well, the swirling pattern made by the movement of waves at sea. Use nature for inspiration.

Names of locations

Gaia Everfree was named after the Everfree Forest. There has to be a Sir Canterlot at some point in history...

Colours

I know this is cliche and used by every MLP name generator ever, but it works. Just think of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. What colour scheme have you used to design the character? Use that. On the MLP Fandom page, they come up with more complex and detailed colour names using this website. Mess around with that if you don't just want to call your horse "Green."

Idioms and puns

I'm pretty sure there's somepony called Noteworthy. Can't say she's a member of the main cast, but she's still important!

With Maretime Bay being so big and so many new ponies going there, Hitch could really do with a backup sheriff. I know! Somepony like... High Noon?

The Flim-Flam Brothers are a scam.

And I haven't even started on the horse puns.

Candles

I was once told to use Yankee Candles for inspiration for pony names, but to be honest, there's a bunch of other candle companies out there which use names for their different scented candles which are just as good for our pastel horses. I'm personally using Watercolour Skies as a name for a museum and art gallery curator, but do see which names you can come up with.

Food

Donut Joe. The Cake Family. Cinnamon Swirl. These ponies are named after baked goods, but you can probably come up with some pony names based on other food items. Oh, on the subject of puns... someone needs to write a story about a pony named Word Salad.

Personality Traits

You haven't really designed your pony's appearance, but you know what their personality traits are? Use those instead! In the show, we have the likes of Fluttershy and Iron Will. I have a Royal Guard OC whose name is Courage. Use what you know about your OC's personality.

Crystals

Amethyst Maresbury works in the giant library in the Crystal Empire. Thorax disguised himself as Crystal Hoof. There's also that unicorn named Amethyst Star, I believe. Oh, and Sapphire Shores. I don't like recommending this because there's a ton of name generators with crystal names, but if you go with some more obscure rocks, crystals and minerals like Selenite and Desert Rose, you can still make the name sound unique.

Human Names

Most ponies don't have human names, but some of them have human names mixed in with nouns and stuff. Donut Joe and Argyle Starshine are two notable examples. Find something that sounds nice.

Alliteration

A lot of pony names are made up of two words that start with the same letter. Double Diamond, Sunny Starscout, Sunny Skies etc. It makes the names sound quite nice, actually. I've got an OC named Love Letter who I've yet to introduce to the world. They're a colleague of the previously mentioned Watercolour Skies.

Shiny Things

Twilight Sparkle. Shining Armour. Starlight Glimmer. Sunset Shimmer. Ponies are like magpies: they collect shiny things.

Abstract Nouns

Love. Empathy. Passion. This one's similar to personality traits.

Backstory

Flurry Heart was named after all of the trouble she caused when she was only a few days old. Name your horse after something dramatic that happened when they were a foal, if any such event happened.

And finally...

Destiny

Cadance's backstory is a bit hard to decipher - all we really have to go on are some of the books, like Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell, which tells us she was adopted - but I don't think that the pony or ponies who named her expected her to become the Princess of Love (aka amore). If you're using an OC in a story and know how the story will end, name them after that.

Okay, that's everything I've come up with so far. Now, go use these ideas and name your horse!

~ Angel

Report Angel Midnight · 216 views · #this is completely random i know #but i wanted to share it with the world

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