Spider Name Generator

Press for five spider names, each with a line on the kind of spider it suits.

Thread CountHigh.
Fuzzy SlippersSoft-footed and warm.
Eight KneesAt least.
Sheepskin RugLies flat and looks cozy.
Long JumpClears the gap between two leaves.

How it works

Press for five names for a spider, sorted by the spiders people keep or meet: a fuzzy tarantula, a jumping spider, an orb weaver and a house spider. Then thread, legs and eyes, old tales and gentle names.

Read the full guide

Names that fit the spider

Choose a kind of spider first. Jumping spiders build silken pup tents to sleep in, so Pup Tent fits one. Many orb weavers build a new web each day: Fresh Web. The name tarantula comes from the Italian town of Taranto, and Taranto is on the list.

Gentle names

One group is for a spider you are trying to like: Not So Bad, Good Neighbor, Truce, Peace Treaty and Second Chance.

Questions and answers

What is a good name for a pet spider?

A good spider name comes from the spider. Fuzzball and Velvet Paws suit a tarantula, Opera Glasses a jumping spider with its big front eyes, Lacemaker an orb weaver and Corner Office a house spider.

What are good fantasy spider names?

The group from myth and folklore has Arachne, the weaver of Ovid's Metamorphoses, Anansi, the spider of Akan folklore, and Jorōgumo, a spider creature of Japanese folklore. Each card says where the tale comes from.

What do you name a jumping spider?

Try Springboard, Long Jump, Parkour or Bounce House. Safety Line is a true one: a jumping spider uses its silk as a safety line while it jumps.

Are these the names of spiders from books and films?

Not on purpose. We wrote the names, cut any that stand in Wikipedia's list of fictional arthropods, and left out the spiders of well-known books, films and comics by hand.

All 171 spider names

For a fuzzy tarantula 25

Burrower Tarantulas that live on the ground are burrowers.
Carpet Sample A small square of something shaggy.
Chenille A soft, tufted cloth.
Eight Mittens One for each foot.
Fleece Lining Warm all the way through.
Furry Boots A pair for every pair of legs.
Fuzzball Round, soft and mostly fluff.
Fuzzy Peach Soft to look at.
Fuzzy Slippers Soft-footed and warm.
Goliath The goliath birdeater is the largest tarantula of all.
Kiwi Fruit Brown, round and hairy.
Lint Roller Picks up fluff wherever it goes.
Lycosa The first spider called a tarantula was Lycosa tarantula, a wolf spider of southern Europe.
Mohair A fuzzy knit.
Mop Head All strands.
Pinkfoot The pinkfoot goliath is a real kind of tarantula.
Setae The bristly hairs on a tarantula are called setae.
Sheepskin Rug Lies flat and looks cozy.
Taranto The name tarantula comes from the southern Italian town of Taranto.
Teddy Legs Each one as soft as a toy.
Theraphosa The genus of the goliath birdeater, the heaviest tarantula.
Tube Tent A tree-living tarantula makes its home in a silken tube tent.
Velvet Paws Eight of them.
Wool Socks Thick ones, for winter.
Woolly Jumper A knitted sweater with eight sleeves.

Show all 171 spider names (146 more)

For a jumping spider 22

Bounce House A party in a small body.
Dragline Just before it jumps, a jumping spider fixes a thread of silk, the dragline, to where it stands.
Front Pair A jumping spider has four pairs of eyes, and the front middle pair is very large.
Headlamps Two bright ones, front and center.
High Dive From the top of the curtain.
Hurdler Nothing in the way stays in the way.
Launch Pad Wherever it happens to be standing.
Long Jump Clears the gap between two leaves.
Opera Glasses Two big lenses at the front.
Parkour Wall to shelf to windowsill.
Peacock Male peacock spiders, a kind of jumping spider, have colored or iridescent hairs.
Pole Vault Over the top with room to spare.
Pup Tent Jumping spiders build silken pup tents, where they shelter and sleep at night.
Safety Line A jumping spider uses its silk as a safety line while it jumps.
Salticid Jumping spiders are the family Salticidae, the largest family of spiders.
Seven Thousand There are around 7,000 described species of jumping spider.
Sharp Eyes Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among arthropods.
Springboard Leaves the ground with a bounce.
Standing Jump No run-up needed.
Stuntman Does all its own jumps.
Triple Jump A hop, a step and a jump.
Tumbler Lands on all eight feet.

For an orb weaver in its web 21

Araneid Orb weavers are the spider family Araneidae.
Bicycle Wheel Thin spokes, perfectly spaced.
Center Stage Sits in the middle of everything.
Clock Face Twelve lines and a center.
Compass Rose Points in every direction.
Concentric Ring inside ring inside ring.
Daisy Wheel Petals out from the center.
Dartboard Rings and lines, with a center to aim at.
Dew Catcher The web shows best on a wet morning.
Doily A lace circle, hung outdoors.
Fresh Web Many orb weavers build a new web each day.
Garden Gatekeeper Strung between the two posts.
Lace Curtain Hangs in the garden and lets the light through.
Lacemaker Fine work, done overnight.
Morning Web Finished before breakfast.
Radial The straight threads that run out from the center of an orb web are its radials.
Rose Window A round window of fine tracery.
Stabilimentum The crisscross band of silk through the center of some orb webs.
String of Pearls What the dew makes of a thread.
Turntable Round and round to the middle.
Wheel Web Orb weavers build spiral, wheel-shaped webs in gardens, fields and forests.

For a house spider in the corner 18

Baseboard Down low, where nobody looks.
Caretaker Keeps an eye on the place at night.
Ceiling Rose The plaster circle round the light.
Cobweb The common house spider is one of the cobweb spiders.
Corner Office The best seat in the room.
Cosmopolitan The common house spider lives all over the world; scientists call that a cosmopolitan distribution.
Doorframe Top left, every year.
Eaves Just under the edge of the roof.
Fly Patrol Earns its keep.
Houseguest Arrived in autumn and stayed.
Housemate Shares the bathroom.
Light Fixture Lives in the hallway one.
Lodger Came with the house.
Mail Slot Greets the post.
Quiet Corner Wants nothing but that.
Rent-Free The arrangement suits everyone.
Top Corner Where the wall meets the ceiling.
Under the Stairs Dark, quiet and its own.

Names from thread and weaving 23

Backstitch One step back for every two forward.
Cat's Cradle A string figure made between two hands.
Distaff The stick that holds the wool for spinning.
Embroidery Hoop A round frame for needlework.
Haberdasher A dealer in thread and buttons.
Heddle The part of a loom that lifts the threads.
Lacework Fine, open and made of thread.
Loom Where the weaving happens.
Milliner Makes hats by hand.
Purl The other knitting stitch.
Reef Knot Left over right, right over left.
Selvage The finished edge of woven cloth.
Shuttle Carries the thread across the loom.
Silk Road A long trail of thread.
Skein A loose coil of yarn.
Spinneret A spider's silk comes out of organs called spinnerets.
Spinning Wheel Turns wool into thread.
Sticky Silk A spider makes different silks for different jobs, with a sticky one for the web.
Tatting Lace made of small knots.
Thread Count High.
Treadle The pedal that drives the wheel.
Warp The threads that run the length of the cloth.
Weft The threads that cross them.

Names from legs and eyes 24

All Elbows Every leg bends somewhere.
Araneae Araneae is the order all spiders belong to.
Bead Eyes Small, dark and shiny.
Eight Boots Lined up by the door.
Eight Knees At least.
Eighth Leg The one that brings up the rear.
Four Pairs Most spiders have four pairs of eyes.
Knees Up Legs held high.
Long Shanks All leg.
Many Eyes Sees most of the room at once.
Octave Eight notes, eight legs.
Octet A group of eight.
Pedicel The pedicel is the small waist that joins the two parts of a spider's body.
Pedipalp The pedipalps are the short limbs by a spider's mouth; it grinds its food with their bases.
Prosoma Prosoma is another name for a spider's cephalothorax.
Quickstep A fast dance across the floor.
Row of Buttons What the eyes look like up close.
Sidestep Goes sideways as easily as forward.
Skitter The way it crosses a wall.
Spindleshanks An old word for someone with long thin legs.
Stilts Long legs under a small body.
Tap Dancer Eight shoes, all in time.
Tap Shoes You can almost hear them.
Tiptoe Eight Crosses the ceiling without a sound.

Spiders of myth and folklore 11

Ananse Another spelling of Anansi, the spider of Akan folklore.
Anansi Anansi, whose name means spider, is the spider of Akan folklore, known for stories and wit.
Arachne In Ovid's Metamorphoses, the mortal weaver who challenged a goddess to a weaving contest.
Areop-Enap In the myths of Nauru, Areop-Enap played a major part in the creation of the world.
The Bruce A legend says a spider gave heart to King Robert the Bruce of Scotland.
Jorōgumo A jorōgumo is a spider creature of Japanese folklore.
Kwaku Ananse A fuller form of the name of Anansi, the spider of Akan folklore.
Minerva The goddess Arachne challenged to a weaving contest, in Ovid's telling.
Muffet From Little Miss Muffet, the Mother Goose rhyme with a spider in it.
Neith A goddess of ancient Egypt, linked with the spider as a spinner and weaver of destiny.
Uttu Uttu was a Mesopotamian goddess associated with weaving.

Gentle names, for a spider you are trying to like 27

Acquaintance Not friends yet.
Baby Steps Closer each day.
Brave Face Yours, not the spider's.
Dearie Said kindly, from across the room.
Deep Breath Take one, then say hello.
Fair Enough A shrug of a name.
Fine by Me Getting there.
Gentle Soul Would not hurt a fly, except the flies.
Getting There Progress, measured in inches.
Good Neighbor Keeps to its side.
Harmless A reminder as much as a name.
Lambkin A soft name for something with eight legs.
Little One Small, when you think about it.
Live and Let Live The house rule.
Mister Polite Never comes closer than it has to.
Mostly Legs Which is all it is, really.
No Hard Feelings About last time.
Not So Bad Say it until it is true.
Okay Then The sound of someone coming round.
Peace Treaty Signed at the bathroom door.
Poppet A fond old word for someone small.
Roomie Short for roommate, and friendlier.
Second Chance Everyone deserves one.
Sir Harmless Knighted for staying on the wall.
Softie Tougher on flies than on you.
Tolerable High praise, to begin with.
Truce We both live here.

How this list was compiled: Own list of 171 names for a spider, made on 3 October 2026. Four groups are sorted by a kind of spider people keep or meet and named for its real look: the tarantula, the jumping spider, the orb weaver and the common house spider. Facts on those cards, and on the cards about silk, legs and eyes, are from English Wikipedia's articles Tarantula, Jumping spider, Orb-weaver spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum, Spider and Spider web; the spiders of myth and folklore are from its articles Arachne, Anansi, Jorōgumo, Tsuchigumo, Areop-Enap, Uttu and Cultural depictions of spiders (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_spiders, CC BY-SA 4.0). All were read on 3 October 2026. The other names and every line are ours. A name we wrote was left out when it stands on this site's lists of pet, dog, cat, horse, fish or teddy bear names or on another animal's name page, or appears in Wikipedia's List of fictional arthropods as read that day; the spiders of well-known books, films and comics were also left out by hand. 46 of the 171 names (27 in 100) also stand on another list of this site. Licence: The names we wrote and the line under every name are our own work. Meanings of real names and words draw on English Wiktionary, and facts about the animal and its folklore on English Wikipedia, both under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).