Goat Name Generator

Naming goats, one animal or a whole herd

Goats are herd animals, and a lone goat is an unhappy one, so most people who name a goat end up naming two, four or ten. That shifts the job. A single name only has to be good. A herd of names has to sound like a set, be short enough to shout across a pasture, and be different enough that you do not call for Pepper and get Pippin.

The tradition that works best is a theme. Herbs are the classic: Basil, Thyme and Sage make a herd that sounds like it lives in a kitchen garden. Coffee drinks are the second favorite, since Latte, Mocha and Espresso come in shades of brown and cream that match the coats. Goat cheeses fit the same idea for dairy goats. Greek mountains and Norse goats suit a herd that likes a big personality. Pick the theme first and the names show up fast.

Goats also get names shaped by behavior. They climb, escape, headbutt, chew everything and scream when the feed bucket comes out. Names like Houdini, Fence Jumper and Chompers say up front what you are dealing with, and they age well because the animal will spend years proving them right.

Boy and girl goat names, and kids

Female goats are does or nannies, males are bucks or billies, castrated males are wethers and the babies are kids. Wethers are the most common pet goats and tend to be gentle, so soft farm names like Gus, Otis and Walter suit them. Does are often named after flowers and spices, and bucks often get big, blunt names. In a mixed pasture keep the names clearly apart in sound, because goats never learn that a bucket rattles for someone else.

Breeders who register their goats often add a herd prefix in front of the given name, so a herd name that starts with the same word carries through every animal. If you plan to breed, choose a prefix you like first. It gives the whole herd a family name and makes the individual names easier.

Getting a goat name that sticks

• Pick a theme for the herd before the first goat arrives. Herbs, coffee, Greek mountains, pies and breakfast foods all work, and a theme makes later names easy.
• Keep the names distinct in the first sound. Goats respond to voice, but you will be the one confused when Poppy and Pepper both run to the gate.
• Name kids after their mother in some pattern, either with the same initial or a related word, so you can trace a family line in the pasture.
• Choose something shoutable. A name you say across a field in wind should be one or two syllables with a clear vowel.
• Save the funny names for wethers and pets, and the grand ones for breeding stock that will be registered or sold under a herd prefix.