Before you pick
One practical note. A bearded dragon is a commitment of 10 to 15 or more years, so choose a name you will still be comfortable saying out loud at the vet in a decade. That rules out a certain category of joke name, though we have included plenty of them anyway.
A second note, since it comes up constantly: dragons do not learn their names the way a dog does. They learn routines, they recognise familiar handling, and they respond to the sight of a food dish. Described as highly social with keepers, friendly, animated, curious, docile and gentle; docile and interactive when handled often. What that adds up to is covered honestly in the owner recognition guide.
Australian names
These have the strongest claim of any theme. P. vitticeps occurs from the eastern half of southern Australia to the southeastern Northern Territory; a band across the semi-arid interior of eastern Australia including western NSW, western Queensland and the Riverina.
The habitat itself: Wide range of arid to semi-arid habitats: deserts, dry forests, scrublands, low open woodland and low shrubland; semiarboreal.
Places and landscape: Uluru, Darwin, Perth, Alice, Cairns, Broome, Kakadu, Kimberley, Mallee, Nullarbor, Pilbara, Outback, Billabong, Coober, Katherine, Bendigo, Wagga, Kalgoorlie, Yarra, Barossa
Australian words and slang: Bruce, Sheila, Bluey, Digger, Bonza, Cobber, Matilda, Banjo, Jarrah, Kirra, Koa, Warrigal, Boomer, Chook, Ripper, Dingo
Mythology and dragons
Dragon names: Smaug, Draco, Puff, Falkor, Norbert, Toothless, Drogon, Viserion, Rhaegal, Saphira, Mushu, Spyro, Ember, Ryu, Fafnir, Wyvern, Ladon, Tiamat, Bahamut, Glaurung
Gods and legends: Apollo, Athena, Zeus, Hera, Loki, Thor, Freya, Odin, Atlas, Hermes, Iris, Nyx, Rhea, Cyrus, Osiris, Isis, Anubis, Ra, Sekhmet, Horus
Colour and morph names
These pair well with the morphs in our morphs section.
Warm and red: Rusty, Ember, Blaze, Cinnamon, Copper, Ginger, Paprika, Saffron, Sienna, Rooibos, Marigold, Amber, Sunny, Clementine, Apricot, Peaches
Yellow and gold: Goldie, Honey, Mango, Butterscotch, Maize, Custard, Nugget, Bumble, Lemon, Dune, Sandy, Biscuit
Pale and white morphs: Ghost, Casper, Pearl, Ivory, Frost, Blanco, Alabaster, Snow, Zero, Chalk, Milky, Vanilla
Dark and patterned: Shadow, Onyx, Slate, Charcoal, Pepper, Domino, Freckle, Speckle, Marble, Sable
Food names
Always popular and always a little ridiculous, which is the point.
Noodle, Waffles, Pancake, Pickle, Nacho, Taco, Mango, Kiwi, Pumpkin, Squash, Basil, Sage, Pesto, Biscuit, Muffin, Churro, Mochi, Dumpling, Gumbo, Toast, Bagel, Crumpet, Wasabi, Miso, Nugget, Meatball, Ravioli, Gnocchi, Bean, Olive, Peanut, Pretzel
Tough and imposing names
For a dragon whose beard display suggests it disagrees with being called Waffles. That display is real communication: The beard turns dark to jet black and inflates during displays; used in both threat/aggression and courtship. When threatened, the dragon faces the intruder with mouth wide open and beard puffed out; darkening also occurs with stress, fear or mating arousal.
Rex, Titan, Bruiser, Diesel, Tank, Rocky, Bane, Hunter, Ranger, Maverick, Blade, Storm, Thunder, Rebel, Bandit, Ranger, Chief, Duke, Bruno, Kaiser, Vader, Ripley, Nova, Jet
Names for females
Sexing takes patience: Sexing bearded dragons under three months of age is very challenging; sex differences become clear as animals mature.
Ruby, Willow, Luna, Ivy, Sable, Cleo, Nala, Freya, Zelda, Mabel, Olive, Juniper, Hazel, Poppy, Marigold, Delilah, Athena, Xena, Sunny, Coral, Amber, Pearl, Sage, Winnie, Roxy, Piper, Stella, Dora, Bindi, Matilda
Names for males
Males carry the more dramatic display behaviour: A fast head bob combined with an inflated, blackened beard signals male dominance (also used in mating displays); a slow bowing bob is used by adult females to signal submission to a male.
Drako, Rango, Gus, Otis, Finn, Milo, Ziggy, Ozzy, Rocco, Chico, Rusty, Wally, Bandit, Bruno, Dexter, Rufus, Norman, Frank, Wilbur, Gizmo, Barney, Kevin, Colin, Trevor, Keith, Gary, Derek, Nigel, Clive, Barry
Funny and unexpected names
A genuinely underrated category. There is something excellent about a lizard named Susan.
Susan, Kevin, Brian, Gerald, Doris, Mildred, Gary, Sharon, Barry, Nigel, Deborah, Cheryl, Trevor, Norman, Beryl, Terry, Karen, Malcolm, Janice, Roger, Sir Reginald, Lord Basil, Duchess, Professor, Doctor Scales, Mr Bean, Toe Beans, Sir Licks-a-lot, Chairman Meow, Lizard Person
Science and nature names
The species has genuinely interesting biology behind these: Lizards have a parietal 'third eye' atop the head with a primitive retina and photoreceptor cells; it detects changes in light and dark and helps regulate hormone production (circadian/thermoregulatory function)
Pogona, Vitticeps, Agama, Darwin, Attenborough, Curie, Sagan, Kepler, Orion, Cosmo, Nova, Vega, Lyra, Comet, Solar, Helio, Quartz, Basalt, Flint, Granite, Mesa, Canyon, Cactus, Yucca, Acacia, Spinifex, Saltbush
Pairs and bonded-name ideas
A caution before this section, because it matters more than a name. Bearded dragons are solitary: Not social - solitary animals; should be housed individually, and males must be kept separately (territorial)
The risk is documented plainly: House bearded dragons individually: RSPCA SA states they 'can inflict severe damage to each other, resulting in loss of limbs and even death' and that keeping multiple females together 'is not a safe practice and is best to avoid'; RSPCA UK: 'it's best to house bearded dragons separately'.
So these pairs are for people keeping two dragons in two separate enclosures, which is the only correct arrangement. See the cohabitation guide.
Salt and Pepper, Sun and Moon, Ash and Ember, Thelma and Louise, Bonnie and Clyde, Bert and Ernie, Fry and Leela, Han and Leia, Yin and Yang, Gin and Tonic, Bangers and Mash, Sonny and Cher
Names by size and personality
Adults reach 45 to 60 cm (about 18 to 24 inches), which makes some names funnier than others.
For a small dragon: Peanut, Pip, Bean, Nibbles, Tiny, Button, Dot, Sprout, Mini, Bitsy
Ironic names for a big dragon: Tiny, Peanut, Wee Man, Smalls, Mini, Nugget
For a calm dragon: Zen, Chill, Buddha, Mellow, Sleepy, Naps, Snooze, Loafer, Pancake
For a busy dragon: Zoom, Turbo, Dash, Scout, Rocket, Bolt, Nitro, Scamper
Naming a dragon you have not sexed yet
Worth knowing before you commit to a gendered name: Adult males have larger femoral pores on the underside of the thighs, larger heads, darker beards and slightly larger bodies than females; males are also more brightly colored.
And the timing: Sexing bearded dragons under three months of age is very challenging; sex differences become clear as animals mature.
There is also a genuine biological curiosity that makes the question less binary than it sounds: Incubation temperatures at or above 32 C can cause complete phenotypic feminisation (sex reversal) of genetically male (ZZ) embryos; P. vitticeps is one of only two reptile species known to show thermally triggered sex reversal in wild populations (Holleley et al. 2015, Nature)
Unisex names solve the problem entirely: Sunny, Ash, Sage, Scout, Pepper, Rusty, Ziggy, Bailey, Charlie, Casey, Riley, Alex, Jordan, Rowan, Wren, Juniper, Onyx, Echo, Indigo, Kit
The sexing guide covers how and when to tell.