List of Dinosaur Names
Looking for a list of names of dinosaurs, and what they mean?
Check out our alphabetical list of names, their meanings, and some other cool kids facts!
Click to jump straight to a list of dinosaurs, or read about how the names came about.
The name 'dinosaur' itself means 'terrible lizard'. The name was given to them by Richard Owen, a British Scientist. He studied animal fossils for several years, and belived that the bones came from a new group of animals - a group that at the time was unknown to science. He picked the word dinosaur by combining two Greek words - deinos (which means terrible), and sauros (which means lizard).
Many dinosaur fossils are still being discovered. They are normally named by the person who finds them, or by the paleontologist who confirms it is a new type. The name then has to be approved by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.
They are often named according to where they were found, or something unusual about them. Sometimes their name reflects the type of dinosaur they are thought to be. Check out the list below to see the meanings of some of the the most common dinosaur names.
List of dinosaur names
| Dinosaur Names | Meaning of Name | |
|---|---|---|
| A | ||
| Albertosaurus | Alberta Lizard | |
| Allosaurus | Different Lizard | |
| Ankylosaurus | Stiff Lizard | |
| Apatosaurus | Deceptive Lizard | |
| B | ||
| Baryonyx | Heavy Claw | |
| Brachiosaurus | Arm Lizard | |
| C | ||
| Camarasaurus | Chambered lizard | |
| Carnotaurus | Meat-eating bull | |
| Coelophysis | Hollow Form | |
| Compsognathus | Elegant Jaw | |
| Corythosaurus | Helmet lizard | |
| D | ||
| Deinonychus | Chambered lizard | |
| Diplodocus | Double-beam lizard | |
| E | ||
| Edmontosaurus | Lizard from Edmonton | |
| Euoplocephalus | Well-armoured head | |
| G | ||
| Gallimimus | Chicken-mimic | |
| Gigantosaurus | Giant Southern Lizard | |
| Giraffatitan | Giraffe Titan | |
| H | ||
| Hypsilophodon | High Ridge Tooth | |
| I | ||
| Iguanodon | Iguana tooth | |
| J | ||
| Janenschia | Named after Werner Janensch | |
| Jobaria | Jobar (a creature of Sahara legends) | |
| K | ||
| Kentrosaurus | Spiked lizard | |
| L | ||
| Lesothosaurus | Lizard from Lesotho | |
| M | ||
| Macrurosaurus | Long Tailed Lizard | |
| Maiasaura | Good Mother lizard | |
| Mamenchisaurus | Mamen Brook Lizard | |
| Megalosaurus | Great Lizard | |
| Minmi | From Minmi Crossing | |
| N | ||
| Notoceratops | Southern horned face | |
| O | ||
| Ornithomimus | Bird Mimic | |
| Oviraptor | Egg Thief | |
| P | ||
| Pachycephalosaurus | Thick headed lizard | |
| Parasaurolophus | Beside Saurolophus (another dinosaur) | |
| Plateosaurus | Flat reptile | |
| Protoceratops | First horned face | |
| Psittacosaurus | Parrot Lizard | |
| R | ||
| Riojasaurus | Lizard from Rioja | |
| S | ||
| Saurolophus | The ridged lizard | |
| Saurophaganax | Lizard eating master | |
| Seismosaurus | Earth shaking lizard | |
| Spinosaurus | Spine lizard | |
| Stegosaurus | Roofed lizard | |
| Stegoceras | Horned Roof | |
| Styracosaurus | Spiked lizard | |
| T | ||
| Triceratops | Three horned Face | |
| Troodon | Wounded tooth | |
| Tyrannosaurus | Tyrant lizard | |
| Tyrannotitan | Tyrant Titan | |
| V | ||
| Velociraptor | Quick plunderer | |
| W | ||
| Wannanosaurus | Wannano lizard | |
| X | ||
| Xiaosaurus | Dawn lizard | |
| Y | ||
| Yangchuanosaurus | Yangchuan lizard | |
| Z | ||
| Zigongosaurus | Zingong lizard | |
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