Finding the right name for a mermaid isn't as simple as picking something that sounds "wet" or "salty." Honestly, when you look at names from The Little Mermaid, you're actually looking at a massive collision of 19th-century Danish literature, 1980s Broadway sensibilities, and a whole lot of Greek mythology. It's kind of a mess. But a cool one.
Most of us grew up with Ariel. She’s the blueprint. But if you go back to Hans Christian Andersen’s original 1837 fairy tale, the protagonist doesn't even have a name. She’s just "the little mermaid." No name at all. Imagine being one of the most famous literary figures in history and your ID card just says your species. Boring, right? Disney changed that in 1989, and ever since, the naming conventions for this franchise have become a goldmine for trivia nerds and expectant parents looking for something "oceanic" but not too "SpongeBob."
Why Ariel Wasn't Always Ariel
When Disney was developing the 1989 film, they needed to give the voiceless lead a personality that jumped off the screen. Names from The Little Mermaid had to feel light. Breezy. Ariel is actually a name with Hebrew origins meaning "Lion of God," which is pretty intense for a teenager who collects forks.
Interestingly, the name Ariel was historically masculine. Think of the sprite in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. By choosing it for a red-headed mermaid, Disney effectively flipped the gender association for an entire generation. Now, if you name your kid Ariel, people don't think of a Shakespearean air spirit; they think of "Part of Your World."
The Sisters and the "A" Rule
In the 1989 classic, Ariel has six sisters. The writers decided to go with a strict "A" naming convention, which makes Triton’s household sound a bit like a sorority house. You have Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella, and Alana.
It's a bit of a linguistic nightmare to keep track of them.
- Attina is the eldest, often seen wearing a crown similar to Triton’s.
- Alana is the one with the black hair and the violet scales.
- Adella is characterized in some of the spin-off media as being boy-crazy.
- Aquata is often the "responsible" or "tough" one.
But here’s the kicker: in the 2023 live-action remake, Disney threw the "A" rule out the window. They renamed the sisters entirely to represent the Seven Seas. Now we have Perla, Indira, Caspia, Mala, Tamika, and Karina. This change actually makes more sense from a world-building perspective. If Triton is the King of the Ocean, his daughters should probably represent different geographic regions, not just different letters of the alphabet. Caspia, for instance, is a clear nod to the Caspian Sea. It feels more "global."
The Heavy Hitters: Triton and Ursula
You can't talk about names from The Little Mermaid without hitting the big two. King Triton’s name is a direct lift from Greek mythology. In the ancient texts, Triton was the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. He was the herald of the sea. Usually, he’s depicted as a merman blowing a conch shell to calm or raise the waves.
📖 Related: Alfonso Cuarón: Why the Harry Potter 3 Director Changed the Wizarding World Forever
He's a god. Literally.
Then there’s Ursula. The name is Latin for "little bear." It’s a bit of an odd choice for a cecaelia (the technical term for a half-woman, half-octopus), but it fits her personality. Bears are fierce, protective, and dangerous. Ursula isn't just a witch; she’s a force of nature. In the original Hans Christian Andersen story, she was just "The Sea Witch." She didn't even live in a cool skeleton cave; she lived in a house built of the bones of shipwrecked people, surrounded by polyps. Disney gave her a name and a drag-queen-inspired aesthetic (shout out to Divine), and a legend was born.
Sebastian: The Name That Almost Wasn't
Did you know Sebastian’s full name is Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian?
That is a lot of name for a crab.
The name "Sebastian" itself feels very formal, which contrasts perfectly with his high-strung, nervous energy. In the early drafts of the script, he was supposed to be an English-accented crab named Clarence. Imagine that. "Under the Sea" sung with a stiff upper lip? It wouldn't have worked. By making him Jamaican and giving him a multi-syllabic, prestigious-sounding name, the filmmakers created a character that felt both authoritative and hilarious.
The Human Side of the Shore
Prince Eric is... well, he’s Eric. It’s a very safe, very 1980s heartthrob name. It comes from Old Norse Eiríkr, meaning "sole ruler" or "ever powerful." It’s a kingly name, sure, but it’s also very grounded. It tethers the story to the land.
Then you have Grimsby.
He’s the prince’s confidant and valet. The name Grimsby is actually a real town in Lincolnshire, England. It’s a fishing port. There’s something subtly brilliant about naming the land-dwelling advisor after a place famous for catching fish. It’s a "blink and you’ll miss it" kind of joke that the writers snuck in there.
👉 See also: Why the Cast of Hold Your Breath 2024 Makes This Dust Bowl Horror Actually Work
Scuttle and Flounder: Literalism at its Best
These aren't so much names as they are descriptions. Flounder is a bit of a misnomer, though. If you look at Flounder’s design, he’s a tropical fish—a yellow-and-blue-striped sergeant major or something similar. A real flounder is a flat, camouflage-colored fish that sits on the bottom of the ocean and looks a bit like a nightmare. Disney went with the name because it sounds cute and bumbling.
Scuttle, the seagull, is named after the way birds move. It’s on the nose. But it works because these characters are the comic relief. They don't need the mythological weight of a name like Triton.
The Hans Christian Andersen Origins
If you want to be a real expert on names from The Little Mermaid, you have to look at the 1837 text. As mentioned, the Mermaid is nameless. The Prince is also nameless. The Sea Witch is nameless.
Why?
Because Andersen was writing a moral allegory, not a character-driven romp. In his version, characters represented ideas. The Little Mermaid represented the yearning for an immortal soul. The Prince represented the unattainable world of the "above." It wasn't until these stories were adapted for the stage and screen that "naming" became a tool for marketing and character depth.
Regional Variations and Translation Quirks
Depending on where you are in the world, these names change. In some early translations, the mermaid was called Marina. This makes sense—Marina literally means "of the sea." In Japan, the 1975 anime version produced by Toei Animation named her Marina as well. If you grew up in the 70s, "Marina" might be the name you associate with the character, not Ariel.
Deep Cuts: Characters You Forgot
There are some names in the expanded universe—the TV shows, the books, the direct-to-video sequels—that are actually pretty clever.
✨ Don't miss: Is Steven Weber Leaving Chicago Med? What Really Happened With Dean Archer
- Morgana: Ursula's sister from The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. The name is a riff on Morgan le Fay, the powerful sorceress from Arthurian legend.
- Melody: Ariel’s daughter. It’s a literal name—her mother gave up her "voice," and her daughter is named after a musical arrangement. It’s sweet, if a bit cheesy.
- Tip and Dash: The penguin and walrus duo. Again, very literal, very "buddy comedy."
The Impact of Naming on Modern Pop Culture
The explosion of the name "Ariel" in the early 90s is a documented sociological phenomenon. According to Social Security Administration data, the name peaked in popularity shortly after the movie’s release. It’s a prime example of how names from The Little Mermaid shifted from being "fairy tale words" to "real-world identifiers."
But it's not just Ariel. We see "Luna" and "Isla" trending now, which carry that same soft, vowel-heavy, nature-focused energy that the Disney Renaissance popularized. People want names that feel like they belong in a storybook.
The Misconception of "Sebastian"
People often think Sebastian is a purely Caribbean name because of the character's accent. In reality, it’s a Greek name (Sebastianos) that became popular throughout Europe, particularly in Germany and France. The movie did such a good job of branding the crab that we’ve collectively re-contextualized the name's origin in our heads.
What to Do With This Info
If you’re a writer, a gamer naming a character, or just a massive Disney fan, understanding the "why" behind these names helps you appreciate the craft. The creators didn't just pull words out of a hat. They balanced Greek mythology, Latin roots, and phonetic "cuteness" to build a world that felt both ancient and accessible.
To truly dive deeper into this world, you should:
- Compare the 1989 and 2023 Credits: Look at the naming shifts for the sisters. It’s a masterclass in how "diversity and inclusion" changes naming conventions in modern storytelling.
- Research "Cecaelia": If you’re into the lore of Ursula, looking up the origins of the word cecaelia will give you a whole new perspective on sea-dwelling monsters.
- Read the 1837 Original: See how Andersen describes his characters without using names. It’s a hauntingly beautiful exercise in descriptive writing.
The names are the hook, but the history is what keeps the story afloat. Whether it’s the "Lion of God" or a "Little Bear" octopus, these identifiers are why we still care about these characters nearly 200 years after they were first conceived.