Richard Adams' Watership Down created an entire lapine language with names like Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig that balanced the familiar with the wild. Rabbit names in fiction span from the cozy domesticity of Beatrix Potter to the survival drama of Adams' warren.

About rabbit names

Rabbit naming in fiction exists on a spectrum from the cozy to the epic. Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit uses a simple human name, making the rabbit feel like a mischievous child. Richard Adams' Watership Down rabbits carry names from English nature (Hazel, Fiver/Hrairoo, Bigwig/Thlayli) that work in both human and lapine registers.

Adams created an entire Lapine language for Watership Down, giving rabbits both their English-language names and Lapine equivalents. This dual naming system (Bigwig's Lapine name is Thlayli) adds a layer of authenticity that positions rabbits as a people with their own language rather than animals with human labels.

Naming tips

Choose your register: domestic or wild

A cozy rabbit story suits human-style names (Peter, Flopsy, Benjamin). An adventure or survival story suits nature names (Hazel, Bramble, Clover). The naming register signals the story's tone.

Nature names work best for wild rabbits

Plants, trees, and natural features that rabbits would encounter (Hazel, Bramble, Fiver for the fifth-born, Blackberry) create names grounded in a rabbit's actual world.

Consider a constructed language

Adams' Lapine language (hrududu = motor car, Owsla = rabbit leadership) adds extraordinary depth. Even a few invented terms for rabbit-specific concepts enriches the naming beyond English translations.