Like no one ever was
I'm gonna see if I can explain the etymology behind the names of the first 151 Pokémon. This is all my doing, I'm not looking anything other than the Pokémon's names up here. So here we go!
1. Bulbasaur - From "bulb" (in the plant sense, not in the light sense) and "dinosaur".
2. Ivysaur - From "ivy" (a plant) and "dinosaur".
3. Venusaur - Venus from Venus flytrap, a plant that eats insects, and saur from dinosaur.
4. Charmander - Char meaning to scorch or burn, and mander from salamander, a type of lizard associated with fire in folklore.
5. Charmeleon - Char + chameleon.
6. Charizard - Char + lizard.
7. Squirtle - From "squirt" (to shoot liquids at high speed, referencing its status as a Water-type) and "turtle".
8. Wartortle - From "war", "tortoise" and "turtle".
9. Blastoise - From "blast" (referencing its water guns) and "tortoise".
10. Caterpie - Most likely from caterpillar - though it's spelled like "pie", it's not pronounced like that, and the Japanese name for the Pokémon is the same as the English, which means it was probably intended to be Caterpi.
11. Metapod - From "metamorphosis" (the process in which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly) and pod.
12. Butterfree - From butterfly and free (because it's now free from its cocoon, I guess).
13. Weedle - Most likely from weevil (a type of insect) and needle.
14. Kakuna - A play on cocoon.
15. Beedrill - Obviously bee + drill. I don't think this one really needs explaining.
16. Pidgey - Like a diminutive of pigeon.
17. Pidgeotto - As far as I can tell it seems to come from the Japanese pronunciation of Pidgeot, which is Pijotto. This Pokémon is just called "Pigeon" in Japanese.
18. Pidgeot - Just "pigeon" with a T instead of an N. Same in Japanese as in English, and Japanese media is fond of taking English words and tweaking them slightly to make names for things (such as in Dragon Ball Z).
19. Rattata - From "rat" and "rat-a-tat-tat", an onomatopoeia for knocking on a door.
20. Raticate - From "rat" and "eradicate", meaning to get rid of completely.
21. Spearow - Spear + sparrow.
22. Fearow - Fear + sparrow.
23. Ekans - Snake backwards.
24. Arbok - Cobra backwards with the C replaced by a K.
25. Pikachu - From the Japanese "pikapika" meaning "sparkling" and "chuchu" which is the onomatopoeia of a mouse squeaking.
26. Raichu - From "rai" meaning "thunder" in Japanese and "chuchu".
27. Sandshrew - Sand + shrew, simple as that.
28. Sandslash - Another simple portmanteau.
29. Nidoran♀ - No idea. Most likely a Japanese word or combination of Japanese words, since the Japanese name for this Pokémon is the same as the English one. In Japanese, the female is called Nidoran Mesu and the male is called Nidoran Osu. As far as I can tell, Mesu and Osu are the Japanese names for the female and male symbols respectively.
30. Nidorina - From "Nidoran" and "-ina", a feminine word ending in many languages (such as Italian).
31. Nidoqueen - Nidoran and queen, obviously enough.
32. Nidoran♂ - See Nidoran♀.
33. Nidorino - Same as Nidorina only gender-flipped. "-ino" is a masculine suffix in some languages.
34. Nidoking - Again, like Nidoqueen only male instead of female.
35. Clefairy - From "clef" (the symbol at the start of a sheet of music) and "fairy".
36. Clefable - From clef and fable, meaning a story or tale. (Like a fairy tale, get it?)
37. Vulpix - Probably from "vulpine", meaning "fox-like", and the x comes from the word "fox".
38. Ninetales - From Ninetails, a nine-tailed fox from Japanese mythology, and "tales", referring to the tales told about said mythical creature.
39. Jigglypuff - Jiggly is what it is, puff because it puffs itself up when threatened.
40. Wigglytuff - Wiggly is what it is, tuff is either a misspelling of "tough" or a reference to the tuft of hair on its head.
41. Zubat - Perhaps from "zoom" and "bat"? I'm not sure about this one. It's the same in Japanese as in English, so "zu" might be from a Japanese word.
42. Golbat - Maybe from "gold" and "bat", though the Pokémon itself isn't gold.
43. Oddish - From "odd" and "radish".
44. Gloom - Umm... probably a pun on "bloom", like a flower, and "gloom" as in "doom and gloom".
45. Vileplume - Basically "vile" and "plume". Not much more needs to be said, really.
46. Paras - Probably from parasite, considering the mushrooms on its back.
47. Parasect - From parasite and insect.
48. Venonat - Venom + gnat.
49. Venomoth - Venom + moth. These are getting too easy now.
50. Diglett - Probably a diminutive of "digger" or "dig" - "-let(t)" is a diminutive suffix in English, e.g. piglet is a diminutive of pig. Maybe it comes from dig and piglet? It doesn't look much like a pig, though...
51. Dugtrio - Dug is the past tense of dig, and trio because there's three of them.
52. Meowth - From "meow", the sound a cat makes, and "mouth".
53. Persian - Named after the breed of cat of the same name.
54. Psyduck - Psychic (or possibly psycho) and duck.
55. Golduck - Probably from gold and duck, though like Golbat, the Pokémon itself isn't actually gold.
56. Mankey - Just "monkey" with the o replaced by an a. Possibly also a play on the word "manky", meaning dirty or disgusting.
57. Primeape - From "primate", "ape" and possibly also "prime" meaning "the best" or "leader".
58. Growlithe - From growl, the sound some animals (such as dogs) make when threatening others, and lithe, meaning supple. Which means it's not pronounced "growl-ith", despite what the English dub of the anime seems to think.
59. Arcanine - From arcane, meaning mystical, and canine, meaning dog-like.
60. Poliwag - Not sure... my best guess is that the pol comes from tadpole, and the wag from wagging, like dogs do with their tails when they're happy. Or it may be a reference to how tadpoles swim by moving their tails.
61. Poliwhirl - From tadpole and whirlpool.
62. Poliwrath - Tadpole and wrath, fairly obvious.
63. Abra - Means nothing on its own, but see below.
64. Kadabra - Combine it with the previous one and you get "Abracadabra", a stereotypical magical incantation.
65. Alakazam - Another stereotypical magical incantation, which is often paired with the previous one.
66. Machop - From macho and chop, as in a karate chop.
67. Machoke - Macho and choke, probably a reference to the wrestling move known as a chokehold.
68. Machamp - Macho and champion.
69. Bellsprout - Bell and sprout, obviously. These portmanteaus are getting tedious.
70. Weepinbell - From weeping as in weeping willow and bell.
71. Victreebel - From victory, tree and bell. Is only spelt with one L, despite often being misspelled "Victreebell".
72. Tentacool - From tentacle and cool. Come on, guys, you're not giving me any challenge here.
73. Tentacruel - Tentacle and cruel, duh.
74. Geodude - Geo is a prefix related to rocks in English (such as geology, the study of rocks) and dude is a slang term for a male.
75. Graveler - One who makes gravel. Probably referring to its big hard body being able to crush small stones into gravel.
76. Golem - A mythical creature, traditionally made of rock or clay.
77. Ponyta - Probably just "pony" with an extra syllable added, given that it's the same in Japanese as it is in English. They probably just did the DBZ thing with "pony" and made a name.
78. Rapidash - Rapid and dash. Probably nothing to do with Rainbow Dash.
79. Slowpoke - A slang term for a slow person.
80. Slowbro - From slow and brother. Also "bro" is a slang term for a straight male who shares a close friendship with another straight male, most likely referencing the relationship between it and the Shellder on its tail.
81. Magnemite - From "magnet" and "mite".
82. Magneton - Possibly from "magnet" and "Newton", a unit of force (such as magnetism).
83. Farfetch'd - "Far-fetched" means outlandish or difficult to believe. This Pokémon comes from a Japanese saying that literally translates as "A duck comes along carrying a leek", an idiom which means a happy coincidence (since duck with leek is a popular meal in Japan). This could be said to be a "far-fetched" situation, hence the name.
84. Doduo - From "dodo", an extinct flightless bird, and "duo", referring to its two heads.
85. Dodrio - Again, from "dodo" and "trio", in reference to its three heads.
86. Seel - A deliberate misspelling of seal, as in the aquatic mammal.
87. Dewgong - From dugong, a marine mammal related to the manatee.
88. Grimer - Probably a made-up word meaning something that makes things grimy.
89. Muk - Pretty much muck without the C.
90. Shellder - Probably from "shell" and "oyster".
91. Cloyster - From cloister, meaning to withdraw (a reference to the Pokémon hiding in its impenetrable shell when threatened) and "oyster".
92. Gastly - From "gas" and "ghastly".
93. Haunter - Something that haunts things. Possibly a reference to its Japanese name being "Ghost".
94. Gengar - This I have no idea. Probably another Japanese etymology.
95. Onix - From onyx, a precious stone.
96. Drowzee - From drowsy, meaning sleepy.
97. Hypno - Obviously from hypnosis. Since its Japanese name is Sleeper, it may also be a reference to Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep.
98. Krabby - From crab (the animal) and crabby, meaning cranky or bad-tempered, as crabs (and Krabby) are known to be.
99. Kingler - Probably from king as in king crab. I'm not sure what if anything the "-ler" means.
100. Voltorb - Volt and orb.
101. Electrode - Well... electrode.
102. Exeggcute - From "egg" and "execute".
103. Exeggutor - From "egg" and "executor".
104. Cubone - Most likely from "cute" and "bone".
105. Marowak - From "marrow" as in "bone marrow" and "whack".
106. Hitmonlee - From "hit", "mon" as in "monster" (or "Pokémon"), and Bruce Lee.
107. Hitmonchan - As above, replace Bruce Lee with Jackie Chan.
108. Lickitung - From "lick" and "tongue".
109. Koffing - Coughing.
110. Weezing - Wheezing.
111. Rhyhorn - Rhino + horn.
112. Rhydon - Rhino + don, possibly from Don as in a Mafia leader, or "don" being the Japanese onomatopoeia for "bang". Or something else entirely, I'm not sure.
113. Chansey - From "chance".
114. Tangela - From tangle, referring to it being a tangled mass of vines.
115. Kangaskhan - From kangaroo and Genghis Khan.
116. Horsea - From horse and sea, and also "seahorse" reversed.
117. Seadra - Possibly from seahorse and dragon - in Japanese mythology, seahorses are said to become dragons.
118. Goldeen - From goldfish and queen.
119. Seaking - Sea + king.
120. Staryu - Star + you.
121. Starmie - Star + me.
122. Mr. Mime - Pretty obvious. Despite its name, it can be either male or female.
123. Scyther - One who scythes things (Dusk: But no one does it better than me.) Probably a reference to its large, scythe-like appendages.
124. Jynx - Jinx, meaning a curse.
125. Electabuzz - Electric(ity) and buzz.
126. Magmar - Magma with an R on the end.
127. Pinsir - Pincer.
128. Tauros - From Taurus, the bull constellation in the Zodiac.
129. Magikarp - Magic and carp, a type of fish.
130. Gyarados - I have no idea.
131. Lapras - Umm... I got nothing, sorry.
132. Ditto - A slang term meaning "the same", referencing its ability to copy other Pokémon's appearances.
133. Eevee - Possibly from "EV", the first two letters of the word "evolution".
134. Vaporeon - From vapour (as in water vapour) and "eon" could be short for EvolutiON.
135. Jolteon - From jolt (as in to shock something) and eon.
136. Flareon - Flare and eon.
137. Porygon - Polygon.
138. Omanyte - From ammonite, a prehistoric creature that it resembles.
139. Omastar - Possibly from ammonite and star or starfish.
140. Kabuto - The Japanese name for the rhinoceros beetle.
141. Kabutops - Kabuto + tops, meaning the best at something, possibly.
142. Aerodactyl - From aero and pterodactyl.
143. Snorlax - Possibly "snore" and "relax". It could also be snore and lax, as in lazy.
144. Articuno - From arctic and uno, Spanish for one.
145. Zapdos - From zap and dos, Spanish for two.
146. Moltres - From molten (as in something that has melted, i.e. molten rock) and tres, Spanish for three.
147. Dratini - Dragon and... martini? I don't know.
148. Dragonair - Dragon + air.
149. Dragonite - Actually a reference to another Game Freak game, EarthBound, which featured a "Bag of Dragonite", a usable item that turned whoever it was used on into a dragon for one turn in battle.
150. Mewtwo - Mew and two, being that it was a clone of Mew (or that Mew gave birth to it, depending on which origin story you read).
151. Mew - Like the sound a kitten makes.
1. Bulbasaur - From "bulb" (in the plant sense, not in the light sense) and "dinosaur".
2. Ivysaur - From "ivy" (a plant) and "dinosaur".
3. Venusaur - Venus from Venus flytrap, a plant that eats insects, and saur from dinosaur.
4. Charmander - Char meaning to scorch or burn, and mander from salamander, a type of lizard associated with fire in folklore.
5. Charmeleon - Char + chameleon.
6. Charizard - Char + lizard.
7. Squirtle - From "squirt" (to shoot liquids at high speed, referencing its status as a Water-type) and "turtle".
8. Wartortle - From "war", "tortoise" and "turtle".
9. Blastoise - From "blast" (referencing its water guns) and "tortoise".
10. Caterpie - Most likely from caterpillar - though it's spelled like "pie", it's not pronounced like that, and the Japanese name for the Pokémon is the same as the English, which means it was probably intended to be Caterpi.
11. Metapod - From "metamorphosis" (the process in which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly) and pod.
12. Butterfree - From butterfly and free (because it's now free from its cocoon, I guess).
13. Weedle - Most likely from weevil (a type of insect) and needle.
14. Kakuna - A play on cocoon.
15. Beedrill - Obviously bee + drill. I don't think this one really needs explaining.
16. Pidgey - Like a diminutive of pigeon.
17. Pidgeotto - As far as I can tell it seems to come from the Japanese pronunciation of Pidgeot, which is Pijotto. This Pokémon is just called "Pigeon" in Japanese.
18. Pidgeot - Just "pigeon" with a T instead of an N. Same in Japanese as in English, and Japanese media is fond of taking English words and tweaking them slightly to make names for things (such as in Dragon Ball Z).
19. Rattata - From "rat" and "rat-a-tat-tat", an onomatopoeia for knocking on a door.
20. Raticate - From "rat" and "eradicate", meaning to get rid of completely.
21. Spearow - Spear + sparrow.
22. Fearow - Fear + sparrow.
23. Ekans - Snake backwards.
24. Arbok - Cobra backwards with the C replaced by a K.
25. Pikachu - From the Japanese "pikapika" meaning "sparkling" and "chuchu" which is the onomatopoeia of a mouse squeaking.
26. Raichu - From "rai" meaning "thunder" in Japanese and "chuchu".
27. Sandshrew - Sand + shrew, simple as that.
28. Sandslash - Another simple portmanteau.
29. Nidoran♀ - No idea. Most likely a Japanese word or combination of Japanese words, since the Japanese name for this Pokémon is the same as the English one. In Japanese, the female is called Nidoran Mesu and the male is called Nidoran Osu. As far as I can tell, Mesu and Osu are the Japanese names for the female and male symbols respectively.
30. Nidorina - From "Nidoran" and "-ina", a feminine word ending in many languages (such as Italian).
31. Nidoqueen - Nidoran and queen, obviously enough.
32. Nidoran♂ - See Nidoran♀.
33. Nidorino - Same as Nidorina only gender-flipped. "-ino" is a masculine suffix in some languages.
34. Nidoking - Again, like Nidoqueen only male instead of female.
35. Clefairy - From "clef" (the symbol at the start of a sheet of music) and "fairy".
36. Clefable - From clef and fable, meaning a story or tale. (Like a fairy tale, get it?)
37. Vulpix - Probably from "vulpine", meaning "fox-like", and the x comes from the word "fox".
38. Ninetales - From Ninetails, a nine-tailed fox from Japanese mythology, and "tales", referring to the tales told about said mythical creature.
39. Jigglypuff - Jiggly is what it is, puff because it puffs itself up when threatened.
40. Wigglytuff - Wiggly is what it is, tuff is either a misspelling of "tough" or a reference to the tuft of hair on its head.
41. Zubat - Perhaps from "zoom" and "bat"? I'm not sure about this one. It's the same in Japanese as in English, so "zu" might be from a Japanese word.
42. Golbat - Maybe from "gold" and "bat", though the Pokémon itself isn't gold.
43. Oddish - From "odd" and "radish".
44. Gloom - Umm... probably a pun on "bloom", like a flower, and "gloom" as in "doom and gloom".
45. Vileplume - Basically "vile" and "plume". Not much more needs to be said, really.
46. Paras - Probably from parasite, considering the mushrooms on its back.
47. Parasect - From parasite and insect.
48. Venonat - Venom + gnat.
49. Venomoth - Venom + moth. These are getting too easy now.
50. Diglett - Probably a diminutive of "digger" or "dig" - "-let(t)" is a diminutive suffix in English, e.g. piglet is a diminutive of pig. Maybe it comes from dig and piglet? It doesn't look much like a pig, though...
51. Dugtrio - Dug is the past tense of dig, and trio because there's three of them.
52. Meowth - From "meow", the sound a cat makes, and "mouth".
53. Persian - Named after the breed of cat of the same name.
54. Psyduck - Psychic (or possibly psycho) and duck.
55. Golduck - Probably from gold and duck, though like Golbat, the Pokémon itself isn't actually gold.
56. Mankey - Just "monkey" with the o replaced by an a. Possibly also a play on the word "manky", meaning dirty or disgusting.
57. Primeape - From "primate", "ape" and possibly also "prime" meaning "the best" or "leader".
58. Growlithe - From growl, the sound some animals (such as dogs) make when threatening others, and lithe, meaning supple. Which means it's not pronounced "growl-ith", despite what the English dub of the anime seems to think.
59. Arcanine - From arcane, meaning mystical, and canine, meaning dog-like.
60. Poliwag - Not sure... my best guess is that the pol comes from tadpole, and the wag from wagging, like dogs do with their tails when they're happy. Or it may be a reference to how tadpoles swim by moving their tails.
61. Poliwhirl - From tadpole and whirlpool.
62. Poliwrath - Tadpole and wrath, fairly obvious.
63. Abra - Means nothing on its own, but see below.
64. Kadabra - Combine it with the previous one and you get "Abracadabra", a stereotypical magical incantation.
65. Alakazam - Another stereotypical magical incantation, which is often paired with the previous one.
66. Machop - From macho and chop, as in a karate chop.
67. Machoke - Macho and choke, probably a reference to the wrestling move known as a chokehold.
68. Machamp - Macho and champion.
69. Bellsprout - Bell and sprout, obviously. These portmanteaus are getting tedious.
70. Weepinbell - From weeping as in weeping willow and bell.
71. Victreebel - From victory, tree and bell. Is only spelt with one L, despite often being misspelled "Victreebell".
72. Tentacool - From tentacle and cool. Come on, guys, you're not giving me any challenge here.
73. Tentacruel - Tentacle and cruel, duh.
74. Geodude - Geo is a prefix related to rocks in English (such as geology, the study of rocks) and dude is a slang term for a male.
75. Graveler - One who makes gravel. Probably referring to its big hard body being able to crush small stones into gravel.
76. Golem - A mythical creature, traditionally made of rock or clay.
77. Ponyta - Probably just "pony" with an extra syllable added, given that it's the same in Japanese as it is in English. They probably just did the DBZ thing with "pony" and made a name.
78. Rapidash - Rapid and dash. Probably nothing to do with Rainbow Dash.
79. Slowpoke - A slang term for a slow person.
80. Slowbro - From slow and brother. Also "bro" is a slang term for a straight male who shares a close friendship with another straight male, most likely referencing the relationship between it and the Shellder on its tail.
81. Magnemite - From "magnet" and "mite".
82. Magneton - Possibly from "magnet" and "Newton", a unit of force (such as magnetism).
83. Farfetch'd - "Far-fetched" means outlandish or difficult to believe. This Pokémon comes from a Japanese saying that literally translates as "A duck comes along carrying a leek", an idiom which means a happy coincidence (since duck with leek is a popular meal in Japan). This could be said to be a "far-fetched" situation, hence the name.
84. Doduo - From "dodo", an extinct flightless bird, and "duo", referring to its two heads.
85. Dodrio - Again, from "dodo" and "trio", in reference to its three heads.
86. Seel - A deliberate misspelling of seal, as in the aquatic mammal.
87. Dewgong - From dugong, a marine mammal related to the manatee.
88. Grimer - Probably a made-up word meaning something that makes things grimy.
89. Muk - Pretty much muck without the C.
90. Shellder - Probably from "shell" and "oyster".
91. Cloyster - From cloister, meaning to withdraw (a reference to the Pokémon hiding in its impenetrable shell when threatened) and "oyster".
92. Gastly - From "gas" and "ghastly".
93. Haunter - Something that haunts things. Possibly a reference to its Japanese name being "Ghost".
94. Gengar - This I have no idea. Probably another Japanese etymology.
95. Onix - From onyx, a precious stone.
96. Drowzee - From drowsy, meaning sleepy.
97. Hypno - Obviously from hypnosis. Since its Japanese name is Sleeper, it may also be a reference to Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep.
98. Krabby - From crab (the animal) and crabby, meaning cranky or bad-tempered, as crabs (and Krabby) are known to be.
99. Kingler - Probably from king as in king crab. I'm not sure what if anything the "-ler" means.
100. Voltorb - Volt and orb.
101. Electrode - Well... electrode.
102. Exeggcute - From "egg" and "execute".
103. Exeggutor - From "egg" and "executor".
104. Cubone - Most likely from "cute" and "bone".
105. Marowak - From "marrow" as in "bone marrow" and "whack".
106. Hitmonlee - From "hit", "mon" as in "monster" (or "Pokémon"), and Bruce Lee.
107. Hitmonchan - As above, replace Bruce Lee with Jackie Chan.
108. Lickitung - From "lick" and "tongue".
109. Koffing - Coughing.
110. Weezing - Wheezing.
111. Rhyhorn - Rhino + horn.
112. Rhydon - Rhino + don, possibly from Don as in a Mafia leader, or "don" being the Japanese onomatopoeia for "bang". Or something else entirely, I'm not sure.
113. Chansey - From "chance".
114. Tangela - From tangle, referring to it being a tangled mass of vines.
115. Kangaskhan - From kangaroo and Genghis Khan.
116. Horsea - From horse and sea, and also "seahorse" reversed.
117. Seadra - Possibly from seahorse and dragon - in Japanese mythology, seahorses are said to become dragons.
118. Goldeen - From goldfish and queen.
119. Seaking - Sea + king.
120. Staryu - Star + you.
121. Starmie - Star + me.
122. Mr. Mime - Pretty obvious. Despite its name, it can be either male or female.
123. Scyther - One who scythes things (Dusk: But no one does it better than me.) Probably a reference to its large, scythe-like appendages.
124. Jynx - Jinx, meaning a curse.
125. Electabuzz - Electric(ity) and buzz.
126. Magmar - Magma with an R on the end.
127. Pinsir - Pincer.
128. Tauros - From Taurus, the bull constellation in the Zodiac.
129. Magikarp - Magic and carp, a type of fish.
130. Gyarados - I have no idea.
131. Lapras - Umm... I got nothing, sorry.
132. Ditto - A slang term meaning "the same", referencing its ability to copy other Pokémon's appearances.
133. Eevee - Possibly from "EV", the first two letters of the word "evolution".
134. Vaporeon - From vapour (as in water vapour) and "eon" could be short for EvolutiON.
135. Jolteon - From jolt (as in to shock something) and eon.
136. Flareon - Flare and eon.
137. Porygon - Polygon.
138. Omanyte - From ammonite, a prehistoric creature that it resembles.
139. Omastar - Possibly from ammonite and star or starfish.
140. Kabuto - The Japanese name for the rhinoceros beetle.
141. Kabutops - Kabuto + tops, meaning the best at something, possibly.
142. Aerodactyl - From aero and pterodactyl.
143. Snorlax - Possibly "snore" and "relax". It could also be snore and lax, as in lazy.
144. Articuno - From arctic and uno, Spanish for one.
145. Zapdos - From zap and dos, Spanish for two.
146. Moltres - From molten (as in something that has melted, i.e. molten rock) and tres, Spanish for three.
147. Dratini - Dragon and... martini? I don't know.
148. Dragonair - Dragon + air.
149. Dragonite - Actually a reference to another Game Freak game, EarthBound, which featured a "Bag of Dragonite", a usable item that turned whoever it was used on into a dragon for one turn in battle.
150. Mewtwo - Mew and two, being that it was a clone of Mew (or that Mew gave birth to it, depending on which origin story you read).
151. Mew - Like the sound a kitten makes.
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