Peter, Harvey, Reese: Famous Rabbit Names

Looking for an Easter-themed name for a new baby? Have you been craving Cadbury eggs since the pregnancy test came back positive?

Okay, it’s a little – or maybe a lot silly – to think about narrowing your possible name list down to famous rabbit names.

But believe it or not, it isn’t a bad list. They’re zippy, retro, daring, even classic. You could safely name triplets from the list and no one would guess that you were inspired by the furry little creatures.

Famous bunny names like Bugs, Thumper, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail are all perfect for pets. But they’re off the list for our children, even though famous rabbit names are often pretty recognizable.

We all know the Energizer Bunny, but it’s short on name inspiration for a real life child. Likewise, The Secret Life of Pets gave us Snowball, a cute choice for a white-furred pet … but not so much for a human.

And yet, rabbits symbolize lots of positive things – fertility, yes, but good fortune, too. The rabbit is one of twelve signs in the Chinese Zodiac, described as “elegant, imaginative, and courteous.”

Read on for some of the best names worn by bunnies over the years.

FAMOUS RABBIT NAMES

BASIL

Basil Stag Hare is a character from Brian Jacques’ Redwall series. This makes him a warrior bunny, despite the scholarly name.

BENJAMIN

That other bunny from the mind of Beatrix Potter, Benjamin Bunny is quite well known. There’s also a minor Sesame Street character known as Benny Bunny.

BAXTER

Arthur the Aardvark has a BFF named Buster Baxter. He’s a bunny. Let’s hear it for alliteration! Buster might not be the best given name, but Baxter feels like a jazzy possibility.

BRIAR

Disney World and Disneyland’s Splash Mountain attraction is gone, replaced by a New Orleans-themed ride centered around Princess Tiana. But for decades, the ride was all about a rabbit – Brer Rabbit. The “br’er” came from “briar,” as in the briar patch. The Br’er Rabbit stories came from Song of the South, a dated and problematic movie destined to remain in the Disney vault. But Briar feels like a rabbit-adjacent name regardless.

CLOVER

As with Briar, Clover is a logical choice. But it’s cemeted among famous rabbit names thanks to the talking bunny sidekick from Disney’s Sofia the First. Clover is, of course, a favorite food for bunnies.

DYLAN

A children’s classic in much of the English-speaking world, The Magic Roundabout was originally produced in the 1960s. Dylan is their guitar-playing bunny, named after none other than Bob Dylan.

EDWARD

Have you read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane? It’s a charming tale of love and growth and change and serendipity. And it makes me love the name Edward, nevermind the sparkly vampires and all of those British kings.

FRANK

He’s part of the plot of Donnie Darko – a creepy bunny in a cult classic.

FRED, FREDERICK

In 2011’s Hop, E.B. is the future Easter Bunny, while Frederick “Fred” O’Hare is an ordinary human who gets mixed up with E.B. when he runs away from his birthright.

HARVEY

He’s the bookend to Donnie Darko’s Frank. The Jimmy Stewart movie Harvey was a playful tale of the reclusive Elwood P. Dowd and his invisible rabbit friend. All ends happily.

HAZEL, HOLLY, DANDELION, SILVER, BLUEBELL

This list comes from Watership Down – and while they’re all bucks – boys – in the book, many of these lean more feminine. Other rabbit names from the novel include Fiver, Acorn, Speedwell, and so on – all of which feel a little less human.

JUDY

Inspired by Judy Hops, the determined rabbit who goes into law enforcement – and saves the day! – in 2016’s Zootopia. 

LOLA

First introduced in 1996’s Space Jam, Lola Bunny is a girlfriend for Bugs Bunny. She’s continued to make regular appearances in various Looney Tunes productions. Ace, Lexi, Buster, and Babs have also featured in various Warner Brothers productions.

LUNA, IO

The Japanese anime Jewelpet hasn’t reached the US, but it just might. Luna and Io are two rabbit characters from the series.

MARCH

This might just work! March appears on this list thanks to Alice in Wonderland’s March Hare. He’s mad, of course, ranging from a daffy delirium in the 1951 animated classic to an eccentric cook in Tim Burton’s 2010 reboot. Looking for something more subtle? The March Hare’s given name is Thackery.

MAX and RUBY

Rosemary Wells’ popular children’s books have become an animated television series called Max and Ruby. It’s a Nick Jr. staple. Other bunnies making appearances on the show answer to Louise, Martha, Valerie, and Morris.

OLIVER and GRACE

Max and Ruby eventually become older siblings, when twins Oliver and Grace are born.

OSWALD

Before there was Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney created this rabbit. Oswald was a smash in the 1920s and lived on in comic books into the 1950s, along with his adopted sons Floyd and Lloyd. Today, Disney is reviving the original version of the rabbit, making him famous once more.

PERCY

For most of Alice in Wonderland, the White Rabbit is simply known by the color of his fur. But when ABC introduced the character in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, they gave him the name Percy.

PETER

The the granddad of all famous rabbit names. From Peter Rabbit to Peter Cottontail, this name screams long floppy ears. Except that Peter is an unassailable classic, too – a rock, literally.

REESE

Where is there a bunny by this name? In the candy aisle, of course. Have you spotted the Reester Bunny? If you’re a chocolate and peanut butter fan, you probably already know that not only does Reese’s make peanut butter eggs, they also make peanut butter-filled bunnies, which puts Reese on the famous rabbit names list. Sort of.

ROGER

The animated rabbit at the heart of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? wears a noble name, with roots in Norman England. His wife, Jessica Rabbit, is an animated human, but it’s enough to earn Jessica a place on the list of female rabbit names, too.

ROMARIN

Do you know The Bellflower Bunnies? It’s another animated series, originally produced in Montreal as La Famille Passiflore. In French, the rabbits are Romarin, Pirouette, Agaric, Mistoulef, Dentdelion, Onesime, and Zinnia.  In English, they’re Poppy, Violette, Periwinkle, Mistletoe, Dandelion, Bramble, and (again) Zinnia. Many of these have potential.

VELVET

Inspired by the Velveteen Rabbit, an enduring children’s story from Margery Williams. The characters don’t have names, only descriptions – like “the boy” or “the nanny” – and that extends to the toys, too. But Velvet seems like an obvious nod to the beloved tale.

What’s your favorite famous rabbit name? Are there others that should be on this list?

First published on March 29, 2013, this post was revised on February 20, 2024.