Best Donkey & Burro Name Ideas

There is a special place in my heart for donkeys – they are smart, they are mellow, and I can get lost in those big expressive eyes. If you’ve found yourself acquiring a new donkey, or you are thinking about adding one (or more) to your herd, you’ll surely need the perfect name with which to call him in from the pasture. 

What are some names for donkeys and burros? There are so many great names for donkeys, and listed here are almost a hundred of my favorites. You can go with a classic name like Charlene or Milton, a name based on donkeys in media such as Fionna or Eddie, or you can use a funny name like Don Quixote or Tumbleweed. 

Keep reading for 97+ of the greatest names for donkeys and burros. 

Classic Names for Donkeys and Burros

I love classic names for farm animals, whether it be a family cow named Mildred or an old horse named Ed. Donkeys have been on this planet for thousands of years, and they were one of the first animals to have been domesticated by man. Classic names are quite fitting for these classic animals, and the following are some of my favorites. 

Classic names for female donkeys:

• Adene
• Charlene
• Claudine (apparently a lot of names ended in “-ene” in decades past)
• Clementine
• Darcie
• Dixie
• Dorine
• Geralyn
• Jolene
• Lulu
• Minnie

Classic names for male donkeys:

• Abraham (“Abe” for short, of course)
• Barnabas
• Benjamin
• Bruno
• Casper
• Douglas
• Gaston
• Jeffrey
• Jeremiah
• Manfred
• Milton

Names for Donkeys & Burros Inspired by Personality Traits

Some of the best animal names are ones derived from the animal’s unique personality traits. While many donkeys are stereotyped as being stubborn (and some are, no doubt), the animals are in fact known to be quite docile, gentle, and easy-going. They are also highly intelligent and are not easily spooked, which may help perpetuate their reputation for being strong-willed. Whatever your donkey’s temperament, below are some names based on personality traits that may (or may not) fit him or her. 

• Toro (Spanish for “bull” if your donkey tends to be hard-headed)
• Iron (for the donkey that is rigid or unflexible)
• Stoic Sam
• Rugged
• Angel
• Glacier (for the large and slow-moving donkey)
• Idle Isaac
• Pacific (the largest and calmest ocean)
• Prudence
• Mack (for the strong donkey that can carry heavy burdens)

Funny Names for Donkeys and Burros

Humor is a unique quality that humans have and use to bond with others. Humor is important to our social health, mental health, and even physical health – did you know that a few minutes of laughter has been shown to bolster the immune system and lower inflammation? There is no better way to express our individual senses of humor than by giving our animals funny names. Following are some of my favorite funny, “punny”, and silly names for donkeys.

• Spud
• Bray-mond
• Tumbleweed
• Molasses
• Sawdust
• Muffin
• Brayberry
• Tootsie
• Prancer
• Blitzen
• Donner
• Jack (the official term for a male donkey – can be dressed up as Jackson or Jacques)
• Jenny (the official term for a female donkey – can be dressed up as Jenalyn, Jennabel, or Jennalee)
• Burrito
• Poncho
• Duke
• Duchess
• Bunny (because of the ears, of course)
• Hee-Haw
• Ferris Mueller
• Spanx (don’t as me how this applies to donkeys in particular, but I love it)
• Puppy (or Kitten)
• Marshmallow
• Tic Tac
• Polly Pocket (a good name for a miniature donkey)
• Ridonkulous
• Don Quixote (or Donkey Oatie)
• Rio
• Cletus
• Yoshi
• Peewee (or Peanut)
• Gypsy
• Churro

Funny donkey names based on “Shrek”

Just about everyone has seen at least the first movie in the “Shrek” franchise, and depending on your generation, you may even be able to quote a few lines from memory. Shrek’s faithful sidekick was a donkey named, well, “Donkey”. While Shrek is the main character (and namesake) of the movie, his sidekick is considered to be the comic relief of the films, making him a favorite among many viewers. Below are a few of my favorite Donkey-themed names.

• Parfait – “You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits. . . parfaits are delicious.”
• Boulder – “I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder.”
• Ogre
• Onion – (in response to Shrek comparing ogres to onions) “You know, not everybody likes onions.”
• Eddie (for Eddie Murphy, the voice actor of Donkey)
• Waffle – “We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I’m making waffles!” 
• Fionna
• Perry (the famous donkey that posed for sketches so that Pixar could model their version of Donkey after)

“Donkey” in Other Languages

Sometimes we call a donkey a donkey, and sometimes a burro. In case you are curious, donkeys and burros are just two different names used to describe the exact same animal – often people will reserve the term “donkey” for a domesticated or tamed animal, and will use the term “burro” for a feral donkey (such is the term used by the Department of Land Management for the feral animals).

I enjoy looking at what terms other languages use to describe animals, however, and below are some of my favorites.

• Esel (German for “donkey”)
• Asino (Italian for “donkey”)
• Jumento (Portuguese for “donkey”)
• Aasi (Finnish for “donkey”)

Donkey Names Inspired by Media

There are sadly fewer “famous” donkeys than there are horses, but that doesn’t leave us without inspiration. Below are some of the donkeys that are found in media, including in fiction, non-fiction, and even marketing.

• Eeyore (you didn’t think I’d leave this one out, did you?)
• Pinnochio
• Small One (from a 1978 Disney animated Christmas short titled “The Small One”)
• Conchita (the logo for Juan Valdez Colombian coffee since the 1950s)
• Dominick (I am told that almost everyone who lived through the 1960s can recite this “Dominick the Donkey” song from memory)
• Royal Gift (the name for the prized donkey gifted to George Washington in 1785 by the King of Spain. At the time, donkeys were carefully bred in Spain and were not allowed to be exported to other countries, making Royal Gift an especially royal gift.)

Names Based on the Donkey’s Country of Origin

Donkeys are said to have originated from Africa thousands of years ago. While Africa is not the country for which donkeys are most known, the species has a rich and ancient history in the region. If you are a history (or ancestry) buff and are interested in the origin of various species, you may appreciate these names inspired by African countries.

• Kenya
• Mali
• Malawi
• Angola

Names Based on Modern Donkey Culture

If you were asked where you believed the donkey originated, you may not have said Africa. You may have said Mexico, as donkeys are quite prevalent as both livestock and tourism animals in the country. If you associate donkeys with the rich culture of Mexico, you may feel inspired by the following Mexican cities as names for your donkey.

• Merida
• Mazatlan
• Durango
• Acapulco
• Guadalupe (or Lupe, for short)

Donkey Names Based on Appearance

If you love a donkey, you will be able to tell him or her apart from the rest of the herd with ease. That said, there really isn’t a whole lot of variation in the appearance of different donkeys – at least not in the way there is with horses who come in endless color and marking combinations.

Donkeys are generally gray – some a lighter gray, some a darker gray. So while you may be somewhat limited in choosing a name based on your donkey’s appearance, the following are some of my favorite names for a beautiful gray donkey.

• Ash
• Grayson
• Cinder
• Pepper
• Flint
• Fog
• Slate
• Mercury (like the planet, not like the thermometer)

Why Add a Donkey or Burro to Your Herd?

Donkeys may not be the glamorous steed with which you will win your next dressage or show jumping competition, but they have more merits than you may realize. Donkeys are both intelligent and easy-going, generally docile and calm.

These traits, combined with their physical hardiness, make them easy keepers. Donkeys are often kept with other horses as companions. Both being from the equine family, horses and donkeys get along well and can meet their social needs through one another – a benefit to having a donkey is that they are generally easier and less expensive to keep than a second horse.

Donkeys are also commonly kept as livestock guardians for goats, sheep, and the other smaller residents of the farm. They are naturally protective of their space and of their herd mates. 

Finding the Right Name for Your Donkey

Whether you lean toward funny names for your animals, classic names, or even cultural or color-based names, the right name is out there for your donkey. Because each donkey’s personality is so wonderfully unique, it can be an enjoyable process to find a wonderfully unique name to fit.

But don’t feel too much pressure – your donkey won’t really care so much what you yell out when calling him in for dinner, so long as his meal is there waiting for him upon his return.

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