Fun Facts About Names Day!

Have you ever wondered where all the flippered members of the Dolphin Research Center got their name? For "Fun Facts About Names Day", we decided to put together a list so you could get to know our family just a little bit better.

A.J. was named after his parents, Aphrodite and Joe.

Aleta was named after the Princess of the Misty Isles in The Legend of Prince Valiant. We knew that Misty’s beautiful little girl would have a royal dolphinality.

Calusa is named after the Calusa Indians that once inhabited the Florida Keys.

Cayo means “key”, as in Florida Key, in Spanish.

Diva embodied the sassy dolphinities of both her mom Aleta and grandmother Misty and was given a fitting name.

Delta’s name is a combination of his grandfather, Delphi, and mom, Aleta.

Flagler was named after Henry Flagler who built the railroad in the Florida Keys.

Gambit came from a combination of his grandparents, Little Bit and Mr. Gipper.

Gypsi’s name is a combo of her grandfather, Mr. Gipper and her momma, Tursi.

Jax was named after where he was found; Jacksonville, FL.

Karen was already named when she got here, but we affectionately made up the nickname Kare-Bear.

Kilo was already named when he got here but did you know that his father, Big Frank, weighed over 1,000 pounds? A name that ties into numbers works really well for the son of a such a big guy!

Lina was named after the Catalina Islands, the last place she was released before the last time that she stranded and was then deemed nonreleasable.

Louie was named after Louisiana, the state where he stranded.

Luna, which means moon in Spanish, was born under a blue moon.

Merina had a few names bouncing around before we came to a decision. Her final name was chosen to tie into the marine world.

Molly came to DRC already named. However, we quickly learned that this name, which means “star of the sea”, really was perfect for our lovable MooMooSaurus.

Pandora was an extremely curious calf and always into something. She was named for the woman who, according to Greek mythology, also could not contain her curiosity. (Pandora’s Box)

Pax was born on Easter Sunday, so he was named for the Latin word for “peace”.

Rainbow came to us from the New England Aquarium with his name.

Reese’s name honors his grandmother, Theresa.

Sandy, like his friend Rainbow, came to us already named from the New England Aquarium. His mom’s name was Wendy, who shares the last three letters of his name.

Santini was named after Milton Santini, the commercial fisherman who originally owned the land on which DRC resides.

Talon was named after a trainer dreamt about a conversation with Tursi. In her dream, Tursi told her that she wanted her first son to be named Talon because he’s sharp. A natural trend setter, Talon is now becoming a popular name for both girls and boys.

Tanner’s name honors his uncle Natua. (We reversed Nat to Tan and added a couple of letters.)  Tanner has always resembled Nat in looks, interest in research, and overall dolphinality.

Tursi’s name comes from the scientific name for dolphins, Tursiops Truncatus.

Windley was named after Windley Key, near Islamorada.