What’s in a Name? Animal Crossing Villagers #9 (R)

Raddle

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (West/JP)	Catchphrase
Raddle; カックン, Kakkun	Reference to a rattling cough; Japanese onomatopoeia for coughing or sneezing. It also kind of sounds like the honorific suffix -kun	“aaach-”
Reneigh; リアーナ, Riāna	A pun on her species (horse); Reference to pop star and billionaire makeup mogul, Rihanna, one of my personal favorites	“ayup yup”

Reneigh

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (West/JP)	Catchphrase
Ribbot; ガチャ, Gacha	A pun on the frog sound, ribbit, and his robotic appearance; Gacha is the Japanese onomatopoeia for metal rattling	“toady”; “zzrrbbitt”

Ribbot. Is he mortal, or machine? Either way, he’s a villager with an inventive design

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (West/JP)	Catchphrase
Rilla; リラ Rira	A pun on her species (gorilla)	“hello”

Rilla

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (West/JP)	Catchphrase
Roald; ペンタ, Penta	Reference to Roald Amundsen, the first person to reach Antarctica. It may also be a pun on the word cold, which rhymes with Roald’s name; Derived from pengin, the Japanese word for penguin	“b-b-buddy”

Roald

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (West/JP)	Catchphrase
Robin; パーチク, Pāchiku	Reference to her species; Derived from the Japanese phrase for birds chirping	“la-di-da”; “tweet-tawoo” (Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer)
Rocket; 4ごう, Yon Gō	I don’t know why she’s called Rocket, except that it sounds cool. The only superhero that I can think of with “rocket” in their name in Rocket Raccoon; It references how she’s the fourth member of the same team as Agent S, Big Top, Filly, and Kid Cat	“vroom”
Roscoe; シュバルツ, Shubarutsu	Reference to the award winning horse jockey Roscoe Goose; It’s Japanese for the German word schwartz, meaning black, matching Roscoe’s coloration. Honestly, it’s the cooler name of the two	“nay”
Ruby; ルナ, Runa	Reference to her ruby red eyes as an albino bunny; Reference to the Japanese myth involving bunnies and the moon, and may be a reference to how the moon is frequently portrayed as white, even though it’s actually gray and splotchy	“li’ ears”

Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby

What’s in a Name? Animal Crossing Villagers #8 (N-P)

Nan

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Nan; スミ Sumi	Reference to nanny, a word for a female goat; It means charcoal or Japanese ink, which is a reference to her dark coloration	“kid”
Nana; チッチ, Chicchi	Reference to bananas, which monkeys typically eat. Incidentally, nana is also seven in Japanese; Possible reference to the Monchicchi dolls in Japan that resemble monkeys	“po po”

Nana

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Pancetti; ブリトニー Buritonī	Reference to a type of bacon; Possible pun on the Japanese onomatopoeia bu, meaning oink. Could also be a possible reference to Britney Spears, which is strange, considering that her father is the real pig. Her JP name is transliterated into the Chinese and Korean versions as well	“sooey”
Pashmina; バーバラ, Bābara	Reference to pashmina scarves, which are made from cashmere derived from goats; Pun on the baa sound that goats and sheep are famous for, and the name Barbara	“kidders”
Patty; カルピ, Karupi	Reference to either, well, beef patties or… cow pat, a term for bovine defecate. Jeez, why’d they have to do Patty so dirty?; Possible reference to the Japanese milk-based soft drink Karupisu	“how now”
Peanut; ももこ, Momoko	Reference to peanuts; Reference to her pink fur (momo means peaches in Japanese); -ko is a female name suffix	“slacker”

Peanut

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Peewee; ダンベル, Danberu	A joke on his size and age; It means dumbbell in English, referencing the large size of gorillas. Note that Peewee has the cranky personality instead of the jock personality	“li’l dude”, “li’l bitty baby” (Animal Crossing: New Horizons)
Pekoe; ジャスミン Jasumin	Reference to unopened leaf buds in tea flushes; Reference to jasmine tea	“bud”

Pekoe

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Phoebe; ヒノコ Hinoko	This one is easy. Phoebe is a reference to the mythical phoenix, which she resembles; Hinoko means sparks and is also a play on the Japanese word for phoenix, hinotori (literally bird of fire)	“sparky”

Phoebe

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Pierce; セバスチャン, Sebasuchan	Reference to how bird beaks and talons can pierce their prey; Possible reference to Sebastian the Ibis, a Florida collegiate sports team mascot? It’s a reach, I know	“winger”
Plucky; パタヤ, Pataya	Reference to how feathers get plucked; Reference to patapata, a Japanese flying onomatopoeia	“chicky-poo”
Poncho; ポンチョ, Poncho	This cute little guy’s name references the piece of clothing of the same name in both languages	“li’l bear”

Poncho

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Prince; カール Kāru	Reference to the fairy tale The Frog Prince; Reference to the word kaeru, meaning frog. May also be a reference to Karl, the mascot of Curl snacks, who is friends with a frog	“burrup”
Puck; ホッケー, Hokkē	Reference to hockey pucks; It means hockey in Japanese!	“brrrrrrrrr”
Purrl; たま, Tama	Pun on the name Pearl and cats’ tendency to purr; It is a common name for housecats in Japan	“kitten”

What’s in a Name? Animal Crossing Villagers #7 (L-M)

Leonardo

Name (Western/Japanese)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Leonardo; ヒョウタ, Hyōta	Reference to the Latin root leo, meaning lion, even though Leonardo is a tiger; His Japanese name makes more sense as hyou is the word for tiger. -ta is a masculine name suffix	“flexin’”
Leopold; ティーチャ―, Tīchā	See above; His Japanese name literally means… teacher	“lion cub”

Leopold

Name (Western/JP)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Lily; レイニー Reinī	Reference to lily pads; Reference to how frogs enjoy rainy weather	“toady”/”zrrbbit”

Lily

Name (Western/JP)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Limberg; らっきょ, Rakkyo	Named after the cheese; Named after an odoriferous Chinese onion	“squinky”
Lolly; ラムネ, Ramune	Reference to lollipops; Named after that awesome Japanese soda that stays really carbonated because of the marble stopper in the neck of the bottle	“bonbon”

Lolly

Name (Western/JP)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Lopez; トムソン, Tomuson	Reference to antelopes or deer; Reference to Thomson’s Gazelle, a species of antelope	“buckaroo”/”badoom”
Lucha; マスカラス, Masukarasu	Named after Mexican wrestling, which he is also styled after; Named after Mil Máscaras, a famous luchador	“cacaw”

Lucha

Name (Western/JP)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Lucky; ラッキー, Rakkī	This poor pupper’s name is ironic because of his bandaged appearance	“rrr-owch”

Lucky

Name (Western/JP)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Maple; メープル, Mēpuru	Both of her names reference maple syrup, befitting her sweet personality	“honey”

Maple

Name (Western/JP)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Margie; サリー, Sarī	Possible reference to Margie the elephant, an actress featured in several TV shows; Reference to her initial outfit, which resembles the Indian dress sari. India is also one of the habitats of elephants	“tootie”
Marshal; ジュン, Jun	Possible reference to his resemblance to marshmallows; Jun is a Japanese given name that can mean genuine or pure	“sulky”

Marshal

Name (Western/JP)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Melba; アデレード, Aderēdo	Reference to Melba toast, and possibly a reference to Melbourne, Australia; Reference to Adelaide, Australia	“toasty”
Merengue; パティ, Pati	Reference to meringue; Reference to pâtissière, a word for a French pastry chef	“shortcake”

Merengue

Name (Western/JP)	Onomatology (Western/JP)	Catchphrase
Mint; ミント Minto	Both of her names reference the color of her fur	“ahhhhhh”
Mitzi; マール, Māru	Possible reference to how her paws look like they have mittens on them, and Mitzi is a generic word for cat in Hebrew; It means circle in Japanese, possibly referencing the marking on her face	“mew”

Mitzi