Names of dinosaurs are usually based on the location of their finding, or even the names of the scientists who discovered those dinosaurs. There are a lot of dinosaur names that you can find on this page, in addition to their meanings.
Something you may have noticed about a lot of dinosaurs though is the ending of their names. Why do they all have the word “saur” at the end? A fun fact is that “saur” refers to an extinct reptile. If you look at dinosaurs, you will find that they are actually large lizard-like creatures! Regardless, a lot of scientists believe that those dinosaurs are more related to birds than reptiles.
| Acanthopholis | Spiny Scales |
| High Spined Lizard | |
| Albertosaurus | Alberta Lizard |
| Allosaurus | Different kind of lizard |
| Amargasaurus | La Amarga Lizard |
| Anatotitan | Duck-billed dinosaur |
| Ankylosaurus | Fused Lizard |
| Apatosaurus | Deceptive Lizard |
| Archaeopteryx | Ancient Feather |
| Archelon | Ruler Turtle |
| Avimimus | Bird Mimic |
| Baryonyx | Heavy Claw |
| Brachiosaurus | The largest known dinosaur |
| Brontosaurus | Thunder Lizard |
| Camarasaurus | Chambered Lizard |
| Camptosaurus | Flexible Lizard |
| Carcharodontosaurus | Sharp teeth lizard |
| Caudipteryx | Tail Feather |
| Ceratosaurus | Horn lizard |
| Chasmosaurus | Hollow lizard |
| Coelophysis | Hollow Form |
| Compsognathus | Elegant Jaw |
| Corythosaurus | Duck-billed dinosaur |
| Cynognathus | Dog Jaw |
| Deinonychus | Terrible Claw |
| Dilophosaurus | Two crested lizard |
| Dimetrodon | Two measures of teeth |
| Dimorphodon | Two-form tooth |
| Diplocaulus | Double Caul |
| Diplodocus | Double beam |
| Dolichorhynchops | Long nosed face |
| Dryosaurus | Tree Lizard |
| Dsungaripterus | Wing from the Junggar Basin |
| Edmontosaurus | Duck lizard |
| Elasmosaurus | Thin plate |
| Eoraptor | Dawn plunderer |
| Eryops | Drawn-out face |
| Euoplocephalus | Well-armed head |
| Gallimimus | Chicken mimic |
| Gargoyleosaurus | Gargoyle lizard |
| Giganotosaurus | Giant Southern Reptile |
| Heterodontosaurus | Different toothed lizard |
| Homalocephale | Even head |
| Hylaeosaurus | Forest Lizard |
| Hypacrosaurus | Near the highest lizard |
| Hypsilophodon | Hypsilophus-tooth |
| Iguanodon | Iguana-tooth |
| Kentrosaurus | Sharp point lizard |
| Kronosaurus | Lizard of Kronos, named after a Greek Titan |
| Lambeosaurus | Lambe’s lizard |
| Lesothosaurus | Lizard from Lesotho |
| Liopleurodon | Smooth-sided teeth |
| Good mothered lizard | |
| Mamenchisaurus | Stream Lizard |
| Massospondylus | Longer vertebra |
| Megalodon | Big tooth |
| Megalosaurus | Great Lizard |
| Megaraptor | Giant thief |
| Microvenator | Small hunter |
| Minmi | Derived from local aboriginal language |
| Monoclonius | Single Sprout |
| Montanoceratops | Horn Face |
| Mosasaurus | Lizard of the Meuse River |
| Mussaurus | Mouse Lizard |
| Nothosaurus | False Lizard |
| Notoceratops | Southern horned face |
| Ornitholestes | Bird robber |
| Ornithomimus | Bird Mimic |
| Ouranosaurus | Brave Lizard |
| Oviraptor | Egg Taker |
| Pachycephalosaurus | Thick-headed lizard |
| Pachyrhinosaurus | Thick-nosed lizard |
| Parasaurolophus | Near crested lizard |
| Pentaceratops | Five-horned face |
| Plateosaurus | Broad lizard |
| Protoceratops | First horned face |
| Protohadros | First hadrosaur |
| Psittacosaurus | Parrot lizard |
| Pteranodon | Wing toothless |
| Winged Lizard | |
| Quaesitosaurus | Extraordinary Lizard |
| Rhamphorhynchus | Beak snout |
| Riojasaurus | Rioja lizard |
| Saltopus | Hopping foot |
| Saurolophus | Lizard crest |
| Sauropelta | Lizard shield |
| Scelidosaurus | Limb lizard |
| Scipionyx | Scipio’s claw |
| Sinornithosaurus | Chinese bird lizard |
| China dragon bird | |
| Spinosaurus | Spine lizard |
| Roof horn | |
| Stegosaurus | Hoofed roof lizard |
| Styracosaurus | Spiked lizard |
| Suchomimus | Crocodile mimic |
| Supersaurus | Super lizard |
| Thecodontosaurus | Socket tooth lizard |
| Torvosaurus | Savage lizard |
| Horn face | |
| Troodon | Wounding tooth |
| Tyrannosaurus rex | Tyrant Lizard King |
| Unenlagia | Half bird |
| Utahraptor | Utah’s predator |
| Variraptor | Var thief |
| Velociraptors | Swift seizer |
| Vulcanodon | Volcano tooth |
| Wannanosaurus | Wannan lizard |
| Yangchuanosaurus | Lizard from Yangch’uan |
| Zigongosaurus | Zigong lizard |