Malte and I ended up in a discussion within the Theatrical Release forum regarding the origin of the characters' names. I decided that such information should be within easy reach for the LBT community, so I copied the information into its own topic and added some of my own, in alphabetical order:
The Gang:
Cera - Tri
ceratops
Ducky - While her exact species is still a matter of debate she definitely belongs to the family of the Hadroids, the DUCKbilled dinosaurs.
Littlefoot - Altered from "Thunderfoot". "Thunderfoot" was likely derived from "Thunderfoot Lizard", the meaning of the word "Brontosaurus".
Petrie - most likely supposed to (very vaguely) resemble Pterodactylus.
Spike - SPIKEtail. No refrerence to the scientific name, but obviously to the species.
Other characters:
Archie - Possibly derived from his species name,
Archelon.
"Big Daddy" (LBT 11) - Probably not his given name, but a name the audience is given to refer to him by. He is the largest of the tiny dinosaurs, and apparently the father of at least some of the tiny longnecks, hence his name.
Bron - Possibly derived from the obsolete species name,
Brontosaurus.
Chomper - A name decided by the Gang in LBT 2. It made sense to them for a sharptooth to have the name "Chomper" as he tended to Chomp at insects soon after birth.
Dil - Most likely from the species Croco
dile.
Dinah / Dana - Possibly a simple reference to "Dinosaur"
Doc - Possibly derived from the species name, Diplo
docus.
Guido - He's a microraptor gui. The website itself says this; just add "do" to "gui."
Hyp - Probably a reference to
Hypsilophodon.
Ichy - Probably a reference to his species name,
Ichtyornis.
Lizzie - Possibly a reference to "lizard".
Mo - Might well refer to Opthal
mosaurus.
Mr. Clubtail - an Anklyosaurus, a Club-Tailed dinosaur.
Mr. Thicknose - is a Pachyrhinosaurus, which means "thick-nosed lizard".
Mutt - Probably a reference to
Muttaburrasaurus.
Nod - Probably a reference to
Nodosaurus.
Pat - Possibly derived from the species name, A
patosaurus
Pterano - Certainly refers to
Pteranodon (which caused the speculations about Petrie's species as unlike him Pterano looks like a Pteranodon).
Rinkus - there are many pterosaurs that have this termination, "...us". There is one species with a long tail, like Rinkus's that is called
rhamphorh
ynchus.
Rooter - Rooter is a digging dinosaur that 'roots' around (much like a mole)
Ruby - The colour of her skin.
Shorty - Not specifically related to his species. I believe this name is intended to show a symbolic bond between him and Littlefoot.
Sierra - He is possibly of the species "
cearadactylus". "Ceara" and "Sierra" sound very similar when spoken.
Skitter (LBT 11) - My best guess is this name was chosen due to his small, quick, "skittery" nature.
Strut - Possibly derived from his species name,
Struthiomimus.
Sue - Derived from her species name,
Supersaurus
Tickles - A name chosen by Ducky because of his ticklish fur.
Topps / Topsy - A reference to the species, Tricera
tops.
Tria - The word "Tri" embedded in her name is also a reference to
Triceratops.
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Characters with unknown name origins:
Ali - Currently unknown origin. Any thoughts?
Ozzie - Currently unknown origin. Any thoughts?
Tippy - Currently unknown origin. Any thoughts?
Here are some names of the tiny longnecks that were mentioned in the film, who were very minor characters:
Rocky
Dusty
Chatter
If I missed any, let me know
![:p dino :p](https://www.gangoffive.net/Smileys/gof/dino_tongue.gif)