The lizard was named by the botanist Dr. John Grey, after the Caanite god Moloch (to whom children were sacrificed!). Horridus has two meanings in Latin: it stands for rough and bristly, which the thorny devil certainly is. The second meaning is dreadful, which it isn't. (But you can't blame the people who first saw one for thinking it is...) Its name certainly belies the gentle nature of this small and harmless creature.