Tranøy means "crane" and the last element is "øy" which means "island". Prior to 1909, the name was written "Tranø". The coat of arms is from modern times; they were granted on 15 May 1987. The arms are silver or white with a black Atlantic halibut "(Hippoglossus hippoglossus)" in the center. The fish is a main species of local fish, which symbolizes the importance of fishing for the local community. In addition to this, the fish played a major role in local legends, similar to the role of bears in land-based legends. The Church of Norway has one parish "(sokn)" within
Demersal fish is pointed downwards; this is beneficial as their food is often below them in the substrate. Those bottom feeders with upward-pointing mouths, such as stargazers, tend to seize swimming prey. Benthic fish, sometimes called groundfish, are denser than water, so they can rest on the sea floor. They either lie-and-wait as ambush predators, maybe covering themselves with sand or otherwise camouflaging themselves, or move actively over the bottom in search for food. Benthic fish which can bury themselves include dragonets, flatfish and stingrays. Flatfish are an order of ray-finned benthic fishes which lie flat on the ocean floor. Examples are