Annunziata had considered naming the character after the constellation Delphinus, which is depicted on the character's forehead. But Sega's director of marketing Al Nilsen suggested the name "Botticelli the Dolphin", citing the popularity of characters named after Italian artists, like the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Panicked, Annunziata turned to his boss Clyde Grossman who suggested "Echo", which alluded to the dolphin's echolocation ability. Annunziata loved the idea. Being of Italian descent, he chose the spelling "Ecco", because it can loosely mean "I see" in that language, and "seeing with sound" is what echolocation enables dolphins to do. "Ecco" could also be interpreted as a reference to John C. Lilly's "Earth Coincidence Control Office".