Fantasy name generators
A generator for each of the nine species in the free fifth edition rules, plus dragons, drow houses, vikings, kingdoms, planets, villains, taverns and inns. Each makes ten names at a time, lets you lock the part you like and re-roll the rest, and tells you how to say them.
- Dragonborn namesLong clan names, hard stops and a pronunciation guide.
- Tiefling namesThree legacy sounds plus plain word names.
- Elf namesLineage sounds and translated family names.
- Dwarf namesOne-syllable names, craft-word clans and earned nicknames.
- Halfling namesHomey surnames built from kitchens and pockets.
- Gnome namesGiven name, clan and nickname in one result.
- Orc namesShort names and earned deed names.
- Human namesFour traditions, and locks for mixed families.
- Goliath namesBirth name, deed name and mountain clan names.
- Dragon namesColor, temperament and age shape the name, epithet and domain.
- Drow namesHouses, stations, titles and epithets, beyond a single name.
- Viking namesPatronymics, bynames and farm names from our own tables.
- Kingdom namesKingdom, capital, motto and heraldic colors.
- Planet namesWorld type, star system and a one-line problem.
- Villain namesSix archetypes, each with its own titles and epithets.
- Tavern and inn namesMood, region and price filters, with an optional one-line hook for the keeper and the house specialty.
What every generator does
- Lock a part, re-roll the rest. Tap the given name, the family name or the nickname on any result to lock it. Generate again and it stays. That is how you make a whole family, or keep a surname and try twenty first names.
- Filters that change the sound. Gender endings, name length from one syllable to four, a soft or harsh sound, a family name on or off, and a nickname on or off. Elves, tieflings and humans also have a style setting.
- Say it right. Under each name is a suggested pronunciation, with the stressed syllable in capitals. Invented names have no official pronunciation, so it is a suggestion that helps the whole table say the name the same way.
- Ten at a time, with a code. Each list has a code. Open a link with that code and you get the same ten names, which is handy for sharing a list with your players.
- A shortlist that follows you. Save names as you browse. The shortlist stays across all the generators for the session, and you can copy it in one tap.
- Straight to your character. Press Use in creator and the name opens in the character creator, with the species filled in.
How the names are made
Each name is assembled from syllable tables we wrote for this project. A species has its own tables for the start, middle and end of a given name, sorted by gender ending and by soft or harsh sound, plus its own family words and nickname words. A name is built, then checked: no run of consonants too long to say, no repeated pieces, and nothing that matches a blocklist of offensive terms.
A second check blocks well-known names from books, films and games, so a generator never hands you a character someone else already owns. Nothing is copied from a name list, another generator or a book. The tables were designed to give each species a sound of its own, not to follow a published setting.
Fantasy naming customs are not part of the free rules, so each page says plainly which parts come from the SRD and which are our own suggestions.
Choosing a name that works at the table
- Say it aloud. A name that is hard to say gets shortened by the table anyway, so pick the short form yourself.
- Choose something your group can tell apart. Two characters whose names begin with the same sound get mixed up in the middle of a fight.
- Give it a handle. A nickname or a deed gives the table something to call you and something to build on.
- Let the name tell a small story: where the character was raised, who named them, what they would rather be called.
- Check that you are happy to write it fifty times on a sheet, a map and a note.
Questions about the name generators
Which species do you cover?
The nine species in the free SRD 5.2.1: dragonborn, dwarf, elf, gnome, goliath, halfling, human, orc and tiefling. Species that are not in that free document are not covered here.
Are the names from a book or another generator?
No. Every syllable, family word and nickname word was written for this site, and a test checks that well-known names from books, films and games are never produced.
Can I use the names in my own campaign or book?
Yes. The names come from our own tables, so you can use them in your games, notes and stories.
Is there a rule for how each species is named?
The SRD describes what each species can do and says little about naming. The naming styles here are our own suggestions, so use them or change them to fit your world.
