Elf name generator
Names in the sound of the High, Wood or Drow lineage, each with a family name in translation and a pronunciation guide.
Make elf names
Pronunciation key
Capitals mark the stressed syllable.
- ah as in father
- eh as in bed
- ih as in sit
- ee as in see
- oh as in go
- uh as in cup
- oo as in moon
- ay as in say
- ow as in cow
- aw as in law
- kh as in a throaty k
What the rules say about elves
The SRD 5.2.1 describes elves as long-lived, with a choice of lineage (Drow, High Elf or Wood Elf), keen senses and a trance in place of sleep. It does not describe how elves are named.
Everything below about how elves are named is our own design for your table, made for fifth edition play. Treat it as a starting point and change what does not fit your world.
How elf naming works here
Names here are built from flowing syllables and open vowels, and the lineage setting changes the sound. High elf names are bright and long. Wood elf names are lighter, with shorter beats and earthier syllables. Drow names are sharp, with z, x and th. These are sound styles we invented, not lore from any book, so change them freely.
Family names come in translation: two ordinary words joined, like Moonharp or Oakrunner, as if an elf had translated the family name into Common for outsiders. High, wood and drow each draw from their own word lists. Longer names stress the next-to-last syllable in the pronunciation guide, which is how most readers say elf-style names.
The 3 styles
- High elf sound. Bright, flowing names.
- Wood elf sound. Light, earthy names with short beats.
- Drow sound. Sharp, dusky names with z, x and th.
Picking a name for your elf
- Elves live a long time, so give the name room to grow. A short given name with a longer family name works well, and the nickname option gives a name humans might have given them.
- If you want a name that fits a lineage you are not playing, you can. Sound is a style, and a wood elf raised in a city can sound High.
- For two characters from the same family, lock the family name and roll the given names.
- Choose a name whose first syllable is easy to say; the table will use that part most of the time.
Use in creator sends a result to the character creator, and the finished character opens in the character sheet.
Questions about elf names
Does the lineage setting follow the rules?
It only changes the sound of the name. The real lineage choice is on your character sheet and has its own mechanical effects.
Why are the family names in English?
We write them as translations, the way a character might explain a family name to a human. Lock your own text in if you prefer an original-language surname.
Can I make shorter names?
Yes. Set the length to short for two-syllable names like Kyrion or Ilaith.
How is the pronunciation worked out?
We split the name into syllables and respell each one with the plain key shown on the page. For invented names it is a suggestion, not a standard.
More name generators
Dragonborn, Tiefling, Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome, Orc, Human, Goliath, and the tavern and inn name generator. How every generator works, and what it will never produce, is on the name generators page.
