Viking name generator
Viking-style names the way people in the Norse world were known: a given name, a father's name with son or dottir, and, if you like, a byname and a farm.
Make vikings
How the names are made
People in the Viking Age did not have fixed surnames. They were usually known by a given name plus a patronymic (a father's name with -son or -dottir), and often by a byname or the name of their farm. This generator follows that pattern, so you can tick the pieces you want.
It is inspired by that way of naming, not copied from it. We wrote our own tables of name pieces, bynames and farm words, joined them with simple rules and checked the results. We spell without accents, and the names are made up in the style, so a result may or may not match a historical person.
Using the results
- A patronymic is the quickest backstory. Choose a result and ask who the father was and why the child is known by his name.
- Bynames are earned or teased. Pick one that gives a player something to play, such as the Stubborn or Ironhand.
- Add a farm name for a settled character. Leave it off for a wanderer.
- For siblings of the same sex, lock the patronymic and roll the given names. Sons take son and daughters dottir, so do one at a time.
Questions
Are these historical Viking names?
They are made in that style from our own tables. Some results may match real historical names by chance, because the name pieces are common in the language.
Why son and dottir?
They are the Old Norse patterns for "son of" and "daughter of". We use son and dottir without accents.
Can a woman take a byname?
Yes. The byname option works for any form, and bynames here are neutral words and phrases.
Do I need a family name?
No. Skip the patronymic and the farm to get a single name, which is how many people were first known.
More generators
dragon, drow, kingdom, planet, villain, the tavern generator and a name for each player species.
