Name Generator

Use this to generate character names (and the names of their nuclear or most important family, usually parents). Choose a culture or cultures that best matches your character, or see below for the naming conventions and choose the one you want. For species not on the list, pick one that has a similar vibe:

Species-Culture Name Generator

Species: Aasimar Dragonborn Dwarf Elf Gnome Goliath Halfling Human Orc Tiefling --- Air Genasi Bugbear Centaur Changeling Construct Earth Genasi Fairy Firbolg Fire Genasi Giff Gith Goblin Hadozee Half-Elf Harengon Hobgoblin Kenku Kobold Leonin Lizardfolk Loxodon Minotaur Plasmoid Satyr Tabaxi Thri-kreen Tortle Water Genasi Yuan-ti

Culture(s): Caravan City Factory Farmland Freehold Mystic Nomad Orchard Outcast Slum Suburb Tribal

Discussion

There are a lot of fantasy name generators out there, and I don't like them for two reasons:

First, they mainly just generate dumb collections of random syllables that try to evoke a certain feel. I want all of my names to have meanings. Almost all names originally meant something, before they became stuck as linguistic fossils as the language changed. I think character names are more fun and evocative when they are real words.

Second, different cultures should have different naming patterns:

Caravan names are based on what the character feels like this month. This could be a current affiliation, route, or personal quest. This can change frequently. A Caravan character might change their name to that of their adventuring party or location.

City culture is the only one that assigns middle names, because those only developed in societies that had larger populations. The last name comes from one of several associated cultures.

Factory culture has profession-based last names. You decide if your character had this job, or if it was an ancestral name that was passed down.

Farmland culture is based around lineages and landholdings. If you are the heir, you get your landholding parent's name and a numeral. You do not automatically get their title, but it can inform your background. Other children get a parent's name with a descriptor, a number, and/or a diminutive. It is traditional to reclaim the full name, or take a new one, if you become a landowner and start a family.

Freehold last names are based on a location. You decide if the location name is based on a feature of that location, or on the person who settled it. If named after the settler, you decide if this was a member of your character's family, and how recent the settlement was.

Mystic cultures use deed names, or theophoric names connected to a concept, element, or object. You decide if this is a personal nickname or a family name, and whether or not it comes from an actual event in your or your family's backstory.

Nomad last names are based on a personal descriptor or circumstance. This could be assigned at birth or another important part of your life.

Orchard last names are based on tree or crop or rural activity. Often this is a varietal that is named after someone in your lineage.

Outcast last names are patro- or matronymic. You decide. You can also change the gender-neutral suffix to 'son' or 'dottir' if appropriate. Some Outcast families use a benedictory first name instead of the species naming convention.

Slum people have one or more (possibly ironic) nicknames or aliases.

Suburb last names are combinations of family names (sometimes given, sometimes last) or their parts.

Tribal cultures list the group name first, then the given name, and often the person's role in the group.

Good two culture combinations include:

Outcast + Nomad (patronymic plus descriptor)

Farmland + Freehold

Mystic + Tribal

Caravan + Slum, for people who see names as fluid and disposable.

This generator is gender-neutral, to keep the code simple and the characters diverse. Most cultures in the game world are gendered, some oppressively so, but they all have different ideas about what names should be attached to what genders. If you end up with a male character named Lily or a female named Wolf, work with it. Decide if that is a normal-gendered name for your species and culture, or if your name is gender non-conforming.