DnD Name Generator

The DnD name generator is a free browser tool that makes fantasy names for the nine playable species of the SRD 5.2.1: Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Gnome, Dragonborn, Goliath, Orc and Tiefling. Each species gets its own structure, so a dwarf comes with a clan name and a tiefling with a first name only, and any row can carry a nickname and a one-line NPC hook.

Use it as a dungeons and dragons name generator for player characters or as a quick dnd name gen for NPCs mid-session. First names come from a Markov chain model trained on D20 Desk’s own lists, so they are new rather than copied. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Lock, reroll, save or export the names you like.

How to use the DnD name generator

1. Open the Species menu and pick one species, or leave Any species so each row picks one of the nine.
2. Set Gender to Any, Masculine or Feminine.
3. Pick a How many value: 5, 10 or 20. It starts at 10.
4. Choose a Name length: Any length, Short (3 to 5 letters), Medium (6 to 8) or Long (9 to 12).
5. Optionally type up to 3 letters in Starts with to steer the first names toward those letters.
6. If you chose Any species or Tiefling, pick Tiefling names: Infernal-sounding or Virtue words.
7. Tick Add a family or clan name (on by default), Add a nickname and Add a one-line NPC hook if you want them.
8. Press Roll again for a new list. On any row, use a lock button to keep that part, or a reroll button to replace only that part.
9. Press the star to save a name to your favourites in this browser.

A short note under the controls explains how the chosen species is named. When the list is right, use Copy text, Download CSV, Download TXT or Print. Copy link reproduces the exact list, including locks and rerolls, and typing a seed into the Seed box brings back the same list. Need a place instead of a person? The town name generator names hamlets, villages, towns and cities.

How do I choose a name for my D&D character?

Start with the species, because it sets the sound and whether a family or clan name appears. Then decide the feel you want: noble, dangerous, playful or old. Set the matching length, roll, and lock the first name that fits before you look at the rest.

1. Pick the species first. Tiefling names are first names only; every other species gets a first name and a family or clan name.
2. Match the length to the tone. Short names (3 to 5 letters) suit blunt, playful or homely characters. Long names (9 to 12 letters) suit formal or ancient ones. Use Starts with if you already have a letter in mind.
3. Set Gender to Masculine or Feminine, or leave it on Any if the concept does not need one.
4. Roll a list of 10 and star the names that feel right.
5. Lock the first name you like and press Roll again to swap the clan names, or reroll the clan name alone.
6. Say it out loud. A name that is easy to say and remember is the one your table will use all session.

What naming conventions does D&D use for different races?

The SRD 5.2.1 lists the nine playable species but gives no naming rules, so the structure below is D20 Desk’s own convention for the generator. Most species get a first name and a family or clan name; only the tiefling goes by a first name alone. The sample names under the tool come from the same generator.

Each species has its own word lists, so a gnome clan name sounds different from a dwarf one.

How are DND names created?

Each first name comes from a Markov chain model, which builds a new name letter by letter from the patterns in a list. The model is trained on 30 to 40 names per species and gender from D20 Desk’s own lists. Family and clan names are joined from short word lists, and every result is checked before it appears.

The checks reject a result that copies a list name, glues two list names together or is hard to pronounce. The word lists give these numbers of clan and family combinations:

Dragonborn clan names come from their own Markov model, trained on clan-style names. Nicknames draw on 25 “the …” epithets, such as the Quiet and the Stout, and 18 one-word epithets, such as Stonefist and Lightfoot. An NPC hook is one sentence built from 32 roles and 32 complications, which makes 1,024 combinations.

Is it a random name generator or does it follow rules?

Both. Each roll starts from a random seed, so lists differ, but typing the same seed returns the same list. Underneath, a trained model makes the first names, the tool rejects copies and hard-to-say results, and every species keeps its own naming structure.

The Starts with box tries to begin every first name with the letters you type. If the model cannot make a good name that way, it falls back to the closest match, so a few rows may not start with your letters. The early rows are stable: the first 5 names of a list of 20 match a list of 5 made with the same seed.

Frequently asked questions

What is a DND name generator?

A DND name generator makes fantasy names you can drop into a game. This one gives lists matched to a species, with optional family or clan names, nicknames and NPC hooks. It is free, runs in your browser and uploads nothing you generate.

What races can I generate names for, and how many at once?

The nine playable species of the SRD 5.2.1: Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Gnome, Dragonborn, Goliath, Orc and Tiefling. Choose Any species to mix them. Each roll makes 10 names by default; the How many menu also offers 5 and 20.

Can I use these names in my campaign?

Yes. The names are free to use in any game, book or commercial product, for player characters, NPC rosters, one-shots or published adventures.

How should I name NPCs differently from player characters?

Roll them the same way. The difference comes from the extras: tick Add a one-line NPC hook to get a role and a complication, such as “A widowed innkeeper who insists on paying in old coins no one else has seen.” For a whole NPC with an SRD stat block, use the NPC generator.

Can I generate names for settlements and places?

Not on this page, which is for people. Hamlet, village, town and city names are on the town name generator, and the city generator builds the rest of the place.

Do the names have meanings?

No. The names are invented, so the tool gives no meanings, translations or pronunciation guides. Say a name aloud and change the length if it does not sound right.

Can I keep one name and reroll the rest?

Yes. Lock the part you like with its lock button, then press Roll again. Locked parts stay and everything else is replaced. A reroll button on a row replaces only that first name, clan or family name, or hook.

Can I get the same names again or save them?

Type a seed into the Seed box or press Copy link to get the same list back, with its locks and rerolls. The star saves a name to your favourites in this browser only; the Favourites panel has Download CSV, Download TXT and Clear favourites buttons.

Related tools

• DnD NPC generator: use it when you need a full NPC with a personality and a stat block, not only a name.
• Town name generator: use it to name the hamlets, villages, towns and cities where your characters live.
• DnD city generator: use it to build a settlement’s government, economy, shops and rumours.
• DnD character creator: use it once you have a name and want to build the rest of the character.
• Fantasy map generator: use it to draw the land your named places sit in.
• DnD quest generator: use it to give your named characters something to do.
• DnD shop generator: use it to stock a merchant you have just named.
• DnD character sheet: use it to record the name and the rest of your character at the table.