Gnome Name Generator

The Gnome Name Generator draws between 1 and 10 names from a list of 1,164, split into 574 male and 590 female names, and shows each on a card. Set the gender dropdown to Male, Female or Random. The list mixes two styles: short single names in the folklore and older-D&D tradition (Arno, Merlin, Brokk, Bari, Roxy, Kora, Shanna) and two-part names in the modern D&D style with a personal name and a descriptive clan name (Merros Dapplecloak, Penny Anglesteel, Rosibi Whistledust, Bantra Tinkerscheme, Yorhana Marblecraft).

It is meant for players rolling up a gnome in Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder, game masters who need a gnomish NPC on the spot, and writers whose fantasy setting has gnomes in it. The names are pre-written, not assembled from syllables at random, so every one has been read by a person and the clan names are real English compounds rather than gibberish.

The two naming styles in the list

Single names

These are the kind of names gnomes carry in folklore, in Tolkien-era fantasy and in the earliest editions of D&D: short, often two syllables, with hard consonants. The list includes invented ones (Babak, Tholgiol, Dovir, Rulviol, Margiol) and a handful borrowed from Norse and other mythology, such as Alviss and Brokk, who are dwarves in the Eddas but have been used for gnomes since the first Monster Manual. A few are plainly nicknames (Pock, Twitch, Toes, Oneshoe, Doublelock), which fits the D&D idea that gnomes collect nicknames from friends and family.

Personal name plus clan name

Fifth-edition D&D describes a gnome as having a personal name, a clan name and often a nickname. The clan names in this list follow the Player's Handbook pattern of two ordinary words joined: an object or material plus an action or feature. Anglesteel, Whistlespring, Marblecraft, Glitterbit, Pebblesong, Copperlight, Flickerclick, Tinkerscheme. The personal names in front of them are softer and more varied (Faedira, Rosilys, Theodora, Zinkasys, Quillz), and a few are borrowed from human names (Penny, Charlene, Theodora), which the Player's Handbook explicitly allows for gnomes living among humans.

Picking a name that fits your gnome

• Rock gnomes lean toward mechanical clan names: Castcrank, Tinkerscheme, Flickerclick, Fuzzsignal. Pair with a short personal name.
• Forest gnomes suit the nature compounds: Whistlespring, Pebblesong, Wagglemane, Oilbuz is a stretch but Dapplecloak is perfect.
• Deep gnomes (svirfneblin) read best with the harder single names: Tholgiol, Girur, Bothon, Dumol. Skip the whimsical clan names.
• Nicknames are the part players enjoy inventing. If the tool gives you "Oneshoe" or "Short-shot Rergeberis", use it as the nickname and generate again for the formal name.

Generating 10 at a time and reading them aloud is the fastest way to find one you can say at the table without stumbling. Names with unusual clusters (Xyrofyx Lulwiners, Ariyaris Hornenebo) are in the list because they are fun on paper; test them out loud first.

Ways people use it

• Character creation. One name for your own gnome, with the gender filter set to match.
• Populating a gnome settlement. Set Random and 10, press three times, and you have a village roster. For the human traders passing through, the Medieval Name Generator gives period-appropriate names.
• Other fantasy races at the same table. The Argonian Name Generator, Witch Name Generator and Random God Name Generator cover lizardfolk, spellcasters and the pantheon. Everything is listed under all name generators.