Medieval Name Generator

The Medieval Name Generator draws from a list of 203 given names that were in use across Europe between roughly the 5th and 15th centuries, and shows each one with its origin and meaning. Pick male, female or random, choose how many you want (1 to 10), and press generate. You'll get results like Alaric ("ruler of all", Gothic), Clarimond ("clear or bright", Latin) or Bogdana ("God's gift", Polish and Slavic). The list is first names only. It doesn't produce surnames or titles, though the section on medieval surnames below will help you build one.

What you can set

• Category: Random, Male or Female. Random draws from the whole list; there are 85 male and 118 female names, so random results lean slightly female.
• Number of names: 1 to 10 per click. The default is 3.

Each result card shows the name in large type and a one-sentence meaning underneath, for example "This Old Breton word means 'deer'" for Alan. Names are not repeated within a single batch.

Where the names come from

Medieval Europe wasn't one naming culture, and the list reflects that. The biggest groups are Old English and Norman names that arrived with the Conquest (Alexander, Col as a short form of Nicholas, Colette), Germanic and Gothic names from the migration-era kingdoms (Alaric, Avila, August), and Slavic names from Poland, Bohemia and the Balkans (Blazh, Borko, Bogdana, Bozhena). There are Latin and Greek saints' names that spread with the Church (Agatha, Celestina, Anora), and Celtic names from Brittany and the British Isles. Each entry's meaning line tells you the language it came from, so if you are naming a character from a specific region you can generate ten and keep the ones with the right origin.

Sample output

How to add a medieval surname or title

Most people in the Middle Ages had no fixed surname until the 13th or 14th century. When a second name was needed to tell two Johns apart, it came from one of four sources, and you can use the same sources to finish a generated name:

• Occupation: Smith, Fletcher (arrow-maker), Chandler (candle-maker), Cooper, Webster (weaver), Reeve. Alaric the Fletcher.
• Father's name (patronymic): English -son (Williamson), Norman Fitz- (FitzGerald), Welsh ap (ap Rhys, which became Price), Slavic -ovich or -ova. Bogdana Borkova.
• Place: "of" plus a town, or a landscape word: Atwood, Hill, Brook, de Montfort. Clarimond of Avila.
• Nickname: a physical trait or reputation: Long, Reed (red-haired), Armstrong, le Blanc.

Titles sat in front of the name and depended on rank: Sir for a knight, Lord or Lady for a landed noble, Brother or Sister for the religious, Master for a guild craftsman. For a fantasy setting that borrows the medieval feel without the history, the Elden Ring Name Generator and Witch Name Generator lean darker, the Gnome Name Generator lighter, and the Random God Name Generator covers the deities your characters might swear by.

Ways people use it

• Historical fiction and RPG characters. A name with a real origin is easier to build a backstory around than an invented one.
• D&D and tabletop NPCs. Ten names at a time is enough to populate a village. Add an occupational surname and you have the innkeeper, the smith and the reeve.
• Renaissance fairs and LARP. Pick a name, then use the surname patterns above to make it your own.
• Baby-name browsing. Many of these (Agatha, Colette, Alexander) never went out of use; others (Clarimond, Alaric) are rare enough to stand out.

For other naming traditions, see all name generators.