Skyrim Name Generator

Ask for 1 to 10 names and the Skyrim Name Generator hands back that many from a list of 239 Elder Scrolls-flavored character names. Most are two-part names in the style of the game's Nords and elves, such as Ragnar Whiterun, Elenwen Telvanni or Ondolemar Silinor. Mixed in are the hyphenated Argonian names (Swims-At-Night, Makes-Many-Soups, Hides-His-Eyes), a few Khajiit names with the J' prefix, and a handful of single-word Argonian names like Zheez and Veesk. It's for the character-creation screen, a Skyrim tabletop campaign, or a fanfic where you need a guard, a merchant or a bandit chief named in the next thirty seconds.

How the names are put together

This isn't a syllable mixer. Each entry is a fixed pairing, and the parts come from three places:

• First names lifted from the game's NPCs. Vilkas, Alvor, Ysolda, Balgruuf, Heimskr, Njada, Skjor, Torvar and Lokir are all people you meet in Whiterun, Riverwood or Helgen. Elf first names like Ondolemar, Elenwen, Rulindil, Niranye and Aicantar are Thalmor and Altmer characters.
• Second names taken from holds, cities, factions and famous things. Whiterun, Solitude, Winterhold, Falkreath, Morthal, Riften, Windhelm and Dawnstar are the hold capitals; Stormcloak, Telvanni and Dragonborn are factions or titles; Shadowmere is a horse. A few second names (Lorien, Thranduil, Elendil, Nenya) are borrowed from Tolkien rather than Tamriel, so skip those if you want strict lore accuracy.
• Argonian and Khajiit patterns. Argonian names in the list follow the game's Cyrodilic convention of a translated phrase with hyphens (Lurks-In-Mud, Keeps-To-Shadows, Glimmers-In-Grottos, Wanders-In-Tides). Khajiit entries use the J' honorific, as in J'datharr.

There is no race or gender selector. You get a random slice of the whole list, so a batch of ten will usually include a couple of Nord names, a couple of elf names and one or two Argonian names. If you only want Argonian names, generate ten and keep the hyphenated ones.

Naming conventions in Skyrim, if you want to make your own

The list is a starting point, and the game's own rules are easy to follow once you see them:

• Nords use Old Norse-sounding first names (Ulfric, Ralof, Gerdur, Hadvar) and rarely have surnames. When they do, it is a clan name or a descriptive epithet: Gray-Mane, Battle-Born, Ironhand, the Unbroken.
• Altmer (High Elves) have long, flowing names with soft consonants: Ondolemar, Ancano, Nirya. Bosmer (Wood Elves) are shorter and sharper: Faendal, Niruin, Malborn. Dunmer (Dark Elves) use hard consonants and great-house surnames: Jenassa, Brelyna Maryon, Aval Atheron.
• Argonians either keep a Jel name (Zheez, Veesk, Neetrenaza) or take a translated one: Talen-Jei, Wujeeta, Stands-In-Shallows.
• Khajiit prefix a name with a status marker: J' or Ji' for young males, Ma' for children or apprentices, Ra' or Ri' for leaders, Dro' for elders, and S' or Do' for warriors. J'zargo and M'aiq are the two you probably remember.
• Imperials, Bretons and Redguards take Roman-sounding, French-sounding and Arabic-sounding names respectively: Hadvar's officer Tullius, the Breton Sybille Stentor, the Redguard Nazeem.

Related generators

For a Souls-style name with a bleaker edge, the Elden Ring Name Generator is the closest neighbor. The Medieval Name Generator suits Imperial or Breton characters better than this list does, and the Witch Name Generator works for a College of Winterhold mage. Divine names for a shrine or a Daedric-style patron come from the Random God Name Generator. All of these live under all name generators.