Name generator

Dwarf name generator with clan names and bynames

Twenty dwarf names per click. First names blend an opening syllable with an ending from this page's own lists; clan names join a stone, metal or tool to a body or craft word. Choose grim, noble, cosy or ancient, and lock a clan to name a whole family.

These are 20 seeded examples. Press Generate for a new batch.

Runkbek of Sootholdopening syllable + ending of clan word + hold
Marngundopening syllable + ending
Grunhildopening syllable + ending (second set)
Uncle HadganUncle opening syllable + ending
Dagbur Sootbraidopening syllable + ending + clan word + clan ending
Old Holorn the UnforgivingOld opening syllable + ending the byname
Auntie RaggridAuntie opening syllable + ending (second set)
Dolnaropening syllable + ending
Vondundopening syllable + ending
Odrithopening syllable + ending (second set)
Uncle VarnvaldUncle opening syllable + ending
Ormbur Runeknuckleopening syllable + ending + clan word + clan ending
Runkbrand the Long-rememberedopening syllable + ending the byname
Marnrith Quartzshieldopening syllable + ending (second set) + clan word + clan ending
Lady Marnruna of GarnetholdLady opening syllable + ending (second set) of clan word + hold
Lady Marnveig of OnyxholdLady opening syllable + ending (second set) of clan word + hold
Dunnald Anvildelveropening syllable + ending + clan word + clan ending
Marnnar Lodeknuckleopening syllable + ending + clan word + clan ending
Bildrith the Lawgiveropening syllable + ending (second set) the byname
Lady Dolwyn of SootholdLady opening syllable + ending (second set) of clan word + hold

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Nothing saved yet. Press the heart next to a name and it appears here, saved in this browser only.

Dwarf name generator: example names by style

Each group below is a fixed batch made with this generator, with only the style filter changed. 44 names are on this page before you press anything.

Grim and dark

Grunulf Coppermantle
Bordin the Loud
Vondlok Flintshield
Tholddar of Steelhold
Bellowsgirdle
Helgak

Noble and grand

Stennrek the Ring-giver
Brokra of Steelhold
Dollin of Barrelhold
Varndis Garnetthumb
Runkilda Orecutter
Kettla Marbleboot

Cosy and homely

Grunbrand Emberback
Kettbur Granitebeard
Old Oddin the Round
Hadbur Gravelbinder
Brokrek
Old Brokgan the Storyteller

Ancient and mythic

Marblebinder
Varnald of Soothold
Ormgan Orehand the Steady
Ormna Runebraid
Holgrid Coppergrip
Rokvara Furnaceback

How these dwarf names are built

This generator draws from 186 hand-picked words in 6 lists and uses 15 naming patterns, plus 6 more that wrap around a keyword you type. The patterns can combine into up to 36,051,316 different names before filters. Every name in the list shows the pattern behind it, so you can see why it reads the way it does.

Word lists

List	Words	A few of them
Opening syllable	32	Gund, Bor, Hol, Orm, Bild, Nor, Brok
Ending	24	ak, gan, vald, bar, dar, rum, mund
Ending (second set)	20	lin, ilda, runa, hild, na, grid, vara
Clan word	34	Onyx, Copper, Shale, Mattock, Tin, Sledge, Soot
Clan ending	26	belly, mantle, back, hewer, jaw, helm, beard
Byname	50	Brewer, Generous, Humming, Renowned, Pipe-smoker, Soft-hearted, Stubborn

Patterns

Pattern	Example	Used for
opening syllable + ending	Ragbek	any style
opening syllable + ending (second set)	Tholdrith	any style
opening syllable + ending + clan word + clan ending	Garar Goldbeard	any style
opening syllable + ending (second set) + clan word + clan ending	Rokvi Malthand	any style
opening syllable + ending the byname	Odnar the Jolly	any style
opening syllable + ending (second set) the byname	Norwyn the Soft-hearted	any style
opening syllable + ending of clan word + hold	Dromdor of Copperhold	any style
opening syllable + ending (second set) of clan word + hold	Stennvi of Granitehold	any style
clan word + clan ending	Onyxknuckle	any style
opening syllable + ending + clan word + clan ending the byname	Hadbur Cobaltshield the Scarred	Grim and dark, Ancient and mythic
Thane opening syllable + ending + clan word + clan ending	Thane Gargan Steelbraid	Noble and grand
Lady opening syllable + ending (second set) of clan word + hold	Lady Vondhild of Tinhold	Noble and grand
Uncle opening syllable + ending	Uncle Hadald	Cosy and homely
Auntie opening syllable + ending (second set)	Auntie Brunrith	Cosy and homely
Old opening syllable + ending the byname	Old Dunndin the Lawgiver	Ancient and mythic, Cosy and homely
your keyword + clan word + clan ending	Garnet Sledgebuckle	any style
your keyword the byname	Garnet the Sturdy	any style
opening syllable + ending + your keyword + clan ending	Norbar Garnetknuckle	any style
opening syllable + ending (second set) + your keyword + clan ending	Thrumwyn Garnetbrow	any style
your keyword of clan word + hold	Garnet of Orehold	any style
opening syllable + ending of your keyword + hold	Varndin of Garnethold	any style

The words are written by hand for dwarf names, not scraped. Pressing Generate runs the same seeded routine that built the names above, so the same seed always gives the same list.

Naming guide for your dwarf

Dwarf names in this generator are made of two short, heavy pieces. The opening syllable ends on a hard consonant, as in Brun, Skor, Thold or Kett, and the ending starts on another: gar, mund, rek, brand. Put together they give names such as Brungar or Tholdrek, with two stressed beats and no soft landing. A second set of endings, such as hild, runa, veig and dis, gives names such as Skorhild and Kettruna from the same openings.

The clan name is a compound of the same kind you see on the pattern line: a stone, metal or tool, then a body part or a craft word. Granite and brow make Granitebrow, Keg and belly make Kegbelly. Because the first half is a material, a clan name tells you the family trade, and a party meeting three Slatehands in a row knows it has found the quarry.

Bynames replace or follow the clan name, the way people in a small hold are told apart: the Steady, the Loud, the Elder. The mood filter changes them. Grim gives the scarred and the kinless, noble gives the lawgivers and hall-wardens, cosy gives uncles and aunties who brew and tell stories, and ancient gives the founders whose statues line the deep road.

Before you commit to a name

Say the name aloud twice. If you stumble, your players or readers will too, and a name nobody can say gets replaced by a nickname.
Check that it does not sound like another name already in your campaign or story. Two places that start with the same letter and end the same way get mixed up at the table.
Search the web for it. The names are built from this site's own word and syllable lists, but a random blend can match a name from a published book, game or setting by chance. If it does, pick another.
If you plan to publish or sell your work, treat the name like any other: you are responsible for checking it is not a trademark or a well-known name from someone else's world.
Write it on the map or the character sheet and read it small. Long names get shortened in play, so check that the short form also works.

Questions

How do I name a whole dwarf family?

Lock the clan name. Open Lock a word on a name you like, press the clan word, and generate again. Every name in the new batch keeps the clan and gets a different first name.

Are there names for female dwarves?

Yes. The second ending set, hild, runa, wyn, dis and others, is written with women in mind, and the patterns Lady and Auntie use it. Nothing stops you giving any name to any dwarf.

Can I keep a first name I already have and only generate the clan?

Yes. Type the first name into the include-my-word box. You get it with a generated clan name or byname. If you type a clan word instead, such as Garnet, it is also used as the first half of a clan compound.

Why do the names avoid soft sounds?

It is a choice made for this list, so that dwarf names sound different from the elf and orc names on this site. If a blend comes out too harsh, lock the opening and re-roll the ending.