What

I work in software engineering and a recurring theme is that “naming things is hard.” I know plenty of game masters that feel the same way. But we don’t need a degree in etymology to develop cool names for our Dungeons & Dragons games.

Keep a List of “Cool” Names

One of the best methods for inspiration and creativity is to consume a wide range of media. Read books and adventures, watch movies and television, etc. While doing that, I keep a master brainstorm document in the Notes app on my phone. Anytime inspiration strikes for a neat idea or cool name, I toss it in there. All combined it has over 2600 words. Anytime I need inspiration, I open it up, grab something, and cross that entry off. Examples from my list:

• Syrah’s Rest
• Zeyahn
• Cloudburst
• Villifax
• Jah Keved

Compound Words

A tried and true method for coming up with good fantasy names is to combine two words. It’s super simple and works incredibly well. We can use our list of cool names as a starting point, too. Here are a few compound examples:

• Greyhawk
• Blackmoor
• Witchrock
• Darkstone
• Magefire

Fuse Words

Fusing words is another tool for coming up with great sounding fantasy names. The technique is simple: pick two words at random and smash them together. There are no rules beyond that. Remove letters, replace letters, or move them around. Anything at all. We can even use our surroundings as a starting point for this method. Here are a few fusion examples

• Carpet + Table = Krabel
• Frame + Wall = Frall
• Book + Window = Brindow
• Quilt + Chair = Q’tair

Backwards

This method is straightforward. Or rather, backwards. Take a word and reverse the letters. Not all words work well with this method but plenty do. I’ve got a few easter eggs hiding throughout my campaigns if my players ever figure this one out. Examples:

• Silicon becomes Nocilis
• Netflix becomes Xilften
• Merlot becomes Tolrem

Generators

Lastly, we can rely on random generators or tables to supply great names. This method is easy and someone else already did the hard work for us. Check out my evocative geography names or lords, ladies, brigands, and barmaids for a few examples.

One of the all-time best resources out there is fantasynamegenerators.com. From Westeros to Warcraft, this generator has it all and more.

These methods help provide us the tools to come up with great names in little time. None require a deeper understanding of etymology or endless trial and error. And we don’t need to pick just one. They’re simple and powerful ideas for better names.

Game on.