Fantasy surname generator
Last names, clan names, house names and epithets for every people, each with its meaning and how to say it. Pick a people, or let them mingle.
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Gnome · clan name
Bisdil
Pronounced: BIHS-dihl
Voice-hawk
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Dwarf · clan name
Kukagrim
Pronounced: KOO-kah-grihm
Swift gem
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Goblin · epithet
the Tickchewer
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Halfling · family name
Greenfield
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Aasimar · family name
Virphavaelva
Pronounced: vihr-fah-VAYL-vah
True wind
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Dragonborn · clan name
Clan Drernian
Pronounced: drehr-NEE-ahn
Sky
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Human · surname
Southbridge
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Drow · house name
House Vylzith
Pronounced: VIHL-zihth
Blade-raven
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Half-Elf · family name
Windstead
Wind place
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Goliath · clan name
Thatheler
Pronounced: thah-THEH-lehr
Wild bear
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Elf · family name
Liraelis
Pronounced: lee-RAY-lihs
Song-sky
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Orc · clan name
Bonetusk
How family names work, people by people
A family name tells you where someone comes from before they say a word. The peoples in Namewright do it in very different ways, and mixing them up is the fastest route to a flat-feeling world.
Humans take surnames from three places. A trade (Fletcher, Cooper, Chandler) says what an ancestor did; a place (Ashford, Hazelden) says where the family settled; a father (Wilwigson, or Highland mac and nic) says who came before. Latin-style family names carry the old Roman ending -ius or -ia.
Dwarves carry clan names in the common tongue, built from a material and a craft or trait: Coppermantle, Slatebelt, Oathbinder. A dwarf's clan is both a name and a reputation. Dragonborn put the clan first and the self second; their clan names are long Xarthic compounds ending in -ar, -ix or -endar. Goliaths and gnomes keep clan names in their own tongues; the gnomes add a nickname between given name and clan.
Elves use poetic compounds without an ending, such as "Mist-heart" or "Leaf-dream". Drow belong to a House, whose name often carries a glottal break written with an apostrophe. Halflings favour garden and hearth compounds: Thistlebrook, Kettleleaf. Orcs take clan names that warn you before they arrive, and goblins do not have surnames at all but earn epithets ("the Toebiter").
Choosing one
Pick the surname for the people first, then for the story. A clan name that means "Oathbinder" is a promise to the table; a trade name says a character's ancestors worked for a living. If the meaning appeals, keep it; if the sound does not, roll again. The kindred button on a given name finds relatives that share its root.
Questions
What is the difference between a surname, a clan name and a house name?
A surname is a family name passed down, often from a trade, a place or a father. A clan name belongs to a larger kin group, such as a dwarven or dragonborn clan, and is spoken with pride. A house name belongs to a ruling or noble family, as among the drow. The generator labels each result with the right word for its people.
Do tieflings have last names?
Sometimes. Many carry only one name, often a chosen virtue name. About half of the tiefling results here include an infernal family name or the human surname of the town that raised them.
Can the whole party share a surname?
Only if they are family, a clan or an adopted company. Different peoples use different kinds of family name, so mixing them tells the table who comes from where.
Do the surnames have real meanings?
Yes, within the rules of each people: our constructed tongues give each root a fixed meaning, and the English-style names (trades and places) mean what they say. Human Highland and Latin names use real historical name-elements.