What’s in an NPC name? Well, in short, everything if you are a GM. Nothing breaks immersion faster than a player asking your for the name of the bartender at the Screaming Gull Inn, and all you can come up with is “Bob.”
Even the great Tolkien himself dropped the ball (or was this on purpose) with his trolls in the Hobbit - Tom, Bert & Bill.
Bottomline, having a names list at your fingertips is a must for every well prepared GM. Quickly being able to pull a genre specific name out of your hat at a moment’s notice will keep your game humming along. Scrawl a couple quick options on a Post It note, and stick it to your GM Screen so that it’s handy.
A big list of NPC names is also extremely helpful when preparing for your sessions. Naming people, creatures and places is a critical part of world building. These lists can help kickstart your brain if you get stuck on a name.
Most important of all, NPCs can come to life with just a name and single memorable characteristic…you don’t always need a huge backstory to have your players meet a compelling character.
NPC Name Generators
Here are 5 of my go-to options for building huge lists of potential NPC & PC Names:
- SeventhSanctum.com
- D&D Character Name Generator
- Donjon Fantasy Name Generator — also has Sci-Fi Name Generator
- FantasyNameGenerators.com
- Czech Names list - many of these make great fantasy names
Ready to Run NPC Name Lists
Here are several ready-to-run NPC Names lists that you can cut & paste into the GM notes program of your choice.
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