Name generators outside of the realm of Dungeons and Dragons can help sometimes, depending on the languages they offer.

This one at Behindthename.com allows you to select things like 'Ancient' and some ancient mythologies.

Other categories that can work are German or Welsh. Consider finding an English word, and translating it to one of those languages. Sometimes you'll come up with suitable results that actually mean something.

If those don't do it for you, games like World of Warcraft usually have a random name generator as part of their character creation process. Another option is to use the built in name generators that most D&D character creators have.

Name Lists

For those times where a Dungeons and Dragons name generator wouldn’t cut it, consider finding a suitable name list.

Depending on the game, it may be suitable to name your characters something simple and traditional. Perhaps something you might find occasionally in life, such as Willem, or something more common like Brian. Personally, I play Dungeons and Dragons to excersize creativity and enjoy the unusual. I generally prefer more unusual names.

When looking for traditional, yet unusual names, I like to turn to names that were popular in ancient times. Unfortunately, I wasn’taround back then, so I have to turn to the internet for help. I’m apparently not the only person with trouble coming up with or selecting a name. Here are a few of my favorite lists.

Sparkpeople.com has this great list of names from ancient English times, complete with the gender for which it’s intended, the meaning of the name, and even similar names. It was intended for couples to select a names for babies, but it works well.

Behindthename.com also has a similar list of Germanic names that usually suit a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Wizards of the Coast also included a few name suggestions in the 3.5 player’s handbook in the racial descriptions. They later published a list of character names in the 3.0 book called 'The Hero Builder’s guide. This list is organized by race, and spans a multiple pages, starting on page 67.

Easily one of the most impressive lists I’ve come across is this great list from Bullypulpitgames.com and is a 280 page PDF of nothing but names! You can also buy a bound copy of it.

Special Thanks…

Special thanks to Jason Morningstar at Bully Pulpit Games, for giving permission to link to The Story Games Name Project! Make sure to stop by there and see their games!