Random Name Generator

Press Generate for random first and last names. Choose female, male or any, pick an origin from English and Spanish to Chinese, Malay and Indian, and make anything from one name to a list of 100. Tap a name to copy it.

10 names, any origin Press Space to generate
Gender
Origin
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How to use the random name generator

  1. Choose how many names. Type any number from 1 to 100. Ten is a good size for a quick look, and 100 gives you a full list to copy.
  2. Pick a gender and an origin. Leave both on Any for a broad mix, or narrow them down. With a single origin selected, both the first names and the surnames come from that culture.
  3. Choose what to show. Full name pairs a first name with a surname. First names and Last names show just one half, which is useful when you are looking for ideas rather than complete characters.
  4. Press Generate. You can also press the Space bar. Tap any name to copy it, or press Copy all names to copy the whole list, one name per line.

The name sets and how each one is written

Every origin has its own lists of first names and surnames, and each is written in the order that culture normally uses. The numbers show how many different names each set holds.

OriginWritten asExampleFirst namesSurnames
EnglishGiven name, then surnameOlivia Taylor8060
SpanishGiven name, then surnameLucía Herrera7559
FrenchGiven name, then surnameCamille Durand8061
GermanGiven name, then surnameHannah Becker8059
ItalianGiven name, then surnameGiulia Romano8059
ChineseFamily name, then given nameWang Mei Ling8059
JapaneseFamily name, then given nameSato Yui8060
KoreanFamily name, then given nameKim Seo-yeon7640
MalayGiven name, bin or binti, father's nameNur Aisyah binti Ismail8042
IndianGiven name, then surnameAnanya Sharma8250
ArabicGiven name, then surnameLayla Haddad8045

Chinese names are in pinyin. Japanese and Korean names are written in Latin letters. Malay names follow the common pattern of a given name, then bin (son of) or binti (daughter of), then the father's name, so the last part is a father's name rather than a family name.

Worked examples

Press "Load this example" to set the options and generate straight away. Every press gives a fresh set of names.

Characters for a story

A varied cast of ten, with no single culture dominating the list.

10 names / any gender / any origin / full name

Test data for a sign-up form

Plausible English names for filling a database or a screenshot without using real people.

25 names / any gender / English / full name

A Japanese cast

Family name first, as it is written in Japan, for a manga, game or classroom story.

8 names / any gender / Japanese / full name

First names to spark ideas

A list of female first names from every set, handy when you only need the given name.

20 names / female / any origin / first names

Getting good results from random names

Generate more than you need. A batch of 20 or 30 gives you room to throw out names that clash with another character, sound too similar to each other or simply do not fit.

Match the name to the setting. If your story is set in Osaka, Madrid or Mumbai, the origin filter gets you much closer than a mixed list. Real places are rarely as uniform as a single origin though, so mixing is fine for modern, international settings.

Vary the first letters. Readers keep characters apart more easily when names start with different letters and have different lengths. Scan your shortlist for repeats before you commit.

Use made-up details for test data. Pair generated names with example.com email addresses and invented phone numbers, never real ones, so nothing in your test data can point to a real person.

Treat names with respect. These are real names from real cultures. They work well as ordinary background names, but if a name is central to a story, it is worth checking its meaning and usage with someone from that culture.

How the names are chosen

Each name is built by picking a first name and a surname at random from the lists above, using crypto.getRandomValues, the secure random source built into your browser. Every name in a list has the same chance, with no bias towards the start or end of the list. When the origin is Any, each name first picks one of the 11 origins at random, then picks from that origin's lists.

Names inside one batch never repeat. If your choices leave fewer different names than you asked for, such as 100 first names from a single small set, the page shows as many as exist and tells you the limit.

The lists are made of common given names and surnames, and the page combines them at random, so results are not copies of any real person's full name and a match is a coincidence. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere, and the names exist only on this page until you close it.

Random name generator questions

Are these real people's names?

No. Each result pairs a first name with a surname, both picked at random from lists of common names, so any match with a real person is a coincidence.

Can I choose male or female names?

Yes. Choose Female, Male or Any. With Any, each name is randomly given one or the other.

Can I get names from a particular country or culture?

Yes. Pick an origin such as English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Indian or Arabic, and both the first names and the surnames come from that set. Leave it on Any origin to mix them.

Which name order does each origin use?

Given name first for English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Indian and Arabic names. Chinese, Japanese and Korean names put the family name first, as is traditional. Malay names use the form given name, then bin or binti, then the father's name.

Can I generate a list of names at once?

Yes. Choose how many names you want, from 1 to 100, and copy the whole list in one click. You can also tap a single name to copy just that one.

Will I get the same name twice?

Not in one batch. Every name in a batch is different. If your choices leave fewer different names than you asked for, the page shows as many as exist and tells you the limit.

What can I use random names for?

Writers use them for characters, developers for test data and mock-ups, and teachers for example scenarios. They also work as placeholder names in forms, slides and games.

Can I use these names in a book or game?

Yes. Names cannot be owned, so you are free to use any result. It is still worth a quick search to make sure you have not matched a well-known person by accident.