What were common medieval names?

For men: John, William, Robert, Richard, Thomas, Henry, Walter and Hugh. For women: Alice, Matilda, Agnes, Joan, Isabel, Margery, Emma and Cecily. Records from 14th century England show a few names like these covering most of the population.

What are some rare medieval names?

For a name that sounds medieval but is rarely used today, try Ysmay, Hawise, Petronilla, Amice or Ermengarde for women and Osbert, Gervase, Wymond, Fulk or Hamon for men. All appear in medieval records.

Did medieval peasants have last names?

Not at first. Until the 1200s most ordinary people were known by one name plus a description when needed: John the miller, Alice at the wood. Over time those descriptions stuck and became last names like Miller and Atwood, which is why so many English surnames are jobs and places.

Is this name generator free?

Yes. It runs in your browser with no account and no limit. Click a name to copy it, or star it to keep it in a saved list in this browser.

Can I use these names in my book, game or D&D campaign?

Yes. Made-up names come from syllable lists we wrote ourselves and real historical names belong to nobody, so use them for characters, NPCs, pets, usernames or stories. For a commercial product, do a quick search to check a name is not already someone’s trademark.

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Medieval Names and Medieval Name Generator

Find medieval names for a story, a game or a baby: real names from the Middle Ages like William, Matilda or Isolde, with a last name from a trade or a place, such as Fletcher, Underhill or Fitzwilliam.

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Medieval names

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How do medieval names work?

In medieval England a handful of names were extremely common. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, French names such as William, Robert, Richard, Alice and Matilda pushed out most Old English ones, and by the 1300s about a third of all men were called John or William. Saints’ names (Thomas, Agnes, Katherine) spread through the church.

Last names arrived slowly, from about the 1100s to the 1400s. Most came from a job (Smith, Fletcher, Baxter), a place (Underhill, Atwood, Brooke), a father (Fitzwilliam meant son of William) or a nickname (Longbow, Fairfax meant fair hair). Nobles often used de plus their land: de Clare, de Vere.

Medieval name list

Ready-made medieval names to browse or copy. Use the generator above for a fresh batch, or mix a first name from one list with a last name from another.

Male medieval names

Ralph
Miles
Percival
Everard
Simon
Godfrey
Roger
William
Stephen
Benedict
Wymond
Edmund
Hamon
Lambert
Adam
Beran
Ivo
Tristram
Thomas
Aldstan
Gervase
Godulf
John
Nicholas
Fulk
Theobald
Piers
Osard
Aldous
Alaric
Osric
Walter
Alulf
Randard
Robert
Reginald
Richard
Lancelot
Berbert
Geoffrey

Female medieval names

Christiana
Cedild
Mariota
Beatrice
Avice
Ysmay
Philippa
Lettice
Wyniys
Isolde
Tiphaine
Johanna
Ermengarde
Amice
Amora
Idonea
Edith
Maud
Cecily
Melild
Sabina
Erora
Roseild
Gunnora
Mabel
Alienor
Eldith
Albreda
Sybil
Clarice
Alice
Hawise
Gisela
Joan
Cedith
Elaine
Nichola
Margery
Juliana
Margaret

Medieval last names

Miller
Thatcher
Fisher
Brooke
Marshal
Woodward
Fitzwilliam
Palmer
Fletcher
Turner
Thorne
Atwood
Underhill
Tanner
Fitzroy
Fitzgerald
Chandler
Steward
Bowman
Shepherd
Longbow
Ashdown
de Clare
Fairfax

Full medieval names

Dionisia Atwood
Erice Archer
Baldwin Sawyer
Bertram Baxter
Sybil Atwood
Helewise Cooper
Avice Spencer
Lambert de Clare
Rose Ward
Ralph Palmer
Geoffrey Fisher
Giles Fuller
Sibia Fitzgerald
Reginald Fitzwilliam
Hamon Thorne
Marice Turner

Medieval last names and what they meant

Most medieval last names describe a job, a place, a father or a nickname. A few common ones and their meaning:

Last name	Meaning
Smith	A metalworker, the most common trade
Fletcher	An arrow maker
Cooper	A barrel maker
Chandler	A candle maker
Thatcher	A roofer who worked with straw
Baxter	A baker, often a woman
Webster	A weaver
Fuller	A worker who cleaned and thickened cloth
Hayward	The officer who looked after a village’s fences and hedges
Atwood	Someone who lived at the wood
Underhill	Someone who lived at the foot of a hill
Fitzwilliam	Son of William (from Norman French fitz, “son”)
Fairfax	A nickname for someone with fair hair
de Vere	A noble family named after their land in Normandy

Medieval names for nobles, knights and commoners

Kings and nobles used the big Norman names again and again: William, Henry, Richard, Edward, Eleanor, Isabel, Matilda. Add a place for a lord or lady: Richard de Clare, Isabel of Gloucester.

Knights in stories often have romance names from the Arthurian tales: Lancelot, Percival, Tristram, Gawain, Isolde, Elaine.

Commoners mostly shared a few names (John, William, Alice, Agnes) and were told apart by their trade or where they lived: John Fletcher, Alice Atwood, Wat the Miller.

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Frequently asked questions

: For men: John, William, Robert, Richard, Thomas, Henry, Walter and Hugh. For women: Alice, Matilda, Agnes, Joan, Isabel, Margery, Emma and Cecily. Records from 14th century England show a few names like these covering most of the population.
: For a name that sounds medieval but is rarely used today, try Ysmay, Hawise, Petronilla, Amice or Ermengarde for women and Osbert, Gervase, Wymond, Fulk or Hamon for men. All appear in medieval records.
: Not at first. Until the 1200s most ordinary people were known by one name plus a description when needed: John the miller, Alice at the wood. Over time those descriptions stuck and became last names like Miller and Atwood, which is why so many English surnames are jobs and places.
: Yes. It runs in your browser with no account and no limit. Click a name to copy it, or star it to keep it in a saved list in this browser.
: Yes. Made-up names come from syllable lists we wrote ourselves and real historical names belong to nobody, so use them for characters, NPCs, pets, usernames or stories. For a commercial product, do a quick search to check a name is not already someone’s trademark.