Drow Name Generator

How to Use the Drow Name Generator

1. Choose female, male or any drow names.
2. Pick a given name, a noble house or a surface exile.
3. Turn apostrophes on or off.
4. Read your drow name and house role. Copy it or tap the star to save it.

Choose Female, Male or Any, then pick a name style: a single Given name, a name with its Noble house, or a Surface exile known by an epithet. Press Generate for a new list. Use the Apostrophes switch to show names such as Zes'zith with the apostrophe or as Zeszith without it, which some tables find easier to read and type.

Tick the role box to give each drow a place in the house, from High Priestess to Patrol captain or Envoy to the surface. Exiles show the role they left behind. Click any name to copy it, or tap the star to build a cast for your campaign.

How the Names Are Built

Every name joins an opening syllable with an ending. There are 18 openings, such as Ilph, Xal and Jhae, and separate endings for female and male names. Female endings like -ithra, -yrra and -aeryl flow and trail off, while male endings like -ryn, -ziin and -'ross are shorter and sharper. House names are built the same way from 12 openings and 10 endings, giving 120 invented houses such as House Ghel'tarr and House Vylessith.

All three styles and both genders give 67,032 possible names. Every given name and house was checked so that the generator does not produce the well-known drow characters and houses from published novels and game settings. Names are picked with your browser's secure random source.

Example Drow Names

Drow Culture and Names

In most fantasy settings, drow are dark elves who live in vast caverns far below the surface. Their societies are often described as ruled by powerful noble houses and led by matriarchs and priestesses, which is why female roles in the generator include Matriarch and High Priestess. House names matter as much as given names: a drow introduced with their house is announcing their rank, their allies and their enemies in one breath.

Exiles are a favorite of players and writers. A drow who walks in daylight has rejected everything they were raised to be, and the surface world often distrusts them on sight. An epithet such as the Sunburnt or Who Walks in Daylight captures that story in a few words.

Tips for Naming a Drow Character

• Decide where they stand. A noble with a house name carries privilege and danger. A commoner or exile may hide their house altogether.
• Keep apostrophes consistent. If your table uses them, use them for every drow so names feel like one language.
• Use the role for hooks. A Spymistress or a Poisoner to the court already has secrets, enemies and favors owed.
• Check your setting. Some campaign worlds have their own drow naming rules or famous houses. Ask your game master before you finalize a name.
• Make it pronounceable. Players will say this name for months. Test it aloud before the first session.

Building a Noble House

A drow house makes a great recurring faction in a campaign. Start by generating a noble name in the Noble house style and keep the house it gives you. That character can be the matriarch. Then switch to Given name and create a few relatives: a high priestess who plots for the throne, a weaponmaster who trains the house guard, and a younger sibling who secretly dreams of the surface. Tick the role box for ideas, then save the whole family to your favorites.

Give the house a rival by generating a second noble name, and decide what the two houses are fighting over: a trade route, a temple, a forbidden spell or an old betrayal. The exile style gives you the one who got away, a perfect link between the underground plot and the surface world.

Frequently asked questions