Help Naming your NPCs (and PCs)

Jarl Ogren and Toral the Rat-
Catcher

In the realm of tabletop role-playing games, Game Masters (GMs) often find themselves in a familiar predicament. They meticulously introduce player characters (PCs) to a scene, describing the main non-player character (NPC) who awaits their interaction. Yet, much to the GM’s chagrin, the players frequently veer off course, drawn to some seemingly insignificant background NPC—the one hastily added as an afterthought. And, as if scripted, they insist on knowing the name and life story of this inconspicuous figure. Fear not, dear GMs, for this article shall address the former: the art of naming.

In my day-to-day work, I encounter individuals from diverse corners of the globe. Consequently, I maintain a running catalog of unique and unconventional names. This list remains within arm’s reach during game sessions, ready for swift deployment when an NPC requires identification. However, even armed with my trusty roster, I occasionally yearn for additional resources. Picture a quaint village nestled in the folds of history, where names resonate with shared cultural or ethnic origins—perhaps an enclave of Armenian-sounding appellations. For such scenarios, I turn to the following invaluable naming resources:

1. The Everyone Everywhere List - TEEL

From: Erik James Olsrud

Current Price: $6 at Drivethrurpg

2. Treasury of Archaic Names - ToAN

From: Bill Owen

Current Price: Varies

3. Extraordinary Book of Names - EBoN

From: Malcom Bowers as part of the Gary Gygax World Builder Series.

Price: Varies (Back in print from Troll Lord Games)

4. Story Games Names Project - SGNP

From: Various contributors of the RPG community

Price: Free (Easily found on-line)

Due to the ever-changing nature of the Internet, and quickly changing link addresses, I'm just pointing out these resources instead of directly linking to anything.

If you don't have access to your books, in a pinch, a quick search on-line will bring up any number of random name generators, or NPC naming lists. Again, I would suggest searching your own sources on-line and bookmarking them for quick use. The following have been pretty stable links, so I'll include a short list.

I suggest:

Donjon

Fantasy Name Generators

RPG Names dot com