Ancient Name Generator

Names from the ancient world's great civilizations

Real-World Names & CulturesPart of: real-world name generators500 names

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Generate ancient names drawn from Rome, Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Israel, Carthage, the Hittites, Celts, Han China and Mauryan India. Real kings, scribes and poets sit alongside authentically formed names for historical fiction, tabletop games and worldbuilding.

About ancient names

Ancient names rarely came as a simple first-and-last pair. Most people in the ancient world carried one name plus a marker of belonging: a father (Alexandros Philippou, David ben Jesse), a city (Herodotos of Halikarnassos), a tribe (Boudica of the Iceni) or a title (Hanno the Navigator). Romans were the exception, using the three-part praenomen, nomen and cognomen (Gaius Julius Caesar), while Roman women went by the family name alone (Cornelia, Livia, Julia) with a distinguishing epithet.

Each civilization has its own sound. Greek names are compounds of virtue words ending in -os, -es or -e (Themistokles, Perikles, Sappho). Egyptian royal names are theophoric, folding in Amun, Ra or Ptah (Tutankhamun, Ramesses, Ptahhotep). Akkadian and Assyrian names are short sentences about gods (Ashur-uballit, "Ashur has kept alive"; Nebuchadnezzar, "Nabu protect my heir"). Hebrew names carry El or Yah (Elijah, Isaiah, Hezekiah); Phoenician and Carthaginian ones carry Baal and Melqart (Hannibal, Hasdrubal, Bodashtart). Celtic and Germanic names from Roman sources end in -rix or -us (Vercingetorix, Arminius).

This list keeps those structures intact, so whether you pull a real Hittite queen or a period-plausible Babylonian scribe, the name reads as ancient rather than vaguely old. Use the epithets as they are for flavor or drop them and keep the bare name.

How to choose ancient names

  • Match the naming structure to the culture: patronymics in Greek (-ou) and Hebrew (ben/bat), three names for Roman men, god-sentences for Mesopotamians and Egyptians.
  • The 'of Place' epithet is a real ancient convention, not filler; keep it when you want to show origin, or swap in a tribe or a father's name to vary a cast.
  • For an original character, borrow a real name element and recombine it in the same language: Ashur-, Nabu- or Marduk- plus -iddina or -ahhe-iddina for Assyrians, Amen- or Ra- for Egyptians.
  • Roman women can be told apart by ordinal or diminutive epithets (Major, Minor, Tertia) rather than by unique first names, which is how Romans actually did it.
  • Avoid mixing scripts of sound inside one household: a Greek Theokritos married to a Hebrew Abigail needs a story, while Theokritos and Eurydike do not.

Frequently asked questions

Which cultures does this ancient name generator cover?

Rome and Etruria, archaic through Hellenistic Greece, pharaonic Egypt and Kush, Sumer, Akkad, Babylon and Assyria, the Hittites, Achaemenid Persia and Media, Israel and Judah, Phoenicia and Carthage, the Celts and Germanic tribes, Mauryan India and pre-Han and Han China.

Why do so many names have 'of Athens' or 'son of' attached?

Because that is how ancient people were actually identified. Hereditary surnames did not exist outside Rome, so a name was disambiguated by city, tribe, father or profession. You can drop the epithet if you only want the personal name.

Are these real historical people?

Many are, including kings, queens, philosophers, scribes, generals and poets, all of whom died more than a thousand years ago. Others are period-correct names built from the same elements so that you have options that are not tied to one famous biography.

How do I invent a new ancient name that still sounds right?

Pick one culture and reuse its building blocks: Greek virtue compounds (Kalli-, Theo-, -kles, -doros), Roman gens names with a cognomen, Akkadian god-plus-verb sentences, or Egyptian names praising Amun or Ra. Then add an epithet of place or parentage in that culture's style.

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All 500 ancient names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 82 names

  • Aaron ben Amram
  • Abiathar ben Ahimelech
  • Abibaal of Byblos
  • Absalom ben David
  • Ada of Caria
  • Adad-nirari of Assur
  • Adapa of Eridu
  • Adda-guppi of Harran
  • Adherbal of Carthage
  • Adiatorix of Galatia
  • Aemilia Tertia
  • Agesilaos Archidamou
  • Agnodike of Athens
  • Agrippina Major
  • Ahab ben Omri
  • Ahasuerus of Susa
  • Ahhotep of Thebes
  • Ahiram of Byblos
  • Ahithophel the Gilonite
  • Ahmose-Nefertari
  • Aischylos Euphorionos
  • Akalamdug of Ur
  • Akhenaten Neferkheperure
  • Alexander Jannaeus
  • Alkibiades Kleiniou
  • Amage of the Sarmatians
  • Amastris of Herakleia

A, continued

  • Ambhi of Taxila
  • Amenhotep Nebmaatre
  • Amenhotep son of Hapu
  • Amenirdis of Kush
  • Ammi-saduqa of Babylon
  • Ammurapi of Ugarit
  • Amyntas Andromenous
  • Amyntas of Galatia
  • Amytis of Media
  • Anakreon of Teos
  • Anaximandros of Miletos
  • Ancus Marcius
  • Ankhesenamun of Thebes
  • Antiochos Hierax
  • Antiochos Megas
  • Antiochos Theos
  • Antipatros Iolaou
  • Antiphon Sophilou
  • Antonia Minor
  • Apama of Sogdiana
  • Appius Claudius Caecus
  • Apries Haaibre
  • Aratos of Sikyon
  • Archidamos Zeuxidamou
  • Arete of Kyrene
  • Ariarathes of Kappadokia
  • Aristeides the Just

A, continued

  • Aristoboulos of Kassandreia
  • Aristogeiton of Athens
  • Aristokles Nikagorou
  • Aristophanes Philippou
  • Aristoxenos of Taras
  • Arnth Cai
  • Arsakes of Parthia
  • Arsinoe Philadelphos
  • Arsinoe Philopator
  • Artabazos Pharnabazou
  • Artaphernes of Sardis
  • Artemisia of Halikarnassos
  • Aryenis of Lydia
  • Ashoka Devanampriya
  • Ashur-bel-kala
  • Ashur-dan of Assur
  • Ashur-resh-ishi
  • Ashur-uballit of Assur
  • Ashurnasirpal of Kalhu
  • Aspasia of Miletos
  • Aspelta of Meroe
  • Ateas of Scythia
  • Atrahasis of Shuruppak
  • Aule Metele
  • Aulus Gellius
  • Aulus Plautius
  • Aurelianus Restitutor
  • Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus

B: 19 names

  • Bakchylides of Keos
  • Bao Si of Bao
  • Barsine of Pergamon
  • Bathsheba bat Eliam
  • Bel-ibni of Babylon
  • Belesys of Babylon
  • Benaiah ben Jehoiada
  • Berenike Euergetis
  • Berossos of Babylon
  • Bessos of Baktria
  • Bindusara Amitraghata
  • Bituitus of the Arverni
  • Boaz of Bethlehem
  • Bocchus of Mauretania
  • Bodashtart of Sidon
  • Bomilcar of Carthage
  • Boudica of the Iceni
  • Brasidas Tellidos
  • Brennus of the Senones

C: 19 names

  • Caecilia Metella
  • Cai Lun of Guiyang
  • Caleb ben Jephunneh
  • Calpurnia Pisonis
  • Cambyses of Anshan
  • Caratacus of the Catuvellauni
  • Cartimandua of the Brigantes
  • Cassandane of Persia
  • Cassivellaunus of the Catuvellauni
  • Catualda of the Gotones
  • Chanakya Kautilya
  • Chandragupta Maurya
  • Charaka of Taxila
  • Cingetorix of the Treveri
  • Civilis of the Batavi
  • Clodia Metelli
  • Cornelia Africana
  • Cunobelinus of the Catuvellauni
  • Cyaxares of Media

D: 19 names

  • Darius Kodomannos
  • Datis the Mede
  • David ben Jesse
  • Deiotarus of Galatia
  • Demokritos of Abdera
  • Demosthenes Paianieus
  • Di Xin of Shang
  • Dido of Carthage
  • Dikaiarchos of Messana
  • Diogenes of Sinope
  • Dion of Syracuse
  • Dionysios of Syracuse
  • Djehutyhotep of Bersha
  • Djoser Netjerikhet
  • Dorkas of Knidos
  • Drakon of Athens
  • Drypetis of Persia
  • Duke Wen of Jin
  • Duris of Samos

E: 18 names

  • Eannatum of Lagash
  • Ehud ben Gera
  • Elisha ben Shaphat
  • Elissa of Tyre
  • Enannatum of Lagash
  • Enheduanna of Ur
  • Enmerkar of Uruk
  • Epameinondas of Thebes
  • Ephoros of Kyme
  • Epikouros of Samos
  • Eratosthenes of Kyrene
  • Erinna of Telos
  • Esarhaddon of Nineveh
  • Euklides of Alexandria
  • Euripides Mnesarchou
  • Eurydike of Makedon
  • Eurynome Kallistratou
  • Ezra ben Seraiah

F: 7 names

  • Fan Li of Yue
  • Faustina Minor
  • Flavius Claudius Julianus
  • Flavius Josephus
  • Flavus of the Cherusci
  • Fu Hao of Shang
  • Fulvia Flacca

G: 14 names

  • Gaius Cassius Longinus
  • Gaius Julius Caesar
  • Gaius Maecenas
  • Gaius Marius
  • Gaius Plinius Secundus
  • Gaius Valerius Catullus
  • Galenos of Pergamon
  • Gelon of Gela
  • Geshem the Arab
  • Gilgamesh of Uruk
  • Gisco of Carthage
  • Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
  • Gordias of Phrygia
  • Gorgias of Leontinoi

H: 30 names

  • Hamilcar Barca
  • Hammurabi of Babylon
  • Hanno Gisgonis
  • Harmodios of Athens
  • Harpagos the Mede
  • Hasdrubal the Fair
  • Hekataios of Miletos
  • Helü of Wu
  • Herakleitos of Ephesos
  • Hermokrates of Syracuse
  • Herod of Idumea
  • Herodotos of Halikarnassos
  • Herophilos of Chalkedon
  • Hesiodos of Askra
  • Hetepheres of Giza
  • Hetepibre Sobekhotep
  • Hillel the Elder
  • Hipparchia of Maroneia
  • Hipparchos of Nikaia
  • Hippokrates of Kos
  • Hipponikos Kalliou
  • Homeros of Chios
  • Hortensia Oratrix
  • Huldah the Prophetess
  • Huo Qubing
  • Hushai the Archite
  • Hydarnes of Persia
  • Hydna of Skione
  • Hypatia of Alexandria
  • Hypereides Glaukippou

I: 11 names

  • Idanthyrsos of Scythia
  • Idrimi of Alalakh
  • Imhotep of Memphis
  • Indutiomarus of the Treveri
  • Ineni of Thebes
  • Inguiomerus of the Cherusci
  • Isaiah ben Amoz
  • Ishbi-Erra of Isin
  • Ishtar-shum-eresh
  • Isokrates Theodorou
  • Italicus of the Cherusci

J: 12 names

  • Jehu ben Nimshi
  • Jeremiah ben Hilkiah
  • Jezebel of Sidon
  • Ji Chang of Zhou
  • Ji Dan of Zhou
  • Jonathan Apphus
  • Jonathan ben Saul
  • Joshua bin Nun
  • Josiah ben Amon
  • Juba of Mauretania
  • Judith of Bethulia
  • Julia Domna

K: 20 names

  • Kallisthenes of Olynthos
  • Kallixeina of Thessaly
  • Kanishka of Kushan
  • Karikala Chola
  • Kawab of Giza
  • Khafre Userib
  • Kharavela of Kalinga
  • Khentkaus of Abusir
  • Khufu of Giza
  • Kidinnu of Babylon
  • Kleisthenes Megakleous
  • Kleomenes Anaxandridou
  • Kleopatra Berenike
  • Kleopatra Selene
  • Kleopatra Thea
  • Kong Qiu of Lu
  • Ktesibios of Alexandria
  • Kupanta-Kurunta
  • Kylon of Athens
  • Kyniska of Sparta

L: 22 names

  • Lao Dan of Chu
  • Laodike Thea
  • Lartha Seianti
  • Lastheneia of Mantineia
  • Li Guang of Longxi
  • Li Si of Chu
  • Libbali-sharrat
  • Lipit-Ishtar of Isin
  • Liu Bang of Pei
  • Livia Drusilla
  • Loukianos of Samosata
  • Lucius Aemilius Paullus
  • Lucius Annaeus Seneca
  • Lucius Cornelius Sulla
  • Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
  • Lucius Vibius Crispus
  • Lugal-kisalsi of Uruk
  • Lugalbanda of Uruk
  • Lykophron of Chalkis
  • Lykourgos Lykophronos
  • Lysandros Aristokritou
  • Lysimachos Agathoklous

M: 44 names

  • Maharbal of Carthage
  • Mandane of Media
  • Marcus Antonius
  • Marcus Atilius Regulus
  • Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
  • Marcus Cocceius Nerva
  • Marcus Furius Camillus
  • Marcus Junius Brutus
  • Marcus Licinius Crassus
  • Marcus Tullius Cicero
  • Marcus Ulpius Traianus
  • Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
  • Marduk-apla-iddina
  • Maroboduus of the Marcomanni
  • Masinissa of Numidia
  • Mattathias ben Johanan
  • Mausolos of Caria
  • Maya the Treasurer
  • Mazaios of Babylon
  • Megabyzos Zopyrou
  • Megakles Alkmaionos
  • Meleagros of Makedon

M, continued

  • Menandros Diopeithous
  • Menes of Thinis
  • Menexenos Demophontos
  • Meng Ke of Zou
  • Meng Tian of Qin
  • Menkaure Kakhet
  • Menna of Thebes
  • Mentuhotep Nebhepetre
  • Meresankh of Giza
  • Merneptah Baenre
  • Meryre of Amarna
  • Michal bat Saul
  • Miriam bat Amram
  • Mithradates Eupator
  • Mithradates Ktistes
  • Mo Di of Lu
  • Moiro of Byzantion
  • Mordecai ben Jair
  • Mursili of Hattusa
  • Mushezib-Marduk
  • Muwatalli of Hattusa
  • Myrtis of Anthedon

N: 25 names

  • Nabonidus of Babylon
  • Nabopolassar of Babylon
  • Nabu-mukin-zeri
  • Nabu-nadin-zeri
  • Nabu-zer-kitti-lishir
  • Nakhtpaaten of Amarna
  • Naomi of Bethlehem
  • Naqia Zakutu
  • Naram-Sin of Akkad
  • Nastasen of Napata
  • Neaira of Korinth
  • Nearchos of Crete
  • Nebet of Abydos
  • Nebuchadnezzar Kudurri-usur
  • Nebuzaradan the Captain
  • Necho Wehemibre
  • Nefertari Meritmut
  • Nefertiti Neferneferuaten
  • Nergal-sharezer of Babylon
  • Nikias Nikeratou
  • Ninbanda of Ur
  • Niqmaddu of Ugarit
  • Nitocris of Babylon
  • Nitocris of Sais
  • Numa Pompilius

O: 6 names

  • Octavia Minor
  • Onesikritos of Astypalaia
  • Orgetorix of the Helvetii
  • Orodes of Parthia
  • Otanes of Persia
  • Othniel ben Kenaz

P: 44 names

  • Panehsy of Amarna
  • Panini of Shalatura
  • Parmenides of Elea
  • Pelopidas of Thebes
  • Perdikkas Orontou
  • Pharnakes of Pontos
  • Phila Antipatrou
  • Philetairos of Pergamon
  • Philinna of Larisa
  • Philip the Arab
  • Philippos Amyntou
  • Philo of Alexandria
  • Philon of Byzantion
  • Philopoimen of Megalopolis
  • Phokion Phokou
  • Phraates of Parthia
  • Phryne Mnesaretes
  • Piyama-Radu of Arzawa
  • Piye of Napata
  • Plotina Pompeia
  • Plutarchos of Chaironeia
  • Polemarchos Kephalou

P, continued

  • Polybios of Megalopolis
  • Polyperchon Simmiou
  • Pomponia Graecina
  • Poppaea Sabina
  • Prusias of Bithynia
  • Psamtik Wahibre
  • Ptolemaios Epiphanes
  • Ptolemaios Euergetes
  • Ptolemaios Lagou
  • Ptolemaios Philadelphos
  • Ptolemaios Physkon
  • Puabi of Ur
  • Publius Aelius Hadrianus
  • Publius Clodius Pulcher
  • Publius Cornelius Scipio
  • Publius Cornelius Tacitus
  • Publius Ovidius Naso
  • Publius Vergilius Maro
  • Pushyamitra Shunga
  • Puzur-Ashur of Assur
  • Pyrrhon of Elis
  • Pyrrhos of Epeiros

Q: 3 names

  • Quintus Fabius Maximus
  • Quintus Horatius Flaccus
  • Quintus Lollius Urbicus

R: 6 names

  • Rab-shakeh of Assyria
  • Ramesses Usermaatre
  • Ramtha Visnai
  • Rekhmire of Thebes
  • Rim-Sin of Larsa
  • Ruth the Moabite

S: 41 names

  • Sahure Nebkhau
  • Salome Alexandra
  • Sammuramat of Assur
  • Samson ben Manoah
  • Samudragupta Parakramanka
  • Samuel ben Elkanah
  • Sanballat the Horonite
  • Sappho of Lesbos
  • Sargon of Akkad
  • Saul ben Kish
  • Seleukos Kallinikos
  • Seleukos Nikator
  • Sennedjem of Thebes
  • Senusret Kheperkare
  • Servilia Caepionis
  • Sextus Pompeius
  • Sextus Varius Rufinus
  • Shagshag of Lagash
  • Shalmaneser of Kalhu
  • Shamhat of Uruk

S, continued

  • Shar-kali-sharri
  • Shepenupet of Thebes
  • Sheshbazzar of Judah
  • Shulgi of Ur
  • Simonides of Keos
  • Sinuhe of Byblos
  • Sisygambis of Persia
  • Skyles of Scythia
  • Sneferu of Dahshur
  • Sobekhotep of Thebes
  • Sobekneferu Sobekkare
  • Solomon ben David
  • Solon Exekestidou
  • Sophonisba of Carthage
  • Sosigenes of Alexandria
  • Spargapises of the Massagetae
  • Stateira of Persia
  • Stratonike of Syria
  • Sumu-abum of Babylon
  • Sun Wu of Qi
  • Suppiluliuma of Hattusa

T: 27 names

  • Tabnit of Sidon
  • Taharqa Khunefertemre
  • Tarquinius Superbus
  • Telepinu of Hattusa
  • Thales of Miletos
  • Thanchvil Tarnai
  • Theano of Kroton
  • Theokritos of Syracuse
  • Theophrastos of Eresos
  • Theramenes Hagnonos
  • Thessalonike of Makedon
  • Thoukydides Olorou
  • Thutmose Menkheperre
  • Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
  • Tiglath-Pileser of Assur
  • Tigranes of Armenia
  • Tiridates of Parthia
  • Tirigan of Gutium
  • Tissaphernes of Caria
  • Titus Labienus
  • Titus Livius
  • Tiye of Akhmim
  • Togodumnus of the Catuvellauni
  • Tomyris of the Massagetae
  • Tudhaliya of Hattusa
  • Tullia Ciceronis
  • Tullus Hostilius

U: 8 names

  • Ugbaru of Gutium
  • Ur-Nanshe of Lagash
  • Ur-Ningirsu of Lagash
  • Uranius Antoninus
  • Uriah the Hittite
  • Userkaf of Saqqara
  • Utnapishtim of Shuruppak
  • Utu-hengal of Uruk

V: 7 names

  • Vannius of the Quadi
  • Vashti of Persia
  • Veleda of the Bructeri
  • Venutius of the Brigantes
  • Vercingetorix of the Arverni
  • Vibia Sabina
  • Viridomarus of the Aedui

W: 1 name

  • Wu Qi of Wei

X: 5 names

  • Xenophon Gryllou
  • Xerxes Dareiou
  • Xi Shi of Yue
  • Xiao He of Pei
  • Xun Kuang of Zhao

Y: 4 names

  • Yarim-Lim of Yamhad
  • Ying Zheng of Qin
  • Yohanan ben Zakkai
  • Yuya of Akhmim

Z: 6 names

  • Zarina of the Sakai
  • Zenobia of Palmyra
  • Zhang Qian of Hanzhong
  • Zhuang Zhou of Meng
  • Zimri-Lim of Mari
  • Ziusudra of Shuruppak