Fantasy Animal Name Generator

Fantasy animals get named in a handful of recognisable ways, and mixing them is what makes a world feel lived-in. Legendary beasts take mythic proper names: Fenrir the wolf, Sleipnir the eight-legged horse, Bucephalus the warhorse, Argos the loyal hound. Wild or half-wild creatures earn descriptive epithets from the people who fear or track them, which is where Frostfang, Onetusk, Greymuzzle and Ironhide come from. Familiars and household beasts, by contrast, tend to get folk names, and the historical record here is wonderful: witch trial transcripts list familiars called Pyewacket, Vinegar Tom, Greymalkin and Elemauzer.

When naming an animal in your own story or campaign, start with its relationship to people. A druid's wolf companion, a knight's destrier and a dungeon's guardian hound all deserve different registers. Nature words (Bramble, Sorrel, Cinder, Rime) suit companions raised from birth; single dramatic words (Havoc, Bane, Ruin) suit war-beasts; mock-formal titles (Sir Whiskerton, Goodwife Nibble) suit small creatures loved by hobbits, gnomes and halflings.

This list draws on Norse, Greek, Celtic, Egyptian, Japanese and English folklore alongside original names, so you can pull a real mythological beast name for gravitas or a homely one for warmth.