Axe Name Generator

Axes have been named weapons for as long as swords have. In the Norse sagas, Eirik Bloodaxe took his byname from the weapon, and skaldic poetry called axes "wound-wolves" and "shield-gnawers," a form of compound metaphor called a kenning that still sounds right on a fantasy greataxe today. In modern fantasy, Warcraft's Gorehowl, Warhammer's grudge-bearing dwarven runeaxes, and D&D's Axe of the Dwarvish Lords have set the template: short, percussive, and violent.

Good axe names lean on hard consonants and blunt verbs. Where a sword might be named Dawnbringer, an axe is Skullsplitter, Bonecleaver, or Headsman. Kennings and two-part compounds (Helm-Biter, Corpse-Maker) feel Viking; possessives tied to gods or ancestors (Tyr's Judgment, Grimnir's Grudge) feel dwarven or heroic; dry euphemisms (The Peacemaker, The Tax Collector, The Long Argument) give a barbarian or mercenary character personality. Real woodsmen and executioners also gave their tools affectionate nicknames like Old Bertha or Grandmother, and that homely register can be the most memorable of all.

The list mixes all of these styles so you can find something for a Norse berserker's bearded axe, a dwarven heirloom passed down through a clan, a D&D barbarian's magic greataxe, or a legendary drop in a video game.