Emperor Name Generator

Imperial names, regnal numbers and epithets for rulers

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Generate emperor names for fantasy novels, worldbuilding and strategy games: Roman and Byzantine regnal names, Holy Roman and Russian imperial styles, Chinese era names, Japanese and Persian titles, empresses, and hundreds of original rulers such as Valerian III, Ozren the Undying and Emperor Kaelith Vos.

About emperor names

Emperor names carry more machinery than ordinary royal names because an emperor rules over kings. Most real imperial traditions attach something to the personal name: a regnal number (Valerian III, Konstantinos VII), an epithet earned in life or given by chroniclers (Basil the Bulgar-Slayer, Otto the Great), a dynastic surname (Komnenos, Hohenstaufen, Romanov), or a formal title that replaces the name altogether, as with Chinese era names such as the Kangxi Emperor and Japanese posthumous names like Emperor Go-Daigo. Persian shahanshah, Mughal padishah, Mongol khagan, Russian tsar and Ethiopian negus negast all mean the same thing and give a setting instant texture.

The sound of an imperial name depends on the culture it imitates. Latin endings in -us, -ian and -ius read as Roman; Greek -os and -ios as Byzantine; hard Germanic compounds (Falkenrath, Eisenhart) as Holy Roman; -ov and -sky as Russian; two-syllable era names as Chinese. Original fantasy emperors usually borrow one of these skeletons and add an invented surname or a place-based epithet, which is why Emperor Aldric Valmont sounds plausible and a random syllable string does not.

This list mixes all of those registers, includes empresses regnant, and marks a few famous historical emperors for reference. Pick a tradition, keep the number and epithet conventions consistent across the dynasty, and the throne will feel old.

How to choose emperor names

  • Decide how your empire numbers its rulers before naming the first one. Regnal numbers (Lucian IV) imply a long continuous line; epithets (Ozren the Undying) imply oral history and legend; era names (the Yongchang Emperor) imply a bureaucracy that records reigns, not people.
  • Match the title to the culture. Kaiser, Tsar, Basileus, Shahanshah, Padishah, Khagan, Huangdi and Negus are all translated as emperor, and using the native word tells the reader which tradition your empire descends from.
  • Give empresses regnant the same machinery as emperors: a number, an epithet or a dynastic name (Empress Theodora Kastellane, Tamar the Great-Hearted). A bare first name makes her read as a consort.
  • Earned epithets should be specific. The Builder, the Lawgiver, the Bulgar-Slayer and the Twice-Crowned each imply a story; the Great and the Magnificent have been used so often they say nothing.
  • Keep reign names distinct from personal names if your world uses both. A ruler might be born Li Wenming and reign as the Tianshun Emperor, and the gap between the two is good material for a story.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an emperor and a king?

An emperor traditionally rules over multiple kingdoms, peoples or former states, and in European usage claimed a rank above kings, often derived from Rome. In practice titles like emperor, tsar, kaiser, shahanshah (king of kings) and huangdi all mark a ruler whose authority spans more than one realm, which is why emperor names tend to carry extra formality such as regnal numbers and dynastic surnames.

How are Chinese and Japanese emperors named?

Chinese emperors are usually known by an era name (Kangxi, Qianlong) or a temple name (Taizong, Gaozong), not their birth name; the Kangxi Emperor was born Xuanye. Japanese emperors receive a posthumous name, often tied to a place or era (Meiji, Go-Daigo, where 'Go-' means 'the later'). If you are inventing an East Asian style empire, a two-character era name with the word Emperor after it sounds right.

Can I use real historical emperors in my story or game?

Historical figures such as Augustus, Justinian, Charlemagne and Qin Shi Huang are public domain, and a few are included here as anchors. For an original world, it is usually better to borrow the structure (Latin name plus number plus epithet) and invent the rest so readers do not bring outside history into your setting.

How do I name a fantasy empress?

Use the same conventions as the empire's emperors. Byzantine empresses carried dynastic names (Zoe Porphyrogenita, Irene Doukaina); Russian and Austrian empresses used regnal numbers and epithets (Catherine the Great, Maria Theresa); Chinese empresses regnant took era-style names (Wu Zetian). Pair a strong given name with a dynastic surname or epithet, as in Empress Isolde Varenthal or Valeria the Radiant.

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All 500 emperor 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: 28 names

  • Aelia Pulcheria
  • Aerys Dravenholt
  • Agnes Komnena
  • Akhenaten Neferkheperure
  • Alaric the Sunderer
  • Aldebaran Kyre
  • Aldous Greyspire
  • Aleksandr Vorontsov
  • Alexei Dragomirov
  • Alexios Palaemon
  • Amda Seyon
  • Amenhotep Nebmaatre
  • Andronikos the Builder
  • Anselm Cloudrest
  • Ardashir Farrokh
  • Ariadne Leontia
  • Ashoka the Great
  • Ashurbanipal of Nineveh
  • Atahualpa Huascar
  • Athelstan the Glorious
  • Attila, Scourge of God
  • Augustus Caesar
  • Augustus Thorne
  • Aurangzeb Qutb
  • Aurelia Tempest
  • Aurelio Belmonte
  • Aurelius Maximus Valorian
  • Aurelius the Unbroken

B: 19 names

  • Babur Zahiruddin
  • Bahadur Shah Azim
  • Bahram Sassanid
  • Basil the Bulgar-Slayer
  • Basil the Stern
  • Basileus Alexios Doukaris
  • Basileus Konstantin Argyros
  • Basileus Photios Kastoras
  • Basileus Theodoros Laskarion
  • Bastian the Benevolent
  • Bayezid Yildirim
  • Bellerophon the Sea-Wreathed
  • Benedikt Falkenhorst
  • Bertrand Ironmere
  • Bindusara Amitraghata
  • Bleda the Hun
  • Boris Krasnov Imperator
  • Bram Ironholt
  • Brielle Corvaine

C: 25 names

  • Caelan the Wise
  • Caelum Dracor
  • Caius Aurelius Pax
  • Calderon Mirevale
  • Caligula
  • Cassian Aurelion
  • Cassius Redmane
  • Castellan Mirewood
  • Catherine Voronova
  • Cedric Wyvernhart
  • Chakravartin Ashoka Maurya
  • Chakravartin Bhaskara Varman
  • Chandragupta Vikramaditya
  • Charlemagne
  • Chimalpopoca Tlacaelel
  • Commodus
  • Conall the High-Throned
  • Constantin the Pious
  • Constantine the Great
  • Cormac Brightspire
  • Cosimo Baldassare
  • Cuauhtemoc Nezahual
  • Cyprian the Lawgiver
  • Cyrion Velasco
  • Cyrus the Great

D: 8 names

  • Darian Marrowgate
  • Darius the Great
  • Devendra Chandravarman
  • Diocletian
  • Dmitri the Just
  • Dorian Everhart
  • Draven Kastorius
  • Drazhan Voskill

E: 190 names

  • Eamon Brightwater
  • Edmund Hartwick
  • Edric Sablecrown
  • Elandor Brightsun
  • Emperor Agustín Iturbide
  • Emperor Ahuizotl Tecuani
  • Emperor Akbar Nasiruddin
  • Emperor Albrecht von Greifen
  • Emperor Aldric Valmont
  • Emperor Alfonso de Valcárcel
  • Emperor Ambrose Halvane
  • Emperor Anatoly Voskresensky
  • Emperor Ansel Thornefield
  • Emperor Anshar Kudurru
  • Emperor Arjun Suryavanshi
  • Emperor Armand Beauclerc
  • Emperor Artaxias Bagrat
  • Emperor Arvid Hollowcrest
  • Emperor Askia Muhammad Touré
  • Emperor Aurelian Mordecai
  • Emperor Aurelion the First
  • Emperor Bastian Varnhold
  • Emperor Brannick Tidecaller
  • Emperor Brannoc Mac Tiernan
  • Emperor Caldor the Twice-Crowned
  • Emperor Capac Yupanqui
  • Emperor Casimir Oberrath
  • Emperor Caspian Delmarre
  • Emperor Corvalen Drakestone
  • Emperor Corvin Blackthorn
  • Emperor Corvinus the Black
  • Emperor Cyrus Ashkani
  • Emperor Daegon Vyrenhal
  • Emperor Daizong of Yan
  • Emperor Dawit Lalibela
  • Emperor Dušan Nemanjić
  • Emperor Edgar Wulfric
  • Emperor Enzo Castelmare

E, continued

  • Emperor Eochaid Silverhand
  • Emperor Étienne Lacroix
  • Emperor Feodor Belozersky
  • Emperor Ferdinand Oberlin
  • Emperor Fernando Aragonés
  • Emperor Ferrand the Unsleeping
  • Emperor Galen Ashcroft
  • Emperor Gaozong of Wei
  • Emperor Garrick Thorncastle
  • Emperor Gia Long Nguyen
  • Emperor Go-Daigo
  • Emperor Go-Harukaze
  • Emperor Go-Toba
  • Emperor Hadrik Bellamont
  • Emperor Harold Eadmund
  • Emperor Harsha Vardhana
  • Emperor Heinrich Wolfram
  • Emperor Heraklios Vatatzes
  • Emperor Huizong of Song
  • Emperor Ilvarin Moonreach
  • Emperor Itzamnaaj Kawil
  • Emperor Ivan Volkonsky
  • Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines
  • Emperor Jimmu
  • Emperor Jorund Halvardsson
  • Emperor Kaelith Vos
  • Emperor Kaidan Zhou-Ling
  • Emperor Kaloyan Terter
  • Emperor Kammu
  • Emperor Knud the Wide-Ruling
  • Emperor Konstantin Galitzine
  • Emperor Krishnadevaraya
  • Emperor Lazarus Wrenvale
  • Emperor Le Loi Thai To
  • Emperor Leontios Varangar
  • Emperor Leovold Ravensmere
  • Emperor Lloque Yupanqui
  • Emperor Lorcan Fairweather

E, continued

  • Emperor Lorenzo Visconti-Drae
  • Emperor Lucius Draconis
  • Emperor Lucius Varenne
  • Emperor Ludovic Ashgrave
  • Emperor Ly Thai To
  • Emperor Magnar Frostborn
  • Emperor Malik Shah Zahir
  • Emperor Manco Capac
  • Emperor Mari Djata
  • Emperor Mathis Hollenbrook
  • Emperor Maximian Orvelle
  • Emperor Meiji
  • Emperor Merritt Stormwatch
  • Emperor Mingdi of Han
  • Emperor Muhammad Azam
  • Emperor Niall of the Nine Crowns
  • Emperor Norton of the Bay
  • Emperor Omar Al-Rashid
  • Emperor Orlan Ashkarov
  • Emperor Osric Vermillion
  • Emperor Pedro de Alcântara
  • Emperor Quentin Marrowmere
  • Emperor Quillon Brasswater
  • Emperor Raghav Maharajadhiraja
  • Emperor Rajendra Chola
  • Emperor Renzong of Zhao
  • Emperor Reynard Goldtusk
  • Emperor Rhaegon Valtheris
  • Emperor Roland Vexmoor
  • Emperor Rurik Stavros
  • Emperor Sancho Ibarra
  • Emperor Selim Kanuni
  • Emperor Shahjahan Murad
  • Emperor Shapur Mehran
  • Emperor Shiro Tanabe
  • Emperor Shizu of Qian
  • Emperor Shōmu
  • Emperor Siegfried Hohenmark

E, continued

  • Emperor Sigurd Bloodaxe
  • Emperor Sōmei
  • Emperor Sundiata Kondé
  • Emperor Sunjong Yunghui
  • Emperor Taizu of Liang
  • Emperor Tancred Ravensworth
  • Emperor Tarquin Nightshade
  • Emperor Tavian Orsk
  • Emperor Tekle Giyorgis
  • Emperor Tewodros the Reformer
  • Emperor Theophylact Anadros
  • Emperor Thessalon Gravemoor
  • Emperor Tiberan Corvane
  • Emperor Tizoc Itzcoatl
  • Emperor Tomislav Branimir
  • Emperor Topa Inca
  • Emperor Trajan Severine
  • Emperor Tran Nhan Tong
  • Emperor Tristan Sunhallow
  • Emperor Trung Vuong
  • Emperor Tu Duc
  • Emperor Vaelor Nightspire
  • Emperor Vesper Quinlan
  • Emperor Vesperian II Castellos
  • Emperor Vikrant Suryadev
  • Emperor Wenzhao
  • Emperor Wilhelm Falkenrath
  • Emperor Wudi of Jin
  • Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
  • Emperor Yahuar Huacac
  • Emperor Yohannes Menelik
  • Emperor Yuanzhi of Ten Provinces
  • Emperor Zaravos Ilken
  • Emperor Zhaozong of Qi
  • Empress Anastasia Vorhalla
  • Empress Annika Stormgarde
  • Empress Cassia Morrowind
  • Empress Celestine Amaranth

E, continued

  • Empress Cixi of the Jade Court
  • Empress Cordelia Vantress
  • Empress Elisabeth Stauffen
  • Empress Evangeline Dusk
  • Empress Galla Placidia
  • Empress Genmei
  • Empress Iskra Volodina
  • Empress Isolde Varenthal
  • Empress Jitō
  • Empress Kallista Demarchos
  • Empress Kōken
  • Empress Lirien Starcrown
  • Empress Livia Draconis
  • Empress Maria Theresia Falkenrath
  • Empress Marisol Ardenti
  • Empress Meiran of the Silver Throne
  • Empress Octavienne Solaire
  • Empress Oriana Sunderhal
  • Empress Razia Sultana
  • Empress Rosalind Thorne
  • Empress Rowena Ironquill
  • Empress Sabine Ravencourt
  • Empress Selene Halcyon
  • Empress Shirin Dokht Arvand
  • Empress Sigrún Thorvaldsdóttir
  • Empress Sophia Ducaina
  • Empress Suiko
  • Empress Tamar the Great-Hearted
  • Empress Theodora Kastellane
  • Empress Wu Zhaolin
  • Empress Xiangyue
  • Empress Yelena Dragomira
  • Empress Ysolde Greyhaven
  • Empress Zenobia Septimia
  • Esarhaddon the Restorer
  • Eudoxia Makrembolitissa
  • Everett Dawnforge
  • Ezren the Lamplighter

F: 7 names

  • Faelan Goldhollow
  • Farrukh Siyar
  • Faustin Soulouque
  • Fenwick Highmarch
  • Franz Hollenberg
  • Frederick Barbarossa
  • Friedrich Aldenberg

G: 6 names

  • Gaius Hale Imperator
  • Galerius Thane
  • Genghis Khan Temüjin
  • Gideon Blackwater
  • Godwin Ashdown
  • Gojong Gwangmu

H: 15 names

  • Hadrian
  • Hadrian Solas
  • Hadric IV
  • Haile Selassie Tafari
  • Hakon the Good-Crowned
  • Halvar the Stone-Crowned
  • Halvard the Grim
  • Hammurabi Amorite
  • Harun the Wise-Crowned
  • Helena Kristellos
  • Hollis Vantage
  • Huey Tlatoani Axayatl
  • Hugues Capelain
  • Hulagu Ilkhan
  • Humayun Firoz

I: 15 names

  • Idris Zenagi
  • Ignatius Duskfall
  • Ignatius Stormvale
  • Imperator Decimus Valorin Crux
  • Imperator Gaius Varrus Nerva
  • Imperator Lucian Aventine
  • Inca Roca
  • Ioannes Tzantzes
  • Irene Porphyrogenita
  • Isabeau Wintermere
  • Isidore Vantagrave
  • Ismene Porphyrostephane
  • Ithyrion Solvane
  • Ivan Shishman
  • Iyasu Fasilides

J: 4 names

  • Jahandar Shah
  • Joseph Adlerstein
  • Julian the Silver
  • Justinian

K: 16 names

  • Kaeden Vorluth
  • Kaiser Adalbert Steinhardt
  • Kaiser Ludovic Hohenfeld
  • Kaiser Wilhelm Ostmark
  • Kangxi Emperor
  • Kanishka Kushan
  • Kankan Musa
  • Karl the Resolute
  • Katarina Brandenhart
  • Kavad the Restorer
  • Khagan Baryat Temurchin
  • Khosrow Parvanid
  • Konrad the Long-Lived
  • Konstantinos VII Melissenos
  • Kublai Khan
  • Kumaragupta Mahendraditya

L: 8 names

  • Leander Frostmere
  • Leopold the Quiet
  • Lothair Brandt
  • Lucan Greywind
  • Lucan Hollowvane
  • Lucian IV
  • Lysander Draykore
  • Lysander the Peacemaker

M: 26 names

  • Magnus Duskwater
  • Malachi Stormreign
  • Mansa Bakari Diallo
  • Mansa Musa Keita
  • Mansa Sakura
  • Mansa Uli Suleyman
  • Manuel Skleros
  • Marcellus Varro Augustus
  • Marcus Aurelio Faust
  • Marcus Aurelius
  • Marek Velislav, Tsar of the Three Rivers
  • Marius the Unconquered
  • Matthias Kronmark
  • Matthias the Hollow-Eyed
  • Maximilian Eisenhart
  • Maximilian of the Sierra
  • Mayta Capac
  • Menelik Yekuno Amlak
  • Mikhail Bardanes
  • Mikhail Zvenigorod
  • Minh Mang
  • Moctezuma Ahuitzotl
  • Möngke Khagan
  • Morgana Sablewood
  • Morvane the Eternal
  • Murad the Conqueror

N: 10 names

  • Nader Shah Afshar
  • Napoleon Bonaparte Imperator
  • Naram-Sin of Akkad
  • Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
  • Negus Amde Tsion Habte
  • Negus Negast Tewodros
  • Nero
  • Nikephoros Drakontas
  • Nikolai Romodan
  • Nur Jahan Mehrunissa

O: 15 names

  • Octavia Valmont
  • Octavian Drae
  • Ögedei Khan
  • Olav Thunderbrow
  • Orannis Lightbringer
  • Orestes Thornwall
  • Orhan Gazi
  • Orsolya the Iron-Veiled
  • Oryn the Dawnlord
  • Osgar Nightvale
  • Otho Wyndcastle
  • Ottaviano Scarlatti
  • Otto the Great
  • Ottokar the Unbowed
  • Ozren the Undying

P: 11 names

  • Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui
  • Padishah Farzan Mirzai
  • Padishah Jahanzeb
  • Pedro II Bragança
  • Percival Ashwood
  • Peroz Darab
  • Perrin Goldmantle
  • Philippe the Fair-Handed
  • Phineas Wintergard
  • Pulakeshin Satyashraya
  • Pyotr the Iron

Q: 2 names

  • Qianlong Emperor
  • Qin Shi Huang

R: 12 names

  • Radomir Zaleski
  • Ragnvald Stormking
  • Rajaraja Arulmozhi
  • Ramesses Usermaatre
  • Ravenna Solenne
  • Reginald Wyrmbane
  • Rhiannon Stormhold
  • Roderick Ironvale
  • Rodrigo the Steadfast
  • Romanos Kydones
  • Rovan the Goldenhanded
  • Rudolf II Ravensburg

S: 28 names

  • Samudragupta Parakramanka
  • Samuil of the Mountains
  • Sapa Inca Huayna Capac
  • Sapa Inca Kusi Amaru
  • Sarethian Kroll
  • Sargon of Akkad
  • Selwyn the Unyielding
  • Septimius Dray
  • Seti Menmaatre
  • Severus Marchand
  • Shah Abbas Safavid
  • Shah Alamgir Zafar
  • Shah Ismail Safavi
  • Shahanshah Ardavan
  • Sigmund Brightfang
  • Simeon Asen
  • Sinchi Roca
  • Skandagupta Kramaditya
  • Solomon Halloran
  • Soren Ashvale
  • Sorin Ravenmark
  • Sorvath the Conqueror
  • Stanislav the Patient
  • Stefan the Crowned
  • Suleiman Huseyin
  • Sultan Mehmed Osmanli
  • Sunni Ali Ber
  • Susenyos Gelawdewos

T: 33 names

  • Takeshi Kuroda
  • Tamsin Goldwyn
  • Tarquin Solano
  • Tarsus Highcrown
  • Thalia Nightsong
  • Thalric Ashenmoor
  • Thane Aurelian Sunspire
  • The Chongzhen Emperor
  • The Hongde Emperor
  • The Jiaxing Emperor
  • The Jingtai Emperor
  • The Kangde Emperor
  • The Longqing Emperor
  • The Tianshun Emperor
  • The Xianfeng Emperor
  • The Yongchang Emperor
  • The Yongning Emperor
  • The Yuanhe Emperor
  • The Zhengtai Emperor
  • Theodric II Ironhand
  • Theron Goldcrest
  • Thessaly Ironwing
  • Thutmose Menkheperre
  • Tiberius Calvane
  • Tiberon Starfall
  • Tiglath-Pileser Ashur
  • Tigranes Artaxiad
  • Timur Gurkani
  • Torvald Greymantle
  • Trajan
  • Trdat Arsacid, King of Kings
  • Tupac Yupanqui
  • Tybalt Ashenvale

U: 1 name

  • Ulric Stormcrown

V: 12 names

  • Valdemar Stonecrown
  • Valen Silvermoor
  • Valeria the Radiant
  • Valerian III
  • Valko Drazhen
  • Vasily Orlovsky
  • Vikram the Unvanquished
  • Viracocha Inca
  • Vivienne Ashlore
  • Vlad the Dragon-Crowned
  • Vladimir Sokolnikov
  • Vratislav Ostrogar

W: 4 names

  • Wenkai Sunstone
  • Willem Ostervane, Lord of the Marches
  • Wulfstan Ironside
  • Wystan Hollowreach

X: 2 names

  • Xavren Holloway
  • Xerxes Anahitan

Y: 1 name

  • Yazdegerd Hormizd

Z: 2 names

  • Zara Yaqob
  • Zoe Porphyra