Dragon Name Generator

Dragon names have a recognisable music. Tolkien built his on Old English and Old Norse: Smaug comes from a Germanic verb meaning to squeeze through a hole, Glaurung and Ancalagon are Elvish, and Fafnir is the original Norse gold-hoarding wyrm. George R. R. Martin's Valyrian dragons (Balerion, Vhagar, Meraxes, Caraxes, Syrax) share hard consonants and an -x or -ax ending, which is why so many invented dragon names now use it. Dungeons & Dragons went the other way with long, sonorous names like Arveiaturace, Themberchaud and Klauth that sound as old as the mountains they sleep under.

A second tradition names dragons descriptively. Skyrim's dragons carry three-word Dovahzul names (Paarthurnax, Odahviing), the Targaryens named the tame ones Silverwing, Dreamfyre and Seasmoke, and the wild ones got peasant nicknames like Sheepstealer and Cannibal. Descriptive compounds such as Frostmaw or Cinderjaw work well for younger dragons or for the name humans give a beast whose true name they never learned.

When choosing, think about age and temperament. Ancient dragons deserve three or four syllables with hard stops (Zarrothax, Ghaurodex). Noble or metallic dragons suit smoother sounds and open vowels (Aurelith, Solvarra, Serathine). Hatchlings and companion dragons can carry short, warm names like Ember, Pip or Cinder, and a dragon known only by legend might be called The Pale Worm of the Fens or Grandfather Wyrm.