Peasant Name Generator
Humble medieval commoner names for villagers and serfs
Tap a name to copy itPress Space for a new batch500 names in this generator
Generate medieval peasant names for serfs, cottars, alewives, shepherds, and village folk: short everyday given names paired with trade, place, and nickname bynames. Ideal for D&D NPCs, historical fiction, and worldbuilding.
About peasant names
Medieval peasants did not have fixed surnames. A villager had a short given name, usually a pet form like Wat, Hob, Dickon, Moll, or Tib, plus a byname that told the village who was meant. Bynames came from four places: a trade (Thatcher, Webster, Cooper, Alewife), a spot in the village (atte Well, Bythebrook, o' the Green, Underhill), a parent (Hobson, Watkins, Daughter of Gib), or a nickname (Goodfellow, Lightfoot, Smallbone, Gotobed). This generator mixes all four so a crowd of NPCs reads like a real manor roll.
The pool of given names was tiny. In most English villages half the men were John, William, Robert, or Richard, and half the women were Alice, Agnes, Joan, or Matilda, so the byname did the real work. Older Anglo-Saxon names like Wulfric, Godwin, Aelfgifu, and Eadgyth survived longest among the unfree, so they appear here as 'Wulfric the Oxherd' rather than among the lords.
The same pattern held across Europe, so you'll also find French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Slavic commoners (Perrin the Woodcutter, Hans Bauer, Pietro Contadino) for settings that reach beyond an English-style shire. Status words hint at a life: a cottar owns almost nothing, a franklin has land and opinions.
Tips for choosing a name
- Give every commoner NPC a byname that reveals something: a trade for the person players will hire, a place for the one who knows local gossip, a nickname for the comic relief.
- Reuse the same handful of given names across a village (three Johns, two Alices) and let bynames tell them apart; it feels far more authentic than twenty unique first names.
- Save Anglo-Saxon forms like Wulfric, Leofwin, and Eadgyth for the oldest or lowest-status villagers, and Norman-influenced names like Gilbert, Hugh, and Isolde for those closer to the manor.
- Drop the byname in dialogue. Neighbors say 'Hob' or 'the miller,' not 'Hob Miller,' which is only how the reeve or the court roll would record him.
- For a non-English setting, swap the byname language but keep the structure: trade word, place word, or parent's name after a short everyday first name.
Frequently asked questions
What were typical medieval peasant names?
Common given names were John, William, Robert, Thomas, Richard, Alice, Agnes, Joan, Matilda, and Emma, almost always shortened to Jack, Will, Hob, Tom, Dick, Alys, Annot, Joan, Maud, and Emm. They were paired with a trade (Miller, Smith, Baxter), a location (atte Well, Underhill), a parent (Watson, Hobson), or a nickname (Longshanks, Goodfellow).
Did peasants have last names?
Not in the modern hereditary sense until the late Middle Ages. A peasant had a byname that described him personally, so the miller's son who became a cooper would be called Cooper, not Miller. Many of these bynames only hardened into inherited surnames in the 1300s and 1400s.
What is the difference between a serf, a villein, a cottar, and a freeman?
Villeins and serfs were bound to the manor and owed labor to the lord; cottars and bordars were the poorest, holding just a cottage and a garden; sokemen, franklins, and freemen held land by rent and could leave. Names in this generator such as Godric Husbandman or Hob Hind signal where a character sits in that order.
Can I use these names for D&D or a fantasy novel?
Yes. The English-style names suit any standard fantasy village, the Anglo-Saxon forms fit older or more rustic settings, and the continental names help when your world has several human cultures. Mix them freely with the site's knight, blacksmith, and tavern generators for a complete town.
All 500 peasant names
Browse the full list
- Ailnoth Barleycorn
- Peter Dawson
- Alson Quince
- Kunz Schäfer
- Peres Halfvirgater
- Agnes Laundress
- Sibyl Barefoot
- Stan Oracz
- Matty Whitehead
- Alfgar Parsnip
- Anselm Pannager
- Isolda Loom
- Beatrice Reeve
- Teresa Pastora
- Gilbert Hobkinson
- Akulina Zhnitsa
- Aldhelm Loon
- Meg Ondyke
- Herbert Goatherd
- Hodgekin Tofteman
- Maud Doolittle
- Cecily Spinner
- Thomas Sandhill
- Stephen Aletaster
- John Clayhanger
- Estmund Lighterman
- Perkin Makepeace
- Eadhild the Sheaf Binder
- Higg Headland
- Cecily Dairymaid
- Mabel Hobbs
- Gonilda Nut Wife
- Juliana Proudfoot
- Lucy Dobbins
- Jocosa Wife of Hankin
- Richard Tucker
- Muriel Daughter of Perkin
- Walter Inthehale
- Richard Chalkhill
- Walter Smallacre
- Roger Greenhalgh
- Grete Magd
- Kit Bythegate
- Mariota Wife of Robin
- Jack Arrowsmith
- Aldred the Hedger
- Orabilia Herring Seller
- Robyn Cornstalk
- Adam Cottar
- Ealdgifu Wafer Maker
- Gilbert Sykes
- Annora Rushworth
- Lope Porquerizo
- Sybbe Medlar
- Sisley Appleby
- Goldeva the Wool Carder
- Walter Watson
- Colle Tiler
- Osric the Charcoal Burner
- Davy Daubere
- Gamel Gorse
- Hob Miller
- Warin Mattock
- Peter Shakespeare
- Tiffany Reedham
- Osgar Bone Picker
- Katrein Wäscherin
- Richard Hankinson
- Mabel Webster
- Geoffrey Fernhalgh
- Beppe Mandriano
- Gemma Mungitrice
- Mold Closeby
- Parnel Pearmain
- Emma Regrater
- Emma Goodwife
- Eadgifu the Nursemaid
- Mabel Tapster
- Mazelina Apple Wife
- Hawise Distaff
- Agnes Brewster
- Wilcok Meadowcroft
- Gib Scattergood
- Alwin the Woodward
- Ralph Underdown
- Simkin Woodward
- Geoffrey Lister
- Lettice Longbody
- Christiana Wife of Jankin
- Mabil Leasow
- Lettice Noggin
- Ranulf Bythestone
- Laurence Harryson
- Tom Plowman
- Ulfketel Peascod
- Cristina Godsalve
- Robin o' the Dale
- Godric Husbandman
- Custance Ferncliffe
- Edith Fuller
- Lieschen Kuhhirtin
- Mabel Littlebody
- Sewin Ryebread
- Joan Underwood
- Cuthbert Boor
- Sibyl Gleaner
- Wulfgar the Sawyer
- Avice Seyer
- Cecily Mildmay
- Mariot atte Fenne
- Ralph Napier
- Margery Dyer
- Hodge Stringer
- Hodge Halfpenny
- Amice Lightfoot
- Lenz Häusler
- Leofruna the Reeve's Daughter
- Marion the Goosegirl
- Lucy Goosegirl
- Hob Gotobed
- Wat Thatcher
- Diccon Dustyfoot
- Hudde Muddyboots
- Jankin Merryweather
- Warin Woodreeve
- Hans Bauer
- Savary Eeler
- Osgod Tallowman
- Ursel Gänsemagd
- Aelfthryth the Wet Nurse
- Gibbon Hayrick
- Nicholas Hedger
- Reginald Hewson
- Tib Incroft
- Menico Boscaiolo
- William Hodgeson
- Everard Heather
- Hereward Tilemaker
- Denise atte Brook
- Nell Atbrook
- John atte Lea
- Berthe the Spinner
- Lapo Zappatore
- Beatrice Pottage
- Sigeric Hayseed
- Alice Jenkins
- Edelina Fishwife
- Brictric Cabbage
- Alys atte Well
- Adam Lackland
- Beton Booth
- Gybbe Furrowman
- Jordan Constable
- Burgwynn the Gleaner
- Hawise Tankard
- Algar Ostler
- Roger Townsend
- Oswald the Cowherd
- Sibyl Robbins
- Praskovya Pryakha
- Wenthelin the Shepherd's Daughter
- Alison Merrylove
- Gregory Pinder
- Perrette the Dairymaid
- Guillemette the Weaver
- Mingo Boyero
- Hobkin Hind
- Anna Melkerin
- Guillot the Goatherd
- Bondi Trencherman
- Peter Bucketmaker
- Thurkil Horner
- Aethelgyth the Laundress
- Ralph the Ploughman
- Hob Goodbody
- Inés Lechera
- Warner Parker
- Jankin Chaloner
- Pavel Pakhar
- Hamon Agister
- Hamond Ridgeway
- Piers Lorimer
- Thurstan Ridere
- Estrild Wax Chandler
- Edwy Onion
- Symond Beans
- Gib Waynwright
- Robert Slack
- Malkin Haythorn
- Sancho Pastor
- Dykon Cotman
- Alys Yardley
- Elias Mower
- Piers Shepherd
- Dunstan the Eeler
- Wat Cobbler
- Brictmer Oatcake
- Toki Knacker
- Roger Walker
- Godgifu the Dairymaid
- Stephen Oakley
- Foma Kosar
- Nencia Lavandaia
- Siward the Beekeeper
- Sabina Widow of Simkin
- Nick Hooper
- Walkelin Woolsack
- Wymarc Rushlight
- Godith Goodenough
- Idonea Quickly
- Odo Fisher
- Wynstan Rustic
- Eadburh the Goosegirl
- Wulfrun the Flax Puller
- Cristina Thresher
- Agmund Potter
- Henry Overhill
- Wat Penniless
- Jordan Hayward
- Colle o' the Marsh
- Godwin Frankleyn
- Jack Blackbeard
- Alison Hogge
- Emme Pightle
- Joan o' the Dale
- Gilbert Hayward
- Hildith the Cheesemaker
- Hugh atte Ashe
- Dickon o' the Moor
- Ibbot Hollybush
- Gervase Dodson
- William Attewater
- Mariot Wattle
- Wymark Cheesewright
- Rosamund Yewdale
- Ralph Threeacres
- Adam Rushfield
- Ivo Birchwood
- Hereward the Quarryman
- Bess o' the Mill
- Aelfwine the Dauber
- Maud Huckster
- Godric the Fowler
- Geoffrey atte Moor
- Sunniva the Cottar's Wife
- Peter Wetfield
- Piers o' the Brook
- Hodge o' the Fen
- Robert Crowder
- John Latimer
- Nick Stonyfield
- Alured Dungman
- Lettice atte Marsh
- Alan Ferryman
- Amice Hodgkins
- Rauf Ditcher
- Saeward Leek
- Alice Bythebrook
- Aelfgifu the Weaver
- Hamonda Cherry Seller
- Ulrich Tagelöhner
- Brihtric the Fisher
- Bette Sloe
- Brice Netmender
- Richard Bythehedge
- Hugh Halfacre
- Magge Withybed
- Thomas Shearman
- Wilkin Hosier
- Philip Alderson
- Alis Thwaite
- Kit Malkin
- Hanka Praczka
- Geoffrey Robinson
- Bartholomew Nicholson
- Beatrice Broadhead
- Symkyn Furrow
- Aelfric the Reaper
- Matilda Frumenty
- Letice Crabtree
- Aldous Ploughshare
- Denis Thornbury
- Kit o' the Well
- Isolde Gardener
- Walter Heyward
- Siric Dish Turner
- Ralph Collinson
- Rose Alewife
- Leofgifu the Milkmaid
- Emmota Bramblewick
- Wat Longshanks
- Osbert the Carter
- Clement Wilson
- Joan Hogsflesh
- Maud Simkins
- Jacquot the Vintager
- Leofstan Brickmaker
- Alfwold Turnip
- Dickon Fletcher
- Jenkin Sweetlove
- Colin Oxgang
- Baldwin Forester
- Gib Saddler
- Edith Milkmaid
- Maud atte Ford
- Alwin Sokeman
- Ceolred Hobnail
- Alys Silkwoman
- Else Spinnerin
- Martin Mattson
- Andrew Dobson
- Orm Spoonmaker
- Rose Goodlove
- Yefim Pastukh
- Petronilla Goose
- Simkin Goodfellow
- Avelina Wife of Wat
- Gunnild Hurdle
- Alison the Alewife
- Godelive Mustarder
- Thorald Treen Carver
- Cuthbert the Hayward
- Jankin Cooper
- Agnes Lambkin
- Beatrice Tompkins
- Perkin Warrener
- Godith Collins
- Huw Colier
- Coll Chaff
- Ingram Verderer
- Dickon Redhead
- Edric the Sower
- Gerard Thistle
- Henry Simkinson
- Wystan Clodpole
- Lefwin Garlic
- Tib o' the Fen
- Jack Straw
- Robin Atwell
- Wilkin Wellbeloved
- Hob Tinker
- Cisse Carr
- Wimund Tithingman
- Cristiana Shuttle
- Adam Hobson
- Joan atte Mill
- Eadwig the Netmaker
- Siward Freeman
- Bennet Nettle
- Matilda Dickens
- Dick Farthing
- Nicol Cress
- Nick Pennyfather
- Rohese Egg Wife
- Jankyn Longacre
- Ailwin Gongfarmer
- Wymark Curtis
- Edith Hicks
- Hamlet Hawthorn
- Hathewis the Fuller's Wife
- Hakon Bowl Maker
- Rolf Broadfield
- Aldith the Miller's Daughter
- Pero Labrador
- Robert Wilkinson
- Simkin Tawyer
- Cecily Hawkins
- Wulfwyn the Midwife
- Felicia Besom
- Simkin o' the Bridge
- Adam Gibson
- Leofric Villein
- Meg Brewster
- Aylmer Affeeror
- Alison Gibbs
- Maud Tanner
- Tomkin Landless
- Hugelina the Carter's Wife
- Elias Harrow
- Osmund Flail
- Nanni Pastore
- Juliana Ferrour
- Nicholas Tomson
- Tom Wainwright
- Juliana Dobbs
- Sandro Ortolano
- Margaret Brownsmith
- Tom Drinkwater
- Jehannot the Ploughman
- Aeldreda Tart Seller
- Margery Dawkins
- Benedict Reeve
- Cecco Bifolco
- Avice Flagon
- Everard Bailiff
- Moll Bythepond
- Heinz Müller
- Jörg Knecht
- Stephen Hudson
- Elias Hicks
- Miles Tibson
- Eadgyth the Alewife
- Gilbert Moneypenny
- Coenred Clodhopper
- Ceolwyn Cornmonger
- Rauf Littlejohn
- Wulfric Cottar
- Ealdgyth the Baker
- Sabina Churn
- Perot Fallow
- Oswin Tosspot
- Hamelin Hostler
- Hodge Carter
- Rose Gilder
- Roger Perkinson
- Henry Tapster
- Emma atte Green
- Swein Hide Dresser
- Godlefe Daughter of Hick
- Robin Fletcher
- Wat o' the Green
- Sybil Chaundler
- Jone Garthside
- Helewise Tallow
- Emma atte Hythe
- Alys atte Oak
- Colin the Shepherd
- Philip Jackson
- Edith atte Townend
- Edmund Rogerson
- Thurstan Hazel
- Cwenhild the Washerwoman
- Gunnilda Daughter of Dickon
- Marusza Prządka
- Nell Webster
- Roland Beadle
- Perrin the Woodcutter
- Alice Chapman
- Gregory Scythe
- Lawrence Sorrel
- Ywain Muckraker
- Leofric the Thatcher
- Margret Hüterin
- Thomas Jenkinson
- Moll o' the Hill
- Godith Trencher
- Lucy Malster
- Margery atte Cross
- Meg o' the Wood
- Jakke Scarecrow
- Ivo Kmet
- Wilkin Smith
- Jack o' the Lane
- Nick Underhill
- Sigrith the Herb Woman
- Hick Lovelady
- Oliver Elder
- Moll Kempster
- Everwin Nightman
- Avice Hobson
- Turstin Horsekeeper
- Adam Furzebush
- Bartle Mason
- Elvira Lavandera
- Ketel Rag Gatherer
- Hawise Swiftfoot
- Piers Truelove
- Cuthswith the Weeder
- Hugh Rawlinson
- Alditha Widow of Hamo
- Avelina Willoughby
- Sabelina Oyster Wench
- Grim Ladler
- Alfred the Well Digger
- Estrangia Rush Seller
- Matryona Doyarka
- Ernald Pigman
- Wilfrid Dungfork
- Edeva the Smith's Widow
- Bess Atstile
- Jakes Crofter
- Idonea Baker
- Jenkin o' the Mill
- Tostig Tatterdemalion
- Osmund Cobson
- Godmund the Waller
- Annes Toftman
- Jonet Sedgewick
- Sewal Catchpole
- Drogo Warrener
- Katerine Mossley
- Beorn the Woodcutter
- Sibyl Weaver
- Goditha Thatch
- Ivetta Widow of Hodge
- Clement Pitchfork
- Ecgbert Bumpkin
- Mahaut the Gleaner
- Hilde Bäuerin
- Rauf Swineherd
Related generators
Medieval Name Generator
Period-accurate names for knights, peasants and nobles
Farmer Name Generator
Salt-of-the-Earth Names for Rural Characters
Blacksmith Name Generator
Names for Smiths, Forges and Smithies
Medieval Town Name Generator
Market towns, villages and walled boroughs
DnD Human Name Generator
5e human names from every Faerûnian culture
Norman Name Generator
Names from the Norman Conquest era
More in Fantasy
Duke Name Generator
Dukes, duchesses and ducal titles for fantasy courts
Orc Last Name Generator
Brutal orc surnames, epithets and clan names
Dark Wizard Name Generator
Sinister names for evil sorcerers and forbidden mages
Treant Name Generator
Ancient names for walking trees and forest guardians
Wheel of Time Name Generator
Names From the Two Rivers to Tar Valon
Mage Guild Name Generator
Names for orders, circles and colleges of mages