Spirit Name Generator

A ghost is the spirit of a specific dead person, so it usually keeps a human name or a description of how it died. Spirit is the broader word: it covers nature spirits, household spirits, elementals, guardian spirits and daimones that were never human at all. This generator focuses on that wider group, with a ghost name generator available separately.

Ariel and Puck from English tradition, the domovoi and rusalka of Slavic lore, the Norse huldra and nisse, the Japanese kodama and zashiki-warashi, the Irish banshee, the Greek daimon Agathodaemon, the Hindu apsara Urvashi and the Filipino diwata are all well known. Many of the best-known spirits are types rather than individuals, which is why folklore names so often read like job titles.

Pick the element and let its sounds lead. Water and air spirits suit flowing names with l, s and long vowels (Lumenara, Sylvaine, Zephyrelle); fire spirits take sharper sounds (Pyralis, Cinderwake, Flintember); earth spirits are short and grounded (Hob, Sedgecap, Petrine). Adding a place phrase (Maelis of the Tide Pools) makes the spirit feel bound to a single spot.

Yes. The folklore spirits are public domain and the original names are free to use. For a player character, the kin-title names and name-plus-place names work well for a spirit companion, familiar or warlock patron; the descriptive titles suit unnamed hauntings the party has to investigate.