viking names for rpg
For a tabletop character sheet, a real Viking name carries three layers: the given name, the patronymic pointing to the father, and the byname a saga would actually use to identify the character in a mead hall. This page generates all three at once, using the "full" theme of the generator, with every Old Norse element carrying its real English gloss.
Eldkell is built from "Eld-" (fire) plus "-kell" (cauldron), the patronymic uses the base "Sweyn" with the linking "-s-", and "the Young" comes from the 64-entry masculine byname list.
Vilgunnr is composed ("Vil-" will plus "-gunnr" battle), the patronymic "Einarsdóttir" takes "-dóttir" because the character is female, and the byname comes from the 44-entry feminine list.
The "byname" theme forces masculine gender and always attaches a byname, but skips the patronymic entirely; "Vilfastr" combines "Vil-" (will) with "-fastr" (steadfast), and the output language flips with the locale field.
Yes. The morphemes used are derived from Old Norse, with bases attested in historical records and Scandinavian sagas.
Turn on the "showPatronymic" option, or pick the "full" theme, which always includes it. The patronymic draws from 39 father names and applies the real Old Norse genitive rule (the "-i" to "-a-" shift, the no-double-"-s" rule, and the default linking "-s-"), then appends "-son" or "-dóttir" depending on the rolled gender.
Both roll gender 50/50 and can attach a byname by default, but "full" additionally forces the patronymic on, so a "both" result might be just "Sif" while a "full" result is always three parts: given name, patronymic, and byname.
The building blocks are the same real Old Norse elements those settings draw on (Eirik, Ragnar, Bjorn), because the generator uses 48 attested first-elements and 24/18 gendered second-elements from actual saga and Landnámabók sources, not invented syllables, so overlap with any specific fictional universe is expected rather than coincidental.
Yes: turn off both "showPatronymic" and "showByname" and pick the "masculine" or "feminine" theme instead of "full". The result is a single given name, either one of 56 attested historical names per gender or a freshly composed one, with no byname or patronymic attached.
All names are generated locally in your browser.