A few names this generator came up with. Tap one to copy it, or press "Generate Names" above for more.
Flower fairies · With a title or home
Bindweedsprig of the Hazel Copse
Nettlewing of the Mill Stream
Hawburr of the Primrose Path
Poppydew of the Meadow
Flower fairies · Name only
Fernwing
Cloversilk
Mossbutton
Bindweedsilk
Seelie Court, the kindly fae · With a title or home
Seneschal Esmthorn of the Seelie Court
Herald Quelemar, the Sentinel of the Forgotten Well
Duke Nerisande, the Whisper of the First Rain
Chancellor Morys, the One Who Feared the Sky
Unseelie Court, the dangerous fae · With a title or home
Lady Raenion, who Counts the Dead
Margrave Esmielle of the Unseelie Court
Steward Fenaris, the Changeling-Maker
Warden Esmaith of the Unseelie Court
Unseelie Court, the dangerous fae · Name only
Nerion
Fenielle
Lirance
Morwyn
Household sprites · With a title or home
Jemmy of the Orchard Wall
Mothkin of the Old Oak
Perkin o' the Churn
Pinch of the Washhouse
How the Fairy Name Generator Works
It works from 985 names and name parts, which combine into over 18,000,000 possible results.
The choices:
Kind of Fairy: Flower fairies, Seelie Court, the kindly fae, Unseelie Court, the dangerous fae, Household sprites.
Name Format:
With a title or home, e.g. Bindweedblossom of the Meadow
Name only, e.g. Hawdew
Starts with: Any letter, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, W, Y.
Each press gives you 8 names. "Show 8 more" adds 8 you haven't seen yet. Once you've seen them all, "Start again" shuffles the whole list again.
"Fairy" covers everything from a creature small enough to ride a moth to a lord of the hollow hills you'd be wise not to thank. This fairy name generator has names for four kinds: tiny flower fairies, the kindly Seelie Court, the dangerous Unseelie Court, and the household sprites who do your chores at night, if you leave out the cream.
Fairies and their names in folklore
Don't say their name. People in Britain and Ireland were careful how they spoke of fairies, calling them the Good Folk, the Fair Folk or the Good Neighbours, to stay on their right side.
A name is power. In the English tale Tom Tit Tot, the same story as Rumpelstiltskin, guessing the creature's name is the only way to escape the bargain.
The sídhe. In Ireland the fairy folk are the aos sí, the people of the mounds, living inside the hills.
Iron. Almost everywhere in folklore, cold iron drives fairies away. A horseshoe over the door did the job.
Four kinds of fairy
Flower fairies: tiny, and named after small green things, the way Shakespeare named Titania's attendants in A Midsummer Night's Dream: Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustardseed. These follow suit: Thistledown, Cloverbell, Sloeblossom.
The Seelie Court: Scottish folklore's "blessed" fairies, more likely to reward kindness than punish rudeness. Lords and ladies with long, graceful names.
The Unseelie Court: the other kind, who ride out with the Wild Hunt and take people who wander too far. Same graceful names, much worse epithets.
Household sprites: brownies, hobs and pixies who live in the house or farm and work at night. Their names are short and homely: Hob, Tib, Grig.
Famous fairy names
Oberon, king of the fairies, comes from Alberich, a dwarf of German legend, by way of the French Auberon. Titania, his queen, is a name Ovid uses for Diana.
Queen Mab, "the fairies' midwife", appears in Mercutio's famous speech in Romeo and Juliet.
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, was a puck before he was Puck: the word meant a mischievous sprite.
Tinker Bell is named for her trade. J. M. Barrie wrote that she mends pots and kettles, a tinker's work.
Writing a fairy
Fairies keep their word exactly. Not the spirit of it, the letter. A fairy with a title like the Bargainer should be written that way.
Never thank them, in some traditions: it implies a debt. Your characters might learn that the hard way.
Give a household sprite a job. A brownie who's offended by a gift of clothes and leaves for good is a whole story in folklore.
For the princesses, wicked queens and talking foxes of the old stories, try the Fairy Tale Name Generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
+What's the difference between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts?
They come from Scottish folklore. The Seelie ("blessed") Court are the kinder fairies, who may help those who treat them well; the Unseelie Court are hostile and dangerous. Both are perilous to cross.
+Are fairies and fae the same?
"Fae" is an old spelling of "fay", another word for fairy, and modern fantasy often uses it for the grand, dangerous fairies of the courts. The generator covers both.
+Can I use these names for D&D or a story?
Yes, they're free to use and you don't need to credit the site. They suit D&D's Feywild, eladrin and pixies as well as folklore-inspired stories.
+What would my fairy name be?
It depends on your kind of fairy: a flower fairy would take a plant name, like Thistledown, while a fae lady of the Seelie Court would be Lady Something, Keeper of Something. Pick the kind that suits you and generate a few until one feels right.
+What do you call a place where fairies live?
In folklore fairies live under hills and mounds, in fairy rings of mushrooms, or in a hidden court. For names for those places, try the Fairy Town Name Generator.