George R. R. Martin builds most Westerosi names from real medieval English ones with a letter changed: Eddard for Edward, Jaime for James, Petyr for Peter. Each region has its own flavour, Targaryens sound Valyrian, and bastards get a surname that tells you where they were born. This Game of Thrones name generator builds names for eight regions of Westeros, plus Valyrian and Free Folk names, as a noble with a new house, a bastard or a first name alone.
Bastard surnames by region
In Westeros, a highborn bastard can't use their father's name. They take a surname from the region they were born in, which is why Jon is a Snow and Ellaria is a Sand:
- Snow: the North
- Sand: Dorne
- Rivers: the Riverlands
- Stone: the Vale
- Hill: the Westerlands
- Flowers: the Reach
- Storm: the Stormlands
- Pyke: the Iron Islands
- Waters: the Crownlands, around King's Landing
The generator's Bastard format gives each region its right surname. Valyrian names get Waters, as a Targaryen bastard born near King's Landing would.
How each region sounds
- The North: plain and old: Rickard, Benjen, Lyanna. Northern houses sound cold and hard.
- The Westerlands: polished and proud, the Lannisters' country: Tywin, Kevan, Cersei.
- The Reach: courtly and flowery, home of the Tyrells: Mace, Loras, Margaery.
- Dorne: a different flavour altogether, after the Rhoynar who settled there: Oberyn, Doran, Arianne, Nymeria.
- The Iron Islands: harsh and salty: Balon, Euron, Asha.
- Valyrian: the Targaryens' names, full of ae and y: Aegon, Rhaegar, Daenerys, Viserys.
- The Free Folk: one name, often with an epithet earned beyond the Wall: Tormund Giantsbane.
Making your character's name
- Take a real name and change a letter. It's Martin's own trick: Walter becomes Walder, Robert stays Robert, Edward becomes Eddard.
- Choose a house with a sigil in mind. A house name like Frostmark or Saltspear suggests its own banner.
- Decide if they're legitimate. A bastard's surname follows them everywhere, and changes the story.
All the first names and houses here are new, chosen so they don't belong to a major character. For their sword, try the Game of Thrones Sword Name Generator.