A few names this generator came up with. Tap one to copy it, or press "Generate Names" above for more.
Any
The Empty Purse Society
The Humble Shears Guild
The Company of the Laughing Lantern
Fellowship of Fur Merchants
Adventurers' company
Northwatch Company
The Ninth Compasses
Thornwick Company
The Iron Wolves
Thieves' guild
The Nimble Market
Brotherhood of the Loose Floorboard
Brotherhood of the Silent Bell
Brotherhood of the Open Window
Assassins
The Silent Mourners
The College of the Silver Needle
The House of the Snuffed Candle
The Order of the Gentle Knife
Mages
Order of the Eternal Eye
The Black Academy
Order of the Silent Quill
The Collegium of the Golden Hand
Merchants
The Grainford Company
The Eastwind Company
The Copperbridge Company
Fellowship of Grain Merchants
How the Guild Name Generator Works
It works from 419 names and name parts, which combine into over 10,000 possible results.
The choices:
Kind of Guild:
Any, e.g. The Scarlet Banners
Adventurers' company, e.g. Coldharbour Company
Thieves' guild, e.g. The Black Latch
Assassins, e.g. The Order of the Unmarked Grave
Mages, e.g. The Wandering Circle
Merchants, e.g. Fellowship of Silk Merchants
Craft guild, e.g. The Iron Loom Guild
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.
A guild tells you what it does by its name, and how it wants to be seen: a thieves' guild called the Velvet Hand is selling discretion, a merchants' Honest Ledger Consortium is protesting too much. This guild name generator has names for five kinds of guild, each in its own style.
Real guilds
Medieval guilds controlled a trade in a town: who could practise it, at what price and to what standard. A craftsman went from apprentice to journeyman to master.
The masterpiece was originally the piece of work a journeyman submitted to the guild to be made a master.
London's livery companies are guilds that survive today, many with grand names like the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths or of Clockmakers. That's the style the craft guild names here borrow.
Six kinds of guild
Adventurers' companies: named like mercenary bands, after an emblem or a place. The Gilded Lanterns, Ravenscar Company.
Thieves' guilds: polite names for impolite work. The Velvet Hand, Brotherhood of the Open Window. In Terry Pratchett's Ankh-Morpork the Thieves' Guild is perfectly legal and issues receipts.
Assassins: named like a respectable house or a quiet society, so nobody guesses the trade. The House of the Quiet Hour, the Order of the Snuffed Candle, the School of the Gentle Knife.
Mages: circles, conclaves and orders, named after a symbol. The Conclave of the Burning Key.
Merchants: companies named after trade routes or goods. The Saltroad Company, Fellowship of Amber Merchants.
Craft guilds: the honest trades. The Worshipful Company of Cartographers, the Patient Loom Guild.
Using a guild in your game
Give it a hall and a rule. Every guild has a building and at least one rule outsiders find strange.
Give it a rival. The mages' circle and the alchemists' guild arguing over who owns fire is a session in itself.
Online games: for an MMO guild or a team, the Clan Name Generator has gaming names with tags.
Something that sounds respectable, or at least discreet: the Velvet Hand, the Quiet Market, the Brotherhood of the Locked Door. Choose "Thieves' guild" for more.
+What's the difference between a guild and a clan?
A guild is joined for a trade or purpose; a clan is a family or people. In online games the words are often used for the same thing.
+Can I use these names in D&D or my book?
Yes, they're free to use and you don't need to credit the site.