A paladin is defined by their oath, so their name should be too. In D&D a paladin of Devotion and a paladin of Vengeance might both be called Gideon, but one is Gideon the Merciful and the other Gideon Grimblade. This paladin name generator pairs a noble first name with an epithet shaped by the oath you choose, from the Player's Handbook's three to later ones like Glory and the Watchers, and the Oathbreaker.
Where paladins come from
The word comes from the Paladins of Charlemagne, the twelve peers of medieval legend and of the Song of Roland. Roland and his friend Oliver were the most famous, and Roland is still the archetypal paladin's name.
D&D took the idea and tied it to a sacred oath rather than a king. In fifth edition, the oath matters more than the god: a paladin's power comes from their commitment to their ideals.
Names for each oath
- Devotion (Player's Handbook): honesty, mercy and courage. Bright, gentle epithets: the Merciful, Lightbearer.
- Ancients (Player's Handbook): protecting light and life. Green and joyful: Oakheart, Springwarden.
- Vengeance (Player's Handbook): punishing great evil. Hard and grim: the Relentless, Grimblade.
- Conquest and Redemption (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): one rules through fear, the other seeks peace. The Conqueror; the Peacemaker.
- Glory and the Watchers (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): heroism, and guarding the world from threats beyond it. The Champion; the Vigilant.
- Oathbreaker (Dungeon Master's Guide): a paladin who has broken their oath for darker power. The Fallen, the Forsworn.
Picking a first name
The first names here lean towards Latin and saints' names (Anselm, Clement, Perpetua, Seraphine), because paladins sound best with a little ceremony.
- Match the setting's religion. A paladin of a sun god might suit Aurelian or Celestine; a nature paladin might prefer Elowen or Silvan.
- Use the epithet as the story. An Oathbreaker who was once "the Pure" might still use the old name, and wince at it.
- Keep it sayable. Paladins give speeches. The name should sound good shouted across a battlefield.
For a knight without the divine magic, try the Knight Name Generator.