Unicorns turn up everywhere from medieval tapestries to birthday cakes, and the right name depends on which one you've got. This unicorn name generator makes magical names like Moonwhisper, legendary names like Eirlys, cute names like Sprinkles and funny ones like Sir Prance-a-Lot.
Where the unicorn comes from
The unicorn first appears in writing around 400 BC, in the Greek doctor Ctesias's account of India.
- Ctesias described wild asses in India with a single horn whose powder protected against poison. He never went to India and wrote down travellers' tales.
- In the Middle Ages the unicorn became a symbol of purity, said to be tamed only by a maiden, and the famous Unicorn Tapestries of around 1500 show the hunt for one.
- Unicorn horns sold in medieval Europe were really narwhal tusks, worth far more than their weight in gold.
Scotland's unicorn
The unicorn is Scotland's national animal, and has been on the Scottish royal coat of arms since the 1400s.
- Chained: the Scottish unicorn is usually shown in chains, a sign that even the wildest, proudest beast could be tamed by a Scottish king.
- The lion and the unicorn: when James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603, the royal arms joined England's lion and Scotland's unicorn, as they still are today.
- The legendary style uses Welsh and Scottish names like Eirlys ("snowdrop"), Seren ("star") and Gwyn ("white").
For a winged horse instead, try the Pegasus Name Generator. For another proud beast of heraldry, there's the Griffin Name Generator.
For more beasts of legend, see all the mythical creature name generators.