How to use the knight name generator
- Pick a race and a style. Bold knights are heroes of songs; comic ones are "the Slightly Rusty" and "the Often Unhorsed".
- Choose what to show: full knightly names, names with an epithet, orders of knights, or coats of arms with mottos.
- Look at the shields. Every knight comes with a coat of arms, drawn next to the name, and its description in the old heraldic words.
- Hold a joust in the game below the list, then star the winner.
More name tools: Paladin names · D&D names for 24 races · All name generators
How knightly names work
A full knightly name tells you who the knight is, where they come from and what they're known for: Dame Glasid of Millwell, Stormlance. In our generator it has four parts:
- Sir or Dame (or simply "Knight" for anyone who prefers neither).
- A first name in the style of the knight's race.
- "Of" a place: the manor, village or valley the knight is sworn to, such as Ashford or Thornwick.
- An epithet earned on the field, from "the Steadfast" to "Wobblelance".
Some bold knights: Sir Skarok of Saltwell, Swiftspur · Sir Coilpipock of Rookwell, Hollowhelm · Dame Cyriseth of Thornby, Stormlance. And some comic ones: Sir Pipnab of Hartworth, the Often Unhorsed · Sir Bunhalo of Wolfwood, the Late · Dame Quilwyn of Goldworth, the Slightly Rusty.
Reading a coat of arms
Heralds describe a shield in a short, old language called a blazon. It names the background colour first, then the shape on it, then the shape's colour. The generator uses the old words and tells you what they mean. The basic rule of heraldry is to put a metal (gold or silver) on a colour, never a colour on a colour, so a shield can be read from far away. Every shield here follows it.
gold chevron (an upside-down V) on blue
silver cross on red
gold five-pointed star on green
silver X-shaped cross on black
| Heraldic word | Means |
|---|---|
| Azure | blue (a colour) |
| Gules | red (a colour) |
| Vert | green (a colour) |
| Sable | black (a colour) |
| Purpure | purple (a colour) |
| Or | gold (a metal) |
| Argent | silver (a metal) |
| chevron | a chevron (an upside-down V) |
| bend | a diagonal band |
| cross | a cross |
| fess | a band across the middle |
| pale | a band down the middle |
| mullet | a five-pointed star |
| saltire | an X-shaped cross |
| chief | a band across the top |
Orders of knights and mottos
Knights often belong to an order, with one badge and one motto for all its members. Some orders from the generator: Knights of the Winter Stag, Knights of the Copper Anvil, Knights of the Winter Sun, Knights of the Silver Oak, Knights of the Hallowed Tower. A motto is a short promise, written on a ribbon under the shield. Ours are original, such as:
- “Steady in the storm”
- “First in, last out”
- “Light the way”
- “No door stays closed”
- “Bend, never break”
- “For those who cannot”
- “Quiet hands, loud heart”
- “The road is the reward”
- “We hold”
- “Ever onward”
- “Truth before glory”
- “Strength in the small things”
Joust!
The game under the list puts two random knights in the lists. Each pass, both knights roll a twenty-sided die: a higher roll breaks a lance on the rival's shield for a point, and a much higher roll knocks the rival out of the saddle and wins at once. After three passes, the most points wins. Use it to settle a tournament in your game, or just for fun.
Tips for naming a knight
- Choose arms that tell a story. A family from the sea might take a silver fess for the horizon; a knight who once broke a siege, a gold cross.
- Keep the motto short. Three or four words are easy to shout in battle, and easy to remember.
- Let epithets change. A knight can start as "the Often Unhorsed" and earn "the Steadfast" over a campaign.
- Use the home. "Of Thornwick" tells the DM there's a manor, a family and maybe trouble waiting there.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good knight name?
A title, a strong first name, a home and an epithet, such as Sir Skarok of Saltwell, Swiftspur. Pick a style and press 10 new knight names.
Do the coats of arms follow real heraldry?
Yes. Each shield is described in real heraldic words (a field, a shape and a metal) and keeps the old rule of metal on colour. The designs themselves are random and original.
Can I get funny knight names?
Yes. Choose the Comic style for knights such as "the Slightly Rusty", "Two-Spurs" and "the Very Polite". There are 8 comic epithets.
Can I use these for a paladin?
Yes, but our Paladin Name Generator adds holy epithets, orders and an oath with three vows.
What does "Azure, a chevron Or" mean?
It's a blazon, the old way heralds describe a shield: a blue background ("Azure") with a gold chevron ("Or") on it. The colour of the field always comes first, then the shape, then the shape's colour.
Can I download a shield?
Not yet as a file, but every shield is drawn on the page, and the written blazon lets you recreate it anywhere.
Can I save or share knights?
Yes. Star names to keep them in this browser, or press Share list to send the whole list as a link.
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