Random Name Generator
Choose an origin and a gender, then press Generate names to get realistic first and last names. Great for characters, test data, games and placeholders.
Tap a name to copy it. Names are combined at random from common first names and surnames, so any match with a real person is coincidental.
How to use the Random Name Generator
- Choose an origin, or leave Any origin to mix names from all 13 lists.
- Pick a gender: Any, Male or Female.
- Choose what to show (full name, first name or last name) and how many names you need.
- Press Generate names. Press it again for a fresh batch.
- Tap any name to copy it, or use Copy all, Download TXT or Download CSV.
Naming conventions by origin
| Origin | Example | Things to know |
|---|---|---|
| American / British | Emily Johnson, Oliver Davies | Given name, then family name. Middle names are common but optional. |
| Spanish / Latino | Lucía Hernández | Many people carry two surnames, father's first and then mother's (Lucía Hernández Ruiz). |
| French | Camille Dubois | Compound given names like Jean-Pierre or Marie-Claire are traditional. |
| German | Lena Müller | Umlauts can be written out in plain text: Müller becomes Mueller. |
| Italian | Giulia Romano | Surnames often end in -i or -o; some start with De or Di. |
| Bulgarian | Ivan Georgiev / Elena Georgieva | Surnames come from the father's name and change with gender (-ov / -ova, -ev / -eva, -ski / -ska). |
| Russian | Dmitriy Sokolov / Anna Sokolova | Full names also include a patronymic (Ivanovich, Ivanovna); surnames change with gender. |
| Japanese | Sato Yui | Family name first in Japanese; Western order (Yui Sato) is common in English. |
| Chinese | Wang Wei | Family name (usually one syllable) comes first, followed by a one- or two-syllable given name. |
| Indian | Priya Sharma | Surnames often show region or community; South Indian names may use initials instead. |
| Arabic | Omar Al-Masri | "Al-" means "the" and often marks a family, tribe or place of origin. |
| Nordic | Astrid Johansson, Lars Hansen | -son (Swedish) and -sen (Danish, Norwegian) originally meant "son of". |
Bulgarian transliteration table
Bulgarian names are written in Latin letters using the official Streamlined System adopted in 2009, the same one used in Bulgarian passports.
| Cyrillic | Latin | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ж | zh | Жеков → Zhekov |
| х | h | Христо → Hristo |
| ц | ts | Цветан → Tsvetan |
| ч / ш / щ | ch / sh / sht | Щерев → Shterev |
| ъ | a | Димитър → Dimitar |
| й | y | Йордан → Yordan |
| ю / я | yu / ya | Яна → Yana |
| -ия (at the end) | -ia | Мария → Maria |
Tips for choosing a character name
- Match the name to the character's age and background. Names like Linda or Gary were most popular in the 1950s–60s, while Liam or Ava are typical of children born after 2010.
- Say the full name out loud. Avoid first and last names that rhyme or start with the same sound unless you want a playful effect.
- Give main characters distinct first letters so readers don't confuse them.
- For fake test data, download the CSV and use the separate first and last name columns.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real people's names?
They are real, common first names and surnames, but each full name is a random combination. Any match with a real person is pure coincidence, so the names are safe to use for fiction, games and test data.
Where do the names come from?
Each origin has a hand-picked list of popular first names for each gender (40 or more per gender) and at least 50 common surnames, mixing classic names with names that are popular today.
Why do Bulgarian and Russian women's surnames end differently?
In Bulgarian and Russian, surnames change with gender. A man called Ivanov has a sister called Ivanova; Russian names ending in -sky become -skaya, and Bulgarian -ski becomes -ska. The generator applies these rules automatically.
How are Bulgarian and Russian names transliterated?
Bulgarian names use the official Bulgarian transliteration system (for example Георги becomes Georgi, Христо becomes Hristo and Мария becomes Maria). Russian names use a common simplified English system (Дмитрий becomes Dmitriy, Фёдор becomes Fyodor). Tick the Cyrillic option to see the original spelling.
Why is there an option to put the family name first?
In China and Japan the family name traditionally comes first, so Wang Wei is Mr Wang. Western-style lists usually put the given name first. Tick the option if you want the traditional order for Chinese and Japanese names.
Can I use the names for test data?
Yes. Download the CSV to get separate columns for full name, first name, last name, gender and origin, ready to import into a spreadsheet or database. The names are generated in your browser and nothing is stored on a server.