This drow name generator makes names for dark elf characters in Dungeons & Dragons. It gives a first name with a noble house, such as Zilara Vel'Thael, or either part alone. Female and male names have different sounds, and none of them is taken from a published character.

The Parts of a Drow Name

Part	How it sounds	Examples
Female first name	Three or four syllables, ending in a vowel	Zilara, Belyrae, Shynira, Nathara
Male first name	Two syllables, ending in a consonant	Zaryn, Rizoth, Vorax, Kelyn
House name	Two short parts joined by an apostrophe	Vel'Thael, Xal'Zorn, Ky'Dessin

Houses and Rank

In the game's lore the drow live in cities deep underground, and each city is run by its noble houses. A house is led by its senior woman, the matron mother, and the houses compete constantly for a higher place. That is why a drow gives the house name with pride, and why a drow without one is in trouble. When you make a character, decide two things: how high the house stands, and whether the character still belongs to it. An exile may keep the first name and drop the rest.

Where the Drow Come From

The word is older than the game. Drow, or trow, is a word from the Scots dialects of Orkney and Shetland for a troll-like creature of the hills. Gary Gygax borrowed it for the dark elves of Dungeons & Dragons, who were first described in the late 1970s. The novels of R.A. Salvatore, beginning in 1988, made one drow, Drizzt Do'Urden, the best-known character in the game's fiction, and his name is the reason so many players expect an apostrophe in a drow house name.

How to Choose a Drow Name

Pick the house first. Siblings and rivals in a campaign will share it.
Use the sound to show rank. A long female name suits a priestess. A short one suits a scout.
Say the apostrophe as a pause. Vel, then Thael.
Name the place and the others. The Elven City Name Generator has a dark elf style for the city, the Elf Name Generator covers surface elves, and the Deity Name Generator can name what the house worships.

How to Use the Drow Name Generator

Choose what you need: Pick a full name, a first name alone or a house name alone.
Choose a gender: Female names come first, as they do in drow society. A house name needs no gender.
Generate and copy: Each press gives six new names. Use the copy button beside the one you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do drow names work?

A drow has a first name and the name of a house. The house matters more: it is the family, the employer and the army a drow belongs to. In this generator a full name is written as first name and house, as in Zilara Vel'Thael.

What do female drow names sound like?

Longer and more flowing than male names, with endings such as -ara, -yrae and -ithra: Zilara, Belyrae, Sabithra. Drow society is ruled by women, and their names are meant to sound like the names of people with rank.

What do male drow names sound like?

Shorter and harder, usually two syllables ending in a consonant: Zaryn, Rizoth, Vorax. They suit the fighters and wizards that male drow usually are in the stories.

How are drow house names formed?

Many are two short parts joined by an apostrophe, which marks a small break in the sound. The generator follows that pattern: Vel'Thael, Xal'Zorn, Ky'Dessin. Add the word House in front when a character speaks of the family as a power.

Are these names from the Drizzt novels?

No. Names of characters and houses from the published novels and rulebooks are left out on purpose, so your character will not share a name with a famous one. Every name here is built from syllables written for this tool.

Is a drow the same as a dark elf?

In Dungeons & Dragons, yes. Drow is the game's name for its dark elves, who live underground. Other settings have dark elves with a different history, and these names suit most of them.