This guild name generator makes names by guild type, because a band of thieves, an order of mages and a raiding guild in an MMO are named on different principles. Choose the kind of group you are naming and the results use the words that fit it. If you already have a word you want in the name, type it as a keyword and every result is built around it.

Guild Types and How They Are Named

Guild type	Typical name	Naming logic
Adventurers & mercenaries	The Iron Lances, Company of the Golden Griffins	A banner or a weapon that the company fights under
Thieves' guild	The Silent Hand, The Gilded Magpie	A harmless-sounding image that hints at the trade
Assassins' guild	Order of the Pale Lotus	A formal order with one cold emblem
Mages & scholars	Conclave of the Silver Eye	A place of learning and a symbol of knowledge
Merchants & craft	The Worshipful Company of Vintners	The trade itself, stated plainly
MMO guild	Eternal Vanguard, Requiem	One or two words that fit on a nameplate

Real Guilds as a Model

Medieval guilds were practical bodies. Craftsmen and merchants in a town paid dues to an association that set prices, trained apprentices and looked after members' families. Their names were plain statements of the trade. London's livery companies still use the form: the Worshipful Company of Mercers, of Goldsmiths, of Vintners. The craft style in the generator follows that pattern, and it suits the guilds that run a fantasy city's daily business.

Military and religious orders are the model for the more dramatic names. The Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller were each named for a place and a purpose, and "Order of the..." has signalled a sworn brotherhood ever since. For a company of hired swords, see the Mercenary Company Name Generator, and for hidden organisations, the Secret Society Name Generator.

Naming an MMO Guild

A guild name in an online game appears under every member's character and gets shortened in chat, so brevity matters more than lore. One or two words work best. Games also limit the length and the characters you can use, and popular names are usually taken, which is where a keyword helps: your server, your main class or an in-joke combined with a strong second word is more likely to be free than a single dictionary word.

Guild Names and Clan Names

Many games call the same thing a clan, and any name from this generator works as a clan name for a shooter or strategy game. A clan in a story is different: it is a kin group, so its name comes from an ancestor, a homeland or a totem, where a guild is named for its trade. For orc clans, the Orc Name Generator has a tribe and clan option, and the Tribe Name Generator covers other peoples.

How to Use the Guild Name Generator

Choose a guild type: Pick adventurers and mercenaries, a thieves' guild, an assassins' guild, mages and scholars, a merchants' or craft guild, or a short MMO-style name.
Add a keyword if you have one: Type a word such as Raven, Dawn or your server's name, and every result is built around it. Leave the field empty for fully random names.
Generate: Each press gives six guild names of the chosen type.
Copy: Use the copy button beside the name you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good guild name?

It is short enough to say in voice chat, it tells people what the guild does, and it does not need explaining. Names built from one strong image, such as The Silent Hand or Iron Lances, are remembered better than long ones. Say it aloud and check how it abbreviates before you commit.

How do I name a thieves' guild or an assassins' guild?

Give it a name its members could say in public. Thieves' guilds tend to be named for hands, keys, coins and small quick animals, as in The Gilded Magpie. Assassins' guilds sound colder and more formal, often as an order or a covenant with a single emblem, as in the Order of the Pale Lotus.

Can I generate guild names with my own keyword?

Yes. Type a word in the keyword field and every result includes it, combined with the vocabulary of the guild type you chose. A keyword of Raven with the mages type gives names like Circle of the Silver Raven.

What are the guild names in Magic: The Gathering?

The ten guilds of Ravnica are the Azorius Senate, House Dimir, the Cult of Rakdos, the Gruul Clans, the Selesnya Conclave, the Orzhov Syndicate, the Izzet League, the Golgari Swarm, the Boros Legion and the Simic Combine. Each pairs two of the game's five colours.

Where does the word guild come from?

From an old Germanic word for payment, found in Old Norse as gildi and in Old English as gild. Medieval guilds were associations of merchants or craftsmen who paid dues for mutual protection and the right to regulate their trade. The word reached adventuring parties and online games much later.

What is the difference between a guild and a clan?

In games the words are close to interchangeable, and which one a game uses is mostly tradition. Historically a guild is joined by people who share a trade, while a clan is a kin group you are born into. For names that sound like a family or tribe, a clan name suits better than a guild name.