This post-apocalyptic name generator names the people and places of a world after the collapse. It makes three kinds of name. Survivors get an ordinary first name and a nickname they have earned, such as Emmett "Rivet" Castillo or One-Boot Marcus. Settlements are named after what is left standing, such as The Dry Motel. Gangs get blunt two-word names, such as The Rust Dogs.

Three Kinds of Name

Kind	How it is built	Examples
Survivor	A first name, a nickname and a surname, or part of that	Silas "Wick" Briggs, Patch Novak, Old Hattie
Settlement	A material joined to a place word, a ruin with a describing word, or a founder's name	Barrelhold, The Far Reservoir, Tran's Mile
Gang	A material and a pack, or the ground the crew holds	The Diesel Crows, The Quarry Watch

Where a Survivor's Nickname Comes From

In a small community everyone knows what you do and what happened to you, and that becomes the name. Rivet, Solder and Gasket are trades. Splint and Limp are injuries. Lucky is usually a joke. Geiger is the person who carries the counter. A nickname of this kind tells the reader a fact about the character before anything else is said, which is why the genre leans on it.

Naming a Settlement

Start from the building. People settle where there are walls and water. A cannery, a stadium or a substation gives the name and the map at once.
Let the describing word carry the history. The Last Depot was not the only one. The Quiet Terminal was once loud.
Keep founders' names short. Briggs's Stand becomes the Stand within a year. Decide which form your characters use.
Give neighbours a different pattern. If one town is Saltgate, call the next The Sunken Silo. Readers tell them apart by shape.

Outlaws on the roads can also be named with the Bandit Name Generator, and hired guns with the Mercenary Company Name Generator. For a collapse with working machines in it, see the Robot Name Generator and the Cyberpunk Name Generator. Believers who have gathered around the ruins are in the Cult Name Generator.

How to Use the Post-Apocalyptic Name Generator

Choose survivors, settlements or gangs: Each gives a different kind of name.
Choose a gender: This applies to survivors only.
Generate and copy: Each press gives six new names.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do post-apocalyptic names sound like?

Like ordinary names that have been through something. People keep the first name they were given and pick up a nickname from a job, an injury or one bad day: Ike "Gasket" Reyes, One-Boot Marcus. Places are named after what is still standing.

How do I name a wasteland settlement?

Name it after the thing people gathered around: a pump, a silo, an overpass. The Dry Motel and Barrelhold both tell a traveller what they will find. A founder's name works too, as in Tran's Mile.

What is a good name for a raider gang?

Two blunt words: a material and an animal or a claim to rank, such as The Rust Dogs or The Ash Saints. An armed crew that holds ground is named after it, as in The Overpass Watch.

Why do the survivors have old-fashioned first names?

It is a habit of the genre. Names such as Hattie, Amos and Wendell suggest a world that has fallen back two generations. Swap in any first name you like and keep the nickname.

Are these names from Fallout or Mad Max?

No. Characters, towns and factions from published games and films are left out. The names are built from common words, so check a name before you publish with it.

Can I use the names in my own game or book?

Yes. There is no fee and no credit is needed.