Fae Name Generator

How fae names are usually built

Fae names read as formal, long and a little too musical, because the fair folk are aristocrats with centuries of practice at being admired. A given name of three syllables is joined to a title and, often, an epithet that states a function with a polite edge: Keeper of Bitter Bargains, Herald of the Wild Hunt. The structure is courtly. Where fairies get a nickname, the fae get a style.

Courts tell readers whose side a character is on. The bright court takes names that shine and open, the gloaming court names with dusk and hedgerow in them, and the hollow court names that are harder and sound colder in the mouth.

Keeping a court believable

Decide what a name means to the fae. In many stories a true name gives power, so a lord may go by a courtesy name that is a gift to the listener and not a fact. Keep a clear rule for who may use the name, who may use only the title and what happens if a mortal gets it wrong. Give each court a shared sound or ending, so readers know where a character belongs before the scene says it. Keep titles in order of rank, and let the highest ones be addressed last. A table with each fae's court, title, courtesy name and any debts owed will stop a bargain from quietly changing between chapters.

Twenty example fae names

• Lady Ysmerelle of the Honey Court hostess of a feast that lasts a year and a day.
• Maldreth, Keeper of Bitter Bargains collects what mortals promised lightly.
• Prince Eveloreyn of the Dusk Gate guards the border between day and night.
• Aurimaelle, Herald of the Long Summer her trumpet opens the harvest ball.
• Queen Nyxovane of the Thorn Throne rules with courtesy and a very long memory.
• Silvethorne, Weaver of Borrowed Shadows sells darkness by the yard.
• Lord Phaelitheon of the Silver Orchard gives a gift to every guest and a debt to each.
• Vexamyr, Judge of Broken Oaths her court has never once been late.
• Ashlorne of the Twilight Ford a quiet lord who tests every traveller.
• Princess Iselmae of the Seventh Blossom a young courtier who dislikes iron.
• Kyrvaine, Lord of the Wild Hunt rides at midwinter with a pack of pale hounds.
• Lumirael, Singer of Open Gates her songs open doors and promises.
• Courtier Thornielle of the Moth Court a spy with beautiful handwriting.
• Morghenne, Mistress of the Hunt collects only what runs the fastest.
• Lady Seraelis of the Laughing Brook her laughter is a warning.
• Nevythe, Gardener of Poison Roses keeps a very exclusive garden.
• Marshal Evethorne of the Evening Star commands the lanterns of the twilight road.
• Gwylvane, Teller of Crooked Truths every word she speaks is true and unhelpful.
• Hexameris of the Black Orchard a lord whose fruit is always ripe.
• King Oriolaeth of the Golden Hour rules a court with no clocks.