Horse Name Generator

How horses are named in fiction

A horse in a story is named by whoever owns it, so the name shows how that person feels about the animal. A knight gives his charger a hard, short name that carries over the noise of a battle: Ironhoof, Grim Verdict. A farm girl names the plough horse after a pudding or a flower, and the reader knows at once that the horse is loved. A racing stable names its horses for luck and money, with a little swagger: Golden Gallop, Lady Marlow's Folly. Legendary steeds, the horses of kings and prophecies, usually carry an old invented name with an epithet attached, because the world named them long before anyone rode them.

Keep the working name short enough to shout. A rider calls across a field or over a charge, so one or two syllables do the most work, and a long ceremonial name is something a groom shortens within a week. That gap is useful in a scene: the name on the stud record can differ from the name the stable hand actually uses.

Naming horses consistently

Decide who names the horses in your world and what they value. Herders name horses by colour and temper, a court names them for victories, and a cavalry order might give each year's foals names from one theme, so any rider can read a horse's age from its name. Colour, markings and gaits are the cheapest source of names and readers believe them at once: a grey is Ash or Smoke, a horse with a white blaze is Star or Lantern. Make the name true to the horse, then let one horse break the pattern, such as a savage stallion with a gentle name, and the reader will remember it. Do not name every horse in a scene. Name the one the plot touches.

Twenty example horse names

• Ironhoof a heavy charger that does not shy at fire.
• Grim Verdict a judge's warhorse that arrives before the judge.
• Emberstride the Steady a veteran that has outlived three riders.
• Dumpling a plough horse with feathered feet and a loud sigh.
• Old Barley of Hollin Farm a farm horse that knows the road to market.
• Treacle and Nutmeg a matched pair that pull the miller's cart.
• Golden Gallop a racehorse the whole town has money on.
• Lady Marlow's Folly a costly filly that has never won.
• Windrunner a lean courier's mount that crosses the plain in a day.
• Beat the Odds a long shot with a stubborn streak.
• Aelrion, Heir of the First Herd a steed that bows only to the true king.
• Stormcaller a grey stallion that panics before the weather turns.
• Hartley's Pride a gelding the stable lad polishes every morning.
• Duskmane a black mare that is hard to see after sunset.
• Pickle a small, brave pony with an opinion about everything.
• Vaelthar the Unbroken a wild horse that has thrown every rider.
• Bramble a thorny-tempered cob that bites the farrier.
• Starless Gambit a racehorse with a risky starting style.
• Hammerthorn of Stonebridge a destrier bred for the siege road.
• Moonlit Road a pale mare that appears only in dreams.

Names for warhorses and knightly mounts

A warhorse is a weapon, a colleague and a status symbol, so its name should carry weight. Compounds of a hard material and a part of the animal work well: Ironhoof, Ashmane, Flintcrest. Phrase names such as Grim Verdict or Last Argument give the horse the dry humour of soldiers, who like naming their animals after the grim jobs they do together.

Give the horse a history. A destrier bought at a fair has a plain name given by a stable hand, while one bred in a famous stud carries a lineage name, perhaps with the rider's own name in front: Aldric's Dread. When a knight dies, the horse that returns without him is the most useful image in the book, and a good name makes that image land.

Names for farm horses and racehorses

Farm horses are named by families, so their names are warm and slightly silly: Dumpling, Biscuit, Old Barley. Food, flowers, weather and the animal's own faults all make good sources. A name that sounds too grand for a shaggy plough horse is funny, and a funny name makes the animal feel like part of the household.

Racehorses are named by owners with money and ambition, often to catch a bettor's eye. Look for names that sound like a promise or a joke: Golden Gallop, Safe Bet, Lady Marlow's Folly. A racing world also needs rules, such as a limit on how many letters a name may have, because limits push people towards invention and your readers will notice the pattern.