Sometimes creativity is a bit hard. We’ve all started to plan campaigns, put pen to paper and nothing. Dragons are amongst the most feared and terrifying creatures and so deserve that extra bit of though put behind their creation. This page will discuss ideas for male and female names, from pieces of media and fiction. We’ll also have a quick peak at their lore to help you build a story as a DM. Lastly, we’ll include some honorifics and titles which will help give your dragon a bit of an extra kick, like Ancalagon the Black!
Table of Contents
- Origin and Structure
- Dragons by Gender
- Dragons by Elemental Nature
- Dragons by Color
- Dragons by Culture
- Does My Dragon need a Name at all?
- Extra Sources
Origin and Structure
While you can simply pick a name from one of the below lists or find a dragon name generator, it might be a great idea to come up with your own name for a dragon – that’s what will make your dragon truly original. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
- In many cases a dragon’s name will have many exotic consonants, like X, Y, and Z. For example, Vermithrax, or Meraxes.
- Many Dragons of a similar type have similar suffix conventions, like those in Elden Ring ending sax like Fortissax or Gransax.
- In addition many female dragon names might end in an “a”, giving them a feminine quality.
- Another common trait in Dragon names, especially those done by Tolkien, is a long vowel sound, like the “au” in Smaug or Glaurung. It makes them sound fearsome and harsh.
Dragons by Gender
The following Dragons are separated by male and female. Many of the examples are from real mythology or from fantasy epics, like Game of Thrones or Eragon.
Male Dragon Names
- Apalala -The name of a water dwelling naga half-man, half- dragon in Buddhist myth. He was said to live near the Swat River in modern day Pakistan. Usually, tales of Apalala are about his conversion by the Buddha.
- Cadmus – A Phonecian prince from Greek mythology famous for planting dragon’s teeth in the ground. Warriors sprang forth from the teeth and helped Cadmus found Thebes.
- Zahhak – Persian mythology originally described Zahhak as a three headed dragon, one of which was a human head. Later, he became a man with a snake growing from each shoulder. Whether dragon or man he is a cunning, power hungry, and demonic figure.
- Alduin – The main villain of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. He is also called World Eater and is considered both the progenitor of all dragonkind and the harbinger of the end times.
- Glaurung – Was the first dragon bred by Sauron’s dark master in Lord of the Rings and the first of dragons in the franchise. He is less of a dragon as we would know them as he had little to no wings.
- Smaug – The main antagonist from Tolkein’s Hobbit, Smaug is a stereotypical dragon that covets wealth.
- Ancalagon the Black – Ancalagon is the largest dragon to have been bred Lord of the Rings and is described in the Silmarillion as “as tall as a mountain”.
- Shurikan – A dragon forcibly boned to Galbatorix, from the inheritance cycle. Galbatorx used magic to artificial increase his growth, but drove him mad in the process.
- Vercingetorix – The name of a Gaul chieftain that united the tribes against Julius Caesar. While this name is based in history it does sound quite Dragon-like. You’d also be unlucky to find a well-studied historian that has even heard of Vercingetorix during you game!
Female Dragon Names
- Saphira – From the Eragon series of books by Christopher Paolini, Saphira is the kindly blue female dragon that’s ridden by Eragon.
- Vervadea – Verveda was Saphira’s mother, she laid many eggs, but only gave one to the dragon riders which became Eragon’s mount.
- Vermithrax Pejorative – The villain of the dark fantasy film Dragonslayer. She makes the classic bargain with a kingdom: sacrifice virgins to me and I won’t ravage your lands. Later it is revealed that she does this to feed her young – so not so bad after all?
- Meraxes – Meraxes was rode by Rhaenys Targaryen in the land of Westeros. She was a Silver dragon with piercing golden eyes. Meraxes fought bravely in Aegon’s Conquest, but was killed by a bolt from a Ballista.
- Vhagar – Vhagar was known in as the queen of all dragons in house of the dragon, but was actually smaller than both Meraxes and Balerion. However, you still wouldn’t want to put your hands anywhere near her as she was still able to swallow a horse whole!
- Fostarsa, the Biting Wind
- Lithroshra
- Syrsystry, Queen of Peaks
- Noxroksia, the Brilliant Star
- Engalirn
- Hemnalah, the Bold
- Celvoh Glimmerscale
- Evarg, the Vain
Dragons by Elemental Nature
Ice Dragon Names
Ice Dragons tend to habitate the northern realms. They happily enjoy subzero temperatures and have grown acclimatised to the cold. There are two types of Ice dragons, those that have fully adapted and now breath a frost breath; and those whose dragon fire is so strong that the ice under their bellies is always melted.
- Undrag, Lord Of Ice
- Xeisoth, Winter’s Bane
- Gershirasz, the First Winter
- Nolosanz, the Cutting Wind
- Tondriarasz, Glacier’s Heart
- Erirasz, Icy Grip
- Aenussoal Icebreath
- Ergosstrasz, of the Frozen Wastes
Fire Dragon Names
Fire dragons are your traditional dragon and often the first that springs to mind. While there is no single metric on the hotness of their breath in some media, like game of throne, its estimated that Dragon’s fire could be as high as 3300°F – the heat of Balerion’s fire to melt the stone walls of Harrenhal. A dragon’s fire will grow hotter as it grows in size meaning the largest dragons have the hottest breath.
- Edeir, The Firestarter
- Heraxes Flameweaver
- Parthrunax, the dark flame
- Nablis (Akkadian for “enflamed one”) Sheepstealer
- Yahron the bonfire
Lightning Dragon Names
Unlike their fiery bretherin Lightning dragons are known for their ability to breathe streams of lightning. They are some of the very largest of dragons and cause the skies to shake when they fly. Typically accompanied by thunder, here are some examples of lightning dragon names:
- Fortissax
- Gransax
- Lansseax
- Placidusax
- Raikou (Meaning lightning) Thunderstar
- Baraq Thundestrike, meaning flash of lightning
- Tyrintainth, the Terrible
- Zildruntim, the Lightning bringer
- Ulyrith Thunderwing
Water Dragon Names
Water dragons are the quietest and gentle of dragons. They’re friendly to humans and other dragons alike. They have a clear affinity to water, some can manipulate it with magic, others simply like to habituate areas around bodies of great water. Their treasure is often hidden in underwater caves. Functionally they act more like mammals in the water, like dolphins or whales, the amount of time they can hold their breath underwater depends on their size – some of the largest can stay submerged for weeks at a time.
- Marazul, the Sapphire Queen
- Drakymeir, the Blue Shadow
- Shishara, the Sea Serpent
- Kurnoc, Firebane
- Daudhir, the Ancient One
- Hadrodouxox (a play on H2O)
Dragons by Color
These dragons are named after their colorful scales. Their personalities and mannerisms are often correlated to their colors, but there are always exceptions to the rule!
Black Dragon Names
- Balerion, the Black Dread – Balerion, from a song of Ice and Fire was the largest of all the Tagaryen dragons since Aegon’s conquest. He was called the black dread because his scales, wing, and even fire were black; his wings would engulf whole towns in their shadow when he flew overhead. Truly a fearsome beast.
- Dimeshtyr Darkclaw
- Anzavix Shadowfang
- Kolfaazgar Ebonwrath
- Pharonox, Shadow of Death
Green Dragon Names
Green dragons have a sense of reality and majesty about them. Their names may be associated with jewellery, king/queen hood, but also derive from plants; especially poisonous ones.
- Aatrox, the Emerald tear
- Chryselephantine – a bit of a lengthy one, but meaning overlaid in gold and ivory
- Azalea, the Tyrant
- Marwoleath of the Eternal Slumber
- Wraigwerdd – Welsh for Green Lady.
- Quercuthrax Windreaver
White Dragon Names
White dragons in the northern realms are a common sight, they have camouflage to blend in with the hazardous wintery landscape. However, in warmer climates a white dragon may signify that they are sickly. Their names are related to both of these scenarios.
- Ovelisk, The Diseased Devourer
- Silumgar Everblight
- Rynskald the Unburnt
- Ysildra, Snowmother
- Kalfyra the Vengeful Blizzard
Gold Dragon Names
Gold Dragons, sometimes called brass are named as such because of their majestic scales. These dragons often grow to a colossal size, they are incredibly slow, almost immovable, but their scales likewise impenetrable. To the humans that can communicate with these behemoths will find slow speeches, melodramatic creatures, but they make for good company. Their Monikers often relate to their majestic appearance.
- Livodrinax, Adorned Ruler
- Eyruaad, the Golden
- Rhindani, the Great
- Kearidilon, the Collector
- Tekumu, the Proud
Silver Dragon Names
Silver Dragons are sadly less appreciated than their golden brethren. However, they make up for this with their tenacity, friendliness, and pride. The color and gleen of their scales are a common naming trend for these titans of the air.
- Kindralth the Fair Gaze
- Argentrax, the Strong – Argen, from the latin for silver.
- Baydhyrth, Shimmerscales
- Skeldaer Silverwing
- Balasar, the Watcher
Dragons by Culture
The following dragon names are taken from cultures such as Japan or China. Their names are often derived from ancient myth and legend, although sometimes simply a combination of words can create a very cool sounding dragon.
Japanese Dragon Names
The following Japanese Dragon names are either based in Japanese Mythology, or literally Japanese translations to English.
- Amaterasu – Goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology and chief deity in Shinto. Amaterasu find its name in a lot of popular Japanese media like Naruto and Jujitsu Kaisen.
- Tsukoyomi – Another member of the Shinto Pantheon, Tsukoyomi is the god of the moon and the brother of Amaterasu.
- Ryoko , which means she is like a dragon
- Watasumi, meaning sea god was a dragon in Japanese mythology that was take the form of a man. He lived undersea in the dragon palace where he kept and protected his magical jewels.
- Kiyohime, Kiohime began life as a mortal woman. After being spurned by a man she fell in love with she practiced magic to become a dragon and killed him with her new found powers.
- Byakko, meaning white tiger
Norse Dragon Names
The following Dragon names are taken from Norse Mythology.
- Fáfnir – Fáfnir has probably the most tragic tale of the Norse dragons. He was originally a man, but was cursed by a magical ring that led him become possessed by insatiable greed. Either the ring or his lust for gold then turned him into a Dragon.
- Jörmungandr – Jörmungandr is as famous as Fafnir, if not more so due to his appearance in the God of War franchise. He is known as the world serpent due to his size. He encircles the earth and is so large that he bites his own tail. In Ragnarök, the Norse poem of the end of days, Jörmungandr and Thor fight to the death killing each other in a glorious battle.
- Níðhöggr – this pesky dragon gnaws at the root of the world tree, which the Vikings believed gave life to their world. The beginning of its name, Níð, was a Viking term for a person who had lost their honour.
Chinese Dragon Names
- Duanlong – A combination of Alligator and Dragon
- Zufulong – Grandfather and Dragon
- Shilong – Lion and Dragon
- Lanlong – Blue and Dragon
- Duanteng – Short and Flying Dragon
- Haoshe – Good and Snake
- Hailong – Sea and Dragon
- Laogeng – Old and Neck
- Chengtou – Orange and Head
- Baijing – White and Mind
Does My Dragon need a Name at all?
Sometimes, a dragon without a name can imply greatness. Imagine a Dragon so powerful that no one dared speak its name, or that it was a dragon so old and ancient that its name had been forgotten to all, even itself. Giving it a title, “like the Honoured One”, or “the Darkflame” can be just as terrifying and imposing as a name.
Extra Sources
- The Draconomicon has given be inspiration for many of these Dragon names.
- This Dragon name generator on fantasynamegenerators.com was great!
