The three kinds of tiefling name
The Player’s Handbook describes three ways a tiefling can be named, and each tells you something about the character. This generator covers all three.
| Name type | What it says about the character | Examples from the generator |
|---|---|---|
| Infernal name | Given at birth, often by a family that embraces (or can’t escape) its fiendish heritage | Kasemon, Valissa, Braxok, Umbreth |
| Virtue name | Chosen by the tiefling as an ideal to live up to, or a fate they accept | Resolve, Clemency, Lament, Threshold |
| Name of their culture | Raised among humans, elves or dwarves, and named like everyone else | Use the Human family name surname option, or our random name generator |
Infernal names by fiendish legacy
The 2024 Player’s Handbook gives tieflings a fiendish legacy: Abyssal, Chthonic or Infernal, tied to different lower planes and granting different resistances and spells. The rules don’t say legacies change names, but it is a natural way to make them sound distinct, so the generator gives each legacy its own set of sounds.
| Legacy | Linked to | Sound of the name | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infernal | The Nine Hells: devils, contracts and cold order | Formal and classical, with endings like -akos, -emon, -issa, -aria | Levakos, Calaria, Ostemon |
| Abyssal | The Abyss: demons and pure chaos | Harsh and clipped, full of x, z and k | Graxul, Vexekka, Shaxoz |
| Chthonic | Gehenna, Hades and Carceri: death, despair and imprisonment | Soft and whispered, with s, th and m | Saeleth, Hespora, Morael |
If you’re still using the 2014 rules, where tieflings are simply linked to the Nine Hells, choose the Infernal legacy for the classic sound, or pick whichever style best fits your character’s story.
Tiefling virtue names
Many tieflings, especially those born into a world that distrusts them, discard their birth name and choose a word instead. The book’s examples range from hopeful ideals to bleak or strange words, and the generator follows that range with more than 70 of its own, each tagged by tone.
| Tone | What it suggests | Examples and meanings |
|---|---|---|
| Hopeful | An ideal the tiefling is trying to live up to | Verity (truth), Clemency (mercy to the undeserving), Amity (friendship), Fortitude (courage in pain) |
| Dark | A fate they have accepted, or a reputation they wear as armor | Dirge (a song for the dead), Penance, Spite, Remorse, Omen |
| Abstract | Something odd, poetic or deliberately unreadable | Threshold, Cadence, Paradox, Someday, Epilogue |
A virtue name is a character hook in a single word. A tiefling called Mercy who is short on it, or one called Ruin who is the gentlest member of the party, tells the table a story before you’ve said anything else. The meaning under each virtue result helps you pick one with the right shade.
Do tieflings have surnames?
Often not. Tieflings in most settings are born to human families, abandoned or raised in small communities of their own, so many use a single name. If your character does need a surname, the generator can add a human family name (for a tiefling raised by humans) or an infernal lineage name, a family name that hints at the fiend in the bloodline. A virtue name with a human surname, like Resolve Hartley, works well for a tiefling who has made peace with both halves of their life.
How to use the tiefling name generator
- Choose a name type: infernal, virtue or any.
- For infernal names, pick a fiendish legacy, or leave it on Any legacy.
- Choose male or female for infernal names. Virtue names suit anyone.
- Decide whether you want a surname, set how many names you need and press Generate.
- Copy the list or export it as CSV, JSON or TXT. Copy link saves every setting.
Tips for naming a tiefling in D&D or Baldur’s Gate 3
- Decide who chose the name. An infernal name came from someone else; a virtue name was chosen. That difference is a ready-made piece of backstory.
- Use the appearance line. Horn shape, skin color and eyes are the first things other characters notice. The generator rolls a quick look you can keep or change.
- Mind the table. Short names such as Vex or Solace are easier for other players to say in the middle of a fight than five-syllable ones.
- Custom characters in BG3 can use any of these names. The character creator accepts any name you type, so generate a few and pick the one that fits your origin story.
All names are randomly generated and original. This page is unofficial and is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast or Larian Studios.
Frequently asked questions
What are tiefling virtue names?
Virtue names are words that a tiefling chooses as their name, usually an ideal they want to live up to, such as Resolve or Mercy, but sometimes a bleak or strange word such as Lament or Threshold. The Player’s Handbook lists them as an alternative to infernal names.
What is the difference between Infernal, Abyssal and Chthonic tieflings?
They are the three fiendish legacies in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Infernal tieflings are tied to the Nine Hells, Abyssal tieflings to the demons of the Abyss, and Chthonic tieflings to planes of death and despair such as Gehenna and Carceri. The generator gives each legacy its own sound.
Do tieflings have last names?
Many use only one name. If you want a surname, the generator can add a human family name for a tiefling raised by humans, or an infernal lineage name.
Can I use these names for a tiefling in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Yes. The names are original and you can type any of them into the BG3 character creator for a custom tiefling.
Are these names taken from the D&D books?
No. Infernal names are built from original syllables for each legacy, and the virtue names are a separate list written for this page. Any match with an official character is coincidence.
Can I generate female tiefling names?
Yes. Set Gender to Female for feminine infernal names such as Valissa or Calaria. Virtue names are gender-neutral.