Generate authentic samurai names for warriors, clans, and characters with historical accuracy or fantasy flair
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Select your desired style - traditional, clan-based, or fantasy-inspired samurai names to match your creative vision.
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Generate names that reflect the honor, tradition, and warrior spirit of feudal Japan with historically-inspired elements.
Choose from various styles including clan names, honorific titles, and fantasy variations to match your specific needs.
Create as many samurai names as you need with no restrictions or limits on usage.
Save and download your generated names in multiple formats for convenient use in any project.
Each name comes with meaning and background to help you understand the significance behind the warrior names.
Ideal for novels, games, role-playing campaigns, character creation, and creative storytelling.
Samurai typically had at least four different names during their lifetime: a childhood name (yōmyō), coming-of-age name (eboshi-na), formal name (imina), and a nickname or battle name (azana).
A samurai's imina (true name) was considered sacred and rarely spoken aloud; even family members would avoid using it, as speaking it was believed to give others spiritual power over the warrior.
Birth order was often embedded in samurai names using characters like Ichirō (first son), Jirō (second son), and Saburō (third son), with some families having up to ten numbered children.
The samurai naming convention placed family name first, established during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), which is the opposite of Western tradition and reflected the importance of clan loyalty over individuality.
Samurai often changed their names after significant military achievements or promotions, with some warriors having 5-7 different names throughout their career to reflect their rising status.
Over 60% of samurai boys were given childhood names ending in -maru (meaning 'round' or 'perfection'), such as Takechiyo-maru, which would be changed upon reaching adulthood at age 15.
Lords would grant favored samurai the honor of using one character from the lord's own name, a practice called henki that began in the 14th century and indicated deep trust and loyalty.
Approximately 40% of samurai names incorporated characters representing natural elements like dragons (龍), tigers (虎), or wind (風), believed to channel those forces into the warrior's spirit.
Many samurai names were constructed using kanji representing the seven virtues of Bushido: righteousness (義), courage (勇), benevolence (仁), respect (礼), honesty (誠), honor (名誉), and loyalty (忠).
After death, samurai received kaimyō (Buddhist posthumous names) typically 6-12 characters long, which were inscribed on grave markers and used in memorial services, often costing families significant sums.
Women from samurai families traditionally had names ending in -ko (子), -e (江), or -jo (女), with the -ko suffix becoming standardized during the Edo period (1603-1868) and remaining popular for over 300 years.
Many samurai incorporated their domain or birthplace into their names, such as 'Minamoto no Yoshitsune' where 'no' indicated origin, creating an instant geographical and clan identity system used from the 8th century onward.
Everything you need to know
Create authentic samurai names in seconds and bring your warrior characters to life with honor and tradition.