# Hero Name Generator: Superhero Codenames - Feldar > Free superhero name generator: original hero codenames by power theme, each with a civilian name from 30 cultures. Skips well known Marvel and DC names. - URL: https://feldar.com/tools/hero-name-generator - Site: [Home](https://feldar.com/) · [About](https://feldar.com/about) · [Blog](https://feldar.com/blog) · [Careers](https://feldar.com/careers) · [Pricing](https://feldar.com/pricing) · [Download](https://feldar.com/download) · [Changelog](https://feldar.com/changelog) - Machine index: [llms.txt](https://feldar.com/llms.txt) · [full site content](https://feldar.com/llms-full.txt) --- #### How superhero codenames are built Most codenames follow one of five shapes. The generator uses all five, filling each from the word lists of the power theme you choose, so a fire hero gets cinders and kilns and a tech hero gets rivets and relays. - A coined compound. A power word joined to an image or an action: Cinderwake, Rimebite, Heronheart. The most common shape, and the easiest to make unique. - One word. Crosswind, Breakneck, Daybreak. Strong and short, but most plain words are taken somewhere, so these need the most checking. - The, an adjective and a noun. The Silent Doorway, The Granite Wall. It sounds like a name the newspapers gave the hero, not one they chose. - A title and a word. Captain, Doctor, Agent, Major, Lady, Kid. The title is a piece of backstory: a military past, a doctorate, a government badge, or a sidekick's youth. - A word and a role. Harbor Keeper, Lumen Paladin. A job description, for heroes who see the work as a duty. ##### The civilian name Each codename comes with a real name from one of 30 cultures, matched to the hero's gender, so your cast can live anywhere. Turn off Include a civilian name for codenames alone. Silver Age comics liked alliterative secret identities such as Peter Parker and Bruce Banner; if you want that period feel, regenerate until the initials match, or pick a codename here and a civilian name from the [character name generator](https://feldar.com/tools/character-name-generator). #### Examples by power theme HeroThemeWhat makes it work Cinderwake (Sato Yuki)FireWhat a fire leaves behind, not the fire itself: it hints at cost. Major Hoarfrost (Dónal O'Connor)IceThe rank says he served before he had powers. Crosswind (Fernanda Martínez Gutiérrez)StormA real weather word that also means getting in someone's way. Breakneck (Amelia Wright)SpeedSpeed and danger in one word, easy to shout in a fight scene. Flintheart (Silje Kristoffersen)StrengthHard on the outside; the heart in the name invites a softer reveal. The Quiet Confidant (Sohrab Mousavi)MindA telepath named for what people tell him, not what he takes. The Silent Doorway (Leila Tehrani)ShadowA press nickname: nobody sees her, only where she went. Madam Daybreak (Shira Shamir)LightAn old-fashioned title gives a bright power some dignity. Harbor Keeper (Melek Ateş)WaterA role name for a hero who guards one stretch of coast. #### Naming a hero in a story - Decide who chose the name. A codename the hero picked shows how they see themselves. One the press gave them shows how the city sees them. One a government agency assigned is a leash. The gap between those can carry a whole arc. - Let the name change. Heroes often outgrow a first codename: Kid becomes Captain, a nickname becomes a title. Plan the second name before you need it. - Make the civilian name ordinary. The secret identity is the part readers relate to. A plain, real name makes the double life believable. - Test it in dialogue. Other characters will shout the codename across a burning street. If it takes three breaths, they will shorten it, so choose the short form yourself. - Name the team too. Give a team's codenames something in common (all weather, all birds, all ranks) so readers can tell who belongs. #### Pitfalls - The famous names are trademarks. Marvel and DC protect their characters' names as trademarks, and decades of comics have used most plain power words. The generator skips several hundred published heroes and villains, but search any codename you keep before you publish. - Power word plus -man or -woman. Fire-Man, Ice-Woman and their cousins are mostly taken and read as period pieces. Use them only if that is the point. - A name that gives away the twist. If the hero's power or secret is a reveal, keep it out of the codename. - Too literal. Fire Hero tells the reader nothing. Cinderwake tells them about aftermath, and Kindling about someone who starts things. #### Questions writers ask Are these names original? Yes. Codenames are built from Feldar's own word lists by power theme, and every result is checked against a list of several hundred published Marvel, DC and other superheroes and villains. No list can cover every comic ever printed, so search a codename before you publish it. Can I use a generated codename in my comic or novel? Yes, it's yours to use. Names alone aren't protected by copyright in the US, but names used as trademarks can be, and comic publishers register many. Search the trademark register and comic databases for any codename you build a series on. Can I get villain names here? This page names heroes. For antagonists, the [villain name generator](https://feldar.com/tools/villain-name-generator) has supervillain codenames and dark fantasy villains with bynames. Can I get only female or only male heroes? Yes. Choose Feminine or Masculine. Titles follow the choice (Lady and Madam, Sir and Mister), and so does the civilian name. How do I share a set of names with my co-writer? Press Copy a link to these names. The link opens the same codenames and civilian names, with the same power theme and settings. #### Keep your names where the story is In Feldar each character, place and faction can be a card on the [Canvas](https://feldar.com/features/canvas), linked to the others and kept beside the pages you are writing. When Feldar helps you write, it draws on those cards, so its suggestions use the names you chose. [Start writing free](https://feldar.com/login) [See how Feldar works](https://feldar.com/novel-writing-software) #### More name generators - [Character names Real names from 30 cultures, plus fantasy styles.](https://feldar.com/tools/character-name-generator) - [Fantasy names All eighteen fantasy and science fiction styles in one place.](https://feldar.com/tools/fantasy-name-generator) - [Random names Quick real full names from 30 cultures, labeled by culture and era.](https://feldar.com/tools/random-name-generator) - [Last names Real surnames from 30 cultures, and fantasy surnames.](https://feldar.com/tools/last-name-generator) - [DnD names Names for tabletop heroes: humans, elves, dwarves, tieflings, dragonborn and more.](https://feldar.com/tools/dnd-name-generator) - [Elf names High elf, wood elf and dark elf names with family names.](https://feldar.com/tools/elf-name-generator) - [Dwarf names Short, heavy dwarf names with clan bynames.](https://feldar.com/tools/dwarf-name-generator) - [Orc and goblin names Guttural orc names with clan bynames, and sharp goblin names.](https://feldar.com/tools/orc-name-generator) - [Dragon names Ancient dragons with titles, and young or bonded dragons.](https://feldar.com/tools/dragon-name-generator) - [Villain names Dark fantasy villains and supervillain codenames.](https://feldar.com/tools/villain-name-generator) - [Witch names Old-fashioned witch names, and names for covens.](https://feldar.com/tools/witch-name-generator) - [Fairy names Light fairy names, and titles for the fae courts.](https://feldar.com/tools/fairy-name-generator) - [God names Gods and goddesses with domains, and nameless old powers.](https://feldar.com/tools/god-name-generator) - [Town and city names English-sounding, Norse, fantasy towns and great cities.](https://feldar.com/tools/town-name-generator) - [Kingdom names Kingdoms, empires, duchies and marches.](https://feldar.com/tools/kingdom-name-generator) - [Tavern and inn names Village inns, dockside taverns and fantasy inns.](https://feldar.com/tools/tavern-name-generator) - [Planet names Colony worlds, catalogue designations and invented worlds.](https://feldar.com/tools/planet-name-generator) - [Pen names Realistic author names by genre, matching your initials.](https://feldar.com/tools/pen-name-generator) #### Keep reading [Free tool Word counter for writers Words, pages and reading time, with novel lengths by genre.](https://feldar.com/tools/word-counter) [Guide How to outline a novel A full worked example and a free template.](https://feldar.com/guides/how-to-outline-a-novel) [Feature The Canvas Characters, places and plot beats as linked cards.](https://feldar.com/features/canvas)