# Last Name Generator: Real and Fantasy Surnames - Feldar > Free last name generator for writers: real surnames from 30 cultures, with feminine forms where they exist, plus fantasy surnames, clans and noble houses. - URL: https://feldar.com/tools/last-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) --- #### Where surnames come from Hereditary surnames are recent in most of the world: in England they settled in the centuries after the Norman Conquest, and some countries adopted them by law much later. Almost all of them began as one of four kinds of description, and knowing which kind a name is helps you pick one that fits a character's roots. - A parent's name. Johnson, MacDonald, Fitzgerald, Ivanov, Petrov, Hansen, Fernández. Many languages add a suffix or prefix meaning son of: -son, -sen, Mac, Fitz, -ov, -ez. - A trade. Smith, Miller, Baker, Cooper. The same job gives a surname in language after language: Schmidt in German, Lefèvre in French, Ferrari in Italian, Kowalski in Polish, Kuznetsov in Russian and Haddad in Arabic all mean smith. - A place. Hill, Wood, Atwood, Lindqvist (lime-tree twig), van der Meer (of the lake), Yamamoto (base of the mountain). - A nickname. Brown, Klein (small), Russo (red-haired), Armstrong. ##### Rules that change by culture - Gender. Russian, Polish and Greek surnames take a feminine form: Ivanova, Kowalska, Papadopoulou. Choose Feminine to see them. - Two surnames. In Spain and Mexico people usually carry both parents' surnames, the father's first. This page gives one; the [character name generator](https://feldar.com/tools/character-name-generator) gives the full pair. - Order. Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese names put the family name first. - Few surnames, many people. A small number of family names are shared by a large share of people in China, Korea and Vietnam, so a common surname there says little about a family. #### Fantasy surnames Fantasy families follow the same four sources. English-style fantasy surnames such as Ravenscroft and Thornfield are place names; dwarven clan names such as Coalhelm are trade and deed names; noble houses are named for their founder or their seat. Elvish family names here are long and flowing, for peoples whose families are older than the towns around them. - Match the world's history. A peasant family in a feudal world is more likely to be called Miller or Atwood than House Valane. - Search before you settle. Real surnames belong to real families. If a character is a villain, check you haven't given them the name of a famous living person. #### Questions writers ask Are these real surnames? The surnames in the Real surnames group are real, chosen from common family names in each culture. The fantasy surnames are invented. Why does the generator show feminine forms? In Russian, Polish and Greek a woman's surname usually takes a feminine form: Ivanova, Kowalska, Papadopoulou. Choose Feminine or Masculine to get one form. How do I choose a last name for a character? Decide where the character's family came from and when, then pick a surname of that origin. A trade or place name also hints at the family's past: a Cooper's ancestors made barrels. Can I generate a first and last name together? Yes. Use the character name generator, which gives full names by culture and era. Can I use a real surname for a character? Yes. Surnames are shared by many families. Avoid pairing a real surname with a first name that makes it a famous living person, especially for an unflattering character. #### Keep a family tree beside the book In Feldar each family member can be a Character card on the [Canvas](https://feldar.com/features/canvas), linked by labelled relations, so the cast list stays straight across a long manuscript. [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) - [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) - [Hero names Superhero codenames by power, each with a civilian name.](https://feldar.com/tools/hero-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)