How do you name DnD’s classic, happy-go-lucky souls?
“Petunia Pebblebottom is only 3 feet tall, but more woman than I could ever handle”
—Traveler’s Diary
Table of Contents
How are Halflings named in DnD 5e?
DnD’s official guidance for Halfling names is as follows:
A halfling has a given name, a family name, and possibly a nickname. Family names are often nicknames that stuck so tenaciously they have been passed down through the generations.
Male Names: Alton, Ander, Cade, Corrin, Eldon, Errich, Finnan, Garret, Lindal, Lyle, Merric, Milo, Osborn, Perrin, Reed, Roscoe, Wellby
Female Names: Andry, Bree, Callie, Cora, Euphemia, Jillian, Kithri, Lavinia, Lidda, Merla, Nedda, Paela, Portia, Seraphina, Shaena, Trym, Vani, Verna
Family Names: Brushgather, Goodbarrel, Greenbottle, High-hill, Hilltopple, Leagallow, Tealeaf, Thorngage, Tosscobble, Underbough
Interesting, but not exactly inspiring! For some more Halfling naming inspiration, we need to see what inspired DnD! You can also check out our Halfling Name Generator!
Where does the name “Halfling” come from?
DnD 5e’s Halflings are heavily influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth mythos. Halflings were even originally called Hobbits in DnD’s first printings! The word “halfling” to refer to Hobbits also appears in Tolkien’s works, so DnD used the term “halflings” instead to avoid trademark infringement.
In European myth and legend, a halfling is a person who is half-grown. J.R.R. Tolkien was specifically influenced by Old Norse for his “Lord of the Rings” mythology, from which DnD 5e’s Halflings take inspiration. Among Scottish people, the term “hauflin” or “haflin” is sometimes used for an adolescent youth or a young boy that does farm work.
So to see how to name your Halflings, the best place to look is Old Europe and Middle-Earth!
How do you name Halflings in DnD 5e?
There are different approaches to naming male and female Halflings in DnD 5e.
Male Halfling Names
If we follow Tolkien’s lead, male Halfling first names in DnD 5e come from four different traditions, with their respective naming conventions. Male halflings usually adopt the naming conventions of their father’s family. A Halfling’s tradition can be identified by the ending of their name.
Lower-class male Halfling names in DnD 5e follow these naming conventions:
- Your name must contain two syllables.
- Your name must end with the letter “o.”
- Your name must be something you’d name a dog.
Extremely high-status male Halfling names follow these naming conventions:
- It must sound very high and mighty, or as if from a supremely rich background.
- Common beginnings: Hildi-, Isem-, Isen-
- Common endings: -ard, -bras, -bold, -grim, or -grin.
Wealthy, but less high-status Halflings follow these naming conventions:
- Regal-sounding but a bit more casual.
- Common beginnings: Ma- or Me-.
- Common endings: -adoc, -adas, -ulas, -imas, and -imac
Halflings with unclear or mixed roots follow these naming conventions:
- Your name can be two or three syllables.
- Common beginnings: Hal-, Hob-, Ham-, and Tol-
- Common endings: -wise, -fred, -fast, and -man
Good Male Halfling Names from LOTR
| Adalgrim | Adelard | Andwise |
| Balbo | Bandobras | Berilac |
| Bilbo | Bingo | Bodo |
| Bowman | Bungo | Deagol |
| Dinodas | Doderick | Drogo |
| Dudo | Erling | Everard |
| Fastolph | Fastred | Ferdibrand |
| Ferdinard | Ferumbras | Filibert |
| Flambard | Folco | Fosco |
| Fredegar | Frodo | Gerontius |
| Gorbadoc | Gorbulas | Gorhendad |
| Gormadoc | Griffo | Gundabald |
| Halfred | Hamfast | Hamson |
| Hending | Hildibrand | Hildifons |
| Hildigrim | Hobson | Hugo |
| Ilberic | Isembold | Isengar |
| Isengrim | Isumbras | Largo |
| Longo | Lotho | Madoc |
| Marmadas | Marmadoc | Marroc |
| Matta | Meriadoc | Merimac |
| Merimas | Milo | Minto |
| Moro | Mosco | Moto |
| Mungo | Odo | Odovacar |
| Olo | Orgulas | Otho |
| Paladin | Peregrin | Polo |
| Ponto | Porto | Posco |
| Reginard | Robin | Rorimac |
| Rudigar | Rufus | Sadoc |
| Samwise | Sancho | Saradas |
| Saradoc | Seredic | Sigismond |
| Togo | Tolman | Tomba |
| Wilcome | Wilibald |
These male names all come from Lord of the Rings, but you can remix them a bit to your liking. Or just take them. Can you really improve on “Hamfast”?
Many of the names in Lord of the Rings take inspiration from Old Norse, and hobbits/halflings are no different. So a good Halfling name might come from Old Norse legends!
Good Male Halfling names from Old Norse
| Alvis | Anders |
| Birger | Bragi |
| Egil | Erik |
| Finn | Freyr |
| Gorm | Gunnar |
| Harald | Heimdall |
| Magnus | Njal |
| Njord | Olaf |
| Sigurd | Tyr |
Female Halfling Names
Taking inspiration from Middle-Earth, Halflings are often named after a flower or a jewel. If they are not named after a flower or jewel, female halfling names often end in -a.
Female Halfling names from LOTR
| Adaldrida | Adamanta | Amaranth |
| Angelica | Asphodel | Belba |
| Bell | Belladonna | Berylla |
| Camellia | Celandine | Chica |
| Cora | Daisy | Diamond |
| Donnamira | Dora | Eglantine |
| Elanor | Esmeralda | Estella |
| Firiel | Goldilocks | Hanna |
| Hilda | Lily | Linda |
| Lobelia | Malva | Marigold |
| May | Melilot | Menegilda |
| Mentha | Mimosa | Mirabella |
| Myrtle | Nina | Pansy |
| Pearl | Peony | Pervinca |
| Pimpernel | Poppy | Primrose |
| Primula | Prisca | Rosa |
| Rosamunda | Rose/Rosie | Rowan |
| Ruby | Salvia | Tanta |
Every Halfling usually has a unique name, so if you want to go the flower or jewel route, you might have to dig deep into some rare flowers and gems!
Good Female Halfling Names from rare flowers and gems
| Ammolita |
| Camelia |
| Julietta |
| Tacca |
| Tourmalina |
Of course, just like male Halfling names, you could pull from female Halfling names from Old Norse too.
Good Female Halfling names from Old Norse
| Ase | Astrid |
| Brynhild | Edda |
| Eir | Embla |
| Freya | Frigg |
| Gertrud | Gudrun |
| Hel | Helga |
| Hilda | Inga |
| Ingrid | Idunn |
| Liv | Nanna |
| Sif | Sigyn |
| Skadi | Thyra |
| Tora | Tove |
Halfling Last Names
Halfling last names are often related to plants or nature, or the type of job the family is associated with. Lord of the Rings has some great Halfling surnames that exemplify this principle.
Good Halfling last names from LOTR:
| Bunce |
| Dale |
| Dudley |
| Goldsworthy |
| Goodbody |
| Heartblossom |
| Hornblower |
| Oldfur |
| Orgulas |
Gamecows Tip: If all else fails, think of rural England in olden times! Both peasants and nobility of this time had good Halfling-y names.
What is a good Halfling name?
Halflings are often good-hearted and goofy, and love traveling and wandering. They also are also so incredibly lucky, they probably don’t even need a Lucky feat. Halfling names should match these traits.
If you want to be totally original, a good idea for a Halfling name generator is to use a VerbNoun or NounVerb combination for the last name, and a matching alliteration for the first.
Funny Halfling names
| Agatha AppleWhip | Barry Bramble |
| Billy BungleJuice | Jeremiah JingleCheese |
| Larry LazeAbout | Ramona Run-too-far |
| Sally SmashingSpoon | Teramina TingleJam |
| Thorny Takes-a-walk | Waldo WallopBox |
| Wanda WanderLust |
Try it yourself!
Badass Halfling names
Halflings can also get down to business if they have to. If you want a more serious name, use one from these Halfling heroes of lore:
- Pawldo, a hero of the Darkwalker War
- Regis, one of the Companions of the Hall
- Sengal, a feral druid, who was also a werewolf
- Spider Parrafin, the reincarnation of Regis
Halfling Names 5e FAQs
What do Halflings call themselves?
In DnD 5e’s Faerun, the continent in the Forgotten Realms from where Halflings hail, the official name for Halflings is “Hin.” Hin refer to themselves generally as “folk”, or more specifically as “quick folk.” The name “Halfling” was given to the Hin by other races such as Elves, who referred to them as leathaine, meaning “half-people.”
Do halflings have middle names?
Halflings don’t have middle names traditionally if following the lore of Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. In DnD, they might have a nickname based on their past or a particular association of their family line.
What is another name for halfling?
An old word for halfling is hobbledehoy or hobby. This word pre-dates both “The Hobbit” and Dungeons & Dragons. Halflings refer to themselves as Hin in DnD, and Hurthlings in other fantasy works. Some slang terms for Halflings are “good folk,” “sly folk,” and “quick folk.”
Now that you know how to name your Halfling, learn how to navigate difficult terrain, cast the Crown of Madness spell, or defeat a homebrew Bog Unicorn!
Kendra has always been a hardcore fantasy nerd. Growing up in the worlds of Tolkien, Sanderson, Jordan, and Abercrombie, DnD & board games just came naturally. She and her husband, Bryan, started GameCows.com in 2018 as a fun passion project that just took over their lives. An avid board gamer since childhood and chronic DnD chronicler for more than two decades, she loves to play, write, travel, and learn dead languages. She is also a professional content writer at SlashGear.com