Samurai Name Generator
Generate samurai-style names: a clan surname such as Takeda, Sanada or Date paired with a given name from the age of the warriors. Each result shows the kanji, reading, romaji and meaning.
- 沖田五郎♂Okita Goro
- 五郎:
- Fifth son
- 沖田:
- Okita Sōji, swordsman of the Shinsengumi
- 立花武♂Tachibana Takeshi
- 武:
- Martial
- 立花:
- Tachibana Muneshige, lord of Yanagawa
- 宮本元親♂Miyamoto Motochika
- 元親:
- Close to the origin
- 宮本:
- Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman
- 長宗我部謙信♂Chosokabe Kenshin
- 謙信:
- Humble trust
- 長宗我部:
- Chōsokabe Motochika, who unified Shikoku
- 井伊秀吉♂Ii Hideyoshi
- 秀吉:
- Excellent fortune
- 井伊:
- Ii Naomasa, Tokugawa general who led the "Red Devils"
- 豊臣景勝♂Toyotomi Kagekatsu
- 景勝:
- Fine view, victory
- 豊臣:
- Family name of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who completed the unification
- 斎藤三成♂Saito Mitsunari
- 三成:
- Three achieved
- 斎藤:
- Saitō Dōsan, the "Viper of Mino"
- 蒲生義弘♂Gamo Yoshihiro
- 義弘:
- Broad righteousness
- 蒲生:
- Gamō Ujisato, general who served Oda and Toyotomi
- 高杉勇♂Takasugi Isamu
- 勇:
- Courage
- 高杉:
- Takasugi Shinsaku, rebel leader of Chōshū
- 蜂須賀五右衛門♂Hachisuka Goemon
- 五右衛門:
- Fifth gate guard
- 蜂須賀:
- Hachisuka Masakatsu, an early retainer of Hideyoshi
Given names come from a hand-reviewed list of real Japanese names; surnames come from a ranked list of 2,000 common surnames. Romaji is simplified Hepburn (Sato, not Satou).
How samurai names worked
A samurai usually had a clan name, a common name used in daily life and a formal personal name. Common names often ended in -ro (郎), -suke (助) or -emon (衛門) and were frequently numbered by birth order, like Taro, Jiro and Saburo. The formal personal name, such as Nobunaga or Masamune, appeared in documents. The generator draws on both kinds of given name.
Samurai clans in the generator
Every clan below is a real warrior family. The note names a famous bearer.
| Kanji | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 明智 | あけち | Akechi | Akechi Mitsuhide, who turned on Oda Nobunaga at Honnō-ji |
| 尼子 | あまご | Amago | Amago Haruhisa, lord of Izumo |
| 浅井 | あさい | Asai | Azai Nagamasa, lord of Ōmi and brother-in-law of Nobunaga |
| 朝倉 | あさくら | Asakura | Asakura clan, lords of Echizen |
| 長宗我部 | ちょうそかべ | Chosokabe | Chōsokabe Motochika, who unified Shikoku |
| 伊達 | だて | Date | Clan of Date Masamune, the "One-Eyed Dragon" of Sendai |
| 福島 | ふくしま | Fukushima | Fukushima Masanori, one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake |
| 蒲生 | がもう | Gamo | Gamō Ujisato, general who served Oda and Toyotomi |
| 蜂須賀 | はちすか | Hachisuka | Hachisuka Masakatsu, an early retainer of Hideyoshi |
| 服部 | はっとり | Hattori | Hattori Hanzō of the Iga ninja tradition |
| 土方 | ひじかた | Hijikata | Hijikata Toshizō, vice-commander of the Shinsengumi |
| 平手 | ひらて | Hirate | Hirate Masahide, mentor of the young Oda Nobunaga |
| 本多 | ほんだ | Honda | Honda Tadakatsu, one of the Four Guardian Kings of Tokugawa |
| 細川 | ほそかわ | Hosokawa | Hosokawa clan, lords of Higo |
| 北条 | ほうじょう | Hojo | The Late Hōjō clan of Odawara |
| 井伊 | いい | Ii | Ii Naomasa, Tokugawa general who led the "Red Devils" |
| 池田 | いけだ | Ikeda | Ikeda Terumasa, lord of Himeji Castle |
| 今川 | いまがわ | Imagawa | Clan of Imagawa Yoshimoto, lord of Suruga |
| 石田 | いしだ | Ishida | Ishida Mitsunari, commander of the western army at Sekigahara |
| 片倉 | かたくら | Katakura | Katakura Kagetsuna, trusted retainer of Date Masamune |
| 加藤 | かとう | Kato | Katō Kiyomasa, famed retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi |
| 桂 | かつら | Katsura | Katsura Kogorō, leader of the Meiji Restoration (later Kido Takayoshi) |
| 小早川 | こばやかわ | Kobayakawa | A powerful branch of the Mōri clan |
| 近藤 | こんどう | Kondo | Kondō Isami, commander of the Shinsengumi |
| 黒田 | くろだ | Kuroda | Kuroda Kanbei, celebrated strategist of Hideyoshi |
| 前田 | まえだ | Maeda | Clan of Maeda Toshiie, lords of the Kaga domain |
| 松平 | まつだいら | Matsudaira | The Tokugawa family's name before Ieyasu changed it |
| 宮本 | みやもと | Miyamoto | Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman |
| 最上 | もがみ | Mogami | Mogami Yoshiaki, lord of Dewa |
| 森 | もり | Mori | Mori Ranmaru, page of Oda Nobunaga |
| 毛利 | もうり | Mori | Clan of Mōri Motonari, master of western Japan |
| 鍋島 | なべしま | Nabeshima | Nabeshima clan, lords of Saga |
| 長尾 | ながお | Nagao | Nagao Kagetora was the young Uesugi Kenshin's original name |
| 直江 | なおえ | Naoe | Naoe Kanetsugu, chief retainer of the Uesugi |
| 丹羽 | にわ | Niwa | Niwa Nagahide, trusted retainer of Oda Nobunaga |
| 織田 | おだ | Oda | Clan of Oda Nobunaga, who began the unification of Japan |
| 沖田 | おきた | Okita | Okita Sōji, swordsman of the Shinsengumi |
| 大久保 | おおくぼ | Okubo | Ōkubo Tadayo, veteran retainer of the Tokugawa |
| 大友 | おおとも | Otomo | Ōtomo Sōrin, lord of Bungo |
| 龍造寺 | りゅうぞうじ | Ryuzoji | Ryūzōji Takanobu, lord of Hizen |
| 西郷 | さいごう | Saigo | Saigō Takamori, called the last true samurai |
| 斎藤 | さいとう | Saito | Saitō Dōsan, the "Viper of Mino" |
| 酒井 | さかい | Sakai | Sakai Tadatsugu, one of the Four Guardian Kings of Tokugawa |
| 榊原 | さかきばら | Sakakibara | Sakakibara Yasumasa, one of the Four Guardian Kings of Tokugawa |
| 坂本 | さかもと | Sakamoto | Sakamoto Ryōma, reformer of the late Edo period |
| 真田 | さなだ | Sanada | Clan of Sanada Yukimura, hero of the Siege of Osaka |
| 柴田 | しばた | Shibata | Shibata Katsuie, senior retainer of Oda Nobunaga |
| 島津 | しまず | Shimazu | Lords of Satsuma in southern Kyushu |
| 立花 | たちばな | Tachibana | Tachibana Muneshige, lord of Yanagawa |
| 高杉 | たかすぎ | Takasugi | Takasugi Shinsaku, rebel leader of Chōshū |
| 武田 | たけだ | Takeda | Clan of Takeda Shingen, lord of Kai Province |
| 竹中 | たけなか | Takenaka | Takenaka Hanbei, strategist who served Hideyoshi |
| 滝川 | たきがわ | Takigawa | Takigawa Kazumasu, general under Oda Nobunaga |
| 徳川 | とくがわ | Tokugawa | Tokugawa Ieyasu's family, founders of the Edo shogunate |
| 鳥居 | とりい | Torii | Torii Mototada, loyal Tokugawa retainer who held Fushimi Castle |
| 藤堂 | とうどう | Todo | Tōdō Takatora, renowned castle builder |
| 豊臣 | とよとみ | Toyotomi | Family name of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who completed the unification |
| 上杉 | うえすぎ | Uesugi | Clan of Uesugi Kenshin, the "Dragon of Echigo" |
| 宇喜多 | うきた | Ukita | Ukita Hideie, lord of Bizen |
| 柳生 | やぎゅう | Yagyu | Family of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū sword school |
| 山本 | やまもと | Yamamoto | Yamamoto Tsunetomo, whose words became the Hagakure |
| 山内 | やまうち | Yamauchi | Yamauchi Kazutoyo, first lord of the Tosa domain |
Frequently asked questions
Are these real samurai names?
The clan names and given names are real and belong to the period, but they are paired at random. The generator skips pairings that spell a famous person exactly, such as Oda Nobunaga.
What is the difference between a common name and a formal name?
A common name such as Taro was used in daily life, while a formal personal name such as Nobunaga appeared in official records. Both kinds can come up here.
Can I use a samurai name for a game character?
Yes. The names are free to use for games, stories and role-play.
Can I generate only clan names?
Yes. Switch Name type to Surname to get clan surnames only.