Griffin Name Generator
Heraldic griffin names from Latin and Germanic name elements, every syllable glossed, with blazon house names in tincture and attitude.
2,293,200 combinations in this form
- Valsind Gyron Addorsed
Val strength + sind expedition
strength expedition
Gyron triangular wedge + Addorsed back to back
triangular wedge, back to back
- Rupiaranda Gules Respectant
Rupia rock + randa shield rim
rock shield rim
Gules red + Respectant facing
red, facing
- Gorgahart Gyron Beaked
Gorga gorged + hart stag
gorged stag
Gyron triangular wedge + Beaked sharp-billed
triangular wedge, sharp-billed
- Acerbod Pale Enraged
Acer sharp + bod messenger
sharp messenger
Pale upright stripe + Enraged in fury
upright stripe, in fury
- Gradiawalda Purpure Wreathed
Gradia step + walda rule
step rule
Purpure purple + Wreathed garlanded
purple, garlanded
- Alaunbod Roundel Salient
Alaun mastiff + bod messenger
mastiff messenger
Roundel solid disc + Salient leaping
solid disc, leaping
- Fidleud Pale Membered
Fid faith + leud people
faith people
Pale upright stripe + Membered with legs shown
upright stripe, with legs shown
- Gradiasiga Mullet Couchant
Gradia step + siga victory
step victory
Mullet five-pointed star + Couchant lying
five-pointed star, lying
- Azurahart Or Statant
Azura blue + hart stag
blue stag
Or gold + Statant standing
gold, standing
- Ordinward Vert Regardant
Ordin order + ward guardian
order guardian
Vert green + Regardant looking back
green, looking back
- Gradiahild Fleur Addorsed
Gradia step + hild combat
step combat
Fleur lily + Addorsed back to back
lily, back to back
- Enfielric Saltire Dormant
Enfiel enfield + ric ruler
enfield ruler
Saltire diagonal cross + Dormant sleeping
diagonal cross, sleeping
- Aquilebur Vert Dormant
Aquil eagle + ebur boar
eagle boar
Vert green + Dormant sleeping
green, sleeping
- Vigilagard Gules Enraged
Vigila watchful + gard enclosure
watchful enclosure
Gules red + Enraged in fury
red, in fury
- Crossimod Or Rousant
Crossi cross + mod courage
cross courage
Or gold + Rousant rising
gold, rising
- Altiland Chevron Dormant
Alti high + land territory
high territory
Chevron roof-shaped band + Dormant sleeping
roof-shaped band, sleeping
- Gradiagrima Vert Respectant
Gradia step + grima mask
step mask
Vert green + Respectant facing
green, facing
- Unicormund Vair Langued
Unicor unicorn + mund protection
unicorn protection
Vair blue squirrel fur + Langued tongued
blue squirrel fur, tongued
- Aurstan Lozenge Armed
Aur gold + stan stone
gold stone
Lozenge diamond shape + Armed clawed
diamond shape, clawed
- Severagrima Gules Respectant
Severa stern + grima mask
stern mask
Gules red + Respectant facing
red, facing
- Estoilgrim Lozenge Couchant
Estoil star + grim mask
star mask
Lozenge diamond shape + Couchant lying
diamond shape, lying
- Vexbrand Pale Addorsed
Vex banner + brand sword
banner sword
Pale upright stripe + Addorsed back to back
upright stripe, back to back
- Dextraleifa Sanguine Guardant
Dextra right hand + leifa heir
right hand heir
Sanguine blood red + Guardant facing forward
blood red, facing forward
- Fleurafred Or Langued
Fleura lily + fred peace
lily peace
Or gold + Langued tongued
gold, tongued
How griffin names are built
¶A griffin's given name is Norman in shape: a Latin element for the first half and a Germanic name element for the second. Aur is gold, Venti is wind, Aquil is the eagle, Petra a crag, Ung a claw; bert is bright, gar a spear, mund protection, ward a guardian, ric a ruler. Aurbert is gold-bright, Ventigar is wind-spear, Aquilmund is eagle-protection. As in real Germanic naming, the halves are inherited rather than composed, so the pair states standing rather than a sentence.
The register is terse because blazon is terse. Heraldry has a fixed grammar with no room for adjectives it has not already defined, and griffins live inside that grammar: a griffin reared with its wings raised is not rampant but segreant, a word reserved for winged beasts. A wingless male griffin, spiked instead of feathered, is a keythong; a griffin with a lion's forelegs and a short tail is an opinicus. Griffin names are built to sit comfortably beside those words.
House names are blazons. They pair a tincture or a fur with an attitude, in the order the herald would call them: Gules Segreant, Argent Volant, Sable Displayed, Ermine Regardant. Because a beast is described limb by limb, a griffin may also be armed, langued, beaked or membered in a second tincture, meaning its claws, tongue, beak or legs are of another colour, and a griffin that serves on a coat of arms takes the name of the blazon it appears in for as long as the line it serves survives.
Questions
What are good griffin names?
Terse compounds of a Latin element and a Germanic one: Aurbert, Ventigar, Aquilmund, Petrarand, Vigilward. Keep both halves to one or two syllables and let the meaning read as a claim of standing — gold-bright, wind-spear, eagle-protection. Anything ornate or flowing belongs to some other creature; a griffin name should sound like it was carved into a lintel.
Is it griffin, gryphon or griffon?
All three are current. Griffin is the ordinary modern English spelling, gryphon is the Latinising form used when a writer wants the classical register, and griffon is the French spelling that survives in heraldry and in dog breeding. Blazon usually prefers griffin or gryphon. For naming purposes the spelling changes nothing; pick one and hold it consistently.
What is a griffin called in heraldry?
A griffin reared up with wings raised is segreant rather than rampant, since rampant belongs to wingless beasts. A wingless male griffin covered in spikes is a keythong, sometimes called a male griffin, and a griffin with a lion's forelegs and a short tail is an opinicus. Each is a separate charge with its own blazon.
What are good griffin house names?
Blazons: Gules Segreant, Argent Volant, Sable Displayed, Or Rampant, Ermine Regardant, Azure Beaked. The first word is the tincture or fur and the second is the attitude, in the order a herald would call them, which is why the pair reads as formal rather than decorative. Use it as a house name or as a formal title of address.
What do armed, langued and beaked mean?
They tincture a beast limb by limb. Armed refers to claws and talons, langued to the tongue, beaked to the beak, membered to the legs, and gorged means wearing a collar or coronet around the neck. A blazon names these separately when they differ in colour from the body, which is why they work so well as griffin epithets.