OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Australian Name Generator
Modern Australian First Names, Plus Classic Aussie Nicknames for Characters
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How the Australian Name Generator works
This Australian name generator makes Australian names from the modern Australian mix: British and Irish surnames beside Greek, Italian, Lebanese, Vietnamese and Chinese ones, first names from the current Australian top hundred or the classic stock of the seventies and eighties, and, if you want them, the nicknames Australians actually use, Bazza, Shaz, Davo, Macca. Choose female, male or either and generate up to a hundred.
How the Australian name generator works
Australian names are British names with two differences. The first is the surname mix. Australia's post-war immigration brought Greeks, Italians, Lebanese, Vietnamese and Chinese in large numbers, and a realistic Australian roster has a Papadopoulos and a Nguyen for every few Thompsons and O'Briens. The second is the nickname habit. Australians shorten and suffix names with a cheerful disregard for dignity: Barry is Bazza, Sharon is Shaz or Shazza, Darren is Dazza, Robinson is Robbo, McDonald is Macca, and a red-haired man is Bluey. These are not childhood pet names but the names grown men and women are known by at work and in the newspaper.
The Modern option pairs the first names currently popular in Australia, which run close to the British lists but with Australian favourites, Lachlan, Matilda, Cooper, Flynn, Hudson, that are rare elsewhere. The Classic option gives the names of Australians born from the sixties to the eighties, and Australia had its own distinct fashions then: Kylie, Narelle, Raelene, Bronwyn, Shane, Wayne, Darren and Trevor are all far more Australian than British. The Nickname option gives either a nickname with a surname, Bazza Thompson, or a full name with the nickname in quotes, Barry "Bazza" Thompson, which is how Australian sports pages print them. Any mixes all three, leaning on the first two.
The surname list is a deliberate cross-section of contemporary Australia. Roughly half are the English, Scottish and Irish names of the first two centuries of settlement, a quarter are the Greek and Italian names of the post-war wave, and a quarter are the Lebanese, Vietnamese and Chinese names of the last fifty years. The first names are shared across all of them, because that is how second-generation Australians are named: Charlotte Nguyen and Lachlan Papadopoulos are ordinary names in any Sydney or Melbourne school.
For the neighbouring stock, the British page; for the equivalent mix on the other side of the Pacific, the American and Canadian pages; and for Māori names from across the Tasman, the Maori page.
FAQ
What makes a name sound Australian?
The nickname more than anything. Bazza, Shazza, Davo, Macca and Jonno are instantly Australian. After that, the classic seventies and eighties first names, Kylie, Narelle, Shane, Wayne, and a surname mix with Greek, Italian, Lebanese and Vietnamese names alongside the British ones.
How do Australian nicknames work?
Cut the name to one syllable and add -o, -zza or -y. Barry becomes Bazza, Darren becomes Dazza, Sharon becomes Shaz or Shazza, Robinson becomes Robbo, Thompson becomes Thommo, Smith becomes Smithy. A few are descriptive: Bluey for red hair, Nugget for someone short and stocky.
Are the Greek and Vietnamese surnames really Australian?
Yes. Melbourne has one of the largest Greek populations outside Greece, and Nguyen is among the most common surnames in Australia. A list that was all British names would describe Australia in 1950, not now.
Which style suits a modern character?
Modern for anyone under thirty-five, Classic for their parents, and Nickname for a tradie, a footballer or anyone in a pub scene. Any gives a mixed crowd.
Can I use these names for fiction or test data?
Yes. They are combinations of ordinary names and cannot be owned. A common combination may coincide with a real person, so a name that will be attached to something public deserves a quick search.
See also: all Culture & Language tools, People, Fantasy & RPG, Sci-fi, Online & Social, Business & Brand, Places & Things.
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