OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Byzantine Name Generator
Byzantine Emperor and Courtier Names for Eastern Roman and Medieval Greek Characters
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How the Byzantine Name Generator works
This Byzantine name generator gives names from the Eastern Roman Empire, which ruled from Constantinople for over a thousand years until 1453. Pick emperors, courtiers with their elaborate titles, clerics and soldiers for historical fiction, strategy games and fantasy settings.
How the Byzantine name generator builds names
Byzantine names were Greek forms of Christian and Roman names: Constantine, Basil, Alexios, Theodora, Irene. From the tenth century the great families used inherited surnames, and dynasties like the Komnenoi, Doukai and Palaiologoi made those surnames a mark of rank. Emperors were also known by nicknames, so Basil II became the Bulgar-slayer and a child born to a reigning emperor was called Porphyrogennetos, the purple-born.
Court titles
The Byzantine court ran on titles. A logothete headed a government department, the eparch governed the city of Constantinople, and the parakoimomenos slept outside the emperor's bedchamber and was often the most powerful official in the palace. The courtier option pairs a name with one of these titles, which instantly tells a reader how close the character is to the throne.
More imperial names
For the earlier empire, try the Roman name generator. For Greek names old and new, try the Greek name generator.
FAQ
Did the Byzantines call themselves Byzantine?
No. They called themselves Romans, Rhomaioi in Greek, and their state the Roman Empire. The word Byzantine was coined by western scholars centuries after Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453.
Why do the surnames end in -os?
Byzantine names are Greek, and Greek masculine names usually end in -os or -es. English books often anglicise them, so Komnenos becomes Comnenus and Nikephoros becomes Nicephorus, and either form works in fiction.
Are the dynasty names real?
Yes. Komnenos, Doukas, Angelos, Palaiologos and Laskaris were real ruling families. Pairing them with an invented first name, or using the family surnames list instead, keeps your character fictional.
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