OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Nepali Name Generator
Hill, Newar and Sherpa Given Names and Surnames from Across Nepal
OneTask is free, with no sign-up, and built by one person.
If this tool saved you time, a coffee helps keep new ones coming.
How the Nepali Name Generator works
This Nepali name generator gives names from Nepal, including hill names such as Bikash Adhikari, names from peoples like the Gurung, Magar, Tamang and Newar, and Sherpa names such as Pasang Tenzing Sherpa. Use it for characters, trekking stories and baby name ideas.
How the Nepali name generator builds names
Most Nepali first names come from Sanskrit and are shared with northern India: Sita, Laxmi, Prakash, Santosh. Surnames show community. Adhikari, Pokharel, Poudel and Bhattarai are Brahmin names, Thapa, Karki, Khadka and Basnet are Chhetri names, Shrestha and Maharjan are Newar names from the Kathmandu valley, and Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai and Limbu are the names of hill peoples, many famous as Gurkha soldiers. The generator mixes them as you would meet them in Kathmandu.
Sherpa names and the days of the week
Sherpa children are often named for the day they were born. Nima is Sunday, Dawa Monday, Mingma Tuesday, Lhakpa Wednesday, Phurba Thursday, Pasang Friday and Pemba Saturday. A second name such as Tenzing or Dorje is added, and many Sherpas use Sherpa as their surname, which is why mountaineering records are full of men called Pemba Sherpa.
More South Asian names
For names from across the border, try the Indian name generator and the Bengali name generator.
FAQ
What are common Nepali surnames?
Shrestha, Adhikari, Gurung, Tamang, Thapa, Magar, Rai and Karki are among the most common surnames in Nepal. Each is linked to a particular community or region, so a surname often tells Nepalis where a family comes from.
Why are so many Sherpas called Pasang or Pemba?
Sherpa names often come from the day of the week a child was born, with Pasang for Friday and Pemba for Saturday, so the same names repeat across many families and people add a second name to tell them apart.
Is Sherpa a surname or a job?
Sherpa is an ethnic group from the Everest region and is used as a surname by many Sherpa people. Because so many work as mountain guides, the word is often misused in English for any high-altitude porter.
See also: all Culture & Language tools, People, Fantasy & RPG, Sci-fi, Online & Social, Business & Brand, Places & Things.
Related tools
1920s Name Generator
Jazz Age names, from Chester Vanderbeck III to Millie Kowalski the flapper.
1940s Name Generator
Popular girls' and boys' names from the 1940s, US and UK.
1950s Name Generator
Post-war names from Linda Sue Patterson to Gary Kowalczyk and Brenda Whitfield.
1960s Name Generator
Popular girls' and boys' names from the Swinging Sixties.
1970s Name Generator
Popular girls' and boys' names from the Seventies.