Tiefling Names
A tiefling name should carry the weight of infernal heritage while expressing the individual identity that sets your character apart from their dark legacy.
Famous Tiefling Names That Nailed It
Real-world names that became iconic. Here's what makes them work.
A name with Persian roots given to a tiefling character shows how human cultural names can feel simultaneously familiar and exotic, grounding an otherworldly character in recognizable humanity.
A harsh, punchy name with strong consonants that sounds powerful in combat but rolls warmly off the tongue in conversation — exactly the balance a compelling tiefling character name needs.
Names with soft openings that harden in the middle (Mi-ZOR-a) create a perfect tiefling quality — deceptively soft on first impression, with an edge that emerges as you look closer.
Tieflings are among the most compelling character options in Dungeons & Dragons — beings of infernal heritage who walk a constant line between their dark origins and the person they choose to become. Naming a tiefling is a rich roleplaying opportunity: do they carry an infernal name that reflects their heritage, a virtue name that represents their aspiration to rise above it, or something in between that tells a deeper story about who they are?
The Player's Handbook offers two distinct naming traditions for tieflings. Infernal names draw from the language of the Nine Hells — harsh consonants, rolling vowels, names that sound ancient and dangerous: Akmenos, Melech, Mordai, Zagash. Virtue names are the second tradition: tieflings who want to define themselves by their choices rather than their blood adopt names like Art, Carrion, Chant, Despair, Excellence, Fear — abstract concepts that become character studies in a single word.
Browse our 200+ tiefling name ideas below, including both traditional infernal names and virtue names, plus creative original options for tieflings who forge their own path.
Tips for Choosing Tiefling Names
Consider your tiefling's backstory — a tiefling raised in a human family might have a virtue name (Hope, Sorrow, Art), while one raised knowing their infernal heritage might embrace an infernal name.
Infernal names often use consonant clusters with K, Z, X, and V sounds, and vowel combinations like 'ae', 'ei', and 'or' — these create the distinctive harsh-beautiful quality of the Nine Hells' language.
Virtue names are powerful roleplaying tools — a tiefling named Despair who defies that destiny, or one named Hope who struggles to live up to it, has built-in character arc potential.
Tiefling names don't have to be exclusively infernal or virtue — many players use names from real-world cultures that sound distinctive (Persian, Latin, Romanian, Arabic) to suggest exotic heritage.
Consider how your DM and fellow players will actually say your name at the table — a name that's hard to pronounce consistently will be shortened to a nickname within two sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
D&D tieflings typically use one of two naming traditions. Infernal names are derived from the language of the Nine Hells — they sound ancient, harsh-beautiful, and dangerous (Akmenos, Mordai, Zagash, Nephri, Lerissa). Virtue names are abstract concepts chosen by tieflings who want to define themselves by aspiration rather than heritage (Art, Hope, Carrion, Despair, Excellence, Sorrow, Torment).
Yes, absolutely. Many tieflings are raised in human communities and take human names from their culture. A tiefling with a perfectly ordinary name like James or Maria creates interesting contrast with their appearance — the disconnect between mundane name and infernal heritage can be a powerful character element.
A great tiefling name has a distinctive sound quality — often something beautiful and harsh at once. It should be pronounceable at a game table, memorable enough for your DM and party to use consistently, and ideally should hint at your character's personality, backstory, or the choices they've made about their identity.
Virtue names in D&D tiefling lore are gender-neutral — they're abstract concepts rather than traditionally gendered names. A tiefling of any gender might be named Art, Hope, Torment, Carrion, or Excellence. This makes them particularly flexible for non-binary or gender-fluid tiefling characters.
Yes, and many players do. The infernal language has recognizable patterns you can use to create original names: combine harsh consonants (K, Z, V, X, Th) with rolling vowels (ae, or, ei, ia) and end in sounds like -us, -iel, -ach, -as, or -ara. The result should sound ancient and otherworldly while remaining pronounceable.
How to Name Your Tiefling Character
Choose Your Naming Tradition
Start with the fundamental question: does your tiefling embrace their infernal heritage, reject it, or navigate between the two?
- Infernal names: Embrace heritage, sound ancient and dangerous, suggest comfort with dark origins
- Virtue names: Define by choice not blood, create instant character arc, abstract and thematic
- Human names: Blend in, suggest human upbringing, create interesting contrast with appearance
- Invented names: Unique identity, no cultural allegiance, entirely original character
Use Infernal Phonology
If creating an infernal-style name, use the Nine Hells' distinctive sound patterns:
- Start with: Z, K, M, N, V, Th, Br, Gr
- Middle sounds: -or-, -ae-, -el-, -ar-, -em-
- End with: -us, -as, -ach, -el, -ath, -ara, -iel, -ix
- Examples built this way: Kem-or-ath, Za-el-is, Vor-in-ach
Pick a Virtue Name With Story Potential
The best tiefling virtue names create instant narrative hooks:
- Names the character hasn't earned yet: Hope, Excellence, Joy
- Names that describe a wound: Sorrow, Shame, Fear
- Names that describe a mission: Salvation, Justice, Mercy
- Ironic names: Peace (a warrior), Art (a brute), Love (a loner)
The gap between the name and the character's current state is where great roleplaying happens.
Test It at the Table
Before your first session, test your tiefling name:
- Can your DM say it without stumbling in a tense moment?
- Will your party remember it after session one?
- Does it sound right when your character introduces themselves?
- Is there a natural nickname for when things get informal?
Related Categories
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