Centaur Name Generator
Centaur names from real Thessalian Greek elements — herd, bow, wine, hoof, star — every fragment glossed, with the herd name a rider carries.
5,462,912 combinations
Male, female and neutral centaur names, each with a matching centaur last name and the meaning of every element shown.
- Leukotrochos Makrorheithron
Leuko white + trochos wheel
Makro long + rheithron stream
- Rhoiophorbe Bathyrheithron
Rhoio pomegranate + phorbe fodder
Bathy deep + rheithron stream
- Siriohedra Boreomandra
Sirio scorching + hedra seat
Boreo northern + mandra pen
- Kyparissohippos Akromandra
Kyparisso cypress + hippos horse
Akro topmost + mandra pen
- Amaranthodamia Peukonomia
Amarantho unfading + damia tamer
Peuko pine + nomia pasture right
- Meteorostadion Boreonape
Meteoro raised aloft + stadion measured course
Boreo northern + nape wooded glen
- Kladoskopelos Akroalsos
Klado branch + skopelos peak
Akro topmost + alsos grove
- Melissonike Bathyschoinos
Melisso bee + nike victory
Bathy deep + schoinos reed bed
- Palaiohora Ampelorheithron
Palaio ancient + hora season
Ampelo vine + rheithron stream
- Dromokrater Rhodoskopelos
Dromo running + krater wine vessel
Rhodo rose + skopelos peak
- Myrrhinothalle Notiopedion
Myrrhino myrtle + thalle young shoot
Notio southern + pedion plain
- Axonokanon Kissomandra
Axono axis + kanon measuring rule
Kisso ivied + mandra pen
- Skiohippos Krenoaule
Skio shadow + hippos horse
Kreno spring + aule fold
- Selasocharis Boreorheithron
Selaso gleaming + charis grace
Boreo northern + rheithron stream
- Mesoanatole Astrohodos
Meso middle + anatole rising
Astro star + hodos way
- Dendrokylix Kissohodos
Dendro tree + kylix drinking cup
Kisso ivied + hodos way
- Eucharochlaina Meliothiasos
Eucharo gracious + chlaina cloak
Melio ash tree + thiasos revel band
- Palaiophasma Ampelomandra
Palaio ancient + phasma apparition
Ampelo vine + mandra pen
- Astroaulos Anemopoimne
Astro star + aulos reed pipe
Anemo wind + poimne flock
- Parthenomolpe Hypsoile
Partheno maiden + molpe song-dance
Hypso high + ile troop
- Nephelokanon Chiononape
Nephelo cloudy + kanon measuring rule
Chiono snow + nape wooded glen
- Elaphomedon Melioskopelos
Elapho deer + medon ruler
Melio ash tree + skopelos peak
- Bathokleia Trachopedion
Batho deep + kleia glory
Tracho rough + pedion plain
- Lamprokanon Chloroskopelos
Lampro shining + kanon measuring rule
Chloro green + skopelos peak
Need a name that means something in particular? Build one from its meaning.
How centaur names are built
¶Centaur names are Greek compounds from the Thessalian material: the herd, the bow, the wine bowl and the hoof. The first element describes — hylo woodland, lasio shaggy, tacho swift, oino wine, astro star, xantho tawny. The second names a thing or a role: hippos a horse, polos a foal, poimen a shepherd, oistos an arrow, krater a mixing bowl, phormix a lyre. Xanthopolos is tawny foal, Toxopoimen is bow-shepherd, and both would be legible to a Greek.
Gender sits in the second element, not the first, which is how Greek names actually work. The same stem takes -hippos for a male and -hippe for a female, so Melanohippos is black horse and Melanohippe black mare; the attested names elide the linking vowel and give Melanippe, Xanthippe, Leukippe. Hylonome, the only named female centaur in Ovid, is built the same way from hyle and nome, woodland-pasture. The third set is astronomical rather than gendered — anatole a rising, tropikos a turning circle, galaxias the milky band.
A centaur's second name is the herd, and a herd is named for the pasture it holds: Peukoagele the pine herd, Oreoile the mountain troop, Ampelokome the vine village. It travels with the bloodline, so losing the pasture means losing the name, and two centaurs of the same herd name are kin whether or not they can trace it. Ile is the ordinary Greek word for a troop of cavalry, which is exactly the joke the herd names are making.
More centaur names
Male centaur names
- Dendropotes Euryepaulis tree drinker
- Iatromachos Krenoagele healing fighter
- Oinothoos Chionoalsos wine swift
- Phaidrodromos Thermohetaireia beaming course
- Kartoaulos Potamoaule strong reed pipe
- Oinoelaphos Oreoakra wine deer
- Dromothyrsos Thermopoimne running ivied staff
- Iatrogonos Psychrorheithron healing offspring
- Ampelopoimen Melioaule vine shepherd
- Xanthoanthos Akrochorion tawny flower
- Elatonebros Anemoepaulis fir fawn
- Stephanostratos Makronomia wreathed army
- Rheomedon Xanthoaule flowing ruler
- Elatomenes Astroleimon fir might
- Aithrolophos Makrogenos clear-skied crest
- Podochaites Anemochorion footed long-haired
- Chloroxenos Bathythiasos green stranger
- Agriobelos Thermoagele wild dart
Female centaur names
- Chionodaphne Kissoaule snow laurel
- Charitosemne Astroskopelos graceful revered
- Semnomede Akroskopelos revered cunning
- Aglaophile Psychrokoilas splendid loving
- Daphnomene Trachohetaireia laurel moon
- Eucharokleia Hypsokoilas gracious glory
- Kissoboule Hypsorhachis ivied counsel
- Parthenohebe Rhodogenos maiden youth
- Terpsipothe Peukogenos delighting longing
- Charitothrasos Potamoleimon graceful boldness
- Biomene Astroile life moon
- Lykokrene Bathynomia wolf spring
- Lykothesmia Eurynomia wolf law-keeping
- Kyanomele Krenohetaireia dark blue song
- Drosoboule Peukonomia dewy counsel
- Lykophile Xanthopoimne wolf loving
- Rhoiosthena Krenohetaireia pomegranate vigour
- Lamprosthena Koiloile shining vigour
Neutral centaur names
- Perizodion Chionoaule around little figure
- Arctoskopia Trachoskopelos northern bear lookout
- Boreokanon Ampeloepaulis northern measuring rule
- Stilboskia Kissonomia glittering shadow
- Phengometeoron Bathyphyle moonlight thing aloft
- Zonoaxon Bathyile belted axle
- Lamprostadion Chlorohetaireia shining measured course
- Planomoira Euryskopelos wandering allotted portion
- Selasohesperos Xanthomandra gleaming evening star
- Aetheriphengos Ampelorheithron upper air moonlight
- Palaiokyklos Anemostathmos ancient circle
- Sirioaxon Hypsoaule scorching axle
- Phainoklima Astroagele appearing slope
- Hypsosemeion Chloroklitys high sign
- Tacheomeson Peukogenos quick midpoint
- Aetheriklima Astrohodos upper air slope
- Arctophasma Astromandra northern bear apparition
- Peritelos Anemohetaireia around completion
Questions
What are good centaur names?
Compound a describing element with a horse or hunt element: Hylohippos, Tachopolos, Oinokrater, Astrotoxeuma. Two or three syllables per half keeps it sayable across a table. If the character is a healer rather than a fighter, swap the second half for a plant or a craft element, because centaurs in the older stories are physicians and teachers first.
What are good female centaur names?
Use the -hippe ending, the feminine of hippos, which is genuinely attested in Greek names: Melanippe, Xanthippe, Leukippe all elide the linking vowel our forms keep. Hylonome, Ovid's centaur, is built the same way from hyle wood and nome pasture. Anything ending in -e or -a sits correctly beside them, so Chrysochaite and Photonome both read as real forms.
Where does the word centaur come from?
It is not settled. Kentauros has been read as bull-piercer, from kentein to goad and tauros a bull, and as a borrowing from a non-Greek word that Greek then explained to itself. Either way, kentro remains a useful first element, and the uncertainty is worth knowing because it means no naming scheme can claim to be the authentic one.
Are centaurs connected to Sagittarius?
Two constellations claim them. Centaurus is usually identified with Chiron, the physician and teacher, and Sagittarius with a bow-drawing centaur of a rougher kind. That split is the reason for the astronomical name set here: a centaur named for a rising, a turning circle or the milky band is claiming descent from the sky rather than from a Thessalian herd.
What is a herd name?
The second half of a centaur's name, and its address. A herd holds a stretch of pasture and takes its name from it — pine, vine, upland, spring, cold water — so the name tells another centaur where you graze and who your neighbours are. It behaves like a surname but changes when the herd moves, which happens more often than a settled reader expects.