Old Celtic Name Generator
Iron Age Celtic names predate the Anglo-Saxon and Christian eras - Cunobelin, Vercingetorix, Boudica, Cartimandua, Lugaid. The pool draws from Brythonic (British) and Goidelic (Irish) traditions of the pre-Roman and Roman-contact periods. Surnames are tribal or epithetic ("of the Iceni", "the Druid", "of the Hill of Tara").
Example output: Boudica of the Iceni · Cunobelin the Druid · Lugaid mac Roich · Macha of Ulaid
Female Old Celtic Names
A curated selection from the female old celtic pool, with documented meanings where the etymology is known. The generator above shuffles the full set.
Male Old Celtic Names
Male old celtic given names drawn from the same curated pool, each carrying its meaning where one is documented.
Old Celtic Surnames
Family names to pair with any given name above. Surname origins (occupational, patronymic, locative) are noted where known.
How Old Celtic Names Work in Fiction
The names we call Old Celtic come from Gaulish and Brittonic, languages reconstructed from inscriptions, Roman accounts, and river names, and they are built from meaning-bearing compounds: Vercingetorix parses roughly as "great king of warriors", Boudicca relates to victory, and elements like cuno (hound), rix (king), and maglos (prince) recombine across the corpus. Individuals were known by one name plus descent or epithet, not a surname.
For fiction set in Iron Age Britain or Gaul, this compound grammar is the authenticity lever: invent within the attested elements and your names will sit beside the historical ones without a seam.
Frequently asked questions
›When does "Old Celtic" mean exactly?
Roughly 500 BCE to 500 CE - the Iron Age and Roman-era Celtic societies of Britain, Ireland, and continental Europe (Gaul). Names from Asterix's historical period.
›How do Old Celtic and modern Irish/Scottish differ?
Old Celtic preserves the pre-Christian, pre-Anglo-Saxon register. Modern Gaelic names (Aoife, Niall, Saoirse) come from later Christian-era forms. For Iron Age Britain or pre-Patrick Ireland, use Old Celtic.
›Are these tied to specific historical figures?
Yes - Boudica was a real Iceni queen. Vercingetorix led Gaulish resistance against Caesar. Cunobelin was a king of the Catuvellauni. Useful when historical fiction names need to feel period-correct.