Minecraft Server Name Generator

Three names for every kind of server

Generated by this tool when the page was built. Each follows the naming conventions players expect for that kind of server.

• Survival / SMP Ravenfield SMP · Coralstone SMP · Endless Haven Survival
• Creative Echoforge Creative · Hidden Empire MC · HollowisleMC
• PvP HarborpeakMC · Summitshire Network · WillowhollowMC
• Factions Harborheim Realms · WillowoodMC · Crystalisle Factions
• Skyblock Cobbleland Isles · Crystalfield Skyblock · IronstoneMC
• Minigames network SummitfieldMC · Gravelstone Arcade · EmbereachMC
• Roleplay Pineridge Chronicles · Blockeep Kingdoms · Endless Craft Chronicles
• Anarchy Endless Valley Anarchy · Oakspire 2b · Embereach Anarchy
• Modded / tech Oakglade Tech · Endless Haven Modded · Harborvale Packs

A server name is an advert in a list

Players choose servers from a list: a name, an icon, a player count and two lines of text. That is all the space you get to persuade someone to click. A good server name tells them what kind of server it is before they read anything else, and the MOTD underneath finishes the sale.

So the generator makes both. Pick the kind of server you run and every name follows the conventions players use to scan that list, and every name comes with a MOTD in matching colours.

The naming conventions players recognise

A few suffixes have become shorthand in the community, and using the right one is the quickest way to tell a player what to expect:

• SMP — survival multiplayer. A shared survival world with a steady community. "Emberwood SMP" says exactly that.
• MC — the old-school marker, either spaced or run together: "Hollowcraft MC", "PicklemereMC".
• -craft — the oldest convention of all, so common it usually stands alone without another suffix.
• Network — a hub with several game modes behind one address.
• RP, Realms or Kingdoms — role-play servers, where the setting matters as much as the gameplay.
• Factions, Skyblock, Anarchy — the game mode itself, said plainly, because players searching for those modes look for the word.

The base names are built from generic building and adventure words — ember, cobble, willow, hollow, quartz — joined with the same seam repair the Town Name Generator uses, so nothing like "Mossstone" gets through. Put a word of your own in the box and some names are built around it.

The MOTD: your two lines

MOTD stands for message of the day, a name inherited from old multi-user systems where it was the message every user saw on logging in. On a game server it is the two lines shown under the name in the server list, and on a crowded list it is the difference between a click and a scroll.

Every generated MOTD follows the same proven layout. The first line repeats the server name in bold, followed by the game mode after a divider, so a player who only reads one line still knows what they are looking at. The second line is the pitch: what is new, or the two or three features that make your server worth trying. Colours are chosen in matching sets that stay readable on the dark background of the server list.

Colour codes, explained

The game formats text with codes: a section sign, §, followed by one character. A digit or a letter from a to f sets one of sixteen colours; l makes text bold, o italic, n underlined, m struck through, k scrambles it, and r resets everything back to plain. Codes apply to everything after them until the next one, which is why every segment in a generated MOTD ends with a reset.

The sixteen colours

• &0 · §0 Black #000000
• &1 · §1 Dark blue #0000AA
• &2 · §2 Dark green #00AA00
• &3 · §3 Dark aqua #00AAAA
• &4 · §4 Dark red #AA0000
• &5 · §5 Dark purple #AA00AA
• &6 · §6 Gold #FFAA00
• &7 · §7 Grey #AAAAAA
• &8 · §8 Dark grey #555555
• &9 · §9 Blue #5555FF
• &a · §a Green #55FF55
• &b · §b Aqua #55FFFF
• &c · §c Red #FF5555
• &d · §d Light purple #FF55FF
• &e · §e Yellow #FFFF55
• &f · §f White #FFFFFF

Two formats, because configs disagree

The section sign is awkward to type and easy to mangle, so different config files handle it differently. Each result gives you both versions:

• For server.properties — the server's own settings file. The section sign is written as the escape \u00A7, and the two lines are joined with \n, all on one motd= line. Paste it over the existing motd line and restart the server.
• Ampersand codes — the form most server plugins and proxy configs accept, using & instead of §. Easier to read and edit by hand.

If you have written your own MOTD, open Preview a MOTD you've written under the button and paste it in, with either kind of code. It is drawn in the server-list colours as you type, which is much faster than restarting the server to see each change.

Keep each line short

The server list cuts off anything that does not fit, and the limit is measured in pixels, not characters: wide letters and bold text use the space faster. The tool treats about 45 characters a line as a comfortable target and shows the length of the longer line on every card. When a generated name is long, the first line drops its game-mode label rather than getting cut off.

Short is better anyway. Players skim the list; a punchy second line beats a complete sentence.

Before you announce it

• Search the server lists for the name. Plenty of servers share generic names, and you want to be the only one a player could mean.
• Check the domain if you plan to give players an address rather than an IP number. A name with an available matching domain is worth a lot.
• Say it out loud. Most new players arrive because a friend told them the name. If it needs spelling, it will be typed wrong.
• Think about the next season. A name tied to one map or one event ages fast; a name about the community lasts.

The server icon

The name and MOTD sit next to a small square icon in the server list. To set one, save a 64 × 64 pixel PNG image named server-icon.png in the server's main folder, next to server.properties, and restart. Keep it bold and simple: at that size, detail disappears and a single shape or letter in your MOTD's main colour reads best. Matching the icon to the name's colour scheme makes the whole entry look deliberate.

A domain instead of an IP address

Players have to type your address to join, and an address like play.emberwood.net is far easier to remember and share than a string of numbers. Point a domain at your server and, if your server does not use the default port, add an SRV record so players do not need to type the port at all. It is also the best reason to choose a name whose domain is still available: the name, the address and the MOTD all say the same thing.

Naming ranks, worlds and spawn

The server name sets the tone for everything else you will need to name. Ranks for players and staff, the worlds behind a network's lobby, the spawn town new players arrive in — all of them feel more like one place if they share a vocabulary. A server called Emberwood suggests ranks like Spark, Flame and Hearthkeeper, and a spawn called Ember Hollow. A role-play server suits the Kingdom Name Generator for its nations and the Tavern Name Generator for the inn where everyone meets.

Private and whitelisted servers

Not every server wants strangers. A whitelisted server for a group of friends does not need to win a crowded list, so the name can be an in-joke and the MOTD can be a message to the regulars — whose turn it is to host, what is being built this week. The generator still helps: the word-of-your-own box is a good place for a friend's nickname or a shared joke, and the MOTD preview makes it easy to leave a coloured note for everyone who logs in.

Changing the name later

A server's name lives in the MOTD, so changing it is as easy as editing one line. What does not change easily is everything around it: the domain players type, the name friends remember, the listings on server sites. If you rename, keep the old domain pointing at the server for a while and mention the old name in the MOTD — "formerly Emberwood" — so returning players know they are in the right place.

Related tools

Name your staff team and in-game factions with the Guild Name Generator, and give players handles with the Username Generator. For a role-play server's world, the Kingdom Name Generator and Town Name Generator fill in the map. Hosting it at home? The WiFi Name Generator can name the network too.

Namethistle is an independent site. This tool is not an official Minecraft product and is not approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft.

Common questions

What is a good name for a Minecraft server?

One that tells players what kind of server it is before they join, is short enough to fit in the server list, and is easy to type when someone tells a friend. Conventions help: SMP says survival multiplayer, Network says many game modes, RP says role-play. Choose your server type in the tool and the names follow those conventions.

What does SMP mean?

Survival multiplayer: a shared survival world where players build, gather and live alongside each other, usually with a steady community rather than a rotating crowd. Many of the best-known community servers use SMP in their names.

What is a MOTD?

Message of the day: the two short lines shown under your server’s name in a player’s server list. It is where you make your pitch — the game mode, what is new, why to join. The tool writes one for every name, in matching colours.

How do I add colours to my server MOTD?

With formatting codes: a section sign (§) followed by a character, such as §6 for gold or §l for bold. In server.properties the section sign is usually written as an escape code. Many plugins accept an ampersand instead, so &6 does the same job. Each result has both versions ready to copy.

How long can a MOTD be?

The server list shows two lines and cuts off anything that does not fit. The exact limit is in pixels rather than characters and depends on the letters, so the tool treats about 45 characters a line as a safe target and warns you when a line runs longer.

Is this an official Minecraft tool?

No. This is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft.