How dwarf names work in 5e
Every dwarf name is on loan from the clan. A dwarf's personal name is granted by a clan elder, used in keeping with tradition, and a dwarf who dishonors the clan can lose the right to it. The clan name itself reads like a forge record: Battlehammer, Ironfist, Stonehelm. Compound names built from stone, metal, weapons, and craft are the core of dwarven naming, and they signal what the clan has been known for across generations.
Old names, worn smooth
Dwarves reuse personal names the way they reuse good tools. The same names cycle through a clan's history for thousands of years, so a dwarf named Thorin might be the fifth Thorin in his line, each expected to live up to the last. The sound is compact and consonant-heavy, often one or two syllables: Bruenor, Dagnal, Vondal. If a rolled name feels long for a dwarf, trim it to two syllables and you will usually land on something that sounds right.
Using clan names at the table
The clan name is the hook. Decide what your dwarf's clan is famous for, whether the clan still holds its ancestral hall, and whether your character left with the clan's blessing. A cleric carrying the Stonehelm name into a lost mine her ancestors dug is a story before the first die hits the table. Roll combinations above until a clan name suggests a trade, then build the personal name around how traditional that clan would be.
Shield, gold, and deep variations
Subrace shades the sound. Shield dwarves of the north tend toward harder, war-worn names, gold dwarves of the south keep older and more ornate ones, and duergar names go grim and stripped down, often dropping the clan name entirely after their fall. You can use one name list for all three and just adjust how much polish the clan name keeps.
Sample names from this generator's dwarf list: Adrik, Alberich, Amber, Artin, with clan or family names like Balderk and Dankil. Roll above for the full range, and click any result to copy it.