How halfling names work in 5e
Halfling names are built for comfort. A halfling carries a given name, a family name, and very often a nickname, and the family names are where the culture shows: Goodbarrel, Tealeaf, Underbough, Thorngage. These surnames read like compliments or cottage addresses because that is roughly what they are, descriptions of what a family is like or where it settled. Nobody fears a halfling name, and halflings are fine with that. Being underestimated has saved more halflings than armor ever did.
Small names, easy in the mouth
Given names stay short and friendly: Cade, Lidda, Milo, Seraphina on a fancy day. The sounds favor soft consonants and quick endings that work when calling someone in for supper. Nicknames matter at least as much as given names in daily life, and a halfling may go decades being called Pip or Buttons by everyone who loves them. If you roll a name above that feels too grand, that grand name probably belongs on official documents while the nickname does the living.
The family name is a promise
Use the surname as your roleplay anchor. A halfling family name carries the family's reputation for hospitality, luck, or excellent pie, and a wandering halfling rogue is still a Tealeaf wherever the road goes. Decide what your character's family is famous for among other halflings, and whether your adventurer is upholding that or running from its coziness. Roll combinations until a surname makes you imagine the kitchen it came from, then keep that one.
Lightfoot and stout shading
Subrace adds a gentle accent. Lightfoot halflings, the wanderers, pick up road nicknames and sometimes human-style names from the towns they pass through. Stouts, prouder of their bloodlines, hold the family name closer and recite a bit more lineage at introductions. Same name lists, different emphasis: a lightfoot leads with the nickname, a stout leads with the surname.
Sample names from this generator's halfling list: Alton, Ander, Andry, Bree, with clan or family names like Goodbarrel and High-hill. Roll above for the full range, and click any result to copy it.