Arilyn Moonblade. The name rolls off the tongue like an elvish greeting — "Arilyn" with its gentle A, liquid R, and soft LYN ending; "Moonblade" combining celestial poetry with martial steel. It's beautiful and dangerous at the same time, which is exactly what Moon Elves are. They're the elves who attend human theater, befriend halfling bards, and then draw a moonlit sword when things go wrong.
Moon Elves (Teu-tel-quessir, "People of the Moon") are the most common and most cosmopolitan elven subrace in the Forgotten Realms. Where Sun Elves retreat to Evermeet and guard their traditions, Moon Elves wander Faerûn with open hearts and curious minds. Their naming tradition reflects this dual nature: rooted in ancient Elvish linguistic beauty, but lighter, more accessible, and more likely to be spoken in a Waterdeep tavern than whispered in a sacred grove.
The Sound of Moon Elf Names
Moon Elf names draw from D&D's Elvish phonology — a sound system influenced by Tolkien's Sindarin and Quenya but adapted for the Forgotten Realms:
- Liquid consonants: L, R, N dominate — the flowing, musical sounds that define Elvish across all fantasy traditions. These are the building blocks: Seiveril, Araevin, Ilsevele, Laeral
- Sibilants: S, SH, TH — soft, breathy sounds that add elegance without harshness. Sehanine, Silverhand, Starweaver
- Open vowels: A, E, I in open syllables (ending in vowels rather than consonants). This creates the characteristic Elvish flow — each syllable breathes into the next
- Diphthongs: AE, IA, EI, AU — combined vowels that extend syllables and add richness. Araevin, Ilbaereth, Gaerlan
- Gentle endings: -ael, -iel, -lyn, -wen, -ith, -ara — endings that trail off softly rather than stopping abruptly
The Lunar Surname
Moon Elf surnames are where the subrace's identity shines most clearly. They follow a nature-compound pattern with distinctly lunar and silver vocabulary:
- First elements: Moon, Star, Silver, Night, Dream, Mist, Dew, Frost, Evening, Twilight, Crystal, Rain, Wind
- Second elements: Blade, Hand, Song, Weaver, Walker, Flower, Brook, Fall, Mantle, Crown, Eye, Heart, Glade, Bow
Moonblade, Silverhand, Starweaver, Nightbreeze, Eveningstar — each surname is a tiny poem about moonlight, silver, and the gentle beauty of night. Compare with Sun Elf surnames (which favor gold, sun, fire, and bright imagery) and the difference is immediately clear: Moon Elves live under the stars, and their names show it.
Some Moon Elf surnames are single Elvish words rather than Common-language compounds: Craulnober, Durothil, Alastrarra, Ilbaereth. These older-form names tend to belong to more traditional families, especially those from Evermeet.
Moon Elves in Faerûn
Moon Elf naming varies by homeland, reflecting the subrace's remarkable adaptability:
Silverymoon
The Gem of the North is Moon Elf culture at its cosmopolitan best — a city where elves, humans, and other races share in art, magic, and learning. Silverymoon Moon Elf names tend toward the cultured and academic, befitting a city governed by the great mage Alustriel Silverhand.
Evermeet
The hidden elven isle holds the most traditional Moon Elf naming. Evermeet names are the most formally Elvish — ancient family names stretching back millennia, given names chosen with ritual care, and the weight of the elven homeland in every syllable.
Waterdeep and the Sword Coast
Moon Elves in human cities often adopt names that work in both Elvish and Common contexts. A Waterdeep Moon Elf might go by "Ara" among human friends and "Araelynthar" at elven gatherings — the same adaptability that defines the subrace.
For other D&D elf naming, see our elf name generator, high elf name generator, D&D name generator, or wood elf name generator if available. For WoW's lunar elves, try our Night Elf name generator.
Common Questions
What is the difference between Moon Elves and Sun Elves?
Moon Elves and Sun Elves are the two main elven subraces in the Forgotten Realms. Sun Elves (Ar-tel-quessir) are more traditional, isolationist, and formal — they favor gold and bronze skin, tend toward arcane study in seclusion, and their names are grander and more ceremonial. Moon Elves (Teu-tel-quessir) are more cosmopolitan, curious, and adventurous — they have pale skin with blue or silver tints, mingle freely with other races, and their names are lighter and more melodic. In naming terms: a Sun Elf name is a court announcement; a Moon Elf name is a song.
Are Moon Elves the same as WoW Night Elves?
No — despite sharing lunar themes, they're from completely different settings with very different cultures. D&D Moon Elves are cosmopolitan, urbane, comfortable in human cities, and essentially the "friendly elves" of the Forgotten Realms. WoW Night Elves (Kaldorei) are ancient, wild, nature-bound, and lived in gender-divided societies for ten thousand years. Moon Elf names sound like Tolkien-influenced D&D Elvish (Seiveril, Araevin). Night Elf names sound Celtic-inspired (Tyrande, Malfurion). Similar themes, completely different execution.
What is Sehanine Moonbow?
Sehanine Moonbow is the elven goddess most associated with Moon Elves — goddess of the moon, dreams, journeys, death, and transcendence. She is part of the Seldarine (the elven pantheon) and her name itself demonstrates Moon Elf phonology perfectly: soft S, breathy H, flowing vowels, gentle N. Moon Elves who worship Sehanine (most do) often carry names with dream and lunar imagery. Clerics and priests of Sehanine are particularly important in Moon Elf communities.
Can I use Moon Elf names for other D&D elven subraces?
Moon Elf names work well as a starting point for any D&D elf, since they represent the most "standard" Elvish naming pattern. For Sun Elves, take the same phonology but make names slightly grander and more formal. For Wood Elves, shift the surname vocabulary from lunar/silver to forest/earth (Oakenheart, Greenbough, Leafwhisper). For Drow, darken the vowels and add harder consonants. The core Elvish phonology — liquid consonants, flowing vowels, gentle endings — is shared across all D&D elven subraces.
