Giant Names
Giants are among the oldest characters in storytelling. In Norse myth the whole world was built from the body of the frost giant Ymir; the Greeks told of Titans and Gigantes warring with the gods; the Bible names Goliath and Og of Bashan; and British folklore gave us Gogmagog, Cormoran and the giants of Jack the Giant Killer. This page gathers more than 100 giant names from those traditions and beyond, each with a line on who the giant was.
You’ll also find famous giants from books and film, 24 original names sorted by D&D-style giant type, and a few affectionate names for very large dogs. For related lists, see Norse god names, Greek god names and our monster names.
Norse giant names (jötnar)
The jötnar of Norse myth are not always huge or evil — several giantesses married gods. Their names are in the Poetic and Prose Eddas.
| Name | Legend | Where from |
|---|---|---|
| Ymir | First being; the world was made from his body | Norse |
| Surtr | Fire giant who will set the world ablaze at Ragnarök | Norse |
| Thrym | Giant king who stole Thor’s hammer | Norse |
| Skadi | Giantess of winter and skiing, wife of Njord | Norse |
| Angrboda | Giantess, mother of Fenrir, Jörmungandr and Hel | Norse |
| Gerd | Radiant giantess wooed by the god Freyr | Norse |
| Hrungnir | Stone-hearted giant who dueled Thor | Norse |
| Utgarda-Loki | Giant king who fooled Thor with illusions | Norse |
| Thiazi | Giant who kidnapped Idunn in the shape of an eagle | Norse |
| Suttungr | Keeper of the mead of poetry | Norse |
| Gunnlod | Giantess who guarded the mead until Odin won it | Norse |
| Aegir | Sea giant who brews ale for the gods | Norse |
| Hymir | Giant who took Thor fishing for the World Serpent | Norse |
| Bergelmir | Giant who survived the flood of Ymir’s blood | Norse |
| Farbauti | Giant father of Loki | Norse |
| Mokkurkalfi | Clay giant built to fight beside Hrungnir | Norse |
| Jarnsaxa | Giantess, mother of Thor’s son Magni | Norse |
Greek Titans and Giants
The Greeks distinguished the Titans, the elder gods overthrown by Zeus, from the Gigantes, who later rose against Olympus. Both make powerful names.
| Name | Legend | Where from |
|---|---|---|
| Atlas | Titan condemned to hold up the sky | Greek (Titan) |
| Cronus | Titan king, father of Zeus | Greek (Titan) |
| Hyperion | Titan of heavenly light | Greek (Titan) |
| Oceanus | Titan of the world-encircling river | Greek (Titan) |
| Prometheus | Titan who stole fire for humankind | Greek (Titan) |
| Enceladus | Giant buried beneath Mount Etna | Greek (Gigantes) |
| Alcyoneus | Giant who was immortal in his homeland, slain by Heracles | Greek (Gigantes) |
| Porphyrion | King of the Gigantes | Greek (Gigantes) |
| Mimas | Giant slain in the Gigantomachy; also a moon of Saturn | Greek (Gigantes) |
| Polybotes | Giant crushed beneath the island of Nisyros | Greek (Gigantes) |
| Antaeus | Wrestler who drew strength from the earth | Greek |
| Talos | Bronze giant who guarded Crete | Greek |
| Polyphemus | Cyclops blinded by Odysseus | Greek |
| Argus Panoptes | Hundred-eyed giant watchman | Greek |
| Orion | Giant huntsman placed among the stars | Greek |
| Typhon | Colossal storm monster, father of monsters | Greek |
Giants of the Bible
Scripture mentions several giants, most famously Goliath. For more names from scripture, see biblical boy names.
| Name | Who he was | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Goliath | Philistine champion of Gath, felled by David | 1 Samuel 17 |
| Og | King of Bashan, whose iron bed was nine cubits long | Deuteronomy 3:11 |
| Anak | Ancestor of the Anakim, beside whom the spies felt like grasshoppers | Numbers 13:33 |
| Nephilim | “There were giants in the earth in those days” | Genesis 6:4 |
| Ishbi-benob | Giant whose bronze spearhead weighed 300 shekels | 2 Samuel 21:16 |
| Lahmi | Brother of Goliath | 1 Chronicles 20:5 |
| Saph | Descendant of the giants, slain at Gob | 2 Samuel 21:18 |
Giants of British, Irish and European folklore
Fee-fi-fo-fum country. Many of these giants gave their names to real landmarks.
| Name | Legend | Where from |
|---|---|---|
| Gogmagog | Giant thrown from a cliff by Corineus; guardian statue of London’s Guildhall | England / Cornwall |
| Cormoran | Giant of St Michael’s Mount, slain by Jack | Cornwall |
| Blunderbore | Man-eating giant of the Jack tales | England |
| Galligantus | Giant defeated by Jack the Giant Killer | England |
| Bran the Blessed | Giant king whose head was buried in London | Wales |
| Ysbaddaden | Chief giant and father of Olwen | Wales |
| Finn McCool | Legendary builder of the Giant’s Causeway | Ireland |
| Benandonner | Scottish giant who fled back across the Causeway | Scotland / Ireland |
| Albion | Giant said to have ruled Britain before Brutus | British legend |
| Rübezahl | Mountain giant of the Giant Mountains | Silesia / Bohemia |
| Gargantua | Folk giant made famous by Rabelais | France |
| Morgante | Giant squire in Pulci’s comic epic <em>Morgante</em> | Italy |
Giants from around the world
From the Epic of Gilgamesh to American tall tales.
| Name | Legend | Where from |
|---|---|---|
| Humbaba | Monstrous guardian of the Cedar Forest | Mesopotamian (Epic of Gilgamesh) |
| Kumbhakarna | Ravana’s giant brother who slept six months at a time | Hindu (Ramayana) |
| Daidarabotchi | Giant said to have shaped Japan’s lakes and mountains | Japanese |
| Quinametzin | Race of giants credited with building Teotihuacan | Aztec legend |
| Paul Bunyan | Giant lumberjack with Babe the Blue Ox | American tall tales |
| Sasquatch | Forest giant; from Halkomelem sásq’ets | Pacific Northwest |
Famous giants from books, film and TV
The giants readers already love — perfect for pets, nicknames and costumes.
| Name | Who they are | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| BFG | The Big Friendly Giant who catches dreams | <em>The BFG</em> by Roald Dahl |
| Fleshlumpeater | The largest and nastiest of the bad giants | <em>The BFG</em> |
| Bloodbottler | Giant forced to taste a snozzcumber | <em>The BFG</em> |
| Hagrid | Half-giant keeper of keys at Hogwarts | Harry Potter |
| Grawp | Hagrid’s giant half-brother | Harry Potter |
| Fezzik | Gentle, rhyme-loving strongman | <em>The Princess Bride</em> |
| The Iron Giant | Giant robot from space | <em>The Iron Giant</em> (1999) |
| Wun Wun | Giant who fights beside Jon Snow | <em>Game of Thrones</em> |
| Mag the Mighty | King of the giants beyond the Wall | A Song of Ice and Fire |
| Glumdalclitch | Young Brobdingnagian girl who cares for Gulliver | <em>Gulliver’s Travels</em> |
| Pantagruel | Son of Gargantua, with an equally vast thirst | Rabelais |
| Treebeard | Eldest of the Ents, giant tree-herders | <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> |
Original giant names by type
Invented for D&D-style campaigns and novels, grouped by the six classic giant types. Heavy consonants and Norse-like endings make them feel ancient. Hill and stone giants go well with our orc names; frost giants with Viking boy names.
| Name | Giant type | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| Bruggar | Hill giant | Dim, hungry brute |
| Hodmunk | Hill giant | Lumbering and lazy |
| Grubnar | Hill giant | Greedy chieftain |
| Lumbog | Hill giant | Clumsy but loyal |
| Oskor | Stone giant | Silent sculptor |
| Granok | Stone giant | Rock-thrower |
| Tholgrim | Stone giant | Stern elder |
| Basaltha | Stone giant | Wise giantess |
| Skalvi | Frost giant | Raider of the north |
| Isgrund | Frost giant | Glacier jarl |
| Vornhild | Frost giant | Warrior giantess |
| Frostulf | Frost giant | Wolf-riding hunter |
| Ashgrom | Fire giant | Forge-lord |
| Pyrmund | Fire giant | General of an ash legion |
| Kolvara | Fire giant | Smith-queen |
| Brandgar | Fire giant | Volcano warden |
| Aelvard | Cloud giant | Sky-castle noble |
| Nimbrys | Cloud giant | Illusionist |
| Zephyrra | Cloud giant | Graceful aristocrat |
| Halvaskyr | Cloud giant | Aloof ambassador |
| Thundrak | Storm giant | Thunder-king |
| Vaskolla | Storm giant | Sea-storm oracle |
| Tempestor | Storm giant | Lightning champion |
| Maelstra | Storm giant | Giantess of the whirlpool |
Giant names for big dogs and gentle giants
For the 150-pound lap dog who has no idea how big he is. More ideas in big dog names.
| Name | Why it works | Great for |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | Classic ironic name | Great Danes |
| Moose | Big and gentle | Newfoundlands |
| Tank | Built solid | Mastiffs |
| Biggie | Big and cool | Any giant breed |
| Titan | Mythic power | Large working breeds |
| Boulder | Immovable on the couch | Chunky dogs |
| Hoss | The biggest Cartwright brother on <em>Bonanza</em> | Draft horses or big dogs |
| Kong | King of the giant apes | Huge, shaggy dogs |
| Jumbo | The famous 1880s circus elephant | Giant breeds |
| Mammoth | Prehistoric and fluffy | Great Pyrenees |
How to choose a giant name
- Pick a mythology. A Norse name like Hrungnir brings frost and fury; a Greek name like Enceladus brings tragedy and hubris.
- Use heavy sounds. Hard g, k, r and long vowels (Grubnar, Thundrak) sound big; light names can work ironically (Tiny).
- Match size to temperament. Gentle giants suit softer names like Fezzik or Moose; villains suit harsh ones.
- Add an epithet. “Isgrund the Ice-Jarl” or “Kolvara of the Ninth Forge” gives a giant instant history — see our villain names for more title ideas.
- Respect living traditions. Figures like Sasquatch and Kumbhakarna come from real cultures; learn the story before using the name.
Frequently asked questions
What is the name of the first giant in Norse mythology?
Ymir. According to the Prose Edda, he was the first being, and Odin and his brothers made the world from his body after killing him.
What are the names of famous giants?
Famous giants include Goliath, Atlas, Ymir, Polyphemus, Gogmagog, Finn McCool, Paul Bunyan and, in fiction, the BFG and Hagrid.
What is the difference between Titans and Giants in Greek myth?
The Titans were the elder generation of gods, like Cronus and Atlas, overthrown by Zeus. The Gigantes were a separate race born of Gaia who later fought the Olympians in the Gigantomachy.
What is a female giant called?
A female giant is called a giantess. In Norse myth, famous giantesses include Skadi, Gerd and Angrboda.
What is a good name for a giant in D&D?
Norse-inspired names suit most giants: try Isgrund or Vornhild for frost giants, Ashgrom for a fire giant, or Thundrak for a storm giant.