Male Arthurian Legend Names

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1. ABAC: Variant of Addanc, name of a lake monster in Arthurian legend.
2. ABHAC: Variant of Addanc, name of a lake monster in Arthurian legend.
3. ACCALON of GAULE, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table and lover of Morgane (Morgan le Fay). 
4. ACCOLON: Variant of Accalon, name of a knight of the round table.
5. ADANC: Variant of Addanc, name of a lake monster in Arthurian legend.
6. ADDANC: Name of a lake monster from Welsh mythology that King Arthur (or Percival) was later ascribed to have killed. It is variously described as a demon, a dwarf, beaver, or crocodile. It was said to prey upon anyone foolish enough to swim in its lake. The location of the lake in which it dwells also varies: Llyn Barfog, Llyn Llion, Llyn yr Afanc. 
7. ADDANE: Variant of Addanc, name of a lake monster in Arthurian legend.
8. AFANC: Variant of Addanc, name of a lake monster in Arthurian legend.
9. AGLOVALE de GALIS, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Eldest legitimate son of King Pellinore of Listinoise. Brother to Sirs Dornar, Lamorak, Percival, and Tor. It was he who first brought Percival to Camelot to be knighted. 
10. AGNED, BATTLE OF: The eleventh battle of King Arthur.
11. AGRAVAIN, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table and nephew of King Arthur. Second son of King Lot. Brother to Gaheris, Gareth, Gawain, and Mordred. It was he who exposed his aunt Guinevere's affair with Lancelot. 
12. AGRAVAINE: Variant of Agravain, name of a Knight of the Round Table.
13. ALBION: The most ancient name of Great Britain, but most often used to refer to England and occasionally to Scotland, whose name in Gaelic is Alba, in Welsh Yr Alban.
14. ARONDITE: In the Matter of Britain, this is the name of Sir Lancelot's sword.
15. ARTHUR, KING: Legendary King of Britain. There is much debate about whether Arthur ever truly existed. The earliest mention of him is in Welsh texts, where he is never called "king," but rather dux bellorum, meaning "war leader." Medieval Welsh texts call him ameraudur "emperor" which could also mean "war leader." His name may have derived from Latin Artorius, a Roman family name, or from Welsh art/arth "bear" and Brythonic (Brittonic) gur "man" ("bear-man"). In early Welsh works the word art was used as a figurative synonym for "warrior." Alternatively, there is another theory that the name Arthur (ar thur) was a nom de guerre translating to "the Eagle of Thor," used in reference to British war leaders by Scandinavian enemies. 
16. AVALLOC: "Apple's masculine spirit." Name of the father of Modron, and possibly king of Avalon. 
17. AVANC: Variant of Addanc, name of a lake monster in Arthurian legend.
18. BAGDEMAGUS of GORE: Father of Maleagant the villain who abducts Guinevere.
19. BALIN le SAVAGE, SIR: Brother of Sir Balan. Is wrongfully imprisoned for the death of a cousin of King Arthur's. Decapitates the Lady of the Lake. Also known as the Knight with Two Swords. 
20. BAN, KING: King of Benwick/Benoic. Brother of King Bors. Father of Lancelot via Elaine, and Hector de Maris via Lady de Maris. Ban and Bars are later killed by Claudas, and Lancelot is taken by the Lady of the Lake. 
21. BATRAZ: It was recently pointed out that the Sarmatian Batraz and legendary King Arthur share many similarities. Batraz was a mythical warrior and leader of a super-human race called the Narts. As a youth, he pulled his sword from the roots of a tree. When he was fatally wounded by Sainag-Alder, his archenemy, he told his friend to throw the sword into the ocean. The warrior was reluctant at first to do so (just as Bedivere was), but in the end he did throw the sword in the ocean and it was caught by a water goddess (just as Arthur's sword was caught by the Lady of the Lake). The cavalry led by Roman general Lucious Artorius Castos was made up mostly of Sarmatian horsemen. After he retired, the Asian knights stayed, and may have spread the stories of Batraz to the Celto-Roman population.
22. BASSAS RIVER: Location of the sixth battle of King Arthur.
23. BEAST GLATISANT: "Barking Beast." A monster that was the subject of quests by Sirs Pellinore, Palamedes, Percival and other knights. The hideous beast had the neck and head of a serpent, the haunches of a lion, the skin of the leopard, and the cloven feet of a stag. It was called the "barking beast" because of the sound it made, barking like "thirty couple hounds questing." The first account of this beast is in the Perlesvaus. In Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Arthur confronts the beast right after his affair with Morgause. Then Merlin reveals that the beast had been borne by a princess who lusted after her own brother.
24. BEAUMAINS: see Gareth.
25. BEDIVERE, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table, also known as "Bedivere of the Perfect Sinews." He was King Arthur's marshal. Brother to Sir Lucan. Cousin to Sir Griflet. Father of Amred and Eneuawc. Described as being one-handed, he was the knight who returned Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. 
26. BILIS: King of the Antipodes, a race of dwarfs in Chretien de Troyes's, Erec and Enide. Brother to Bliant the healer.
27. BLACK KNIGHT: The name of several characters. One black knight tied his wife to a tree after hearing that she had exchanged rings with Perceval. One is mentioned as having been killed by Gareth. Another named Orgoglio "pride" appears in Spencer's The Faerie Queene. And another was the son of Tom a'Lincoln and Anglitora, and grandson to King Arthur; this one killed his mother after being informed by his father's ghost that his mother had killed him; he joined his half-brother, the Faerie Knight, in adventures.
28. BLEOBERIS, SIR: Name of a knight encountered by Sir Breunor le Noir in the Damsel with the Black Shield story.
29. BLIANT: A healer. Brother to Bilis, the king of the Antipodes, a race of dwarfs in Chretien de Troyes's Erec and Enide.
30. BORS, KING: King of Gaunnes/Gaul during Arthur's reign. Brother of King Ban of Benoic. Father of Sir Lionel and Sir Bors. Uncle of Lancelot and Hector de Maris. Husband to Evaine. Also known as Bors the Elder.
31. BORS, SIR: Son of King Bors, and one of the best Knights of the Round Table. Father of Sir Elyan the White. He bears a scar on his forehead. He is most noted for being one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail. 
32. BRAN THE BLESSED: He was a giant and king of Britain in the Welsh Mabinogion. The son of Llyr and Penarddun, and brother of Branwen, Efnisien, and Manawydan. He was mortally wounded in battle and ordered that his head should be cut off. According to the Triads, his head was buried in London where the White Tower now stands. As long as it remained there, Britain would be safe from invasion. However, King Arthur dug up the head, declaring the country would be protected only by his great strength. There have been attempts to link the still-current practice of keeping ravens at the Tower of London with this story of Bran, whose name means "Raven." 
33. BREUNOR, SIR: Sir Breunor le Noir was a Knight of the Round Table. He first arrived at Arthur's Court wearing his murdered father's coat. Sir Kay nicknamed him La Cote Male Taile "badly-shaped coat." He is noted for saving Guinevere from a lion. 
34. BRIEFBRAS, SIR: see Caradoc.
35. BROCELIANDE FOREST: A magical forest located where a number of Arthurian adventures took place. Broceliande is today called the Forest of Paimpont, located near Rennes, France.
36. BRUNOR: Variant of Breunor, Sir.
37. CABAL: The name of Arthur's dog. According to the Historia Britonum, "There is another marvel in the region which is called Buelt. There is a mound of stones there and one stone placed above the pile with the pawprint of a dog in it. When Cabal, who was the dog of Arthur the soldier, was hunting the boar Troynt, he impressed his print in the stone, and afterwards Arthur assembled a stone mound under the stone with the print of his dog, and it is called the Carn Cabal. And men come and remove the stone in their hands for the length of a day and a night; and on the next day it is found on top of its mound." 
38. CADOR, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Son of Cador and Igraine. Half-brother to Arthur. Took charge of Uther's army when they were attacked by Gorlois while Uther was secretly lying with Igraine. Note: most sources call Cador Arthur's cousin. 
39. CADORIUS: Variant of Cador.
40. CAERLEON: The earliest Arthurian traditions do not mention a Camelot, but state that Arthur's capital was Caerleon. Some believe that the Roman amphitheatre at Caerleon may be the source of the "Round Table."
41. CAFALL: Another name for Arthur's dog Cabal.
42. CALIBURN: Another name for Excalibur.
43. CALOGRENANT, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Cousin to Sir Ywain. Noted for his courtesy and eloquence. He dies during the Grail Quest while trying to prevent Sir Lionel from killing his brother Bors. 
44. CAMELOT: King Arthur's court city and stronghold from which he fought many battles. The name may have derived from Camulodunum (Colchester), the ancient capital of Trinovantes, a Celtic name meaning "Fortress of Camulos (the war god)." 
45. CAMLANN: Another name for Camelot.
46. CAMLANN, BATTLE OF: The 13th and final battle of King Arthur, during which he received his fatal wound. The earliest mention of this battle is found in an entry in the Annales Cambriae for the year 537: "The Strife of Camlann in which Arthur and Medraut perished." Most stories say the battle was caused by a knight who drew his blade to kill a snake, thereby breaking a truce. Welsh tradition says the battle was caused by a feud between Arthur and Mordred, itself the result of a quarrel between Guinevere and her sister Gwenevak. Triad 84 of the Culhwch states that the Battle of Camlann was caused by the enmity between the two sisters. Triad 53 lists the slap that Gwenevak gave Guinevere as one of the "Three Harmful Blows of the Island of Britain," and Triad 54 describes how Mordred raided Arthur's court and threw Guinevere to the ground and beat her. 
47. CAMULOD: Variant of Camelot.
48. CARADAWC: Variant of Caradoc.
49. CARADAWG: Variant of Caradoc.
50. CARADOC, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Husband to Tegau Eurfon (their love was called one of the three surpassing bonds of Britain). He was Arthur's chief elder at Celliwig, and had a horse named Luagor "host-splitter." Also known as Briefbras, meaning "short arm" or "stout arm." 
51. CARADOG: Variant of Caradoc.
52. CARADOS: Variant of Caradoc.
53. CARLION: Variant of Caerleon.
54. CARLISLE: Arthurian legend name of the place where Guinevere's affair with Lancelot was exposed, and where she was sentenced to death.
55. CARMARTHEN: The birthplace of Merlin. Derives from Welsh town name Caerfyrddin, meaning "Merlin's fortress."
56. CASTLE DORE: Name of a Cornish castle, the setting for Tristan's story.
57. CAT COIT CELIDON, BATTLE OF: Location of the seventh battle of King Arthur. 
58. CATH PALUG: "Palug's Cat." In Welsh legend, the name of a monstrous giant cat that haunted the Isle of Anglesey and killed and ate nine-score warriors. It was said to be the offspring of an enormous pig called Henwen, and to have been thrown into the sea to drown directly after its birth; it survived, however, and was raised by the sons of Palug who did not realize its deadly potential. In some versions of the story it was slain by Cai (Sir Kay); others say it was King Arthur himself who slew the beast; still, other tales say that Arthur was defeated by the Cat in a battle fought in a swamp near the Mont du Chat. 
59. CATIGERN: Arthurian legend name of a son of Vortigern.
60. CERNWENNAN: In the Matter of Britain, this is the name of Arthur's dagger.
61. CITY OF THE LEGION, BATTLE OF: The ninth battle of King Arthur.
62. CLARENT: In the Matter of Britain, this is the name of the Sword in the Stone which Arthur pulled free to become King of Britain.
63. CLAUDAS, KING: King of Terre Deserte, or the Land Laid Waste (by Uther Pendragon). He conquers the lands of Ban and Bors who then help Arthur in his rebellion against the kings of Britain. When Ban dies in battle with Claudas, Claudas raises his sons Lionel and Bors the Younger as prisoners in his court. Lionel and Bors later kill Claudas's son Dorin and escape.
64. COLGREVANCE: Variant of Calogrenant.
65. CONSTANTINE III, KING: Successor to King Arthur. Son of Cador of Cornwall. Fought in the Battle of Camlann and was one of the few survivors. Just before Arthur was taken to Avalon, he passed the crown onto Constantine. 
66. CORBENIC: Variant of Corbinec.
67. CORBINEC: Name of the Fisher King's castle in Listenois where the Holy Grail was kept. 
68. CULHWCH: Son of Kilydd son of Kelyddon and Goleuddydd. Cousin of Arthur. Hero of Culhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion. While still pregnant with him, Goleuddydd went mad after being frightened by a herd of swine. He is found in the pigs' run by the swineherd and taken to his father. Years later, his stepmother wants him to marry her daughter; angered by his refusal, she curses him so that he can never marry anyone but the beautiful Olwen, daughter of Ysbaddaden, a fierce giant who will die if his daughter ever marries. 
69. CULHWCH AND OLWEN: Title of a Welsh story that is probably the earliest Arthurian tale of which there is any written evidence still existing.
70. CUSTENNIN: Name of the father of Goreu in the Culhwch and Olwen story.
71. DAGONET, SIR: King Arthur's court jester ("fool") and a Knight of the Round Table. A coward who believed himself to be a brave warrior. 
72. DAGUENET: Variant of Dagonet.
73. DANIEL, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Brother of Sirs Dinadan and Brunor le Noir. Not to be confused with Daniel von Blumenthal, an Arthurian epic that does not fit into any of the recognized categories of Arthurian literature.
74. DINADAN, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table and close friend of Tristan. Son of Sir Brunor Senior. Brother of Sirs Brunor le Noir and Daniel. Dinadan is noted for his bravery, good humor, and for avoiding fights, and courtly love which he considered a waste of time.
75. DINAS EMRYS: Arthurian legend name of a hill fort in Gwynedd. It was Vortigern's place of refuge and the site where Merlin had his vision of Red and White dragons. Also known as Snowdon.
76. DRUDWYN: Name of a whelp of Greid. Supposed to be the only hound who can hunt Twrch Trwyth.
77. DRYSTAN: Welsh form of Celtic Tristan, a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend, who seems to be best remembered as the lover of Esyllt (Tristan and Iseult). But the earliest texts hint at a character who was far more than just a lover; he was a master of deception and had the ability to shape-shift, a definite attribute of a trickster. In the Cymric Trioedd, Esyllt is his uncle's wife; with the help of the swineherd, Drystan arranges for a secret tryst with her, but Arthur shows up unexpectedly wanting to steal some of his uncle's swine, and Drystan somehow outwits the Forever King. 
         As for the etymology of the name, most sources try to associate it with Latin tristis "sad," referring to the tragic fate of the young "lover." Some try to link it with Pictish drust of unknown meaning, or Celtic drest, "riot, tumult." The latter probably comes closest to fitting his true character; compare with Old English þríst/þríste: "bold, daring, rash, audacious," and even "shameless." 
78. DUBGLAS RIVER: Location of the second, third, fourth and fifth battles of King Arthur.
79. ECTOR, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Father of Sir Kay. Foster father of King Arthur at the bequest of Merlin. When Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, Ector's son Kay tried to take credit for it; however, Ector saw through the lie. He remained loyal to Arthur throughout his reign. 
80. ELYAN the WHITE, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Illegitimate son of Sir Bors. Cousin to Lancelot. Noted for helping to rescue Guinevere after her affair with Lancelot was exposed. He joined Lancelot in his exile. Also known as Helyan le Blanc.
81. ERBIN: In Culhwch and Olwen, Erbin is the father of Ermind, Dywel and Geraint.
82. EREC, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Son of King Lac. Most noted as the lover of Enide in Troyes's Erec and Enide. Variants: Erek, Eryk.
83. EREK: Variant of Erec.
84. ERYK: Variant of Erec.
85. ESCALIBOR: Another name for Excalibur.
86. EVALAC: Variant of Evelake.
87. EVELAKE, KING: In the Matter of Britain, Galahad's shield was made by King Evelake who adorned it with a red cross painted with the blood of Joseph of Armathea. 
88. EXCALIBUR: Name of King Arthur's magical sword. Sometimes confused with Clarent, the Sword in the Stone. The first mention of Excalibur is found in the Suite du Merlin, in which Arthur receives Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake after his other sword is broken in a fight with King Pellinore. The Lady of the Lake calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel." Geoffrey of Monmouth states in his Historia Regum Britanniae that Caliburn (Excalibur) was forged on the magical island of Avalon. 
89. FEIREFIZ: In the German epic poem, Parzival, Sir Percival has a mulatto half-brother whom he meets near the end of the poem. During a fight with the knight Feirefiz, Percival's sword breaks, but Feirefiz does not slay him. As they are talking, they learn they both have the same father.
90. FISHER KING: King Pelles. Last in a line of guardians charged with keeping the Holy Grail. He is wounded in the legs or groin, causing an impotence that affects the fertility of the land, reducing it to a barren wasteland. Afterward, there is nothing for him to do but fish in the river near his castle Corbenic. Knights from many lands attempt to heal the Fisher King, but none but Percival (and later Galahad and Bors) are able to accomplish the feat. In some versions of the story he has a son named Pellehan or Pellam.
91. FORT GUINNON, BATTLE OF: Location of the eighth battle of King Arthur.
92. FROILLE: Variant of Frollo.
93. FROLLO: Name of Lucius Tiberius's treacherous tribune who is killed by Arthur. 
94. GAHERIS, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Son of King Lot of Orkney. Brother to Agravaine, Gareth, Gawaine, and half-brother Mordred. Squire to Gawaine before being knighted. Very good at moderating Gawain's fiery temper; but mostly remembered for having murdered his own mother, Morgause, after catching her in flagrante with young Lamorak. Also known as Gahariet d' Orcanie. 
95. GAHMURET: In the German epic poem, Parzival, this is the name of Sir Percival's father who marries an African queen named Belakane and fathers a mulatto son named Feirefiz.
96. GALAAD: Variant of Galahad.
97. GALAHAD, SIR: "The Knight Valiant." A Knight of the Round Table. Illegitimate son of Lancelot and Elaine of Carbonek. Renowned for his gallantry and purity, as well as being one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail. 
98. GALATINE: Name of Sir Gawain's sword. 
99. GALANTYN: Variant of Galantine.
100. GALANTYNE: Variant of Galantine.
101. GALEHOT, SIR: Arthurian legend name of a Knight of the Round Table. He was also called the "Lord of the Remote Islands."
102. GARETH, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Son of Lot and Morgause, therefore Arthur's nephew. Brother to Agravaine, Gaheris, Gawain, and Mordred. Nicknamed Beaumains "Beautiful Hands" by Sir Kay. Noted for helping Lynette to save her sister Lyonesse from the Red Knight of the Red Launds.
103. GAWAIN, SIR: "The hawk of May." Youngest Knight of the Round Table. Eldest son of Morgause and King Lot of Orkney. Nephew to Arthur. Brother to Agravaine, Gaheris, Gareth, and Mordred. Father of Florence, Gingalain, and Lovell. Noted for his fierce loyalty to his king, for being a defender of the poor, and for being a ladies' man. Also known as Gwalltafwyn, meaning "hair like rain." 
104. GERAINT: A valiant warrior and king of Dumnonia where King Arthur is said to have been a member of the Royal house. Son of Erbin, brother of Ermind and Dywel. He is called one of the "Three Seafarers of the Isle of Britain" in the Welsh Triads. He is most famous as the lover of Enid in Geraint and Enid.
105. GINGALAIN, SIR: A Knight of the Round Table. Son of Sir Gawain by a fay. Noted for rescuing a queen and later marrying her. Also known as Le Bel Inconnu, meaning "the fair unknown." 
106. GLATISANT: see Beast Glatisant.
107. GLEIN RIVER: Location of the 1st battle of King Arthur.
108. GOREU: Son of Custennin. This is the character who cuts off the head of Ysbaddaden in the Culhwch and Olwen story.
109. GORLOIS: Name of Igraine's first husband, the Duke of Cornwall, before she married Uther Pendragon.
110. GORRE: Kingdom of the villain Bagdemagus who abducts Guinevere. 
111. GRAIL, HOLY: A vessel used by Jesus at the Last Supper, and said to possess supernatural powers. Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie (Joseph of Arimathea), written in the late 12th century, relates how Joseph received the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sent it with his followers to Great Britain. Later writers elaborated on this, recounting how Joseph used the Grail to catch Christ's blood during his interment, and founded a line of guardians to keep the Grail safe. The earliest spelling of the word is graal, an Old French form of Latin gradalis, meaning "dish; cup." According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "Sangraal" is a false term invented by medieval writers as an alternate name for the Holy Grail. It yields two other terms in Old French: san graal "Holy Grail," and sang raal "royal blood."
112. GRAIL SWORD: In the Matter of Britain, this is the name of a cracked holy sword which Sir Percival bonded back together, though the crack remained.
113. GREEN KNIGHT: A giant knight beheaded by Sir Gawain, the youngest of King Arthur's knights. 
114. GRIFLET, SIR: One of the first Knights of the Round Table. Son of Do/Don. Cousin to Sirs Lucan and Bedivere. One of Arthur's chief advisors. One of the few survivors of the Battle of Camlann. He is the knight asked to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. 
115. GRINGOLET: Name of Sir Gawain's horse, probably meaning either "white-hardy" or "handsome-hardy." Famous for his ability in combat. He first appears in Chretien de Troyes's Erec and Enide where he is borrowed by Sir Kay for a joust against Erec.
116. GUIVRET: Name of a dwarf king in Chretien de Troyes's Erec and Enide.
117. GWALLTAFWYN: Welsh Arthurian name belonging to Sir Gawain, meaning "hair like rain."
118. GWYN ap NUDD: "Fair/white son of Nudd." In Welsh mythology, he was the ruler of the underworld (Annwn), where he escorted the souls of the dead. In Arthurian legend, he abducted the maiden Creiddylad after her elopement with Gwythr ap Greidawl, a long-time rival of Gwyn. He helped Culhwch hunt the boar Twrch Trwyth, and in later legends he was king of the "fair folk" (tylwyth teg).
119. HALWN: "Salt." Name of the father of Huarwar ("The Hungry"). In Culhwch and Olwen Huarwar is noted for having asked King Arthur so great a boon that once granted it brings about a plague. 
120. HALWYN: Variant of Halwn, meaning "salt."
121. HECTOR de MARIS, SIR: "Hector of the Ponds." A Knight of the Round Table. Cousin or half-brother to Lancelot. Son of King Ban of Benwick. Cousin to Sirs Bors and Lionel. Stood by Lancelot when he was caught in his affair with Guinevere. Participated in the Grail Quest; was one of the many knights who proved unworthy of achieving the Grail. 
122. HENGEST: Variant of Hengist.
123. HENGROEN: "Old skin." Name of Arthur's horse. 
124. HENGIST: "Stallion." Brother of Horsa ("Horse"). A semi-legendary ruler of Kent who, according to some Arthurian legends, was killed by Uther Pendragon. 

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