How to make a name tag in Minecraft and name your pets
Published on 27 October 2026
How to make a name tag in Minecraft: since Java 26.1 and Bedrock 26.10 you can simply craft one, from one paper and one nugget of iron, gold or copper. Many guides still say name tags can’t be crafted, but that changed in 2026. You then write a name on the tag at an anvil and use it on a mob. Below: the recipe, where else to find name tags, why naming mobs is useful and the secret names. Checked against the game data of Java 26.3 on 27 October 2026.
How to make a name tag in Minecraft
The recipe fits in the small crafting grid of your inventory:
| Left | Right |
|---|---|
| Empty | Nugget (iron, gold or copper) |
| Paper | Empty |
So the nugget goes diagonally above and to the right of the paper. On a crafting table the same shape works in any spot of the grid. Paper comes from three sugar cane in a row, and you get nine nuggets from one ingot. Each craft makes one name tag.
Can you craft a name tag?
Yes, now you can. For years the answer was no: name tags only came from chests, fishing and villagers. Mojang added the recipe in Java 26.1 and in Bedrock 26.10. In the same update, librarians stopped selling name tags, and name tags no longer appear in ancient city and woodland mansion chests. Playing an older version? Then the recipe isn’t there and you need the sources below.
Where do you find name tags?
Crafting is the easiest route, but name tags still turn up elsewhere in Java 26.3:
- Wandering traders: they can sell name tags for one emerald each.
- Fishing: a name tag is one of the treasure catches, with about a 0.8% chance per catch.
- Chests: in dungeons, the small rooms with a mob spawner, and in mineshaft chest minecarts.
In Bedrock, a wandering trader also has a chance to drop a name tag when killed while it shows its trades.
Name a tag on an anvil
- Put the name tag in the first slot of an anvil.
- Type the name at the top. Java allows up to 50 characters, Bedrock 30.
- Take the tag out. It costs one experience level, even for a whole stack of up to 64 tags with the same name.
- Use the named tag on a mob. The name appears above its head and the tag is used up.
A tag without a name does nothing. You can rename a mob as often as you like with a new tag, but you can’t remove a name without commands. Players and the ender dragon can’t be named. Using a name tag on a villager renames it instead of opening the trades.
Why name your mobs?
A name isn’t just for fun. A named mob never despawns and doesn’t count towards the mob cap. That’s handy for:
- Pets and mounts: a named horse or wolf is easier to find, and everyone on a server sees whose it is. Taming tips are in how to tame a wolf.
- Zombie villagers you want to cure: a zombie villager can despawn while you prepare the cure. Name it first and it stays, and it keeps the name after the cure. More on villagers is in how to breed villagers.
- Helpers: an allay or iron golem with a name is easy to tell apart. See the allay in Minecraft.
- A boss with character: a named mob that kills a player shows up with its name in the death message.
A few more things a name does. The name shows above the mob when you’re close, within about 3 blocks in Survival. A baby keeps its name when it grows up, a named villager keeps its name if a zombie turns it into a zombie villager, and slimes and magma cubes pass their name on to the smaller slimes when they split. A named wither shows its name in the boss bar.
There are two exceptions to “never despawns”. Wandering traders leave anyway, name or not. And hostile mobs vanish when the difficulty is set to Peaceful, named or not.
Easter egg names: Dinnerbone, jeb_ and Toast
A few names do something special. They’re case sensitive, so type them exactly like this:
| Name | On | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Dinnerbone or Grumm | Any mob | Turns it upside down |
| jeb_ | Sheep | Wool fades through all colours; shearing still gives the original colour |
| Toast | Rabbit | A special memorial skin |
| Johnny | Vindicator | Attacks almost every mob nearby |
A rainbow sheep can’t also be upside down, because a mob has only one name. Be careful with Johnny: a named vindicator never despawns, and it’s still hostile to you.
Name tags on a server
On a shared world, names help everyone keep track. Agree on a simple rule, such as your player name in the mob’s name, so nobody takes someone else’s horse. Keep in mind that named mobs never despawn, so a farm full of named animals never thins out on its own. Name the mobs that matter, not the whole herd.
Pets and villagers that stay put? On your own Minecraft server your world stays online with every named pet in place, and you make backups in the game panel. From €4.95 a month. See the Minecraft server plans.
