This imp name generator gives an imp a name, a kind and a habit, such as Skritchet, a bottle imp who hides the left sock. The names are invented; the kinds come from folklore, a story, slang and a toy.
Read the full guide
Name an imp in three parts
Press New imp name. Tap a part, press its padlock, then press again. Lock the kind on gremlin and press for a whole workshop of them, or lock a name such as Snagglewort and press until the mischief suits it: one imp sours the milk, another knots one shoelace.
The kinds are on record
A bottle imp comes from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1891 story, in which the bottle must be sold for less than was paid. The Lincoln imp is a carving inside Lincoln Cathedral. A printer's devil was a young apprentice in a printing shop. The list under the tool has a line on each.
Questions and answers
What is an imp?
An imp is a being of European folklore, similar to a fairy or demon. Imps are often described as troublesome and mischievous more than seriously threatening or dangerous, and as lively and small.
Where does the word imp come from?
The Old English noun impa meant a young shoot or scion of a plant or tree, and later a child. By the 17th century imp had come to mean a small demon, the familiar of a witch.
What is a gremlin?
A gremlin is a mischievous creature invented in the early 20th century to explain malfunctions in aircraft. The word in that sense first arose in Royal Air Force slang in the 1920s.
Are the imp names from a book or a game?
No. Each name is our own, and any that matched a Wikipedia page, a word in its text or a page on a fantasy fan wiki was taken out. A match elsewhere is still possible, so search before you publish one.
How this list was compiled: Our own list of 126 invented imp names, written on 2026-10-03: small, fidgety compounds for a household nuisance. Each was screened that day against an English dictionary and two lists of real names; GeoNames places of 500 people and up (https://download.geonames.org/export/dump/, CC BY 4.0); every list on this site; a rude-word list; every word of every page title of 16 fantasy fan wikis, and names one letter from the first word of one; the page titles and redirects of English Wikipedia and a full-text search of it (https://en.wikipedia.org/, CC BY-SA 4.0); and exact page titles on 12 fantasy fan wikis (lotr.fandom.com, forgottenrealms.fandom.com, elderscrolls.fandom.com, witcher.fandom.com, dragonage.fandom.com, gameofthrones.fandom.com, wot.fandom.com, harrypotter.fandom.com, wowpedia.fandom.com, pathfinder.fandom.com, criticalrole.fandom.com, zelda.fandom.com). 21 candidates were cut (7 found in the text of English Wikipedia; 4 on another list of this site; 4 a rude word inside or across the join; 3 one letter from a name on a fan wiki; 2 a dictionary word; 1 a fan wiki page title), among them Nettlewick, Sniggerwort, Twitchet, Itchwick, Underquill, Skinkle. No list of names is complete, so search a name before you publish it. Licence: own work
Kind: all 7 kinds of imp
B 1
bottle impIn Robert Louis Stevenson's 1891 story, an imp in a bottle grants wishes, and the bottle must be sold for less than was paid.
G 1
gremlinA creature invented in the early 20th century to explain malfunctions in aircraft; the word began as Royal Air Force slang.
I 1
impA small, lively being of European folklore, troublesome and mischievous more than seriously threatening or dangerous.
Show all 7 kinds of imp (4 more)
L 1
Lincoln impA grotesque carved high inside Lincoln Cathedral in England; in the tale an angel turned the imp to stone.
P 1
printer's devilA young apprentice in a printing shop. In one account of the name, printers blamed their errors on a mischievous devil.
W 2
water devilA small toy that sinks and rises in water, built on the science experiment called the Cartesian diver or Cartesian devil.
witch's impBy the 17th century the word imp had come to mean a small demon, the familiar of a witch.
How this list was compiled: 7 kinds of imp and near relations from folklore, one short story and workshop slang. Each line follows the English Wikipedia article on its subject, read on 2026-10-03: Imp, The Bottle Imp (the 1891 story by Robert Louis Stevenson), Lincoln Imp, Printer's devil, Gremlin and Cartesian diver (https://en.wikipedia.org/, CC BY-SA 4.0). Own selection. Licence: own selection and wording; facts from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mischief: all 78 mischiefs
A 1
adds one extra sheep when you count them
B 7
bends every candle slightly
blows out the last candle
blows the foam off every cup
blunts the scissors overnight
borrows buttons and returns different ones
borrows the bottom rung of the ladder
braids the pony's mane into knots
Show all 78 mischiefs (70 more)
C 3
chews the corners of letters
cools the tea the moment you look away
counts your coins aloud, wrongly
D 1
drips the faucet in waltz time
E 2
eats the middle out of the bread
empties the pepper into the sugar bowl
F 2
fills thimbles with rainwater
fogs the mirror at the worst moment
H 5
hides the left sock
hides the lid of every pot
hides the pencil behind your own ear
hides the scissors in plain sight
hides the thimble in the flour
J 1
jams the drawer you need most
K 2
knocks once and runs
knots one shoelace
L 9
laughs in the chimney when it rains
leaves muddy prints on the ceiling
leaves one cupboard door ajar
leaves the gate unlatched
leaves you two left gloves
lets the air out of the bellows
lets the cat out and back in, all night
loosens the lid of the jam
loses the end of the tape
M 4
makes the third stair creak
makes the toast land butter side down
moves the bookmark three pages back
moves the keys two inches to the left
P 5
picks every knot loose but one
plays one piano key at midnight, always the same one
pulls one thread until the hem drops
puts a pebble in the left boot
puts crumbs back in the butter
R 5
rattles the windows on still nights
rearranges the spice rack by smell
relights the candle you just snuffed
rings the doorbell and hides in the mailbox
rolls marbles down the hall at midnight
S 14
shrinks hats by a quarter inch
sits on the scale while you weigh flour
skips the best line when you read aloud
snips one bristle from the broom
snores from inside the wardrobe
sours the milk
spills exactly one drop of ink
squeaks the hinge you just oiled
steals the dot from every i
steals the echo from the well
steals the first bite of every pie
stops the pendulum to hear the quiet
swaps the labels on the seed packets
swaps the salt and the sugar
T 9
tangles the kite string
teaches the kettle to whistle off-key
teaches the parrot to imitate the doorbell
tickles the cat until it sneezes
ties the curtains in a bow
tips the hat off the hat rack
trades the hen's egg for a round stone
tugs the blanket off one foot
turns the weathervane the wrong way
U 4
unpicks the hem of the tablecloth
unravels the last row of knitting
unscrews the lid of the salt shaker
unties ribbons from the inside
W 4
whistles a jingle until you catch yourself singing it
whistles for the dog and hides
wrinkles the shirt you just ironed
writes its name in the dust
How this list was compiled: Our own list of 78 small, harmless acts of mischief, written on 2026-10-03 to read after the word "who". Nobody is hurt in any of them. Checked against every list on this site for repeats. 5 candidates were cut (4 on another list of this site; 1 a real first name or surname), among them turns the page while you blink, folds every map the wrong way, turns every umbrella inside out, winds the clock a quarter hour fast, turns the doormat upside down. Licence: own work