Name Tag

This article is about the item that gives names to mobs. For the nameplate above a player's head, see Player § Username. For other uses, see Tag.

Name Tag

Rarity tier	Common
Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)

A name tag is an item used to give a name to a mob after writing one on the tag using an anvil. Most named mobs do not despawn or count toward the mob cap.

Obtaining

Crafting

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Any Nugget + Paper

Generated loot

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition and Bedrock Edition
Name Tag	Monster Room	Chest	1	25.3% { "item": "Name Tag", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.25295067443987196, "structure": "Monster Room", "container": "Chest" }
	Mineshaft	Chest not located in a sulfur cave	1	42.3% { "item": "Name Tag", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.4225352112676056, "structure": "Mineshaft", "container": "Chest not located in a sulfur cave" }
	Mineshaft	Chest located in a sulfur cave	1	42.3% { "item": "Name Tag", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.4225352112676056, "structure": "Mineshaft", "container": "Chest located in a [[sulfur cave]]" }

Fishing

Name tags are obtainable through fishing, with a 0.8% chance per attempt. See fishing for more details.

Trading

Villager		Probability		Villager wants	Player receives	Trades in stock	Villager experience	Price multiplier
		JE	BE
Wandering Trader	Ordinary	6%	6%	Emerald	Name Tag	5	—	—

Mob loot

In Bedrock Edition, wandering traders have a chance of 25% (increased by 1% per level of Looting) to drop 1 name tag when killed while showing the item as trade offer, if the player holds an emerald.

Usage

To use a name tag, it must first be renamed with an anvil, costing 1 experience level. A stack of up to 64 name tags can be renamed at once, and the cost is still 1 experience level per stack.

If it is not renamed, it has no effect when used on a mob. After the name tag is renamed, the player can use it on a mob to give it the name given to the name tag from the anvil. Mobs and name tags can be renamed any number of times. Name tags with the same name are stackable.

Once a mob is named, it keeps its name, and the name tag is consumed.

When a mob is named, it becomes persistent and is excluded from the mob cap count.

Effects on various mobs:

• A named silverfish that goes into a block appears to lose its name because it is replaced by a newly generated unnamed silverfish when the block is broken.
• A creaking spawned by a creaking heart can survive during the day if named.
• A baby (animal or villager) keeps its name when becoming an adult.
• A named villager keeps its name when transformed into a zombie villager. Once transformed, the zombie villager can despawn naturally unless it was transformed by a named zombie.
• A named zombie villager keeps its name when cured.
• Wandering traders still despawn even if they are named, or in a minecart or boat.
• Naming a wither (or ender dragon with commands) displays the name in the boss bar instead of the respective mob's name.
• Slimes, magma cubes, and sulfur cubes transfer their name when splitting.

Limitations

Any mob can be named except for the ender dragon and the agents. Players also cannot be named.

A name tag can be renamed with an anvil using up to 50 characters‌^{[JE only]} or 30 characters‌^{[BE only]}.

A name tag can rename an armor stand, though it does not show the nameplate above its head until CustomNameVisible:1b is set as an extra step.

Using a name tag on a villager or wandering trader renames the mob instead of opening the trading interface. A rideable mob is renamed instead of being ridden.

Once a name tag is used on a mob, it is impossible to remove the name of that mob without the use of commands or external modifications.

A mob cannot be named "Name Tag" unless the player gives the tag a new name and then renames it back to "Name Tag" or changes to a language, where the name tag is not called "Name Tag" and then renames it to "Name Tag".

Behavior

Renamed mobs have their name displayed over their head in the same fashion as a mob named through a renamed spawn egg. Their names can be seen only if they are aimed at from 3 or fewer blocks away in Survival, Adventure, and Spectator mode or from 5 or fewer blocks away in Creative mode.

Mobs that are named using the name tag never despawn in the world, similar to tamed mobs.^[1] The exceptions are wandering traders or if the mob is hostile and the difficulty is switched to "Peaceful", causing any hostile mobs or any named hostile mobs to despawn immediately.

If a renamed mob kills a player, the custom name is used in the death message in place of the mob type name. For instance, if a vindicator named "Johnny" kills a player, the death message is "Player was slain by Johnny".

A renamed wither also has a renamed health bar.

The name of a renamed entity is stored in the NBT tag CustomName; editing the string component of the tag is equivalent to renaming the entity via a name tag.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

Easter eggs

• Any mob that receives the name "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" is rendered upside down. This even includes the player in Bedrock Edition if the username is set to either of these and the user is not signed into their Microsoft account.
• Naming a sheep "jeb_" causes its wool to fade between the dye colors, producing a rainbow effect. The wool that drops when the sheep is sheared or killed is the original color of the sheep before the sheep was named. A rainbow sheep can never be upside-down as described above, because a mob cannot have multiple names.
• Naming a rabbit "Toast" causes it to have a special memorial skin of user xyzen420's girlfriend's missing rabbit.
• Naming a vindicator "Johnny" causes it to be aggressive and attack all mobs including the wither (except ghasts and other illagers). The hostility even extends to ravagers in Java Edition, as the "Johnny" vindicator can also attack the ravager while riding it.
• Each of these effects are case sensitive (e.g. renaming a rabbit to "toast" will not affect its texture)

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Translation key
Name Tag	name_tag	Item	item.minecraft.name_tag

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Translation key
Name Tag	name_tag	548	Item	item.name_tag.name

History

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.6.1			13w16b				Added name tags. They can now be found in dungeon chests.
			13w25a				A mob named "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" now renders upside down.
1.7.2			13w36a				Name tags can now rarely be acquired by fishing, making them renewable.
1.7.4			13w48b				A sheep named "jeb_" now fades between the dye colors.
1.8			14w03b				Name tags can now be bought from librarian villagers, at 20–22 emeralds for 1 name tag.
			14w27a				Rabbits have been added and naming one "Toast" gives it a special memorial skin.
1.9			15w44a				Added name tags to mineshaft chests.
							The average yield of name tags in dungeon chests has been decreased.
			15w49a				The texture of name tags has been slightly changed.
1.11			16w39a				Name tags can now be found in the new woodland mansion chests.
							Added vindicators, which attack almost all mobs if named "Johnny".
1.14			18w43a				The texture of name tags has been changed.
			19w11a				Librarian villagers now sell name tags for 20 emeralds.
1.16			20w12a				Name tags can now only be caught when fishing in open water like any other treasure item.
1.19			Deep Dark Experimental Snapshot 1				Name tags now generate in ancient city chests.
1.21.2 Experiment Winter Drop			pre1				Creakings spawned from creaking hearts can no longer be named using name tags.
1.21.5			25w02a				Naturally spawned creakings can now be named with name tags again.
							Named naturally spawned creakings will persist through the day.
1.21.9			Pre-Release 2				Mobs named "deadmau5" no longer render their name tag 10 pixels higher than normal.
26.1			snap2				Name tags can now be crafted with 1 paper and 1 nugget.
			snap11				Name tags can no longer be bought from librarian villagers.
							Name tags no longer generate in ancient city or woodland mansion chests.
							Name tags can now be bought from wandering traders.

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.15.0			build 1				Added name tags, and a new "Name" Interact button.
							A mob named "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" renders upside down.
							A sheep named "jeb_" fades between the dye colors.
							Naming a rabbit "Toast" gives it a special memorial skin.
Pocket Edition
1.0.4			alpha 1.0.4.0				Name tags can now be bought from librarian villagers for 20-22 emeralds as their last tier trade.
1.1.0			alpha 1.1.0.0				Naming a vindicator "Johnny" now makes it hostile to any mob, except other illagers.
							Name tags can now be found in woodland mansions.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0			beta 1.2.14.2				Name tags can now be found in buried treasure chests.
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				The texture of name tags has been changed.
							Wither skeletons and vexes can now be renamed using a name tag.[2]
1.11.0			beta 1.11.0.4				Name tags sold by librarian villagers now cost 20 emeralds.
26.0 Experiment Drop 1 of 2026			Preview 26.0.27				Name tags can now be crafted with 1 paper and 1 nugget.
26.10			Preview 26.10.20				All features behind the "Drop 1 of 2026" experimental toggle are fully implemented.
			Preview 26.10.25				Name tags can no longer be bought from librarian villagers.
							Name tags can no longer be found in ancient city or woodland mansion chests.
							Name tags can now be bought from wandering traders.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU19	CU7	1.12	1.12	1.12	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added name tags.
TU20	CU8	1.13	1.13	1.13			Name tags can now be bought from librarian villagers, at 20–22 emeralds for 1 name tag.
TU24	CU12	1.16	1.16	1.16			A sheep named "jeb_" now fades between the dye colors.
							Name of renamed mobs is now always displayed like player names.
TU25	CU14	1.17	1.17	1.17			Name of renamed mobs is once again only displayed when the mob is being looked at up close.
TU31	CU19	1.22	1.22	1.22	Patch 3		Name tags can now rarely be acquired by fishing.
							Rabbits have been added and naming one "Toast" gives it a special memorial skin.
TU54	CU44	1.52	1.52	1.52	Patch 24	1.0.4	Name tags can now be found in the new woodland mansion chests.
							Added vindicators, which attack almost all mobs if named "Johnny".
TU69		1.76	1.76	1.76	Patch 38		Name tags can now be found in buried treasure chests.
			1.90				The texture of name tags has been changed.
			1.91				Name tags sold by librarian villagers now cost 20 emeralds.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added name tags.

Data history

Issues

Issues relating to "Name Tag" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

• Name tags were added at the request of Paulsoaresjr.^[3][4]

Gallery

Screenshots

• 
  To use a name tag, the player must first rename it using an anvil.
• 
  A wolf that has been renamed using a name tag.
• 
  A creeper renamed using the name tag.
• 
  A wither renamed using a name tag. The custom name takes place of "Wither" over the health bar as well.
• 
  How to use "Grumm" and "Dinnerbone" name tag easter egg and lead to make another animal Yo-yo.
• 
  A horse using the "Grumm" or "Dinnerbone" easter egg to be rendered upside-down.
• 
  Name Tag found in a mineshaft chest.

Mojang screenshots

• 
  First image of a name tag in Bedrock Edition
• 
  A slime named Tom
• 
  Xavius III

In other media

• 
  A name tag in A Minecraft Movie.

See also

• Spawn Egg

References

External links

• "Taking Inventory: Name Tag" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, March 15, 2019.