How to Get a Name Tag in Minecraft
Home → Minecraft → How to Get a Name Tag in Minecraft
Minecraft
How to Get a Name Tag in Minecraft
Name Tag Tips and Easter Eggs
Name Tags are one of the few items in Minecraft with no crafting recipe — making them feel genuinely rare and valuable. The fastest reliable source is trading with a Master Librarian, which requires levelling a librarian through multiple trades first. If you’re early in the game and don’t have a trading hall yet, focus on exploring dungeons and mineshafts — a thorough underground exploration session almost always yields at least one Name Tag. The Ancient City chests have a particularly high Name Tag spawn rate and are worth the trip once you’re geared for the deep dark.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Get a Name Tag
Name Tags cannot be crafted — they are found in dungeon, mineshaft, ancient city, and woodland mansion chests, caught rarely while fishing, or bought from Master-level Librarian villagers for 20 emeralds. To use one, rename it at an anvil then right-click the mob you want to name.
1
Loot dungeon and mineshaft chests. Name Tags appear in chests inside dungeons (mob spawner rooms underground), abandoned mineshafts, ancient cities, woodland mansions, and buried treasure. Dungeon chests have roughly a 28% chance of containing a Name Tag — explore underground thoroughly and you’ll find one relatively quickly.
2
Buy from a Master Librarian villager. Librarian villagers sell Name Tags at Master trading level (level 5) for 20 emeralds. This is the most reliable method if you have a cured villager trading hall — cure a zombie villager to get discounted trades and the Name Tag costs as little as 4 emeralds.
3
Fish for Name Tags. Name Tags are a rare treasure catch while fishing — roughly 0.8% base chance, increased to about 1.9% with Luck of the Sea III on your fishing rod. Not efficient as a primary method but a welcome bonus during fishing sessions. Enchant your rod with Luck of the Sea to improve the odds.
4
Rename at an anvil before using. A blank Name Tag does nothing — you must rename it first at an anvil (costs 1 XP level). Type the name you want, take the renamed tag from the output slot, then right-click any mob to apply the name. The mob’s name will float above its head permanently.
→
Named mobs never despawn: the primary use of Name Tags is preventing mobs from despawning. Horses, villagers, and farm animals don’t despawn anyway, but hostile mobs and passive mobs in unusual locations will — naming them makes them permanent. Essential for mob displays or pet projects.
→
Name a sheep «jeb_» for rainbow wool: naming a sheep exactly jeb_ (lowercase, with underscore) causes it to cycle through all wool colors continuously — a built-in Easter egg. The sheep still drops its original wool color when sheared despite the visual effect.
→
Name a Rabbit «Toast»: naming any rabbit Toast changes its texture to a special black-and-white rabbit skin — a tribute added by Mojang in memory of a player’s pet rabbit. One of the most well-known Easter eggs in the game.
→
Name a Vindicator «Johnny»: naming a Vindicator Johnny causes it to attack every mob in the game — including other illagers — on sight. A reference to The Shining. Useful for creating chaotic mob arenas or as a novelty.
→
Name a mob «Dinnerbone» or «Grumm»: naming any mob exactly Dinnerbone or Grumm flips it upside down — the mob walks normally but renders completely inverted. Both are references to Mojang developers and work on any mob including players.
Can you craft a Name Tag in Minecraft?
No — Name Tags have no crafting recipe in vanilla Minecraft. They must be found in loot chests, purchased from Master Librarian villagers for 20 emeralds, or caught rarely while fishing. There is no way to craft them in the base game.
How do you use a Name Tag in Minecraft?
First rename the Name Tag at an anvil — a blank Name Tag does nothing. Type the desired name in the anvil’s text field, take the renamed tag from the output slot, then right-click any mob while holding it to apply the name. The mob’s name will display above its head permanently.
Does naming a mob with a Name Tag stop it from despawning?
Yes — any mob that has been named with a Name Tag will never naturally despawn, regardless of how far you travel from it. This is the primary practical use of Name Tags for keeping specific mobs like rare colored sheep, custom horses, or display mobs permanently in your world.
What is the easiest way to get a Name Tag in Minecraft?
Trading with a Master-level Librarian villager is the most reliable method — they always stock Name Tags at level 5 for 20 emeralds. Curing a zombie villager librarian reduces this to 4 emeralds. For early game without emeralds, exploring dungeons underground is the fastest alternative source.