Name Tag

A name tag is an item used to name mobs in the world and prevent them from despawning naturally.

Obtaining[]

Chest loot[]

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition
Name Tag	Dungeon	Chest	1	27.9%
	Mineshaft	Chest	1	42.3%
	Ancient City	Chest	1	16.1%
	Woodland mansion	Chest	1	28.3%
Bedrock Edition
Name Tag	Dungeon	Chest	1	27.9%
	Mineshaft	Chest	1	42.3%
	Ancient City	Chest	1	16.1%
	Buried treasure	Chest	1	34.3%
	Woodland mansion	Chest	1	27.9%

Fishing[]

Name tags can be caught from fishing as part of the treasure category with a ¹⁄₆ chance after the 5% chance of being a treasure catch. The chance of catching treasure increases with the Luck of the Sea enchantment.

Trading[]

Master-level librarian villagers offer to sell a name tag for 20 emeralds as one of their available trades.

Usage[]

To use a name tag, it must first be renamed with an anvil, costing 1 experience level.

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 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 baby (animal or villager) keeps its name when becoming an adult.
- A named villager keeps its name when transformed into a zombie villager.
- A named zombie villager keeps its name when cured.
Wandering traders still despawn even if they are named, or in a minecart or boat.
A named wither's boss bar displays its name instead of "Wither".
Naming an ender dragon with commands also displays the name in the boss bar.

Limitations[]

Any mob can be named except for the ender dragon and players.

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 renames the villager instead of opening the trading interface. A saddled pig is renamed instead of being ridden. Using a name tag on any other mob that can be interacted with performs the use action instead of being named. These mobs can be renamed if the player uses the name tag while crouching or standing in a nether portal because the portal suppresses the use action.

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.

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 four or fewer blocks away.

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, and the boss bar doesn't regenerate^[verify].

Easter eggs[]

Any mob that receives the name "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" is rendered upside down. This even includes the player in early versions of Bedrock Edition if the username is set to either of these and you are not signed into Xbox Live.
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.
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 it's riding it.

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
1.6.1		13w16b		Added name tags. They can now be found in dungeon chests.
1.6.1		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		14w02a		Name tags can now be bought from librarian villagers, at 20–22 emeralds for 1 name tag.
1.8		14w27a		Rabbits have been added and naming one "Toast" gives it a special memorial skin.
1.9		15w44a		Added name tags to mineshaft chests.
1.9		15w44a		The average yield of name tags in dungeon chests has been decreased.
1.11		16w39a		Name tags can now be found in the new woodland mansion chests.
1.11		16w39a		Added vindicators, which attack almost all mobs if named "Johnny".
1.13		17w47a		Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 421.
1.14		18w43a		The texture of name tags has been changed.
1.19		Deep Dark Experimental Snapshot 1		Name tags now generate in ancient city chests.
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.
1.1.0		alpha 1.1.0.0		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.
1.11.0		beta 1.11.0.4		Name tags sold by librarian villagers now cost 20 emeralds.
Legacy Console Edition
TU19	CU7	1.12	Patch 1	Added name tags.
PlayStation 4 Edition
1.90				The texture of name tags has been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0				Added name tags.

Issues[]

Issues relating to "Name Tag" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia[]

Name tags were added at the request of Paulsoaresjr.^[2]^[3]
A stack of up to 64 name tags can be renamed at once. The cost is 1 experience level per stack, regardless of how many name tags were stacked.
To name a mob “Name Tag” the player must give the name tag a random name, then rename it back to “Name Tag”.
A villager with a name tag turned into a zombie villager by a zombie with a name tag does not despawn, but a villager with a name tag turned into a zombie by a zombie without a name tag does despawn.
It is impossible to have a rainbow sheep upside-down, because it is impossible for it to be named “Jeb_” and “Dinnerbone” at the same time.

Gallery[]

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.
First image of a name tag in bedrock edition.