Name Tag

Name Tag

Type	Tools
Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)
Data value	dec: 421 hex: 1A5 bin: 110100101
Name	name_tag

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

	“	Name tags, as you might guess, allow you to name an animal or mob in Minecraft. The only creatures you can’t name, in fact, are other players and the Ender Dragon. Players already have names, after all, and the Ender Dragon? Well, let’s just say that uttering its true name would unleash a destructive force that would obliterate not only the End, but the Nether and the Overworld at the same time. Probably best to let that one lie.	„
		— Duncan Geere

A name tag is an item used to name mobs in the world.

Obtaining

Natural generation

Name tags can be found in 28.3% of dungeon chests, 42.3% of chest minecarts in abandoned mineshafts, and 28.3% of woodland mansion chests, all in stacks of 1.

In Bedrock Edition, they can be found in 27.9% of woodland mansion chests and 34.3% of buried treasure chests in stacks of 1.

Fishing

Name tags can be caught from fishing as part of the treasure category.

Trading

Master-level librarian villagers sell a name tag for 20 emeralds as part of their trade.

Usage

To use a name tag it must first be renamed with an anvil, which will cost 1 experience level. If it is not renamed, it will have 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.

Once a mob is named, it will keep its name and use up the name tag.

• However, a named silverfish that goes into a block will not be named when the block is broken, since it will actually be another, newly-generated silverfish.

Baby animals and villagers will keep their name when they become adults. Named villagers will keep their name if they become zombie villagers, and named zombie villagers will keep their name when cured.

• When a passive mob is named, it will not count towards the passive mob cap.

Limitations

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

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

Most mobs that can be interacted with by pressing use will perform the use action instead of being named. A villager will be renamed instead of opening the trading interface. A saddled pig will be renamed instead of being ridden. Any other mob that can be interacted with can be renamed if the player uses the name tag while in a nether portal, as the nether portal suppresses the use action.

Behavior

Renamed mobs will have their name displayed over their head in the fashion as a mob named through a renamed spawn egg. Their names can only be seen if they are aimed at from four or fewer blocks away.

Mobs that are named using the name tag will also never despawn in the world, similar to tamed mobs. The only exception is if the mob is hostile and the difficulty is switched to "Peaceful".

If a renamed mob kills a player, the custom name will be used in the death message in place of the mob type name.

Easter eggs

• Any mob that receives the name "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" will be rendered upside down.
• Naming a sheep "jeb_" will cause its wool to fade between the dye colors, producing a rainbow effect. The wool it will drop when sheared or killed will be the color the sheep before the sheep was named. For example, when a black sheep is named jeb_ and then changes to the color red, if sheared it will still drop black wool.
• Naming a rabbit "Toast" will cause it to have a special memorial skin.
• Naming a vindicator "Johnny" will cause it to be aggressive with all mobs (except other illagers).

Video

Note: This video is outdated, as name tags can now also be obtained from fishing, trading, mineshaft chests, and woodland mansions. You can now also name a sheep "jeb_" to make it fade between its different wool colors and name a rabbit "Toast" to make a new rabbit skin. Villagers can now also be named using name tags.

History

Java Edition
1.6.1			13w16b		Added name tags. They can now be found in dungeon chests.
			13w25a		A mob named "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" will now render upside down.
1.7.2			13w36a		Name tags can now rarely be acquired by fishing.
1.7.4			13w48b		A sheep named "jeb_" will now fade between the dye colors.
1.8			14w02a		Name tags can now be bought from librarian villagers, at 20–22 emeralds for 1 name tag.
			14w27a		Rabbits have now been added and naming one "Toast" will give it a special memorial skin.
1.9			15w44a		Added name tags to mineshaft chests.
					The average yield of name tags in dungeon chests has now been decreased.
1.11			16w39a		Name tags can now be found in the new woodland mansion chests.
1.13			17w47a		Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 421.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.15.0			build 1		Added name tags, and a new "Name" Interact button.
					A mob named "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" will render upside down.
					A sheep named "jeb_" will fade between the dye colors.
					Naming a rabbit "Toast" will give 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" will now make it hostile to any mobs except 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.
1.11.0			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.
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.
• 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”.

Gallery

• 

  To use a name tag, the player must first rename it using an anvil.

• 

  A wolf, which 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 an another animal Yo-yo.

• 

  A horse using the "Grumm" and "Dinnerbone" easter egg to be rendered upside-down.

See also

• Spawn Egg

References

Items

View at: Template:Items/content [edit]