To make a name tag in Minecraft, place 1 paper and 1 metal nugget in any two slots of a crafting grid. Use an iron, gold, or copper nugget. Then place the tag in an anvil, type a name, spend 1 experience level, and use the renamed tag on a mob.
How to make a name tag in Minecraft
Name tags became craftable in the 2026 Tiny Takeover game drop. The recipe is shapeless, so the paper and nugget do not need to follow a specific pattern in the crafting grid.
| Ingredient | Quantity | Accepted items |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | 1 | Paper |
| Metal nugget | 1 | Iron Nugget, Gold Nugget, or Copper Nugget |
| Result | 1 | Name Tag |
Open your personal 2×2 crafting grid or a crafting table, place one paper and one metal nugget in any two empty slots, and take the name tag from the result slot. You can use any combination of the three accepted nuggets, but each craft produces one tag.
Making the ingredients
- Craft paper from three sugar cane placed across one row of a crafting grid.
- Smelt iron, gold, or copper to obtain the matching ingot, then place one ingot in a crafting grid to turn it into nine nuggets.
- Use one nugget and one paper for each name tag you want to make.
What you need before naming a mob
A freshly crafted name tag is empty. It cannot name a mob until you write a custom name on it with an anvil, so gather the following items before you approach your animal or monster:
- One Name Tag
- One anvil
- At least 1 experience level
- A mob you want to name
If you need an anvil, craft one with three iron blocks and four iron ingots. The crafting layout uses the three iron blocks across the top row, one iron ingot in the center slot, and one iron ingot in each slot of the bottom row.
| Anvil ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Block of Iron | 3 |
| Iron Ingot | 4 |
An anvil is also useful for repairing gear and combining enchantments, so it is worth making even if you only need it for one pet.
How to put a name on the tag
- Place the anvil on a solid block and open it.
- Put the empty name tag in the left input slot.
- Click the name field at the top of the anvil interface and remove the default text.
- Type the name you want your mob to display.
- Check that the experience cost is 1 level, then take the renamed tag from the output slot.
The name is saved on the tag when you take the result. Renaming the item does not name a mob yet; it only prepares the tag. If the anvil says you are too expensive or you do not have enough experience, gain another level before collecting the result.
Choosing the name
You can use ordinary letters, numbers, spaces, and many symbols. Keep the name short enough to read above the mob, especially if you are naming animals inside a crowded pen. The custom name appears above the entity after you apply the tag.
How to use a name tag on a mob
- Hold the renamed name tag in your hand.
- Approach the mob you want to label.
- Use the interact button on the mob. On Java Edition with a mouse, this is usually right-click; on a controller, use the normal interact trigger.
- Confirm that the name appears above the mob.
The name tag is consumed when it successfully names a mob. You cannot recover the tag afterward, so check the spelling before using it. If the name does not appear, make sure the tag was renamed in the anvil and that you are targeting the mob rather than a nearby block or another entity.
What naming a mob does
- Displays the custom name above the mob.
- Prevents most named mobs from naturally despawning when you move away.
- Helps you identify animals, villagers, hostile mobs, and farm workers.
- Lets you create themed collections, labeled pens, and adventure-map characters.
Naming does not make a mob invulnerable. A named animal can still take fall damage, burn, drown, be attacked, or disappear through other game mechanics. Protect important pets with fences, walls, lighting, boats, or leads.
Special name tag names and effects
Several specific names trigger visual or behavioral easter eggs. Type these names exactly in the anvil, including capitalization where shown:
- Grumm or Dinnerbone: flips most mobs upside down.
- jeb_: makes a sheep cycle through different wool colors.
- Toast: gives a rabbit the special Toast appearance.
- Johnny: makes a vindicator or zoglin attack nearby mobs in its normal target range.
These effects are tied to the mob and the name. A regular custom name only labels the entity and does not create one of these special effects. You can still protect or contain an easter-egg mob in the same way as any other named creature.
Where to get name tags without crafting
Crafting is the most reliable method in current versions, but name tags can also come from exploration and trading. You may find them in certain structure chests, catch them as treasure while fishing, or buy one from a wandering trader for 1 emerald when the trade appears.
Do not rely on a master librarian for this item in current versions. The name tag trade was removed from librarians as part of the 2026 changes. If you are playing an older version, the available sources and villager trades may be different.
Fishing for a name tag is random and depends on getting a treasure catch, so it is slower than crafting. Chest searching is useful when you are already exploring mineshafts, dungeons, buried treasure locations, or other structures, but it is no longer necessary once you have paper and a metal nugget.
Java Edition and Bedrock Edition differences
There is no recipe difference between current Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. In Java Edition 26.1 and Bedrock Edition 26.10, you craft a name tag with 1 paper and 1 iron, gold, or copper nugget. Both editions also require an anvil to write the name before you apply the tag to a mob.
The main version difference matters if you are following an older guide. Before the 2026 Tiny Takeover updates, name tags were not craftable in vanilla survival, so older tutorials correctly tell you to find them in chests, fish for them, or obtain them through trading. If the recipe does not appear in your game, update Minecraft and check the version shown on the title screen.
Using a named mob safely
Apply the tag only after you have secured the mob. Animals can wander away while you are gathering materials, and hostile mobs can attack you before you finish the anvil step. Move the target into a fenced pen, boat, minecart, or enclosed room first.
For a permanent base collection, name the mobs after their role rather than their species. Names such as “Wheat Farmer,” “Barn Cow,” or “Cave Guard” make large farms easier to manage. If you are naming a hostile mob, use a name tag after placing it in a controlled area and add lighting or barriers so it cannot reach you unexpectedly.
- Check the spelling before taking the renamed tag from the anvil.
- Do not use an empty tag directly on a mob; it must have a custom name first.
- Do not expect a name tag to stop every special despawn rule, especially for wandering traders.
- Keep spare tags in a chest if you are collecting several pets or building a named mob display.
