An initials avatar generator for every name and script
This initials avatar generator turns a name into the familiar letter avatar used by email apps, chat tools and contact lists: “Priya Sharma” becomes a coloured circle with PS. It handles real-world names properly — hyphenated and multi-part names, titles like Dr or Smt, email addresses, Devanagari and other Indian scripts, Chinese, Japanese and Korean names, accented letters and emoji — and gives every name its own background colour, chosen so the letters stay readable.
Download a PNG up to 1024 px or an SVG, copy a ready-made HTML and CSS snippet, or paste a list or CSV of names to get a ZIP of avatars with an index file. Everything runs in your browser, so a staff list or customer list never leaves your computer.
How to use the Initials Avatar Generator
- Type a name, email address or any text. The initials and preview update as you type.
- Choose 1, 2 or 3 letters, whether to skip titles, and how names written without spaces in Chinese, Japanese or Korean should be shortened.
- Pick a background: a vivid, pastel or dark colour from the name, or your own colour. Text colour is automatic unless you untick Auto.
- Adjust font, letter size, shape (circle, rounded or square) and an optional border, then download a PNG or SVG or copy the HTML/CSS.
- For a team, class or customer list, paste names or a CSV (or open a CSV file) and press Download ZIP.
Initials Avatar Generator features
Smart initials
First and last word for two letters (“Mary Jane Watson” → MW), hyphenated names split (“Jean-Luc Picard” → JP), emails read from the part before @, pronouns in brackets ignored.
Every script
Letters are taken as whole grapheme clusters, so accents, Indian syllables such as प्रि and कि, Hangul blocks and emoji are never cut in half.
Colour from the name
An FNV-1a hash of the lower-cased name picks the hue; vivid colours are darkened until white text reaches at least 4.5:1 contrast.
Developer friendly
Copy a lightweight HTML and CSS snippet, or export crisp SVGs that scale for any screen.
CSV to ZIP
Reads a “name” column, or “first name” and “last name”, handles quoted commas, and adds avatars.csv listing each file, its initials and colours.
How the initials are chosen
Indian scripts write syllables (aksharas) rather than single letters, and abbreviations traditionally keep the vowel sign — राहुल becomes रा, not र. The tool follows that convention. Chinese and Korean names are usually written family name first without spaces, so by default the first character is used.
| Name typed | 2 letters | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Priya Sharma | PS | First letter of the first and last words |
| Dr. Anil Kumar | AK | Titles at the start or end are skipped (option) |
| प्रिया शर्मा | प्रिश | Whole first syllable: a conjunct like प्रि stays together |
| 王小明 | 王 | No spaces: family name first (or 小明 with the given-name option) |
| john.smith@example.com | JS | Email: dots, dashes and underscores split the local part |
| 🦊 Fox Team | 🦊 | A leading emoji is used on its own |
| priya | PR | A single word gives its first two letters |
Readable colours and accessibility
Text on a coloured background must meet WCAG contrast guidelines to be easy to read: at least 4.5:1 for normal text. The vivid scheme starts from a medium shade of the name’s hue and darkens it until white letters pass 4.5:1; the pastel scheme uses dark letters on a light tint; the dark scheme uses white on a deep shade. The badge next to the initials shows the actual contrast ratio — check custom colours with the Contrast Checker.
In HTML, give the avatar an accessible name (the snippet uses role="img" with an aria-label of the full name) so screen readers announce “Priya Sharma” instead of spelling out “P S”.
Letters or pictures?
Initials work best where people know each other’s names: email, CRM records, school portals and team tools. If you would rather give every user a unique picture — an identicon, pixel creature or face — try the Avatar Generator. For a website icon from letters, the Favicon Generator makes the full set of icon sizes.
Initials Avatar Generator FAQ
How do I make an avatar with my initials?
Type your name, choose a shape and colours, and press Download PNG or Download SVG. The initials are worked out for you, and the same name always gets the same colour.
Does it work with Hindi, Tamil or other Indian-language names?
Yes. The tool reads whole syllables, so “प्रिया शर्मा” gives प्रिश and Tamil, Bengali, Telugu or Gujarati names keep their vowel signs. Your device needs a font for the script, which modern phones and computers include.
How are Chinese, Japanese and Korean names handled?
Names written without spaces use the first character, normally the family name, such as 王 for 王小明. Switch the option to use the last two characters, the given name, as many chat apps do.
Why does each name get a different colour?
The colour is derived from a hash of the name, so it is consistent everywhere — Priya is always the same colour — while different people get different hues. Choose “Choose a colour” for a fixed brand colour.
Can I create avatars for a whole list of users?
Yes. Paste names or a CSV with a name column, or open a CSV file, then press Download ZIP. You get one image per name plus avatars.csv listing the file name, initials and colours.
Are the names uploaded?
No. Initials, colours and images are generated in your browser. Only the ZIP library is fetched from a CDN when you download a batch.