How to Use a Name Tag in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Rename the name tag on an anvil first (1 experience level renames a whole stack), then use it on a mob. Named mobs never despawn and show their name overhead - and secret names like Dinnerbone, jeb_, Toast and Johnny trigger hidden easter eggs.

What you need

1 name tag (chest loot, fishing or librarian trade)
An anvil
1 experience level per stack of tags
A mob to name

Step by step

Get a name tag: craft one with 1 paper and 1 nugget of any kind (26.1+), find one as chest loot, or fish one up as treasure - our name tag guide covers every source.
Place an anvil and put the name tag in the first slot.
Type the name (up to 50 characters in Java, 30 in Bedrock). Renaming costs 1 experience level, and that single level renames an entire stack of up to 64 tags at once.
Take the renamed tag and use it on a mob (right-click or interact). The name appears floating above the mob's head.
Named mobs never despawn and stop counting toward the mob cap - perfect for pets, villagers and farm animals you want to keep forever.
Try the easter eggs: Dinnerbone or Grumm flips a mob upside down, jeb_ makes a rainbow sheep, Toast gives a rabbit a special memorial skin, and Johnny turns a vindicator hostile to every mob except other illagers. All four are case sensitive.
Watch the exceptions: wandering traders despawn even when named, and named hostile mobs still vanish if the difficulty is switched to Peaceful.

Java vs Bedrock

Works the same in Java and Bedrock. Java allows 50-character names versus 30 in Bedrock, and in Bedrock a player named Dinnerbone or Grumm also renders upside down when not signed in.

Versions: Name tags were added in 1.6.1 (the Horse Update, 2013) as dungeon loot. The Dinnerbone/Grumm flip arrived in 13w25a, the jeb_ rainbow sheep in 1.7.4, Toast in 14w27a, and the Johnny vindicator in 1.11.

Frequently asked questions

Why won't my name tag work on a mob?

It has not been renamed yet. A name tag straight from a chest does nothing when used on a mob - rename it on an anvil first, then use it.

Do named mobs despawn in Minecraft?

No: named mobs never despawn and do not count toward the mob cap. The exceptions are wandering traders, which always despawn, and hostile mobs on Peaceful difficulty, which vanish along with their name.

What are all the name tag easter eggs?

Dinnerbone and Grumm render a mob upside down, jeb_ makes a sheep's wool cycle through rainbow colors, Toast gives a rabbit a memorial skin, and Johnny makes a vindicator attack every mob except other illagers. The names are case sensitive.