Each elf type here has its own sound because each has its own tables, not just a different label. AideDD's 2024 species text ties wood elves to primeval forests, high elves to the crossings between the Feywild and the Material Plane, and drow to the Underdark (AideDD). That's why wood elf names lean on nature words, high elf names run long and formal, and drow names use harder consonants.

Half-elves sit outside the three lineages. The 2024 Player's Handbook no longer lists Half-Elf as a species (D&D Beyond), but the 2014 rules and plenty of other settings still use it, so the half-elf generator mixes elven parts with human or dwarven family names.

Elf types compared, from this site's own tables
Type	Starts / endings	Typical syllables	Family names	Sample
Wood elf	44 / 72	3 to 4 (Medium)	Leafy house names or English compounds like Fernbrook	Zelraeth
High elf	42 / 72	5 to 6 (Long)	Formal two-part house names or heraldic English compounds	Zylaneros
Drow	42 / 72	3 to 4 (Medium)	Apostrophe house names in most cases, or dark English compounds	Nhearzara
Half-elf	Wood and high tables plus human and dwarven lists	Depends on the elven half	Human or dwarven family names, or an elven house name	Dararian Marsh

Elf subraces in D&D: 2014 vs 2024

Older 5e books called wood elves, high elves, and drow subraces of the elf. The 2024 rules keep the same three but call them elven lineages; as Wargamer puts it, "The three core subraces are now Elven Lineages" (Wargamer).

For naming, the switch changes nothing. Pick the type that matches your character's lineage or subrace and use its generator. If your table uses a different elf race from another book, start from the closest of the three and adjust the sound.