Argonians have two kinds of name. Some sound like their own language, Jel: Jaree-Ra, Keerava, Derkeethus. Others are descriptions in plain words, joined with hyphens: Scouts-Many-Marshes on the Windhelm docks is the classic example. This Argonian name generator gives you both, for Skyrim, Elder Scrolls Online or your own trip to Black Marsh.
Two kinds of Argonian name
- Jel-style names come from the Argonians' own language. They're short, with doubled vowels (ee, aa), hyphens and sounds like j, sh and x: Jaree-Ra and his sister Deeja, Keerava who runs the Bee and Barb in Riften, Talen-Jei who works there, and Derkeethus, rescued from Darkwater Pass.
- Descriptive names are translations: a few hyphenated words describing the Argonian, or something they do. Scouts-Many-Marshes and Neetrenaza both work on Windhelm's docks; only one has a name you can read.
An Argonian may use either, or both, depending on who they're talking to.
Black Marsh and the Hist
Argonians come from Black Marsh, the swampland in the south-east of Tamriel. Their lives are bound to the Hist, the great sentient trees of the marsh; hatchlings lick the sap of the Hist, which shapes who they become.
That's one reason descriptive names suit Argonians so well. A name like Listens-To-Hist or Knows-Many-Roots puts the swamp and the trees right in the name.
Choosing a name
- Descriptive names make a great hook. Someone will always ask why a character is called Bites-Twice.
- Jel names suit Argonians who keep to their own kind, or who don't care whether outsiders can say their name.
- Use both. Give your Argonian a Jel name at home and a descriptive name among the other races.
For other races of Tamriel, see the Khajiit, Dunmer and Nord name generators.