A half-orc's name says more about who raised them than about their blood. One brought up in a human village might be plain Bram or Hester; one raised in an orc camp, Ugak or Mogsha; and one who's never quite belonged to either might have a name that's a bit of both. This half-orc name generator lets you choose the upbringing, then adds a surname or a deed-name to match.
Names follow upbringing
The D&D Player's Handbook has always said this: half-orcs usually have names from the culture they were raised in. A half-orc raised by humans takes a human name; one raised by orcs, an orc name. Some choose the other kind on purpose, to fit in or to make a point.
- Among humans: short, plain, working names, the kind given in farming villages and frontier towns. The surname is a trade or a place.
- Among orcs: hard orc names, with a deed-name that has to be earned.
- Between two worlds: names with orc sounds and human shapes, for a half-orc who has drifted between both.
A name with a history
- Two names at once. A half-orc might have an orc name from their mother's people and a human name for town. Which one they give says who they think they're talking to.
- A name they chose. Plenty of half-orcs in fiction drop the name they were given. That's a good backstory question: who gave you your name, and why don't you use it?
- A deed-name in a human town. Skullsplitter means one thing in an orc camp and another on a wanted poster.
Half-orcs in the 2024 rules
The 2024 Player's Handbook dropped half-orcs as a separate choice: an orc character with human family is now just an orc, or a human, with the background you give them. The names work exactly the same way, and this generator fits either edition.
For full orcs, try the Orc Name Generator, and for a half-orc who took up a sword and a code, the Knight Name Generator.