Tolkien's orcs have some of the best names in the book: Shagrat, Gorbag, Uglúk, Grishnákh. Short, ugly and memorable, and nearly always given to an orc who's about to fall out with another orc. This LOTR orc name generator builds names with the same sounds, and can add a rank or the place your orc serves: the Tower, the White Hand, Gundabad.
The Black Speech
Sauron devised the Black Speech for his servants, and the Ring's inscription is the best-known line of it: Ash nazg durbatulûk, "one ring to rule them all". A few words are clear enough to borrow:
- nazg, ring, as in the Nazgûl, the Ring-wraiths.
- uruk, orc. The Uruk-hai are the "orc-folk".
- snaga, slave: what the big orcs call the small ones.
- ghâsh, fire, and Lugbúrz, the orcs' name for Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower.
Tolkien also wrote that orcs of different tribes could barely understand each other's dialects, so they used the Common Speech among themselves. That's why their names are a mix: some Black Speech, some just ugly.
Tolkien's orcs and their names
- Shagrat, captain of the Tower of Cirith Ungol, and Gorbag of Minas Morgul, who fight over Frodo's mithril shirt.
- Uglúk, leader of Saruman's Uruk-hai, and Grishnákh, the Mordor orc who tries to steal the hobbits for himself.
- Azog and his son Bolg, goblins of the Misty Mountains, and Golfimbul, whose head Bandobras Took knocked off with a club, inventing golf.
None of these are in the generator, so your orc won't be confused with one of them.
Three kinds of orc
- Mordor orcs serve Sauron directly, from the Tower, the Black Gate and the vale of Udûn.
- Uruk-hai of Isengard are Saruman's: bigger, stronger, unafraid of the sun, and loud about it. They carry the White Hand.
- Goblins of the Misty Mountains live in tunnels at Gundabad, Moria and Goblin-town. In The Hobbit Tolkien calls them goblins; it's the same creature.
Using the name
- Role-play and tabletop: The One Ring and other Middle-earth games are full of orcs who need names quickly. Generate a batch before the session.
- Video games: Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis captains are named in this style, with titles; the rank format is a good fit for your own.
- Fan fiction: give your orc a rank and a grudge. Tolkien's orcs are at their best when they're arguing.