Good orc names are short, hard and easy to shout across a battlefield, like Ghorok or Ushza. Then they need something extra: what they did, what they look like, or which clan they'd die for. This orc name generator builds names from the harsh sounds orcs have had since Tolkien, and adds a deed-name, a nickname, a clan or a shaman's title.
Ten good orc names
All ten came from the generator, with each kind of name it makes:
- Ghorok Fangkiller: a deed-name that says what he killed.
- Braktar Dwarfslayer: a deed-name with a grudge in it.
- Dregzag Ashjaw: a deed-name that's half a description.
- Skarnya the Bent-Nose: a nickname other orcs gave her, and not a kind one.
- Vorgul the Patient: an odd nickname for an orc, which makes him more frightening.
- Gashuk of the Bloody Wolf: a clan name taken from a mark or a story.
- Lugsha of the Grinning Moon: a female orc with a clan behind her.
- Ghoruth, Speaker for the Four Winds: a shaman who speaks for the spirits.
- Yagsha, Speaker for the Old Bones: a shaman who speaks for the dead.
- Gorish Ghost-Talker: a shaman known by her craft.
Where orcs come from
Tolkien took the word from Old English, where orc meant a demon; Beowulf lists orcnēas among the monsters descended from Cain. The Latin Orcus, a god of the underworld, is probably behind it. In The Lord of the Rings, the orcs' own word for themselves, in the Black Speech, is uruk, and snaga ("slave") is what the big ones call the small ones.
Every orc since has borrowed Tolkien's sound: hard g, k and z, short vowels, -ash and -ug. Shagrat, Gorbag and Uglúk set the pattern.
Orcs in games
- Warcraft turned orcs into a people with honour and clans: Durotan of the Frostwolves, Grom Hellscream of the Warsong. The clan matters as much as the name. See the WoW Orc Name Generator.
- Warhammer's orks are the comic version: loud, green and proud of it. Their warbosses pile on titles until the name runs out of breath. See the Warhammer Orc Name Generator.
- D&D orcs follow Gruumsh, the one-eyed god, and half-orcs carry the name across into human lands. See the Half-Orc Name Generator.
- Skyrim orcs use gro- and gra- before a parent's name. See the Skyrim Orc Name Generator.
Deed-names, nicknames and clans
- A deed-name says what the orc did, or claims to have done: Skullsplitter, Elfbiter, Stonebreaker. It's earned, and it can be taken away.
- A nickname is what other orcs call them, which isn't always flattering: the One-Eyed, the Twice-Hanged, the Small.
- A clan comes from a mark or a story: the Broken Tusk, the Severed Ear, the Howling Moon. An orc away from their clan is an orc with a story.
Orc shaman names
An orc shaman is named after what they talk to. Choose Shaman for names in three patterns:
- A craft-name joined with a hyphen: Gorish Ghost-Talker, Braketh Bone-Thrower, Brakoth Wolf-Dreamer.
- Speaker for a spirit or a place: Dura, Speaker for the Deep Earth, Rukza, Speaker for the Burning Sky.
- A title with the, for a shaman others are wary of: Azki the Smoke-Wreathed, Ghoreth the Ghost-Touched.
Shamans differ from one setting to another. In Warcraft, orc shamans speak with the spirits of earth, air, fire and water. In D&D, the orcs' priests of Gruumsh are called Eyes of Gruumsh, and each puts out one of their own eyes to honour their one-eyed god. Warhammer 40K's version is the Weirdboy: see the Warhammer Orc Name Generator.
Choosing an orc name
- Short for a grunt, bigger for a chief. Ugak carries the spear; Gromgar gives the orders.
- Female orc names here end in -a, -sha, -uth and -ish: just as hard at the start, a little different at the end.
- Say it angrily. If the name still works when shouted, it's an orc name.