Good Skyrim orc names are short and hard, like Durgash or Ghorza, followed by gro- (son of) or gra- (daughter of) and a parent's name. Urag gro-Shub, the librarian at the College of Winterhold, is Urag, son of Shub. This Skyrim orc name generator builds full names that way, or gives you just the first name if you'd rather add the rest yourself.
Ten good Skyrim orc names
All ten came from the generator, and each follows the pattern you'll hear in the game:
- Durgash gro-Ghorbuk: Durgash, son of Ghorbuk. The -ash ending is one of the commonest for orc men.
- Zardasha gra-Lormak: daughter of Lormak, with the -a ending nearly every orc woman's name has.
- Mazgul gro-Thrumbor: a hard two-syllable name with a z in it, which suits a warrior.
- Orkhara gra-Thrumbor: Mazgul's sister, since they share a father. Skyrim does the same with Moth gro-Bagol and Ghorza gra-Bagol.
- Kargoth gro-Mogdur: for a smith or a stronghold chief.
- Hulbura gra-Mornag: a wise-woman's name: same harsh sounds, softer ending.
- Ugbrak gro-Jurgosh: an orc that's as rough as his name.
- Brulgasha gra-Urnok: a longer female name for a forge-wife or a chief's daughter.
- Makrag: a first name on its own, for an orc who's known by an epithet instead.
- Yashka: a short female first name, ready for your own gra- surname.
What gro- and gra- mean
The second half of a Skyrim orc's name is about family. gro- means "son of" and gra- means "daughter of", and the name that follows is a parent's, most often the father's. So Urag gro-Shub, who looks after the Arcanaeum at the College of Winterhold, is Urag, son of Shub.
You can see both halves of the pattern side by side in Markarth, where the smiths Moth gro-Bagol and Ghorza gra-Bagol share the same family name with a different prefix.
The prefix is lower case and joined to the parent's name with a hyphen. In the generator, full names follow the same rule: men get gro-, women get gra-, and the parent's name comes from the list of male first names.
Names in the orc strongholds
Most of Skyrim's orcs live in four strongholds, each run by a chief: Dushnikh Yal and Mor Khazgur in the Reach, Largashbur in the Rift, and Narzulbur in Eastmarch. Life there follows the Code of Malacath, the Daedric Prince the orcs worship.
Each chief goes by a first name alone: Burguk at Dushnikh Yal, Larak at Mor Khazgur, Yamarz at Largashbur and Mauhulakh at Narzulbur.
Stronghold names come with roles attached. There's the chief, his wives, a forge-wife who keeps the smithy (Gharol at Dushnikh Yal, for example) and a wise-woman who speaks for Malacath. If you're naming a character from a stronghold, it's worth deciding their role too, since it says as much about them as the name does.
Some orcs also earn an epithet. Borgakh the Steel Heart, the chief's daughter at Mor Khazgur who can become your follower, goes by her deed-name rather than a gro-/gra- surname. An epithet suits a character with a reputation: a champion, an exile, a famous smith.
How the first names sound
Skyrim orc first names are short, usually one or two syllables, and lean on hard sounds: g, k, z, sh and rough vowels like u and o.
- Male names mostly end in a hard consonant: -ash, -ak, -uk, -ag, -og, as in Durgash, Makrag and Lurbuk.
- Female names nearly always end in -a, especially -ra and -ha, as in Bolarza, Urzoga and Magzura. Same sounds, softer ending.
A few names in the generator, like Urag and Ghorza, appear in the game itself. The rest are new names built from the same sounds, so they'll fit in without belonging to anyone you'll meet in Tamriel.
How to make your own Skyrim orc name
- Pick a first name of one or two syllables with hard sounds: g, k, z, sh. End it in a consonant for a man (Durgash) or in -a for a woman (Ghorza).
- Add gro- or gra-: gro- for a son, gra- for a daughter, in lower case with a hyphen.
- Add a parent's name, usually the father's. It's always a male-style name, so a daughter can be gra-Bagol.
- Add an epithet if they've earned one: "the Steel Heart", "the Unbroken". An orc with a famous deed-name can drop the surname altogether.
Say it out loud when you're done: Skyrim orc names are meant to be barked across a stronghold, not whispered. For your orc's weapon, try the Daedric Weapon Name Generator.