Klingon Ship Name Generator

Klingon warships in Star Trek carry the prefix IKS (Imperial Klingon Ship) and are named in three broad ways. Many take a word from tlhIngan Hol, Marc Okrand's Klingon language, usually a weapon, virtue, or beast: Bortas means revenge, Hegh'ta comes from the word for death, Vor'cha is a battlecruiser class, K'Vort is a warrior's name, and Qu'Vat, Pagh, and Ch'Tang all appear as ship names in Deep Space Nine. Others honor famous warriors and Chancellors (IKS Gorkon, IKS Kahless, IKS Martok, Kronos One). A third group uses English translations that make the menace explicit, such as the Bird-of-Prey epithets fans expect: Fang of Molor, Blood of Kahless, Blade of Qo'noS.

Okrand's orthography looks unusual because capitalization is phonetic. In tlhIngan Hol, Q, S, H, I, and D are separate letters from q, s, h, i, and d, so a name like SuvwI' (warrior) or veqlargh (Fek'lhr) is written with the capitals in the middle. Canon ships such as Negh'Var and Rotarran use anglicized spellings, and both styles coexist in the franchise, so pick one for your fleet and stay consistent.

Klingons name ships to make a boast. A Bird-of-Prey wants a name that promises death to its prey; a flagship wants the name of a legend. If you are naming a vessel for a Klingon character, ask what that captain would carve into a bat'leth, then put IKS in front of it.