Random Orc Name Generator

Orc names are built to be barked across a battlefield. Across nearly every fantasy setting they share the same DNA: one or two hard syllables, plenty of guttural consonants (g, k, r, z, th, gh), and vowels that stay low in the throat. Tolkien set the template with Azog, Bolg, Uglúk and Grishnákh; Warcraft softened it slightly for names like Thrall, Durotan and Draka; and D&D's Player's Handbook offers short, punchy examples such as Dench, Krusk, Ovak and Shautha. Warhammer's Ork tribes take it in a comic direction with names like Ghazghkull Thraka and Snikrot.

Surnames work differently than in human cultures. Most orcs are known by their given name plus an earned epithet describing a deed, a scar or a weapon: Doomhammer, Deadeye, Bladefist, Ten-Scars, Skull-Taker. In Skyrim, orcs use the parent-based forms gro- (son of) and gra- (daughter of), as in Ghorza gra-Bagol. Clan or tribe names (Frostwolf, Blackrock, Iron Wolves) can also stand in for a family name.

A strong orc name should be easy to shout, hard to mistake for an elf, and hint at the character's story. If you're rolling a half-orc, keep the harsh first name but pair it with a human surname for a character caught between two cultures.