The fantasy world is filled with creatures both wild and kind. If you’re interested in creating a world of your own for your book, you have to explore different kinds of characters to make your plot interesting. Why? Because this diversity allows readers to imagine a more colorful world that they can immerse in. Since you cannot have a colorful world without darker colors, it is vital for authors to know about orcs, monsters, goblins, and demons, too! Our Orc Name Generator helps writers and authors do just that.
Our Orc Name Generator allows you to imagine the attitude and nature of the creatures that you create. Plus, it saves you time and energy, given the fact that orc names are relatively unique and are difficult to come up with.
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What Are Orcs?
Orcs are a class of creatures in fantasy fiction and make up the majority of the forces of Sauron, the Dark Lord in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Most authors depict them as humanoids with green or grey skin, yellow eyes, fangs, and tusks.
Their origin is obscure but thought to be bred from elves. Orcs have become a stock fantasy race and have been used in many other books and games since then. You can find Orcs in many fantasy worlds like Dungeons and Dragons.
Origin of Orcs in Literature
The word “Orc” came from the Latin word “Orcus” which means a “Goblin” or “Hell-devil”. Although there were similar words from the Old English and Early Modern history such as “Orcneas” or “Orcus”, the word was coined into modern usage by fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien. In his work, these creatures are ugly, brutish, aggressive, and malevolent.
Newer depictions of orcs have also come into play through the years, such as those of the Warcraft series. This is why recent illustrations of orcs now come in two general flavors: the original model and a revolutionist model.
Physical Appearance
Orcs are similar to men but shorter, broader, more muscular, brutish, and oversized. Some of them have black blood. They have a sallow, pale, brown, gray, swarthy, black, or greenish skin tone. They also have muscled arms and legs, large hands with long claws, and a snout-like nose with tusks that jutted out.
Most orcs are either bald or were balding. In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, male orcs have hair on their heads, ranging from black to brown shades. This is likely to match the color of their bristle. However, they were bald in the original Warcraft game series.
Orc males are generally larger than females and have large teeth, prominent canines, and jutting jaws.
They generally do not wear much clothing because they seldom feel cold. Most wear black armor, and they often use shields and short swords for combat.
Things to Consider When Writing Orcs into Your Stories
Orcs have played various roles in literature… important to take note of before creating a character in your own book.
Despite their differences, here are some common characteristics about these unique creatures:
Orcs are highly skilled Craftsmen.
Orcs are known to be wild creatures that are always ready for a fight. Despite this character, Orcs are also good with their hands. They pride themselves on the quality of their armor and weapons. Although their crafts are not as fancy as the other races, their work is durable and functional. In Elder Scrolls, they’re among the strongest known in Tamriel and are crafted from a durable material known as orichalcum.
They are depicted as rough creatures.
Orc society is a society of violence and anger. Although the early orc clans were relatively peaceful, their appearance made them an easy target for others. While humans and elves were mellow and peaceful, orcs were foul and angry-looking creatures.
Because of their nature and environment, Orcs appear rugged and violent in contrast to other races. But basically, their features depend on the Orc version that authors prefer. Tolkien’s version is uglier, but other versions show that they aren’t necessarily repulsive. They can also be of different colors such as shades of green, gray, or red. In Warcraft and other game references, they are characterized as having large tusks and incredibly thick muscles. Despite the difference, these views both share their monstrous and primitive appearance.
Orcs have trust issues.
The orcs do not have good history concerning politics and general relationships with other races. However, they are not to be blamed. They have been historically discriminated against and warred against by most other races that claim to be more civilized than they are. This is why by instinct, they do not easily trust outsiders. In fact, they do not easily trust other orcs that do not belong to their tribe. Despite the difficulty, if ever outsiders gain their acceptance, they can establish a good relationship with them.
They are organized in different ranks.
Unlike other races who are governed either by monarchy or democracy, orcs are ranked according to their strength. This is why orc subjects follow their leaders either out of fear or respect for their strength. In other references, they are also grouped into different tribes and are ruled by different chiefs and chieftains.
Orcs have unique magic.
Based on Tolkien’s descriptions, most orcs do not use magic. If they do, it would be black magic. In Blizzard though, Orcs are capable of using magic that might be even on par with humans and elves. Unlike other races, their magic is more of shamanic and arcane origin and is considered unique than others. Oftentimes, their magic is shown to be more “earthly” than the other races.
Orcs have harsh and brutal language.
If you check out Orc names, you might find that most of their names are based on a guttural construction. Their words mostly include hard consonant sounds such as ‘d’, ‘g’, ‘k’, ‘r’, etc. making the Orc language sound rough and harsh. This is important to note because the language adds richness to their character and personality allowing authors to portray them as strong and rough characters.
Orcs in Literature and Screen
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is an epic high-fantasy novel, later on, a movie film, created by the English author J.R.R. Tolkien. The novel is set in a fantasy world filled with different races such as the Humans, Wizards, Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and Orcs. The story entails the adventures of a group of people from different races on the quest to destroy the One Ring that would destroy their world called, Middle-earth.
The Orcs in this novel was the primary foot soldiers of the Dark Lord. They are described as ugly and gnarly creatures that were once Elves but were corrupted by the dark powers.
Warcraft
This particular action fantasy film is based on a video game series of the same name. Warcraft is a movie developed by Legendary Pictures and the game developer, Blizzard Entertainment, and was released by Universal Studios in June 2016.
Like the Lord of the Rings, this movie is also set in a fantasy world filled with Humans, Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves. But its main races are Humans and Orcs battling for their causes.
Contrary to Tolkien’s understanding that Orcs are dumb and nasty creatures, the Orcs in this movie are intelligent and on par with humans when it comes to battle strategies. That is because the Orc horde is being led by a powerful Orc Warlock, clan chieftains, war leaders, and spies. With this, these Orcs have the capability to raid several settlements and leave unscathed with the power of their own Orc warlock.
Dungeons & Dragons
D&D is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. It was first published in 1974 and has been active since then up to now. As an RPG, the game allows players to create their characters to embark on a fantasy adventure. In the game, players interact with the characters and fight against evil monsters. The word of D&D was influenced by mythology, history, and fantasy novels such as the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
In the game, Orcs are savage creatures with prominent teeth that resemble tusks. They were considered a threat to the civilized cultures of Toril, a planet in the world of D&D. But this somewhat changed when the Orcs were unified into a single kingdom by King Obould. The Orcs’ had poor temperaments in the game. They were easily offended and are impatient. However, because of this character, they were known to be excellent at getting things done.
The Elder Scrolls
Like Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls is a series of action role-playing games developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The games Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim all won the “Game of the Year” award from multiple outlets and have sold more than 58 million copies worldwide.
With the game’s fictional universe, its continent is split into different provinces inhabited by humans and fantasy races such as elves, orcs, and anthropomorphic animals. The Orsimers, or most commonly known as Orcs, are considered barbarians by the other humanoid races and live in the mountainous regions of western Tamriel.
Every Orc stronghold is scattered throughout the continent and is led by an Orc chieftain. Orc strongholds follow their own law called the Code of Malacath that is clarified by the stronghold’s resident wise woman. The rules of the Code are simple: do not kill, do not steal, and do not attack people without reason. But even with their own Code, living in an Orc stronghold is all about strength. An Orc can only become a chieftain if he kills the current one. And law offenders do not have to go to jails for they do not have one. Instead, they are forced to pay a “blood price” in which they bleed until the victim is satisfied.
How Do You Name An Orc?
You’ve created your world, and you know all about it: the history, the lore, the races, the characters, and the adventure hook. However, have you ever stopped to think about how to name your orcs?
As a fantasy author, you’ll be confronted with this task at some point in your career. The way you name things will shape people’s perceptions about your world. Whether it’s your orcs, elves, or cities, choosing names that fit and sound right is essential.
How do you do this?
Orc names have a first name and a surname. Their first names are usually short and guttural sounding. Here are some examples: Durotan, Thrall, Garrosh, Varok, and Saurfang.
Their surnames are in English and usually reflect their strengths, for instance, Hellscream, Elfkiller, etc.
Orc Names
Orcs have their language, called Orkish and Black Speech. The language is made up of many guttural sounds, and as a result, most Orcs names are monosyllables. Choosing the perfect orc name can be tricky, but the orc name generator will help you find the best name.
Orc names are a mix of harsh consonants and guttural sounds. They tend to be short and straightforward, but many exceptions prove the rule.
Some examples include:
- Grimdo Twintaker
- Duhltogg Hellscream
- Ogal Deadmaul
- Bralzirg Hellfeast
- Mosomm Frostbrass
- Gre’deszirl Silentscream
- Brolzezzin Hollowmaul
- Gravmash Blackhunt
- Threra Warrest
- Grakzurn Sharptail
There you go! If you need to create a character for a novel or short story, check out the Orc Name Generator below.
Orc Name Generator: 100 Male Orc names
- Chakub
- Duffthug
- Sugbu
- Gollik
- Zogstuf
- Yambul
- Rok
- Grimfang
- Zalthu
- Rokblorggor
- Wortsnaga
- Bagul
- Snaglak
- Naznob
- Noogugh
- Orknack
- Mekuz
- Varbu
- Throdrok
- Wazgut
- Podagog
- Heddrak
- Ratnob
- Cukgilug
- Ongne
- Murbol
- Rotstuf
- Bashuk
- Thokgrim
- Badsnik
- Ulumpha
- Zugug
- Mekskab
- Raghat
- Durrot
- Ronkros
- Brokil
- Dakagob
- Pargu
- Skargob
- Mekbag
- Hibub
- Ugskab
- Jughog
- Sniknob
- Nurghed
- Grotshak
- Snikgrub
- Dakagrot
- Snikgut
- Ditgurat
- Skabgrim
- Kurdan
- Zogwort
- Homraz
- Grotwort
- Rotgob
- Sharn
- Mekbad
- Murob
- Grumgor
- Nubgrot
- Oghash
- Dakagrod
- Gobnob
- Morgut
- Wortrot
- Snagagor
- Shagdub
- Nargog
- Narstuf
- Duffrunt
- Rotgrim
- Snak
- Skarbad
- Urgran
- Gobbog
- Dregbad
- Urtydreg
- Waagob
- Sahgigoth
- Zoggog
- Badbog
- Matuk
- Elaran
- Erlarunt
- Herbalar
- Usskaar
- Horith
- Erlathan
- Neldor
- Usunaar
- Gael
- Virjeon
- Conall
- Nesterin
- Agis
- Sudryl
- Rodagog
- Celeborn
Orc Name Generator: 100 Female Orc Names
- Alais
- Reyzbad
- Gilgalad
- Tornog
- Aredhel
- Purtguz
- Siirist
- Raebog
- Tehlmar
- Zaltga
- Thranduil
- Gaelug
- Ravaphine
- Alaiszag
- Vaalyun
- Portnog
- Raegel
- Siirwort
- Zaltarish
- Silvnog
- Raunaeril
- Tehlnez
- Vaegon
- Gaelnog
- Toross
- Trandbad
- Therona
- Namez
- Purtham
- Pierneg
- Silvyr
- Sandez
- Reysalor
- Aquabad
- Gwenog
- Sudniz
- Calez
- Elbjar
- Elenoss
- Galeguz
- Naz
- Maui
- Mursha
- Naffurty
- Nobfang
- Duzharac
- Buzum
- Zoguz
- Mekslag
- Glugka
- Bugsel
- Nazgul
- Nubshak
- Mag
- Nazsnaga
- Nubbog
- Magnob
- Morskab
- Gobgul
- Skarsnaga
- Grumshak
- Skarsnaga
- Mekbag
- Nazarg
- Uzshak
- Naruz
- Skarstuf
- Brubwort
- Brubsnaga
- Nazfug
- Ghorza
- Murzush
- Lagakh
- Gul
- Mazoga
- Borba
- Batul
- Burzob
- Bagrak
- Shagub
- Urzoth
- Ghak
- Urzul
- Sharamph
- Agrob
- Gashnahk
- Yazgash
- Grazob
- Shel
- Gul
- Rulfim
- Shazgob
- Lash
- Ushug
- Shardukh
- Bulfim
- Borgakh
- Dura
- Dulug
- Bum
Did you find our Orc Name Generator helpful? Here are more generators to help you create characters and stories:
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