Find a name for your dwarf
- Korwyn Goldhelmkor (iron) + wyn (joy): “iron joy”, of the Goldhelm clan (“gold-helm”)
- Rudhild Flintshieldrud (red) + hild (battle-maid): “red battle-maid”, of the Flintshield clan (“flint-shield”)
- Balok Stonehelmbal (stone) + ok (smith): “stone smith”, of the Stonehelm clan (“stone-helm”)
- Thrarik Stonedelvethra (hammer) + rik (king): “hammer king”, of the Stonedelve clan (“stone-delve”)
- Gundarik Deepbrowgund (battle) + rik (king): “battle king”, of the Deepbrow clan (“deep-brow”)
- Helok Goldveinhel (shield) + ok (smith): “shield smith”, of the Goldvein clan (“gold-vein”)
- Gundanar Granitebeardgund (battle) + nar (elder): “battle elder”, of the Granitebeard clan (“granite-beard”)
- Magok Granitehelmmag (strong) + ok (smith): “strong smith”, of the Granitehelm clan (“granite-helm”)
How these dwarf names are built
A given name is one heavy root and a short ending. Roots carry the dwarf’s character or craft: thra means hammer, kor iron, dur deep, grim stern. Endings mark a role or relationship, such as rik (king), ok (smith) or hild (battle-maid). So Korok is “iron smith” and Thrahild is “hammer battle-maid”.
Clan names are in plain speech and describe what the clan is known for: Ironbeard, Coppervein, Anvilhelm. They work as surnames, and they tell readers in one word whether a family mines, forges or fights.
Name roots
| Root | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bal | stone |
| dur | deep |
| thra | hammer |
| grim | stern |
| kor | iron |
| bran | fire |
| hel | shield |
| rud | red |
| thor | bold |
| vond | tunnel |
| dag | day |
| mag | strong |
| ulf | wolf |
| gund | battle |
Endings
| Style | Endings | Meanings |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | en, rik, grum, ok, ar, nar, dun | son, king, warden, smith, warrior, elder, hill |
| Feminine | hild, a, runa, dis, gerd, wyn, ra | battle-maid, daughter, secret, lady, guarded, joy, ember |
What makes a name sound like a dwarf
Hard consonants and short vowels. Sounds such as k, g, d, r and th, packed into one or two syllables, read as solid and stubborn. Tolkien took most of his dwarf names, from Thorin to Gimli, from the list of dwarves in the Old Norse poem Völuspá, which is why so much fantasy still gives dwarves a Norse sound.
Family before self. Dwarves in fiction are usually introduced by lineage: son of, daughter of, of the clan. Decide which matters more in your culture, the parent or the clan, and use it every time.
Don’t forget dwarf women. Older fantasy often left them out or joked that they had beards. Giving them names with their own endings, as this generator does, is a small way to make a dwarven hold feel like a whole society.
Dwarves worth reading
For dwarves at the centre of the story, read Terry Pratchett’s The Fifth Elephant, which turns dwarf culture and its politics into a Discworld mystery, or Markus Heitz’s The Dwarves. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is still the best-known dwarf quest of all.
More names for your world
Every hold needs a neighbour and a name. Try the kingdom name generator for the realm, the tavern and town name generator for the alehouse at the mountain’s foot, and the elf name generator for the old rivals in the valley.