What would Orc parents name a human child? Character name help?

[Nikushimi]

So, I have this idea for a character that has Orcs for parents, or rather adoptive parents because the character in question is a Human.

This human was a baby when he was found by the Orcs, and by found I do mean found. Not kidnapped or anything. The Orcs are a travelling group that are searching for a home to settle down peacefully. Beings Orcs this isn't exactly easy, but they do their best.

So, the premise is that in their travels they come across a human child. Two of the orcs, the leaders basically, are a couple that decide to take in this child and raise it as their own.

Now, eventually in my characters background they have to leave their Orcish parents and the rest of the travelling group for reasons I'm not sure is pertinent for this question I am asking, but it basically boils down to the fact that they are Human and their "Parents" are not. Even though they are family they must part ways because of misunderstandings from those they come across in their travels, especially when they pass too close by a village and stuff.
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Long story short, the parents of this child are not Human, but are kindhearted and mean well. They are rather loving, doting, and caring parents all around.

However, not being human how would they name this child? Would they name it typically like an Orc or would a conversation something like this happen?

"What should we call it?"
"Well..it's human. What is a human name?"
"I don't know....something weird like Reginald?"

Or would they name it after their Orcish naming rites? They want to do right by this child, but they are unknowing of human ways except for what they've seen in their travels. They try their best despite not being human themselves.

Since I eventually want this Human Wizard to be a Bladesinger (for various character reasons) I am thinking one of the parents will be an Elf, or there would be some elves travelling with the group, or they would have an Elven ally that they could have the child train under once they go their separate ways.

If the first two are true then I would imagine the conversation being a bit different as there would be Elven influence on the conversation of naming this human child.
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So, long, long story short.

What would a human raised by Orcs (and possibly an Elf or a couple Elves) with good intentions and kindhearted natures be named? Something Orcish or would they try their best to come up with a Humanish name?

What would such a name be? Need help in naming my character basically whenever anyone asks his name. Much appreciated.

[Lavaeolus]

As apparent in your post, there's a few ways to go about this. Now, the characterisation of these parents means you're probably not gonna be calling the kid "Skulldrummer" or the like, but still: I like to keep Orc names relatively simple, but a bit guttural. As far as official content goes, suggested 5e half-orc male names include Dench, Feng, Gell, Henk, Krusk, Thokk.

That being said, while I was considering this I thought about-- so the real world has a history of other cultures taking and distorting names. An Orc family is going to to do something similar, even if they pick a "Human" name. If you're looking for something that immediately pegs them as a bit of an outsider to both Orcs and Humans, you could play this up: take a common name you like, and just butcher it a bit. How would an Orc say it?

For instance, instead of Reginald how about... Ruggehnall. Or not that exactly, but a similar idea.

You could also do something more elven-inspired, which should sound a little different from Orc, but it also works as kind of misunderstanding a human name if neither are that familiar with the strict pronunciation / spelling.

[Man_Over_Game]

My thoughts were similar. Something orcs might *think* is a human name.

Like Jokk. Or Markuth. Or Togi.

[Nikushimi]

As apparent in your post, there's a few ways to go about this. Now, the characterisation of these parents means you're probably not gonna be calling the kid "Skulldrummer" or the like, but still: I like to keep Orc names relatively simple, but a bit guttural. As far as official content goes, suggested 5e male names include Dench, Feng, Gell, Henk, Krusk, Thokk.

That being said, while I was considering this I thought about-- so the real world has a history of other cultures taking and distorting names. An Orc family is going to to do something similar, even if they pick a "Human" name. If you're looking for something that immediately pegs them as a bit of an outsider to both Orcs and Humans, you could play this up: take a common name you like, and just butcher it a bit. How would an Orc say it?

For instance, instead of Reginald how about... Ruggehnall. Or not that exactly, but a similar idea.

You could also do something more elven-inspired, which should sound a little different from Orc, but it also works as kind of misunderstanding a human name if neither are that familiar with the strict pronunciation / spelling.

Yes, exactly. Neither parent or the tribe really know the naming protocols of Humans or know much about humans except that there are many of them and often live in stone or wood buildings/settlements and are often afraid of them.

They are rather outlanders themselves and travel around a lot. They are basically a group that has split from the main orcish hordes and are just trying to find their own peaceful home. A place to call themselves. While strength is still important and the warrior spirit is still fresh, as they do sparring and training as mainly a means for survival now, they are more trying to just find a life.

Which is why it is kind of hard finding a name for this character. It would be these Orcish parents who mean well trying to give this human child a name, knowing that one day they will probably go out into the world among their own kind. So they would need a name.

I was honestly thinking going with a typical Orcish name for when they are with their Tribe, something related to stars or magic (As I might make them a sorcerer instead of wizard), but then when they leave they may have taken up a different name that either their Elven Ally or something had given them. Unsure.

I appreciate the insight though. Gives me a bit to think on.

[rel]

Orc word for "hope" since the child represents their hopes for a future of peaceful cooperation with other races.

Or "fate" since their finding the child could be taken as a sign that their choice to pursue peace was correct.

Names that tell a story are always superior to random collections of characters no matter how many apostrophes you add or how dillegently you mash your butt against the keyboard to create them.

[Nikushimi]

Orc word for "hope" since the child represents their hopes for a future of peaceful cooperation with other races.

Or "fate" since their finding the child could be taken as a sign that their choice to pursue peace was correct.

Names that tell a story are always superior to random collections of characters no matter how many apostrophes you add or how dillegently you mash your butt against the keyboard to create them.

This is true and how I typically name my characters. Usually having some kind of meaning.

My issue is in finding such naming conventions that give meanings along with the names. It's somewhat easy to do for Elves to find something, but for Orcs I can't really find much.

So if anyone can point me to any kind of naming conventions with meanings and such, that'd be helpful as well!

[ad_hoc]

"Human"


...

[Evaar]

Depends. When they found the child, was their reaction more like “This child will die without care, we have to look after it until it can fend for itself” or was it like “A child! This is a miracle, we will raise it as our own!”

If it’s the latter, the name should be Orcish.

If it’s the former, then I would go with a simple human name like Jack or Jane - something they will have heard humans use a lot. Something that will allow your character to return to their own culture easily enough.

[Nikushimi]

Depends. When they found the child, was their reaction more like “This child will die without care, we have to look after it until it can fend for itself” or was it like “A child! This is a miracle, we will raise it as our own!”

If it’s the latter, the name should be Orcish.

If it’s the former, then I would go with a simple human name like Jack or Jane - something they will have heard humans use a lot. Something that will allow your character to return to their own culture easily enough.

The reaction is a bit of both.

The reaction is "This child is defenseless without care. We must shelter and protect it. Care for it as one of our own even if it is not. It is a miracle it is still alive. It may one day leave us, but till then and ever after it is family."

I am still trying to figure out the details of the backstory of why exactly this human child was left for these people to find, but the premise is simple.

They find this child and basically their maternal instincts kick in. They can't leave it to die, and so they take it in. I am unsure if they already have children or if they will be without children, but basically their maternal instincts kick in and they take it in as one of their own. Though they may raise it as their own child, even if one day they may have to leave one another. Because I have to come up with a reason why this character is adventuring after all.

So it's a bit of both.

So I am stuck between either this human child was simply found in the aftermath of a battle, caravan that got destroyed, home which was attacked, etc. and they are coming upon the aftermath of such an attack, or if perhaps his human parents KNEW these Orc's and was handed over because their life was in danger or perhaps they were dying and wanted the child taken care of.

Unsure of the specifics for the details of how they came across him yet, but their reasoning for taking him in is their maternal instincts and wanting to shelter, raise, and protect this child the best they can as actual parents.

[Anymage]

If the child is entirely a foundling, I could easily see the orcs treating the child like any other orc child, name included. At most they'd give what they thought sounded like a human name, but a very strong case could be made for not treating him any differently from his peers. Although there's a good chance that when he ran into other humans after leaving his tribe, they gave him a nickname that was easier for them to say (much like real-world humans will nickname a friend with a foreign name) and he introduces himself to other humans with that nickname.

Alternately, if you want to simplify and avoid having to think too much about it, your character's parents didn't both succumb to their wounds immediately. If one held out just long enough to meet the orcs (although this would mean the tribe happened by not long after the disaster), they could ask the orcs to look after the baby. In this case they could mention his name, and it would be a normal human name given by human parents.

[yeahbutwaffles]

I like to think orcs have many names, and the worst thing that can happen is that you are given a name. Orcs can be mean and cruel. In orcish society a given name is likely to be an pejorative. From the time he was found he was probably called something like "pink thing", "left behind", or "snack" by the grown orcs who thought little of him. Sure, his adoptive parents probably call him something like "my child" or "hope", but are they important in the clan? Are they going to fight, kill, and maybe die if someone starts calling their adoptive child something awful?

So from the beginning we have the public, unflattering name given to the child. The name that his adoptive parents use. Those names are surely going to change as time goes on and the child has opportunities to prove himself. If the child becomes a strong fighter he could beat the teeth in on anyone trying to call him by his childhood public name while insisting he be called "strong arm", "sword blade", or "nose breaker". If he becomes a druid he could use magic to make an example of the name callers while insisting he be called by a name that fits his skill.

And that name will change as time goes on. If people start calling him "strong" or "brave" then those are names he earned. He could also pick up names like "weakling" if he isn't careful and allows others to give him his name after a defeat.

Guess that is the long way of saying I would start with an orc sounding word for something that the character is good at, maybe related to a fairly recent victory. That is the name that those who respect him will use. If the character ever makes it back to the clan and they don't respect him they may taunt him with his given name related to a particularly public failure or weakness as perceived by orcish society. An interesting scenario: The character introduces himself to other PCs by one name. As time goes on they find his adoptive clan and the clan mocking refer to using a disparaging name. The clan laughs when when he demands they call him by his chosen name and are willing to take it to a fight if he doesn't back down about it. Now you have the potential for encounters or adventures where he can build his reputation, gain some respect and pick his own name with his clan.

[Zhorn]

"I don't know....something weird like Reginald?"

... I feel like my human fighter should feel insulted by this ... :smallfrown:

but on topic, maybe they just forgo the name thing entirely

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pobwy_es2uc

[Nikushimi]

I like to think orcs have many names, and the worst thing that can happen is that you are given a name. Orcs can be mean and cruel. In orcish society a given name is likely to be an pejorative. From the time he was found he was probably called something like "pink thing", "left behind", or "snack" by the grown orcs who thought little of him. Sure, his adoptive parents probably call him something like "my child" or "hope", but are they important in the clan? Are they going to fight, kill, and maybe die if someone starts calling their adoptive child something awful?

So from the beginning we have the public, unflattering name given to the child. The name that his adoptive parents use. Those names are surely going to change as time goes on and the child has opportunities to prove himself. If the child becomes a strong fighter he could beat the teeth in on anyone trying to call him by his childhood public name while insisting he be called "strong arm", "sword blade", or "nose breaker". If he becomes a druid he could use magic to make an example of the name callers while insisting he be called by a name that fits his skill.

And that name will change as time goes on. If people start calling him "strong" or "brave" then those are names he earned. He could also pick up names like "weakling" if he isn't careful and allows others to give him his name after a defeat.

Guess that is the long way of saying I would start with an orc sounding word for something that the character is good at, maybe related to a fairly recent victory. That is the name that those who respect him will use. If the character ever makes it back to the clan and they don't respect him they may taunt him with his given name related to a particularly public failure or weakness as perceived by orcish society. An interesting scenario: The character introduces himself to other PCs by one name. As time goes on they find his adoptive clan and the clan mocking refer to using a disparaging name. The clan laughs when when he demands they call him by his chosen name and are willing to take it to a fight if he doesn't back down about it. Now you have the potential for encounters or adventures where he can build his reputation, gain some respect and pick his own name with his clan.

This would be the case if he was within a typical Orcish tribe, but as stated this tribe is an offshoot of typical Orcs. They are trying to find a better, more peaceful life. Basically, they are less cruel than other Orc tribes, and while they are proud and still train and practice in the art of combat and strength they tend to try to resolve things without such violence. Basically it's a "Hey, we're trying to do this better, but we are still warriors."

There is a bully that this child deals with growing up, but it is one with an old way of thinking. That strength is everything. Basically, think Gaston in Orc form. Thinks he's the top **** and deserves the girl because of it, but the girl in question is stronger than him and can easily beat his ass.

Yes, there is a girl involved that sort of acts as a defender of my character earlier on. One of the motivations he has for adventuring is to grow stronger and, in his eyes, become worthy of her. Even though she believes he already is. To one day basically go back and challenge this bully in one on one combat or to simply return when he feels that he is worthy. I'm not sure which yet.

The tribe overall is accepting of this child. The Chieftain is blood brothers with his father, and his mother is good friends with the Chieftains Wife. Overall, the tribe is accepting of him and not your typical Orcish tribe.

In fact, they have some enemies from other Orcish tribes because they broke off to find a better life to live in harmony rather than constant fear and war with other races. That's this tribes goal.

So naming wouldn't be as cruel or harsh as a typical Orc tribe might be.

Currently my backstory is in the process of being written and ironed out, but this particular Orc tribe is different because well...I tend to not go too gritty for backstories. My grittiest backstory on a current character is my Celestial Warlock Tiefling who was chased out of his home town and into hermithood based on his appearance. Way different from other tieflings that even some of them gave him a wide berth.

The grittiest backstory in the works for an upcoming/backup character is on a Human fighter who was a soldier. A recruit that looked up to his commanding officer...until that officer wiped out his entire company leaving nothing but a bloody swath of death. Waking up, somehow alive, and with scars to remember. He vows to train even harder to become strong enough to confront this commander once he finds him and ask him why he took out the entire company. Basically betraying them.

So I don't often get too dark with my backstories. Some diversity or minor issue/ill fortune, but nothing ever too horrible. Idk. Just find too many tragic backstories that it gets a bit boring.

[Nikushimi]

On a side note, and sorry if this is considered a double post/comment, but thought it needed its own comment.

I appreciate everyones insight! It gives me a lot to think on and I believe that I am going to go with something like people suggested. An orcish sounding human name. Something that they tried to make sound human, but is just orcish.

Possibly even TRYING to find a word for the child in Orcish itself.

The character will have two different eye colors. I am thinking one of them with be a dark pink/bright purple and the other being either sky blue or emerald green. Unsure which.

So something in Orcish that means "Bright Eyes" or "Star Blessed" or something. If anyone knows, let me know! Thanks and I appreciate anymore insight people are willing to give!

[Spiritchaser]

How about a namesake?

Could there have been a human leader, warrior or diplomat that the character’s parents would have known of and respected?

Could there have been a human that those two orcs met once, long ago, who proved to be brave, honourable and understanding or helpful at some crucial time?

Having a namesake could potentially open up a minor backstory adventure option if the campaign supports that sort of thing.

Maybe your namesake is not what they seem?

[iTreeby]

My favorite name for a character named by orcs is "Courragg" (at least that's how it's pronounced) if someone asks what it means, get confusedand tell them it is a common name. Insist, "I think I know my own name" you tell them it means "bravery and wisdom of the heart". It is spelled this way: Courage (the tusks make it hard to pronounced.) this is a good name for the brave little human, it will help him grow.

[Mud Puppy]

This question makes me think of some of my Chinese associates in business who pick "American" names because they think that we won't be able to pronounce their real names. Several of them have picked "normal" names in English, things like Maggie, Miranda, Summer, Johnny, Paul etc.

....

But then there is another group who picks names because they like how the word sounds in English regardless of what it is..... This group has names like Moon, Fighter, Burger, Jeans (yes that one is actually plural)... etc.

So I would say, for fun, if you have Orcs raising a human that they would pick a word in Common that they thought sounded nice and go from there. Perhaps something that can be shortened into a nickname that sounds better.... like name him "Mechanic," but when he grows up and moves away and realizes how "weird" his name is he can easily shorten it to "Mick" to fit in better with his own race.

this is a cool backstory no matter how you play this.... just outstanding. well done.

[Evaar]

The reaction is a bit of both.

Then that's what I would recommend. Do a mixture of both.

I have a cousin who was adopted from China. Her adopted parents named her Emma-Li, as a mixture of an American/European name and a Chinese name. Pronounced it sounds pretty much like "Emily" with a slightly different emphasis.

So see if you can come up with a hyphenated name that's a mix of both and flows well together.

[Lupine]

Something to consider is that the common orc has an intelligence of 7. Your character, as a human, is likely to have a vastly greater Intelligence than them, especially if your character is a wizard. This would make your tribe consider having you be the leader, due to better organizational abilities. Your Orc parents would probably recognize that your human nature would give you an improved planning ability.

As a result, they would probably try to encourage the character to pursue great knowledge, and optimize your brain for leadership. To encourage this, they might name your character "keen mind" or something similar

[ChildofLuthic]

This would be the case if he was within a typical Orcish tribe, but as stated this tribe is an offshoot of typical Orcs. They are trying to find a better, more peaceful life. Basically, they are less cruel than other Orc tribes, and while they are proud and still train and practice in the art of combat and strength they tend to try to resolve things without such violence. Basically it's a "Hey, we're trying to do this better, but we are still warriors."



I mean, maybe they're good-hearted about it, but I imagine they still poke fun with what they call people (if you go with that idea of naming.) Like they aren't going to call you "abandoned weakling," but maybe a name meaning "pink" or referring to some small animal, that's cute but not very strong. I suppose I came from a family where light teasing, with clear boundaries, was how we bonded, so I don't see it as necessarily cruel.

Alternatively, if you're going for a human, name, maybe they call him a common (English) word, since that's how they name each other? Something like "Kid" or "Man." Or maybe something like "Agard" (from the time someone introduced themselves as "a guard" and they thought that was their name.)

[Segev]

Assuming the kid was too young to tell them his name, nor remember it, probably something orcish. They are not planning to socialize him with humans; they're raising him in their tribe. He's going to be smaller and weaker than other kids his age. He's going to stand out. They may also realize he's liable to be smarter (though that may be less true in 5e). Giving him a name that fits in with those of the others in the tribe will make him stand out (negatively) less. It shows acceptance and that he's expected to be treated like any other tribe member, not like some human who happens to be with the tribe.

Growing up, he'll likely want to fit in more than he wants to be treated "specially" for his "disabilities." (And he WILL see physical weakness as a disability, one he'll deny and fight to overcome, most likely, because orcs value physical prowess.)

I could genuinely see argument to use half-orc stats for him, representing a hard, orc-raised life building his muscle and endurance. But Human or Vuman fit, too. The extra feat could represent something he picked up trying to be "orcish" despite his frailties.

But as to naming, given how you described the orcs and their situation and why they picked him up? Give him an orcish name. Something they'd give their own natural-born son. After all, just because they found him rather than birthing him doesn't make him any LESS their son, right?

[Tawmis]

So, I have this idea for a character that has Orcs for parents, or rather adoptive parents because the character in question is a Human.
This human was a baby when he was found by the Orcs, and by found I do mean found. Not kidnapped or anything. The Orcs are a travelling group that are searching for a home to settle down peacefully. Beings Orcs this isn't exactly easy, but they do their best.


I think it depends on the world setting - for example, I'd see it that they'd still name they after traditional orc names, so that they're accepted in the orc community and that the name would be easy to pronounce among other orcs. Because giving it a human name would remind everyone - the human also - that they're different. And not so easy to accept among Orcs.

Also I think the RP aspect of being raised by Orcs - having an Orc name - and then interacting with other humans and such - would be fun for RP.

So, maybe something like: Un'kar Bloodsong. With a reason that "Un'kar" in Orc means "not of pure blood" or something.

[rel]

This is true and how I typically name my characters. Usually having some kind of meaning.

My issue is in finding such naming conventions that give meanings along with the names. It's somewhat easy to do for Elves to find something, but for Orcs I can't really find much.

So if anyone can point me to any kind of naming conventions with meanings and such, that'd be helpful as well!

Most names based on places, professions, and people or things with desirable traits often slowly changed over time.

In game using people names is difficult because it requires everyone at the table know the worlds history. For similar reasons, corruptions of words are unhelpful.

when creating culture from whole cloth you can make exceptions but this is a good place to start.

Keep it simple, stick to names based on places, professions and things with desirable traits. Short names are also good because players are terrible at remembering names and liable to shorten any name they can.

When selecting a suitable name, consider the culture the name comes from. If the culture is nomadic, avoid names like Baker and Miller which require some fairly stationary equipment. There probably shouldn't be any hobbits named Cobbler. That sort of thing.

A warrior culture might have profession names like Merc, Smith, Bower, Fletcher, Armourer, Martial, etc.
Trait names might be things like Ironside, Steel, Dragon, Wolf, Pike, Victory, etc.
Locations names are dependent on climate. Assuming fantasy Not-Europe, names like Fields, Ford, Pass, Cliff, Forrest, Fenn, etc. Should fit fine.

[SirGraystone]

Since orc have green skin and human are of a more pink color, I would nickname him Pinky.

[Logosloki]

In most modern stories where orcs are named they typically have a name that is either significant to their birth, a prominent feature, or of some sort deed (later in life). It also depends on when an Orc is given a name. In your setting or the setting you are using when is it the appropriate time for an orc to gain a name because that will determine what sort of names might come about. Another factor would be how many orcs are travelling with the parents because an orcish name that translates to runt, round-ear, or foundling might seem mean spirited but would probably be a good orcish name if the orcs name their children young. Just think about this, the number one name for a baby boy in 2019 (according to the first list I grabbed) was helmet.

[Arkhios]

Naming conventions depend on culture more than race, really.

If orc parents had a human child, they'd probably give them an orc name, regardless of the child not being an orc.

However, if the orc parents lived within an elven community and were part of elven culture, they might give the child an elven name! Heck, if an orc couple lived in such an elven community (and were allowed to do so in peace), who knows, maybe even they have elven names! :smallbiggrin:

[ZorroGames]

Going literary here, maybe the Mangani word for White Skin? Tarzan.

[opaopajr]

Go with a pidgin of human English to accentuate the effort, plus Orcish honorifics to represent family distinction.

i.e.
Charrgh-als "Charles" GutRipper
Grack-gory "Gregory" HeartEater
Ear-wing "Irwin" EyeGouger

[Samayu]

I see you've chosen a direction, but I was going to suggest that maybe they named him or her after a human they once met, that they respected. Not a very exciting name (pick any human name), but there could be a story in it.

[jaappleton]

Blazo Glory