Troll Name Generator
Heavy two-syllable troll names built from stone, moss and bog elements, every syllable glossed, with bridge and cairn epithets.
2,205,000 combinations in this form
- Grumsakk Damphide
Grum gloom + sakk sack
gloom sack
Damp + hide
damp hide
- Mossunga Gritchewer
Moss + unga young one
moss young one
Grit + chewer
grit chewer
- Glumhollump Stumpback
Glumhol gloom hollow + lump
gloom hollow lump
Stump + back
stump back
- Blodbak Stoneshank
Blod mud + bak back
mud back
Stone + shank
stone shank
- Fenhagga Fenchewer
Fen + hagga old woman
fen old woman
Fen + chewer
fen chewer
- Snorbeknubb Boulderclub
Snorbek snow stream + nubb thumb
snow stream thumb
Boulder + club
boulder club
- Vardmog Toadhump
Vard cairn + mog kin
cairn kin
Toad + hump
toad hump
- Murklumpa Knotgut
Murk + lumpa lump
murk lump
Knot + gut
knot gut
- Rimstanhump Stumpclub
Rimstan frost stone + hump
frost stone hump
Stump + club
stump club
- Troghidd Ironchain
Trog tunnel + hidd hide
tunnel hide
Iron + chain
iron chain
- Grotolda Stumpgut
Grot grotto + olda elder
grotto elder
Stump + gut
stump gut
- Fungrotald Sludgebelly
Fungrot fungus rot + ald old one
fungus rot old one
Sludge + belly
sludge belly
- Dolmtunn Barrowback
Dolm standing stone + tunn weight
standing stone weight
Barrow + back
barrow back
- Hulmirna Bridgesack
Hulm river islet + irna ironworker
river islet ironworker
Bridge + sack
bridge sack
- Tarnholdbakk Sludgeheap
Tarnhold pool hollow + bakk back
pool hollow back
Sludge + heap
sludge heap
- Yrngrud Stumpgrumble
Yrn iron ore + grud grudge
iron ore grudge
Stump + grumble
stump grumble
- Brogknokka Bridgethumper
Brog boulder + knokka knuckle
boulder knuckle
Bridge + thumper
bridge thumper
- Moldgravdolg Knotshank
Moldgrav mould pit + dolg mutterer
mould pit mutterer
Knot + shank
knot shank
- Bogokk Rimethumb
Bog + okk eye
bog eye
Rime + thumb
rime thumb
- Vellwodda Gorsesitter
Vell spring + wodda heap
spring heap
Gorse + sitter
gorse sitter
- Cragvoldlump Stonetooth
Cragvold crag field + lump
crag field lump
Stone + tooth
stone tooth
- Duruld Knotlurker
Dur grey + uld elder
grey elder
Knot + lurker
knot lurker
- Brogulla Bogclub
Brog boulder + ulla wool
boulder wool
Bog + club
bog club
- Bergrotfust Bridgedigger
Bergrot mountain root + fust fist
mountain root fist
Bridge + digger
bridge digger
How troll names are built
¶A troll name is two closed syllables and no more. The first element names the ground the troll lives in or under — mog moss, bog bog, brud a boulder, krum scree, klod clay, stog sludge — and the second names a part of the troll or a habit it has kept for centuries: bak a back, gul a gullet, grud a grudge, thul a waiter, plodd a plodder. Mogbak is moss back. Krumgrud is scree grudge. Nothing is decorative and nothing is abbreviated.
The sound is deliberately dull. Troll speech has short vowels, doubled consonants and hard stops, no long vowels to draw out and no sibilant hiss, and the stress sits flat on the first syllable so the name lands like a dropped stone. This is what separates trolls from orcs, who bark and snarl and load their names with sharp edges. A troll is not angry, it is old and slow, and its name is built to be said once and understood.
Female names take an open -a on the second element, giving Moggrunna and Rimhulda, and the elder or neutral set uses two landscape words rather than a body word, because the oldest trolls are named for the ground itself: Aldstanhald, Bergrothodd. Beside the name sits a use-name given by the people who must deal with the troll, and it records the place it sits and the price it takes: Bridgetoll, Fordsitter, Cairnwaiter. Trolls never change either one.
Questions
What are good troll names?
Two heavy syllables, ground first and body second: Mogbak, Brudgul, Klodhump, Stoggrud. Keep the vowels short and let the consonants double at the join. If the name takes more than a second to say, or if it has a graceful vowel run in it, it belongs to some other creature. A troll name should sound like a rock settling.
How are troll names different from orc names?
Orc names are aggressive: sharp consonants, snarled endings, and meanings about killing and breaking. Troll names are dull and ancient. They are built from the vocabulary of stone, moss, bog and bridge, and the second element is usually a body part or a habit rather than a weapon. A troll is patient, not violent, and the name should read that way.
What are good troll last names?
Trolls do not carry family names, they carry use-names given by the people who deal with them, and those name a place and a price: Bridgetoll, Fordsitter, Cairnwaiter, Mosshoarder, Bogbelly. The first half says where the troll sits and the second says what it does to whoever comes past, which is all most travellers need to know.
Do female trolls have different names?
The elements are the same and only the ending changes. Female names take an open -a on the second element, so grunn becomes grunna and hulda closes softly, giving Moggrunna, Rimhulda, Sludkinna. It softens the landing without making the name light. The neutral set is used for elders of either sex, and it pairs two landscape words instead.
How long should a troll name be?
Two syllables for almost every troll, and three only for elders whose names have absorbed a second piece of landscape. Length in troll naming tracks age rather than status, so a long name means an old troll and an old troll means one that has watched a river change course. Short is the default and short is correct.