About dwarf names
Every result arrives as a complete identity in two beats, as in "Berhoren Copperbuckle", "Eltmolda Graybrewer" and "Whutoki Bluntstone". The surnames carry the worldbuilding weight, naming a family trade or trait you can hang a whole hold's economy on. For sibling NPCs, keep one surname and reroll only the first names.
How dwarf names are built
A dwarf name pairs a given name with a compound clan surname. Given names come from Norse-register banks (294 male, 298 female entries), and the surname is forged on the spot from 85 leading stems and 85 closing halves drawn from stone, metal, forge and battle language, producing Thorald Bouldermantle, Silfa Silversong and Gorrim Malthorn.
Thorald Bouldermantle
Thorald (male given name) + Boulder (surname stem, stone register) + mantle (surname ending)
Silfa Silversong
Silfa (female given name) + Silver (surname stem, metal register) + song (surname ending)
Gorrim Malthorn
Gorrim (male given name) + Malt (surname stem, brewhouse register) + horn (surname ending)
Naming notes
The surname is the flavor lever: stems like Iron, Granite, Grudge and Mead meet endings like beard, delver, wright and song, so a hold's roster reads like a trade ledger. Female given names carry the register's -hild, -run, -dis and -veig endings (Marhild, Solrun, Thordis); male names favour -grim, -rik, -mund and -vald (Thorgrim, Garrik, Ogmund). Reroll until the surname matches the character's craft.
Questions about dwarf names
- Why do the surnames sound like job titles?
- They compound a craft or material stem with a working ending (forge, wright, delver, keeper), the way dwarf clans in most settings advertise their trade. That makes the surname the fastest hook for a character concept.
- Do male and female names share surnames?
- Yes. The clan surname pool is shared; only the given-name bank splits by gender, with female names ending in -hild, -run, -dis or -a and male names in -grim, -rik, -mund or -vald.
- Can I get shorter names?
- Given names run two syllables and surnames two beats, so a full name stays around four to six syllables. Take the given name alone if you want a curt, hall-shouted handle.