Gnoll Name Generator

A gnoll is named twice: once by whoever whelped it, and again by the pack, for something it killed. Every result here gives you both halves with their meanings.

Generate gnoll names

Gharrugh the Spotted
Angakk the Loping
Herharr the Loping
Khaghegh the Well-Fed
Yaghnagh Road-Waiting
Khikharr Ear-Taker
Ghirr Gnaws-The-Chain
Rukakk the Unfed
Hrikkya Two-Herds
Hyugorr Skin-Counter
Ghakk Carrion-Glad
Hrughukk Carrion-Glad

How these gnoll names are built

Gnoll speech is built on breath. The bank leads with h, hr, gh and kh, allows a y onset no other race here uses, and keeps the vowels short and flat, so the names are aspirated rather than guttural. Endings double their consonants (-rr, -kk, -gh) to land on a growl. That is what separates a gnoll from an orc, which barks from the back of the throat, and from a goblin, which clicks and spits.

Given-name endings carry meaning: -gorr (throat-taker), -akk (jaw), -rugh (gorger), -nagh (hunger) and -harr (laughs first) read masculine; -ya (she who laughs), -urra (den-mother), -irr (sharp-eared) and -ikka (quick tooth) read feminine. The neutral -ukk (runt) suits a gnoll the pack has not decided about yet, and the meaning line under each name shows you which ending it took, so you can pick a gnoll whose name already argues with its role.

The second name is a kill-name, awarded by the pack and always describing a death: Throat-Taker, Marrowsucker, Two-Herds, Hamstringer. Each is glossed, so a gnoll arrives with a deed attached. A few are backhanded, because gnoll packs are not kind to their own; the Well-Fed and the Unfed are both jokes at someone’s expense. Turn the second part off for a gnoll that has not killed anything worth naming.

Switch the second part to a pack name for a gnoll introducing itself to outsiders, who care less about the individual than about which band is at the treeline: of the Redmaw Pack, of the Broken Fence Pack, of the Thin Winter Pack. Each pack name is glossed with what that band is known for, which gives a DM a raiding history to hang on the encounter before anyone rolls anything.

Example gnoll names

A fixed sample from the generator above, so you can see the range before you press the button. Every list you generate is different; every link you copy reproduces its list exactly.

Girakk Bonepile
Kikkukk Night-Yipper
Ganagh Night-Yipper
Hraghgorr Road-Waiting
Hringyan Throat-Taker
Kughakk Night-Yipper
Rakkegh Ear-Taker
Hiyng Ear-Taker
Khikurra Hide-Wearer
Rakkukk the Spotted
Ihyu the Well-Fed
Harrikka Two-Herds
Nanikka Throat-Taker
Hinghuk Carrion-Glad
Hingurra the Hyena-Sired
Haghikk Throat-Taker
Jeharr the Well-Fed
Nangegh the Spotted
Hrurrukk Night-Yipper
Ringurra Hamstringer
Gherugh Bonepile

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to what players and writers ask us most

Do gnolls have surnames?

No. A gnoll carries a given name and a kill-name earned from the pack, and outside the pack it adds the pack’s own name. Nothing is inherited, which is why the second name here is a deed or a band rather than a family.

How are these different from orc or goblin names?

Different sound inventory. Gnoll names are aspirated and geminate (Hrakagorr, Yakkurra); orc names are guttural and clipped; goblin names are thin and spitting. Generate a few of each side by side and the difference is audible.

Can I get a name for a gnoll pack leader?

Set Length to Long and keep the kill-name. Pack leaders in most settings hold rank by having killed conspicuously, so the longer name plus a kill-name like the Last-Laughing reads as a leader rather than a whelp.

Can I use them in my own game?

Yes, freely. Everything is generated from original data.

Unofficial fan tool. Dungeons & Dragons is a trademark of its owner; NameForge is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by it. Names here are generated from original data in the style of the setting and are free to use in your own games and stories.