A dwarven name is an heirloom, and like all dwarven heirlooms it is expected to survive hard use. Most first names in the deep halls have been worn by nine bearers before, each of whom is expected to have improved it. To receive a grandmother's name is to receive her unpaid debts of honor along with it, which is why dwarves check genealogies the way other folk check the weather.
The sounds are stone-sounds: hard stops, rolled r, one or two hammer-blows and done. Balin, Thragrim, Kazdur. The old tongue packs meaning tight, an axe, a grudge, a seam of gold, because a name may need to be shouted down a mineshaft, and nuance does not echo well.
Clan names are forged, not merely inherited, and they are advertisements: Ironbeard, Alehammer, Oathfist. A dwarf introduces the clan name with slightly more volume than the rest of the sentence. This is not vanity. It is warranty.
The elements of the old tongue
Bal- axe
Dur- enduring
Gim- fire-coal
Thra- iron will
Kaz- deep hall
Mor- mountain root
Bof- round shield
Grun- granite
Hjal- hearth
Kil- gold seam
Nor- north-born
Ov- anvil
Margin notes
How do dwarf clan names work?
A clan name is a compound of trade, triumph, or temperament: Ironbeard, Stonedelver, Battlehelm. It outranks the personal name in formal introductions, and marrying into a clan means earning the right to wear it, usually by labor, occasionally by siege.
Are dwarf names the same for men and women?
The first-name banks differ but share the same stone-sound rules. Feminine names in the deep halls hit just as hard: Thrahild means iron-will battle. Nobody has ever teased a dwarven matron about her name twice.
What should I avoid in a dwarf name?
Softness and length. Three syllables is a speech. If your dwarf's name cannot be shouted over an anvil, the grimoire suggests you are holding an elf name by mistake.
Last inscribed 2026-08-16
