[ Models | Lore | Sources | Inspiration ]
With a rich background stretching back decades in time, the various Warhammer games contain a vast array of names (of people, places, items, and so on). Many of these names are original, but some happen to have a meaning in the real world, as obscure terms, foreign words, or cultural references. This page lists some of these underlying etymologies for your edification. Note that some of these are best guesses (speculative fan theory) rather than confirmed derivations.
Where a name is followed by the symbol ¹, if you hover over or click on that symbol you will see when that name was first mentioned in a publication.
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cain | See: Ciaphas Cain. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar] |
| Ciaphas Cain | Caiaphas, a Jewish high priest that plotted to kill Jesus + Cain, a character from the Bible who was the first murderer. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar] |
| Commissar | Russian комиссар ("commissar"), a political education attaché to a military unit. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar] |
| Gaunt | See: Ibram Gaunt. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar Tanith] |
| Ibram Gaunt | Abraham (c. 2150-1975 BC), patriarch of Abrahamic religions + "gaunt", lean or haggard or bleak. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar Tanith] |
| Officio Prefectus | Latin officio, "for the service" + praefectus, "officer". Correct Latin would be officio praefectorum. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar] |
| Prefectus | See: Officio Prefectus. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar] |
| Raine | See: Severina Raine. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar] |
| Severina Raine | Severina, Roman empress from c. 270 to 275 + rain. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar] |
| Yarrick | Ironic reference to Yorick, a dead court jester from Hamlet (c. 1600), a play by William Shakespeare. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Commissar] |
| Inspiration | |
| Warhammer Setting | The Dark Tongue; Daemonic Names; Lexicon; Short Stories; Cut-ups; Cool Stuff |
| Art | Golden Demon; Nurglesque Music |
| Speculation | Chaos God Correspondence; Dark Heresy Backgrounds; Sevenfold Path; Sevenrot; Seven Deadly Sins |
| Real World References | Nergal in Mesopotamian History; Symbolism of Three Circles; Symbolism of Seven |
dedicated to the Lord of Corruption