[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Acolyte | "Acolyte", an assistant or follower. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Genestealer] |
| Anton Zerbe ¹ | Anthony Zerbe (1936-), an actor whose work includes The Omega Man. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Ark-Ashtyn ¹ | Clark Ashton Smith (1893-1961), an author who was one of the "big three" of Weird Tales. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Artemis | Artemis, goddess of the hunt in Greek mythology. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition SpaceMarine Mortifactors Deathwatch] |
| Blackstar | See: Corvus Blackstar. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition SpaceMarine Deathwatch Vehicle] |
| Cassilda Cognos | Cassilda, a character from The King in Yellow (1895), a book of short stories by Robert W. Chambers + Latin cognosco, "I know". [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Clousseau | See: Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Cognos | See: Cassilda Cognos. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Corvus Blackstar ¹ | Latin corvus, "raven" + Blackstar, a bogus secret spaceplane reported on in 2006. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition SpaceMarine Deathwatch Vehicle] |
| Coteaz | See: Torquemada Coteaz. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Crusader | "Crusader", one who goes on a military expedition. [WH40k Imperial Knight Inquisition SpaceMarine Vehicle] |
| Draigo | See: Kaldor Draigo. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition SpaceMarine GreyKnights] |
| Draxus | See: Kyria Draxus. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Eisenhorn | See: Gregor Eisenhorn. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Fyodor Karamazov | Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881), a novelist whose work includes The Brothers Karamazov + The Brothers Karamazov (1880), the last novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Gideon Ravenor | Gideon, a judge and prophet from the Bible + "ravener", one that plunders. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Gregor Eisenhorn | German eisen Horn, "iron horn". [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Grynner ¹ | See: Jorge Grynner. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Hereticus | See: Ordo Hereticus. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Iolanthe Rathbone ¹ | Basil Rathbone (1892-1967), an actor whose work includes fourteen film portrayals as Sherlock Holmes. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Jorge Grynner ¹ | George Smiley, an intelligence officer from many of John le Carré's novels, first appearing in 1961's Call for the Dead. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Kaldor Draigo | Old Norse kaldr, "cold" + Irish draig / Welch draig, "dragon". [WH40k Imperial Inquisition SpaceMarine GreyKnights] |
| Karamazov | See: Fyodor Karamazov. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Kekrops ¹ | Cecrops I, the legendary founder and first king of Athens. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Knael | See: Quate'maz Knael. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Kol Shek ¹ | Carl Kolchak, a character from Kolchak: The Night Stalker (first aired 1974), a television series about investigating supernatural phenomena. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Kyria Draxus | Ancient Greek κυρία, "governing" + "drake", a dragon. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Malleus | See: Ordo Malleus. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau ¹ | Obi-Wan Kenobi, a character from films including Star Wars (1977) + Sherlock Holmes, a character from stories including A Study in Scarlet (1887) by Arthur Conan Doyle + Inspector Clouseau, a character from films including The Pink Panther (1963). [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Ordo Hereticus | Latin ordo, "ranked group" + hereticus, "heretical". [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Ordo Malleus | Latin ordo, "ranked group" + malleus, "hammer" (referencing Malleus Maleficarum (1486), a treatise on witchcraft). [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Ordo Xenos | Latin ordo, "ranked group" + Ancient Greek ξένος, "alien". [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Phibes ¹ | Dr. Phibes, a character first appearing in the 1971 film The Abominable Dr. Phibes, played by Vincent Price. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Pieter Quillem ¹ | Peter Guillam, an intelligence officer from many of John le Carré's novels, first appearing in 1961's Call for the Dead. Peter Guillam is the right-hand man of George Smiley, just as Pieter Quillem is the right-hand man of Jorge Grynner. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Quate'maz Knael ¹ | Bernard Quatermass, a character from stories including The Quatermass Experiment (1953) + Nigel Kneale (1922-2006), the creator of Bernard Quatermass. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Quillem ¹ | See: Pieter Quillem. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Quixos | "Quixotic", desiring to do noble deeds but without practical care. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Rathbone ¹ | See: Iolanthe Rathbone. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Ravenor | See: Gideon Ravenor. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Rhino | Clipping of rhinoceros. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition ImperialGuard SpaceMarine SistersofBattle AdeptusCustodes Vehicle] |
| Rhyme of the Ancient Acolyte ¹ | The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798), a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Saffena Sengir ¹ | "Sengir Vampire" was part of the first release of Magic: the Gathering in 1993, a card game developed by Richard Garfield. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Sengir | See: Saffena Sengir. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Shek | See: Kol Shek. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Sherlock | See: Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Torquemada Coteaz | Tomás de Torquemada (1420-1498), first Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition + Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), Spanish conquistador who oversaw the fall of the Aztec Empire. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| Xenos | See: Ordo Xenos. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition] |
| Zerbe | See: Anton Zerbe. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition Inquisitor] |
| 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 Plagues and Despair