[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Armageddon | Armageddon, the location of the battle for the end times from the Bible. [WH40k SegmentumSolar ArmageddonSector System] |
| Baal | Baʿal, "lord", an honorific applied to deities in Levantine mythology. [WH40k SegmentumUltima System BloodAngels] |
| Barbarus ¹ | Latin barbarus, "uncivilised". [WH40k SegmentumTempestus System] |
| Birmingham ¹ | Birmingham, a city in England. [WH40k SegmentumTempestus System] |
| Caliban | Caliban, a character from The Tempest (1611), a play by William Shakespeare. He is half human and half monster. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus System] |
| Catachan | Possibly from catechin, a chemical derived from an Asian tree that is used in herbal remedies and found in tea and other foods. [WH40k SegmentumUltima System ImperialGuard] |
| Chemos | "Chemo-", relating to chemicals, from Ancient Greek χυμεία, "alchemy". [WH40k SegmentumUltima AquitaneSector System EmperorsChildren] |
| Chogoris | Chogori, another name for the mountain K2. [WH40k SegmentumUltima YasanSector System WhiteScars] |
| Colchis | Colchis, a land on the Black Sea's coast in present-day Georgia, home to the golden fleece in Greek mythology. [WH40k SegmentumPacificus KorianisSector System WordBearers] |
| Cthonia | "Chthonian", relating to the underworld. [WH40k SegmentumSolar System SonsofHorus] |
| Fenris | Fenrir, a monstrous wolf in Norse mythology. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus FenrisSector System SpaceWolves] |
| Gallowglass ¹ | Gallowglass, a member of an elite mercenary class active in Ireland from the 13th to 16th centuries. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector System] |
| Gheden ¹ | Possibly from Gede, the family of spirits representing death in Haitian Vodou. [WH40k System Necron NihilakhDynasty] |
| Isstvan ¹ | Isstvan, a character from Another Fine Myth (1978), a novel by Robert Asprin. The name is a corruption of the Hungarian name István, ultimately from the Ancient Greek στέφανος, "crown". [WH40k SegmentumUltima System] |
| Krieg | German Krieg, "war". [WH40k SegmentumTempestus System ImperialGuard] |
| Malfi ¹ | The Duchess of Malfi (1613), a play by John Webster. It is a tragedy of revenge amongst nobility. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector System] |
| Mandragora ¹ | Mandragora, the genus of plants from which the mandrake root comes. [WH40k System Necron SautekhDynasty] |
| Moebius ¹ | August Ferdinand Möbius (1790-1868), German mathematician especially known for the Möbius strip. [WH40k System Necron NekthystDynasty] |
| Mortrex ¹ | Latin mortis rex, "king of death". [WH40k SegmentumUltima System] |
| Necromunda | Ancient Greek νεκρός, "dead" + Latin mundus, "world". [WH40k SegmentumSolar System ImperialFists Necromunda] |
| Nocturne | "Nocturne", a work of art pertaining to the night. [WH40k SegmentumUltima System Salamanders] |
| Nostramo | Nostromo (1904), a novel by Joseph Conrad. [WH40k SegmentumUltima System NightLords] |
| Opis ¹ | Opis, an ancient Babylonian city. [WH40k System] |
| Pavonis ¹ | Latin pavonis, "of the peacock". [WH40k System] |
| Piscina | Latin piscina, "pool". [WH40k System] |
| Prol ¹ | Back-named from the planet Prol IX: "prolix", prone to speak at great length. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector System] |
| Prospero | Prospero, a character from The Tempest (1611), a play by William Shakespeare. He is a learned sorceror. [WH40k SegmentumUltima System] |
| Scintilla ¹ | "Scintilla", a small flash. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector System] |
| Sol | Latin sol, "sun". [WH40k SegmentumSolar SolarSector System SolSystem] |
| Solemnace ¹ | "Solemn", sombre, grave. [WH40k System Necron] |
| Thanatos ¹ | Ancient Greek θάνατος, "death". [WH40k System Necron OruscarDynasty] |
| Ultramar | Back-named from the Ultramarines. [WH40k SegmentumUltima System Ultramarines] |
| Valhalla | Valhalla, the halls of the dead in Norse mythology. [WH40k SegmentumUltima System ImperialGuard] |
| Vigilus | "Vigilant", watchful for danger. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus NachmundSubsector System] |
| Vostroya | Belarusian востраў, "island". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus System ImperialGuard] |
| 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 Plaguefather