[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Beltayn | See: Dughan Beltayn. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Tanith] |
| Colm Corbec | Colm, a name from Irish colm, "dove" + bec de corbin, a type of polearm. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Tanith] |
| Corbec | See: Colm Corbec. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Tanith] |
| Cuu | See: Lijah Cuu. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Tanith] |
| Dughan Beltayn | Dugan, an Irish surname + Beltane, a Gaelic seasonal festival. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Tanith] |
| 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] |
| Lijah Cuu | Elijah, a biblical prophet and miracle worker + Irish cú, "hound" or "hero". (Although for fun, note also the unrelated Lombard cüü, "arse".) [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Tanith] |
| Mkoll | See: Oan Mkoll. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Tanith] |
| Oan Mkoll | Eógan, an Irish name + McColl, an Irish/Scottish surname. Note also Ewan MacColl (1915-1989), a British folk singer-songwriter. [WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Tanith] |
| 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 God of Decay