[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Androdinus | See: Decimus Androdinus Felix. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Antaro Chronus | Antares, one of the brightest stars in the night sky + Chronos, god of time in Greek mythology. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Cassius | Cassius, a Roman family name notably of the leader of Julius Caesar's assassination, and of a usurper Roman Emperor. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Cato Sicarius | Cato the Younger (95-46 BC), a tenacious and incorruptible Roman senator + Latin sicarius, "assassin". [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Chronus | See: Antaro Chronus. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Decimus Androdinus Felix | Latin decimus, "tenth" + Ancient Greek ἀνδρός, "of a man" + Ancient Greek δύναμις, "power" + Latin felix, "lucky". [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Felix | See: Decimus Androdinus Felix. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Guilliman | See: Roboute Guilliman. [WH40k Imperial Primarch Ultramarines] |
| Illiyan Nastase ¹ | Ilie Năstase (1946-), a world No. 1 tennis player. See also: Illiyanne Natasé. [WH40k Imperial Astropath DarkAngels Ultramarines] |
| Nastase | See: Illiyan Nastase. [WH40k Imperial Astropath DarkAngels Ultramarines] |
| Roboute Guilliman | Robert Cham Gilman was a pen-name used by pulp science fiction author Alfred Coppel (1921-2004) for his series of four Rhada novels (released from 1968 to 1985). [WH40k Imperial Primarch Ultramarines] |
| Sicarius | See: Cato Sicarius. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Telion | Greek τελιών, "of the wires". [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Tigurius | Tigurini, a Helvetian people that fought the Romans. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Ultramar | Back-named from the Ultramarines. [WH40k SegmentumUltima System Ultramarines] |
| Uriel Ventris | Uriel, an archangel of wisdom in Judeo-Christian religions + Latin ventris, "of the belly". [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| Ventris | See: Uriel Ventris. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Ultramarines] |
| 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 Pestilence