A constructed language ("conlang") is more than vocabulary — it's a system of sounds, grammar, and naming conventions that makes a fictional culture feel coherent. The naming system is often the first part of a conlang that audiences encounter, even before they hear a single sentence. Picking a name that fits the language's structure is part of the language; getting it wrong tears the fabric.
This guide surveys ten major fantasy/sci-fi conlangs and how each handles personal naming. Use it as a reference for which conlang to draw from when naming your characters, or as inspiration for designing your own naming system.
1. Sindarin (Tolkien)
Origin: J.R.R. Tolkien, primarily 1930s–1973 Used in: The Lord of the Rings, most Third Age elven names Phonological feel: Welsh-inspired, flowing, mutating consonants
Naming conventions: Two-element compounds with transparent meaning. Examples: Galadriel (radiant + maiden), Legolas (green + leaves), Aragorn (royal + tree), Arwen (royal + maiden).
Suffix patterns:
- -iel (daughter), -ion (son), -wen (maiden), -dir (man)
- -las (leaves), -orn (tree), -rim (host)
Full guide to the suffixes is in What do elf name suffixes mean.
2. Quenya (Tolkien)
Origin: Same author, designed in parallel with Sindarin Used in: The Silmarillion, ancient/formal elven names Phonological feel: Finnish-Latin-Greek influence, long vowels, terminal -ë
Naming conventions: Two-element compounds, generally longer than Sindarin equivalents. Mother-names (amilessë) and father-names (essë) given separately.
Examples: Fëanor (spirit + fire), Eärendil (sea + lover), Indis (descendant, feminine), Tar-Míriel (royal-jewel-maiden).
Tolkien designed Quenya as the older of his two elven languages — the formal, ceremonial form. By the Third Age, only loremasters and the highest elves used it fluently.
3. Khuzdul (Tolkien — Dwarvish)
Origin: Same author Used in: The Lord of the Rings, Dwarvish names and place names Phonological feel: Semitic-inspired (Hebrew/Arabic structural features)
Naming conventions: Tolkien's dwarves keep their Khuzdul names secret. Public dwarven names (Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Fíli, Kíli) are actually Mannish names borrowed from Old Norse. Khuzdul names — like Kibil-nâla (silver-vein, an alternative name for the river Celebrant) — are reserved for inscriptions and intimate dwarven contexts.
The trilingual structure (Khuzdul + Mannish public name + clan affiliation) makes dwarves the most complex named race in Tolkien's world. See the full guide in How to name a dwarf (coming soon).
4. Black Speech (Tolkien — Mordor/Orc)
Origin: Same author Used in: The Lord of the Rings, primarily the Ring inscription and orc dialogue Phonological feel: Designed to be harsh and ugly — hard consonants, growling vowels
Naming conventions: Tolkien deliberately created Black Speech to sound unpleasant in contrast to his elvish. Orc names like Gorbag, Shagrat, Snaga, Lugdush feature harsh stops (g, k) and grating vowel clusters.
Tolkien actually disliked his own creation enough that he wrote less Black Speech than any other major conlang — most of it is fragments rather than a developed lexicon.
5. Klingon (Marc Okrand for Star Trek)
Origin: Marc Okrand, 1984 (commissioned for Star Trek III) Used in: All Star Trek with Klingons; expanded by the Klingon Language Institute Phonological feel: Deliberately alien — designed to break English speakers' assumptions about phonotactics
Naming conventions: Klingon names follow a Patronymic + Personal Name structure, often paired with a House identifier:
- Worf, son of Mogh, of the House of Martok (Patronymic + House)
- K'Ehleyr (apostrophe denotes glottal stop, distinctly Klingon)
- Kahless the Unforgettable (historical figure, with epithet)
The apostrophe in Klingon names marks a glottal stop — same convention as Drow (see dark elves vs wood elves) but the influence runs the other direction (D&D borrowed the convention from Klingon).
6. Dothraki (David J. Peterson for Game of Thrones)
Origin: David J. Peterson, 2009 (commissioned for HBO's Game of Thrones) Used in: Game of Thrones TV adaptation Phonological feel: Influenced by Arabic, Estonian, Inuktitut, Turkish
Naming conventions: Dothraki names lean toward the harsh consonants and short, punchy structure appropriate for a horse-warrior culture:
- Drogo (named after his sword), Khal (chief/leader)
- Daenerys (Valyrian, not Dothraki — different conlang)
- Mago, Rakharo, Aggo, Cohollo
Most Dothraki names are 2-3 syllables, end on consonants, and avoid the "softer" sounds (no l, sparse m, frequent kh).
7. High Valyrian (Peterson for GoT)
Origin: Same author, parallel to Dothraki Used in: Game of Thrones TV adaptation (the language of Old Valyria and the Targaryens) Phonological feel: Influenced by Latin and Greek, more elegant and formal
Naming conventions: Valyrian names often end in -ys, -on, -ar:
- Daenerys Targaryen (Targaryen House)
- Aegon (popular Targaryen royal name)
- Visenya (early Targaryen queen)
- Rhaegar, Aerys, Viserys, Rhaenyra
The diphthongs ae, ea, ya are signatures of Valyrian. House Targaryen kept these naming patterns through 300+ years of rule in Westeros.
8. Na'vi (Paul Frommer for Avatar)
Origin: Paul Frommer, 2009 Used in: Avatar film series Phonological feel: Influenced by Hawaiian and Maori — flowing vowels, glottal stops, melodic
Naming conventions: Na'vi names use apostrophes liberally (glottal stops) and lean toward 2-3 syllable structures ending in vowels:
- Neytiri (protagonist's love interest)
- Tsu'tey, Eytukan, Mo'at
- Toruk Makto (rider of the great leonopteryx, an honorific title)
Apostrophe-heavy names give Na'vi a distinct visual identity on the page or screen.
9. Ku'tetana / Various Sci-Fi (Star Wars era)
Origin: Multiple, deliberately scattered across the Star Wars expanded universe Phonological feel: Varies wildly — designed to suggest "alienness" without consistent linguistic engineering
Naming conventions: Star Wars names are often English-pronounceable but exotic:
- Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Yoda (mixed mythic and invented sounds)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (Japanese-influenced, mythic feel)
- Mace Windu, Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker
The Star Wars naming system isn't a coherent conlang — it's an aesthetic mix designed to feel "fantastic without committee." Each new species gets a new naming pattern (Hutts have one set, Twi'leks another, Wookiees another).
10. Esperanto-Influenced Fantasy (Common in Older Fantasy)
Origin: Various authors throughout 20th-century fantasy Used in: Many older fantasy novels (Eddings, McCaffrey, etc.) Phonological feel: Mid-European, Romance-language influenced, fairly accessible to English readers
Naming conventions: Names that feel "vaguely European fantasy" without committing to any specific culture:
- Polgara, Belgarath, Garion (Eddings — slightly Slavic, slightly Celtic)
- Lessa, F'lar, F'nor (McCaffrey — the apostrophe marks a dragonrider's contracted name)
- Belmaroc, Sycamore, Cyrene (older fantasy across many authors)
These are not formal conlangs — they're stylistic conventions for "names that feel like fantasy but read easily in English."
Choosing a Conlang Register for Your Story
When picking which conlang style to draw from, ask:
-
What culture is this character from?
- Forest / nature culture → Sindarin (Tolkien)
- Royal / ancient culture → Quenya (Tolkien)
- Underground / secretive culture → Khuzdul (Tolkien)
- Warrior / nomadic culture → Klingon or Dothraki
- Imperial / aristocratic culture → High Valyrian
- Indigenous / spiritual culture → Na'vi
-
What kind of name pattern do I want?
- Meaningful compounds with transparent decomposition → Tolkien-style (Sindarin/Quenya)
- Patronymic + House → Klingon, Westerosi
- Single name with apostrophes → Na'vi, Drow-style
- Short, harsh, consonant-heavy → Black Speech, Dothraki
- Long, vowel-heavy, melodic → Quenya, Valyrian
-
What kind of audience reading experience?
- English speakers should pronounce easily → avoid Klingon
- The name should feel alien → Klingon, Na'vi
- The name should feel "natural fantasy" → Sindarin
Mixing Conlangs
Most published fantasy mixes conlang influences across a single story. Tolkien did this himself — The Lord of the Rings uses Sindarin elven names, Old Norse-derived dwarven names, Anglo-Saxon Rohirric names, and constructed Black Speech orcish names all within one novel. The mix is intentional: different cultures should have different naming systems.
When you're naming your characters, picking a conlang register isn't just a style choice — it's a cultural declaration. Aragorn signals "elven-influenced royal Mannish ranger." Conan signals "barbarian hero from generic ancient warrior culture." Gorbag signals "harsh, lesser, antagonist." The conlang does work that no amount of description can replace.
For Tolkien-style elven names specifically, use the Tolkien elf name generator — it pulls from both Sindarin and Quenya patterns. For broader fantasy, the fantasy name generator blends conventions for characters where you want the linguistic register to be flexible rather than locked to one specific cultural tradition.
The conlang you choose names your character before you write a single line of dialogue.