Did You Know?
- The word 'Klingon' was invented by actor James Doohan for Star Trek: The Motion Picture — he improvised it as a plausible alien name, and linguist Marc Okrand later built an entire constructed language around those two syllables.
- Tolkien designed Elvish and Dwarvish to be phonetically opposite by intent — soft musical vowels for Elves, heavy Semitic consonant clusters for Dwarves — so a reader could feel the biological difference before anyone explained it.
- In competitive game design, species names like Zerg, Protoss, and Terran follow a deliberate constraint: short enough to shout in excitement, unique enough to trademark, and free of connotations in any major world language.
This generator names whole fictional species and races, such as Klingon or Zerg, rather than individual characters. It suits sci-fi and fantasy writers, game masters and game designers who need a collective noun for a people. For a single alien character, use the alien name generator instead.
Species Names From Star Trek
| Name | What the species is |
|---|---|
| Klingon | Warrior race with a strict honor code; ridged foreheads came in The Next Generation |
| Vulcan | Logic-driven humanoids from the planet Vulcan, shaped by the philosopher Surak |
| Romulan | Militaristic offshoot of the Vulcans who rule the Romulan Empire |
| Ferengi | Profit-focused species known for the Rules of Acquisition |
| Cardassian | Ridged-necked people under a military dictatorship, nicknamed "Spoonheads" |
| Bajoran | Spiritual people of Bajor who worship the Prophets |
| Andorian | Blue-skinned, antennaed warriors from Andoria |
| Tellarite | Pig-faced humanoids known for loving argument |
| Betazoid | Telepathic humanoids from Betazed |
| Trill | Humanoids, some joined with long-lived symbionts that carry memories between hosts |
| Borg | Cybernetic collective that assimilates other species |
| Gorn | Lizard-like species that uses captives as egg incubators |
| Jem'Hadar | Genetically engineered shock troops of the Dominion |
| Vorta | Genetically engineered Dominion administrators and diplomats |
| Talaxian | Delta Quadrant humanoids; Neelix is one |
| Tholian | Non-humanoid, xenophobic beings with a carapace |
Species Names From Games and Film
| Name | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Turian | Citadel Council race in Mass Effect |
| Asari | Citadel Council race in Mass Effect |
| Salarian | Citadel Council race in Mass Effect |
| Krogan | Reptilian race in Mass Effect |
| Quarian | Environment-suited race in Mass Effect |
| Geth | Networked artificial intelligences in Mass Effect |
| Prothean | Extinct race said to have built the Mass Relays |
| Terran | Humans from Earth in StarCraft |
| Zerg | Ever-evolving insectoid swarm in StarCraft |
| Protoss | Powerful, enigmatic race in StarCraft, engineered by the Xel'Naga |
| Xel'Naga | Godlike creator race in StarCraft |
| Na'vi | Ten-foot, blue-skinned natives of Pandora in Avatar, with a language built by linguist Paul Frommer |
Warhammer and Tabletop Fantasy Races
| Name | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Aeldari | Long-lived, psychic elf-like beings in Warhammer 40,000, formerly called Eldar |
| Orks | Green-skinned warriors whose technology runs on the psychic WAAAGH! |
| Tyranids | Psychically linked extra-galactic swarm that devours life |
| Necrons | Ancient skeletal androids waking from stasis |
| T'au | Young, blue-skinned empire that favors ranged combat |
| Dwarf | Core Dungeons & Dragons species, listed with elves and halflings in the Tolkien comparison |
| Elf | Core Dungeons & Dragons species |
| Halfling | Name D&D used in place of "hobbit" after Tolkien Enterprises objected |
| Orc | Dungeons & Dragons species drawn from Tolkien-style fantasy |
| Half-orc | D&D character type removed in 2nd Edition after negative publicity |
Sound Patterns This Generator Uses
These are example names from the generator's own prompt, not published canon. The second column is the sound rule the prompt applies for each Biology / Form choice.
| Name | Sound rule |
|---|---|
| Krrix, Zharax, Skrix | Insectoid: hard stops and dense consonants |
| Ssulari, Veluvaan, Thalori | Aquatic: vowel-heavy, soft sibilants |
| Krixar, Vexlar, Prismis | Crystalline: sharp, geometric consonants |
| Thornoss, Brynvael, Verdaxis | Plant-based: slow, long vowels |
| Nexari, Synthex, Axiomis | Mechanical: biological-sounding, never a model number |
| Luminar, Aurvex, Etherix | Ethereal: airy, trailing syllables |
| Ssurrak, Drezkar, Thraxis | Reptilian: sibilants plus hard stops |
| Yh'noss, Nhek'ruul | Cosmic horror: consonant-heavy and uncomfortable on purpose |
Why Short Species Names Last
Look at the tables above: Klingon, Vulcan, Zerg, Orc, Elf. Most are one or two syllables. A species name gets said constantly, as a noun ("a Vorryn"), a plural ("the Vorryn") and an adjective ("Vorryn culture"), so it has to survive all three.
Character names get away with being long because they appear less often. A species that takes five syllables to say usually gets clipped by its audience.
Hard stops and clustered consonants, as if shaped by mandibles.
- Krrix
- Zharax
- Skrix
Open vowels and soft sibilants, as if shaped by water.
- Ssulari
- Veluvaan
- Thalori
Sibilants and hard stops, dry and predatory.
- Ssurrak
- Drezkar
- Thraxis
Setting matters as much as biology. A name built for cosmic horror, with awkward consonants on purpose, reads as a joke in a lighthearted fantasy campaign. The Setting field (sci-fi, fantasy, cosmic horror, post-apocalyptic, steampunk) shifts the register for that reason.
Veluvaan, "people of the ancient depths"
That breakdown is an invented example for building your own naming system. A shared suffix across several peoples in your world can signal kinship between them.
Skip These
- Let the species' body shape the sounds
- Test the name as noun, plural and adjective
- Keep species names phonetically different from character names
- Reuse a name from the tables above for your own published setting
- Borrow real ethnic names; Saharan or Nordren point at real places
- Use apostrophes as decoration; mark a real phonetic break or leave them out
- Use model numbers such as UNIT-7 for a mechanical species
If you are naming peoples for a fantasy world with a full cast, pair this with fantasy character names for the individuals.
Sources
- List of Star Trek races, Wikipedia
- Mass Effect, Wikipedia
- StarCraft, Wikipedia
- Warhammer 40,000, Wikipedia
Common Questions
How is an alien species name different from an alien name?
A species name labels a whole people, such as Zerg or Turian. An alien name belongs to one member, such as Garrus or Neytiri. This page covers the first; the alien name generator covers the second.
How do I name a fantasy race?
Pick the Fantasy setting and a Biology / Form, then choose a tone. Fantasy names from this generator aim for deep-time sounds that do not point at a real culture. Tabletop races such as dwarf and elf are plain descriptive words, which is a different approach that also works.
Can I use a name from the tables above for my own setting?
The tables are for studying how names are built. Franchise species names belong to their franchises, so give your own people a new name if you plan to publish.
Should a species name take an S in the plural?
Either works. Klingons takes an S, while Zerg and Eldar are used without one. Test the name in a sentence before committing: if "the Vorryn marched" sounds natural, leave it invariant.
Updated October 2026: added 38 attested species names from published franchises, example sound patterns from the generator, sources and rewritten FAQs.
