Hobgoblin Name Generator

About Hobgoblin Names

Hobgoblins are the militarized cousins of goblins, and almost everything about them is a study in contrast with their smaller kin. Where goblins are improvisational, hobgoblins are doctrinal. Where goblins are small, hobgoblins are six feet tall, broad-shouldered, and built for sustained march. Where goblins forgive quickly, hobgoblins forgive at the recommendation of a tribunal. The two species share a distant common ancestor, but the cultures they have built around their natures could not be more different.

Hobgoblin society is organized into legions — military hierarchies that double as families, schools, courts, and religious orders all at once. A hobgoblin is born into a legion, trained in its disciplines from childhood, and rises or falls within its ranks based on a combination of merit and patience. Legion law is severe but predictable, and most hobgoblins find this comforting in a way ground-folk often misread as coldness. They like order. They like rules. They like the deep quiet that comes from knowing exactly what is expected of you and exactly what happens if you fall short.

Hobgoblins are formidable opponents for the same reason they are reliable allies. A legion's word, once given, is honored to the letter. A treaty signed with hobgoblins will outlast the negotiator who signed it. Outsiders who deal with hobgoblins in good faith are sometimes startled to discover how warm individual hobgoblins can be in private — but the legion always comes first, and any hobgoblin will tell you so unprompted.

Hobgoblin Naming Conventions

Hobgoblin names are two or three syllables, harder-edged than their goblin cousins, and often built on military roots. Male given names: Akkrol, Dharzor, Fenrik, Garth, Hresh, Karkun, Lurz, Morkesh, Naerg, Othok, Rakzor, Skarn, Therv, Ulkesh, Vrokk, Zhar. Female given names: Brakka, Drennik, Gharza, Hurnia, Karza, Lhevra, Morzen, Nehka, Olnaria, Sharza, Therza, Urkana, Velnia, Yorka, Zerkna. Hobgoblins use their legion as a surname: "Lurz of the Iron Cohort," "Drennik of the Black Banner," "Vrokk of the Sixth Stone Legion." A hobgoblin who has been cashiered from their legion may take a personal surname — usually an austere descriptive — but this is rare and carries social weight.