I Dub Thee | A Warriors Naming Guide

General Naming 'Rules'

Firstly, a couple of general naming 'rules' that its good to keep in mind when creating warriors names.

1) Natural over synthetic
Warrior cats are feral cats, which means that they have no knowledge of things typically attributed to humans - a.k.a. Twolegs. This means that all warrior prefixes and suffixes are likely to be based on things found in nature, such as animals, plants, elements and colours. This makes weapon-related names (Sword-, Dagger-), material related names (Brick-, Jean-), and typical Twoleg words (Autumn-, Winter-) a poor choice for a warrior name.

Names that can be used: Minkfur, Oakpelt, Firestorm, Blueheart
Names that cannot be used: Daggerclaw, Brickpelt, Winterbreeze

2) Function over form
In the traditional sense, warrior names are meant to give information about the cat who carries the name. Though the names can sound pretty, their function is always more important than their form. For example, Beetlefang tells us that the cat is most likely black and also good at both fighting and hunting. Beetles don't actually have fangs, but for informational purposes the name works well.

Examples: Beetlefang, Oakclaw, Brightheart, Eaglefur

3) Location, location, location
Some prefixes can only be used in certain habitats, as certain animals and plants only appear in specific surroundings. Cactuses, for example, grow in deserts, so having a cat named Cactusleaf in a Clan that lives in a forest does not make very much sense. But, if that Clan makes their home in the desert, then the name is entirely probable.

Similar examples: Jackalfang, Lotusheart, Sealpelt

4) Alliteration, rhyming and repetition
Some literary conventions can make a name sound silly, though this is not always the case. While some names sound better than others, the only way to tell which ones are awkward is to say them out loud or, if that doesn't work, ask someone else for their opinion.

Alliteration is the repetition of a certain sound at the beginning of a word. Some canon names that make use of alliteration are Sandstorm and Silverstream, both of which sound fine when said out loud. Other non-canon names like Fernfire, Firfur and Minkmask trip up the tongue and are awkward to read.

Rhyming names are not recommended as they are both awkward to read and it is hard to take them seriously, especially in battle scenes. Names like Rosenose or Nightflight may describe the cat well, but can be replaced with other suffixes that will make the name sound better - such as Rosewhisker or Nightfall.

Lastly, there is the case of repetition, which is very similar to alliteration. This category includes names like Beebee, Firefire and Breezebreeze. I don't think I need to explain this one.

5) Simple isn't bad
There is nothing wrong with the suffixes -fur and -pelt. Yes, they are simple, but every Clan needs average, well-rounded warriors that do not excel in any particular skill. If they are average in both hunting and fighting, they are still contributing to the Clan.

Take a look at this example:

There are two cats in RiverClan - one named Otterfur and another named Shimmercreek.

Otterfur is a small brown tabby she-cat with large amber eyes. Her hunting and fighting skills are average and, like all RiverClan cats, she can swim. Her parents were killed in a fight against ThunderClan, but she does not believe that she needs to avenge them. Instead, she makes sure to pass on the warrior code to her apprentice, Troutpaw, to ensure that he knows killing a member of another Clan is wrong.

Shimmercreek is a silver tabby she-cat with strikingly blue eyes. She is a very strong swimmer and loves to spend her days in the water, hunting. Her father is the deputy of RiverClan and her mother is currently in the nursery with a new litter of kits, which Shimmercreek makes sure to visit daily. She looks forward to having kits of her own and has her eye on a large RiverClan tom.

Though the two names are vastly different, both characters are equally interesting. Shimmercreek just has a more lyrical, if less believable name, than Otterfur. A character does not need to have a unique name in order to be unique - they have their personality to do that for them!

Some simple names: Whitepelt, Stripefur, Leopardpelt, Tigerfur

6) Using names twice

While this is not a hard set rule, it's usually a good idea to use a wide variety of prefixes when naming characters. Even if two cats are in different Clans, giving them the same prefix might confuse both you and your readers (and maybe even your characters, who knows?). Using a prefix only once helps to clean up the allegiances. You can, however, use the prefix again when that character dies.

Example: Cherrybreeze of ThunderClan and Cherrywind of WindClan both just became warriors (they exist simultaneously). You can probably see how this will get confusing.
But, if Cherrybreeze of ThunderClan is an elder and just passed on to StarClan, and a tortoiseshell kit was just born in WindClan, it can be named Cherrykit (they just missed each other).

Trouble coming up with prefixes? Why don't you head over to the prefixes list (sorted alphabetically or by colour & pattern)!