About Drow Names
Drow — the dark elves of the Underdark — share elvish roots but have developed a naming tradition that emphasizes shadow and power over grace. Where surface elves favor flowing syllables and soft endings, drow names tend toward sibilance (v, n, z, sh, x) and endings like -yl, -yn, -ae.
The infamous Drizzt Do'Urden established many player expectations for drow names, but the full tradition is richer than one example.
Common Features of Drow Names
- Sibilant consonants: v, z, sh, x, s, q
- Dark vowels: yl, yn, ae, or
- House names: Separated by apostrophe — Do'Urden, Baenre, Oblodra
- Matriarchal naming: House names are the most important part of drow identity, taken from the mother's side
House Names and the Spider Queen
Drow house names carry immense political weight in drow society. Being named in association with a powerful house is status — being stripped of a house name (as with exile or disgrace) is one of the worst fates imaginable.
Tips for Naming Drow Characters
- Exiled drow (the classic PC archetype) often drop or hide their house name
- Warlocks/Rogues: Lean into the sibilant, shadowy phonemes — Veldrin, Syrzan
- Clerics of Lolth: Full house name used with pride — Quenthel Baenre
- The apostrophe in house names (e.g., Do'Urden) is traditional but optional for homebrew
Drow in the Underdark
If your campaign features Menzoberranzan or similar drow city-states, using proper house names can add remarkable depth to political intrigue and NPC interactions.