Giving Warriors Tribe Names by Anonymous

An anonymous BlogClanner gives tribe names to clan cats from across the series.

The thing I first noticed when I started reading Warriors was their names. When I first turned that page and saw the Allegiances, I thought the names were beautiful. (I was particularly fond of the named Spottedleaf). Names are very important in the world of Warriors because they represent the different stages of life and how they grow. More often than not we can even imagine personalities for characters simply based on the name they have been given.
Warrior names aren’t the only names though. Tribe names and Ancient names (hehe, my favorite <3) are also present. Commonly, they describe aspects of nature (although personality and steps in life, not so much).
So I thought, why not combine them? I think Tribe names are very unique and elegant, but I also love the meaning that Warrior names have. In order to do this, I am going to take Warrior names and turn them into Tribe names, so they maintain that same meaning but have a different appearance. There are tons of Warriors obviously, so I’ll only be doing protagonists (meaning anyone who was the main character of a chapter that wasn’t a prologue) of the main arcs.
WARNING: This is pretty long. If you want, you can just skim over and look at the results. I do suggest reading the explanations behind some of them though, because knowing the story behind a name can make it sound so much better.
Let’s get started.

Fireheart
Ah yes, Mr. Warrior Cats. We’ll be using his warrior name, Fireheart, for this, because -star is more about status and less about personality. We know Fireheart was named after his bright pelt, but also after the golden warmth and determination in his heart, so we definitely want a name that tells us that. I think Heart of a Fire is a good start, but its a bit short and needs a little more flair. Blazing Heart of a Fire comes to mind, but it sounds a bit too aggressive for Firestar. So how about Smoldering Heart of a Fire? I think this fits him, because while he has a warm, protective heart, he will also fight resiliently to protect his Clan — hence there is a fighting spirit simmering in him.
Result: Smolder (Smoldering Heart of a Fire)

Brambleclaw
As soon as I hear this, I know I want it to have something to do with the vision that Leafpool had about brambles protecting the camp — the one that convinced Firestar to choose Brambleclaw. Climbing Claws of Bramble would make sense, but Climb would be a weird nickname and I feel like that doesn’t quite tell us about Brambleclaw’s sense of loyalty and protectiveness (and I’m referring to before he became a plot device, poor guy). So how about Hedge of Clawed Bramble? A hedge is a barrier (usually referring to bushes, often thorny), so not only does it make sense, but it’s conveying the Brambleclaw is shielding those around him from danger.
Result: Hedge (Hedge of Clawed Bramble)

Squirrelflight
Haha, this one is actually pretty easy. Names like Flight of Gliding Squirrel or Squirrel That Flies Through Air are possibilities. But I’m pretty sure warriors don’t know what flying squirrels are, so I want something that would make sense to them. So about about Squirrel That Flies From Branch To Branch? Definitely a long name, but it implies that the squirrel is leaping so far it might as well be flying. Squirrelflight has always been one to take chances and leaps of faith for what she believes in, so this is perfect!
Result: Squirrel (Squirrel That Flies From Branch To Branch)

Leafpool
This one seems a bit harder. Leaves and pools have almost nothing to do with each other, so how do you combine them in a Tribe name? Well, Leafpool is very calm, so we want a name that evokes a quiet, gentle picture. I think Drifting Leaf On Pool is perfect, because drifting is a gentle, floaty movement, which I think really speaks to Leafpool’s thoughtfulness and serenity.
Result: Drift (Drifting Leaf on Pool)

Jayfeather
This name couldn’t be more perfect. The prefix and suffix go perfectly together, and Jay not only describes his eye color, but also his personality, because blue jays are very grumpy towards other birds. Also slightly off topic, but I find it interesting that crows and jays actually squabble a lot (I can confirm, I’ve seen this happen at the birdfeeder before XD), and Jayfeather’s father happens to be Crowfeather. Feather of Swooping Blue Jay is a great name for him (and the blue jay is presumably swooping to scare off other birds from the birdfeeder!)
Result: Feather (Feather of Swooping Blue Jay)

Lionblaze
Blazing Golden Pelt of Lion is hands down the right name for Lionblaze. It shows his strength, his courage, and the kind of commanding personality that he has (even if I personally think he needs to work on his leadership skills). Off topic, but does anyone else want a she-cat named Lioness(suffix)?
Result: Blaze (Blazing Golden Pelt of Lion)

Hollyleaf
Even though I so badly wanted her name to be Hollydawn, right now it is made it much easier on me that her name is Hollyleaf XD. Prickle of Holly Leaf is a perfect name for her. Hollyleaf can come across as prickly and a thorn in the side because of how she is obsessed with instructing others to follow the Warrior Code, however we see some growth and she definitely mellows by OotS. In that way, the Prickle (which is a defense mechanism against herbivores) part of her name represents how she helps defend her Clan against WindClan and later the Dark Forest.
Result: Prickle (Prickle of Holly Leaf)

Dovewing
I definitely want this to refer to the whole “peace will come on the dove’s gentle wing” prophecy. Dovewing is certainly a very delicate soul — and by this I don’t mean that she’s fragile, but that she is intricate and emotional. She cares very deeply about the things that happen to her (which is why she can be a bit whiny), and she cares very deeply about her family (i.e. her concern over Ivypool or when she ran away to have her kits somewhere that was safe). Haven Beneath The Dove’s Gentle Wing is a name that I think shows her complexity, her care, but also her strength and protectiveness.
Result: Haven (Haven Beneath The Dove’s Gentle Wing)

Ivypool
If you couldn’t tell from earlier, I love Dovewing, but I also love Ivypool. This is definitely the hardest one because I want to give her a name that does her justice, but also includes her warrior name in it. A lot of people think -pool doesn’t even suit Ivypool and I get their reasoning, but I personally think it is perfect, because Ivypool is very deep and mysterious like a pool that you can’t see the bottom of. Anyway, ivy can grow in and by water, so that’s something to work with. How about Shadow Of Ivy Over Murky Pool? Shadow refers to her time in the Dark Forest, and murky is a nod to how Ivypool is the most morally gray protagonist we have, but the name overall just sounds very mysterious to me.
Result: Shadow (Shadow of Ivy Over Murky Pool)

Alderheart
This one was admittedly difficult. Alders are trees, and trees don’t really have hearts at all. But heart can also mean center, so I think Alderheart’s Tribe name should be Alder In Heart Of Forest. This makes sense because ThunderClan camp is the heart of their forest, and because Alderheart himself is probably one of the most compassionate cats in ThunderClan and all the Clans. He is, in a sense, the heart of the forest.
Result: Alder (Alder In Heart Of Forest)

Twigbranch
I’m not too fond of this name, but the reasoning Bramblestar used kind of made sense and I wanted to use it for this. So Twigbranch will be Twig That Grows To Strong Branch. This doesn’t just reference her naming ceremony, but it really is true that Twigbranch experienced a lot of growth that strengthened her ties to her Clan and her certainty in herself.
Result: Twig (Twig That Grows To Strong Branch)

Violetshine
Initially I though that Shine Of Dew On Violet Petals could work, because I wasn’t sure how to use both ‘shine’ and ‘violet’. But I feel like this doesn’t really suit Violetshine because it sounds too fragile. While I do feel like Violetshine is very similar to Dovewing, in that she is an intricate character, she also has an air of quiet mystery and intensity (and who can blame her after what she’s been through?). Not only that, but she was very brave when she spied on Darktail and she saved a lot of cats. I think her Tribe name should be Violet Shining In Moonlight. It sounds mysterious, but at the same time it’s like having a light in the middle of the dark night. It represents how Violetshine’s bravery was hope in the darkness for cats who were trapped with Darktail’s Kin.
Result: Violet (Violet Shining In Moonlight)

Shadowsight
My very first thought was Eyes Clouded By Shadows for Shadowsight. It makes sense because Ashfur was manipulating Shadowsight and clouding his judgement by sending him fake visions. But Eyes would be a very odd nickname, so if I want to keep that same meaning I have to rearrange the words. So how about Shadows That Cloud Sight? This is closer to his original name anyway (also now he has the same nickname as his aunt!).
Result: Shadow (Shadows That Cloud Sight)

Bristlefrost
This one was super difficult. How do you even include ‘bristle’ in ANY tribe name? I’m pretty sure this was referring to bristles on plants, so I looked up some plants and I really liked the sound of Frost That Clings To Bristle Fern. But I feel like this doesn’t really suit Bristlefrost’s resourceful and resilient personality. Besides, bristle ferns grow in southern North America, so not only do the cats not know what they are, but it’s not likely that they’re very resistant to frost. So after a while I found another plant, but the name was kind of long so I made it more broad and came up with Bristled Shrub That Survives Frost. I think that even though this may not sound as good, it fits Bristlefrost way better. She was very intelligent — a survivor even. Even though she’s gone, she still survives through the memory of others.
Result: Bristle (Bristled Shrub That Survives Frost)

Rootspring
Ha, this was another difficult one. I figured that ‘spring’ could mean either action of jumping forward or the natural water source. I’m pretty sure that roots don’t jump so we’ll use the latter. Root That Feeds From Cold Spring is a possibility but this doesn’t say all that much about Rootspring. Root That Burrows By The Spring on the other paw isn’t half bad to me. It shows that Rootspring is steadfast — we see him remain a constant companion with Bristlefrost and we see that he doesn’t back down from helping to defeat Ashfur.
Result: Root (Root That Burrows By The Spring)

Nightheart
Nightheart has had a lot of ups and downs, but I feel like through ASC he has overall been rising as he and others start to have more confidence in him. And you know what else rises? The moon! Not only that, but it reaches it’s peak at midnight, which you could consider “the heart of the night.” So Moon That Peaks In The Heart of The Night would be a good name except… it is really long, even for a Tribe name. So let’s shorten it to Moon’s Peak In The Heart of Night, which is still long, but a bit better.
Result: Moon (Moon’s Peak In The Heart of Night)

Sunbeam
This is a pretty easy one to convert, because sunbeams are an actual thing! I do want to highlight how Sunbeam is breaking free of the way that Berryheart is trying to cloud her judgement by pressuring her, first into believing what she does and second into thinking that Nightheart doesn’t love her. Not only that, but Sunbeam also broke free from her doubts about if she was really a ThunderClan cat. So her name should be Sun Beam Breaking Through Mist.
Result: Sun (Sun Beam Breaking Through Mist)

Frostpaw
Frostpaw was definitely the most unique one out of all of these, because as of now she is the only main arc protagonist without a warrior name. Frost That Crunches Beneath Paws would include both parts of her name, but it makes it sound like Frostpaw is a weak, brittle character that everyone walks over. But as we see in Shadow, she’s a survivor and she has been very strong in handling and healing from what has happened to her. So despite us not yet knowing her suffix, I propose the name Frost Casted In Light And Shadow, because she has been under the influence of both good and bad cats and because she is constantly surrounded by secrets hidden in the dark and mysteries that are coming into light.
Result: Frost (Frost Casted In Light And Shadow)

That was longer than expected, but I really enjoyed diving deeper into these characters and coming up with meaningful names. I think my favorite was either Frost Casted In Light And Shadow or Haven Beneath Dove’s Gentle Wing. What was your favorite? Would you like me to do a part two with side characters? If so, do you have any suggestions for which side characters I should choose? I welcome all feedback so don’t be shy!

Thank you for taking the time to read/skim through this! Anon, out!