Clan The old orcish Horde , dwarves , and other races are separated into many clans . What defines a clan , and how one is started , is largely up to interpretation . The term clan is sometimes used interchangeably with the term tribe . The RPG describes the organization of murloc clans as being larger than murloc tribes . Centaur clans / tribes . Clan and tribe appear to be interchangeable terms when referring to centaurs groups . Centaur clans are led by khans . Dwarven clan system . Dwarven culture is made up by a clan - like caste system . The original clan that evolved from the earthen was known as the Ironforge clan . It later split into the three main Clans known as the Dark Iron clan ( Ruled by line of Thaurissan ) , Ironforge clan ( ruled by members of the Bronzebeard clan ) , and the Wildhammer clan ( ruled by line of Wildhammers ) , but many lesser clans exist as well . Family names often indicate clan names as well , and are the lesser clans within one of the three main dwarven cultures . Some family names are names of honor earned through some feat , which replace the family ' s true name . For example , Falstad Dragonreaver ' s real name is Falstad Wildhammer . In which case the new name may be passed on to their descendants or not , depending on choice of the individual . Another example are some of the members of the " Thunderaxe " family who joined the Dark Iron clan during the War of the Three Hammers , taking on the name " Pikesplitter " . In the Wildhammer dwarf culture , each clan is ruled by a thane , and the most powerful thane rules Aerie Peak . The Wildhammer clan has ruled since the War of the Three Hammers . Murloc clan system . A murloc clan is an organized from multiple tribe s in an area . Each tribe to its own village of usually six to twelve individuals . Every so often a clan meets to discuss issues of importance . However , keeping a large group of murlocs coordinated and in agreement for any significant length of time is difficult . Orcish clan system . There are several orcish clans , some older than others . Some , like the Bleeding Hollow clan , appear to be ancestral and well - established , indicating perhaps that they evolved over time out of a family or tribal network . Some , like the Shattered Hand clan , would appear to be associated with a specific class within orc society ( in this case , rogues ) , leading to speculation that they may have originated as some form of class - oriented guilds . Some clans also accept members from other races , adopting them into the clan . Laughing Skull clan was lead by an ogre Mogor , and had ogre members . Orgrim Doomhammer was a member of both the Thunderlord clan and the Blackrock clan . Twilight ' s Hammer clan was once lead by an ogre , Cho ' Gall , and has been accepting in humans and other races from the Alliance as of late . In the " World of Warcraft " , when an orc player takes out a charter to add a new guild to the registry of Orgrimmar , the guild master there refers to it as adding a new clan to the Horde . Still other clans , like the Blackrock clan and Stormreaver clan , were clearly organized recently ( relatively speaking ) , by specific people , for a specific purpose . In this case , loyalty in the clan tends to be solely to the clan leader , and when this leader dies , the clan tends to disintegrate . Orc clan leaders are referred to as chieftains , while the leader of all clans is called a warchief . Garrosh Hellscream is the current warchief of the New Horde . The chieftain is usually the strongest member of the clan and , according to the old orcish hierarchy , to become one you must first fight the old chieftain to the death . Alternatively , you can inherit the status of chieftain . In the New Horde , most clan separations have disintegrated ( along with most of the clans themselves ) . The Warsong and Frostwolf clans still retain some individualism , while the Blackrock clan remains independent . Orc clans . Main clans : Other clans : Unnamed clans : Ogre clans / tribes . " Manual of Monsters " refers to ogres as having tribes , but later books refers to them as having clans , for example , " Horde Player ' s Guide " of 2006 . In The Burning Crusade ogres are described as being in tribes or clans . Vrykul clans / tribes . The vrykul are also organized into clans or tribes :