The Names of the Game

PagongStarting

Named after a beach on Pulau Tiga — the producers picked both starting-tribe names off the island's real beaches.

TagiStarting

Named after a beach on Pulau Tiga, the season's island. (The Tagi camp actually sat on the more isolated Ramis Beach — Tagi Beach itself caught too much boat traffic on camera.)

RattanaMerge

The first merge tribe, named by castaways Sean Kenniff and Jenna Lewis for the abundant rattan wood on the island. Set the tradition of the merged tribe naming itself.

KuchaStarting“kangaroo”

From the Pakanha (Aboriginal Australian) word for 'kangaroo'.

OgakorStarting“crocodile”

From the Kunjen (Aboriginal Australian) word for 'crocodile'.

BarramundiMerge

Merge tribe named after the barramundi, an iconic Australian fish — fitting for the Queensland Outback season.

BoranStarting“the Borana people ('friend')”

Named for the Borana people of Kenya/Ethiopia; the word also carries the sense of 'friend / kind person'.

SamburuStarting“the Samburu people”

Named for the Samburu people of Kenya (the name traces to the Maasai 'samburr', a leather carrying bag).

Moto MajiMerge“fire water”

Africa merge tribe (Boran + Samburu) — Swahili for 'fire water': 'moto' (fire) + 'maji' (water), the two elements of the season.

MaraamuStarting“south wind”

Tahitian for the 'south wind'.

RotuStarting“heavy rain”

Tahitian for 'heavy rain'.

SoliantuMerge

Merge tribe — reportedly coined to evoke a 'sacred allegiance to the sun'.

Chuay GahnStarting“to help one another”

Thai for 'to help one another'.

Sook JaiStarting“happy heart”

Thai for 'happy heart'.

Chuay JaiMerge

Merge tribe — a blend of the two starting tribes Chuay Gahn and Sook Jai (loosely 'help' + 'heart').

JaburuStarting“jabiru stork”

The all-women tribe, named for the jaburu (jabiru), a large native stork.

TambaquiStarting“tambaqui fish”

The all-men tribe, named for the tambaqui, a native Amazonian fish.

JacareMerge“alligator / caiman”

Merge tribe — Portuguese for 'alligator / caiman'.

DrakeStarting“Sir Francis Drake”

Named for Sir Francis Drake, the English explorer and privateer — fitting the season's pirate theme.

MorganStarting“Henry Morgan”

Named for Henry Morgan, the Welsh privateer — the pirate-theme companion to Drake.

The OutcastsSwap

The season's infamous twist tribe: the already-voted-out castaways, banded together on Outcast Island and given a shot to re-enter the game.

BalboaMerge

Merge tribe — named after an injured snake Rupert Boneham adopted at camp (with a happy double meaning: Vasco Núñez de Balboa, and the balboa, Panama's currency).

ChaperaStarting

Named after an island in the Pearl Islands of Panama, where the season filmed.

Mogo MogoStarting

Named after Mogo Mogo Island in the Pearl Islands of Panama.

SabogaStarting

Named after Isla Saboga in the Pearl Islands of Panama.

Chaboga MogoMerge

All-Stars merge tribe — a portmanteau of the three starting tribes Chapera, Saboga, and Mogo Mogo (CHA-bo-ga + MOGO). Chosen by Alicia and Amber; at five syllables it's one of the longest tribe names in the game.

LopeviStarting“a Vanuatu volcanic island”

The men's tribe, named after Lopevi, a volcanic island of Vanuatu.

YasurStarting“an active Vanuatu volcano”

The women's tribe, named after Mount Yasur, an active volcano on Tanna, Vanuatu.

AlintaMerge“fire / people of fire”

Merge tribe — proposed by Scout Cloud Lee; an Aboriginal Australian word for fire, glossed on the show as 'people of fire'.

KororStarting

Named after Koror, Palau's most populous state and former capital — the tribe kept the name straight through the merge.

UlongStarting

Named after Ulong, an island in Palau's Rock Islands. The tribe famously lost every immunity challenge and was wiped out before the merge.

KororMerge

Named after Koror, Palau's most populous state and former capital — the tribe kept the name straight through the merge.

NakumStarting

Named after Nakúm, a Maya city in the same national park as Yaxhá.

YaxhaStarting

Named after Yaxhá, a Maya archaeological site in the Yaxhá-Nakúm-Naranjo National Park where the season filmed.

XhakumMerge

Merge tribe — a portmanteau of the two starting tribes, Yaxhá and Nakúm (both named for Maya cities in the park).

BayonetaStarting

One of the four starting tribes, named after an island in the Pearl Islands of Panama.

CasayaStarting

A starting tribe named after an island in the Pearl Islands of Panama.

La MinaStarting

A starting tribe named after an island in the Pearl Islands of Panama (Spanish: 'the mine').

ViverosStarting

A starting tribe named after an island in the Pearl Islands of Panama.

GitanosMerge“Gypsies”

Merge tribe — Spanish for 'Gypsies'.

AitutakiStarting

Named after Aitutaki, an island of the Cook Islands.

ManihikiStarting

Named after Manihiki, an atoll of the Cook Islands.

Puka PukaStarting

Named after Pukapuka, an atoll of the Cook Islands.

RarotongaStarting

Named after Rarotonga, the most populous island of the Cook Islands.

AitutongaMerge

Cook Islands merge tribe — a portmanteau of the two final starting tribes Aitutaki and Rarotonga (both real Cook Islands).

MotoStarting“spear”

The 'haves' tribe — Fijian for 'spear'.

RavuStarting“to kill”

The 'have-nots' tribe — Fijian for 'to kill'.

Bula BulaMerge“welcome / hello”

Merge tribe — from the Fijian greeting 'bula', glossed as 'welcome / hello' (and a wish for life/health).

Fei LongStarting“flying dragon”

Mandarin for 'Flying Dragon'.

Zhan HuStarting“fighting tiger”

Mandarin for 'Fighting Tiger'.

Hae Da FungMerge“black fighting wind”

Merge tribe — rendered from Mandarin as roughly 'Black Fighting Wind' / 'black storm'.

AiraiStarting

Named after Airai, a state of Palau (the tribe lived in the old Koror camp from Survivor: Palau).

MalakalStarting

Named after Malakal, an island/area of Palau (the tribe lived in the old Ulong camp).

DabuMerge

Merge tribe — Erik Reichenbach told his tribe it meant 'good' in Micronesian, but later admitted he took it from Warcraft, where 'Dabu' is an expression of agreement.

FangStarting“a Gabonese ethnic group”

Named after the Fang, the largest ethnic group in Gabon.

KotaStarting“a Gabonese ethnic group”

Named after the Kota, an ethnic group of Gabon.

NobagMerge

Gabon merge tribe — 'Gabon' spelled backwards. The first merge tribe built from a backwards spelling.

JalapaoStarting“a region of Tocantins”

Named after Jalapão, a region of the Brazilian state of Tocantins.

TimbiraStarting“an indigenous people of Tocantins”

Named after the Timbira, an indigenous people of the Tocantins region.

ForzaMerge“strength / force”

Tocantins merge tribe — intended as Portuguese for 'strength / force' (though the correct Brazilian-Portuguese spelling is 'força').

Foa FoaStarting“trumpet shell”

Samoan for 'trumpet shell'.

GaluStarting“wave”

Samoan for 'wave'.

AigaMerge“(extended) family”

Samoa merge tribe — Samoan for the extended family or clan.

HeroesStarting

The returning fan-favorite 'heroes' — one half of the season's hero/villain theme.

VillainsStarting

The returning villains — the cutthroat half of the season's hero/villain theme.

Yin YangMerge

Heroes vs. Villains merge tribe — named for the Taoist yin-yang, the light/dark duality that defined the season.

EspadaStarting“sword”

Spanish for 'sword'.

La FlorStarting“the flower”

Spanish for 'the flower'.

LibertadMerge“liberty / freedom”

Nicaragua merge tribe — Spanish for 'liberty / freedom'.

OmetepeStarting“a Nicaraguan island”

Named after Ometepe, an island formed by two volcanoes in Lake Nicaragua.

ZapateraStarting“a Nicaraguan island”

Named after Zapatera, a volcanic island in Lake Nicaragua.

MurlonioMerge

Merge tribe — a coined word with no real translation; it echoes 'Mariano' and lent its name to Rob Mariano's company, Murlonio Productions.

SavaiiStarting“the largest island of Samoa”

Named after Savai'i, the largest island of Samoa.

UpoluStarting“a main island of Samoa”

Named after Upolu, Samoa's second-largest (and most populous) island.

Te TunaMerge“the eel (of the coconut-origin myth)”

South Pacific merge tribe — from the Polynesian legend of Tuna the eel: slain by Māui, his buried head sprouted the first coconut tree. 'Tuna' is the Polynesian word for eel.

ManonoStarting

The men's tribe, named after Manono Island, Samoa.

SalaniStarting

The women's tribe, named after Salani, a Samoan village/surf resort.

TikianoMerge

Merge tribe — coined by Troyzan Robertson, reportedly blending 'tiki' (god/idol) and 'ano' (Spanish 'año', year).

KalabawStarting“water buffalo”

Filipino for the carabao / water buffalo.

MatsingStarting“monkey”

An archaic Filipino word for 'monkey'.

TandangStarting“rooster”

Filipino for 'rooster'.

DangrayneMerge

Merge tribe — a play on 'dang rain' after three weeks of near-constant downpour. The players first wanted a profane version; producers warned it would be censored, so they landed on the Filipino-sounding Dangrayne.

BikalStarting

Named after Bikal, a barangay (village) in the municipality of Caramoan, Philippines.

GotaStarting

Named after Gota (Gota Beach), in Caramoan, Philippines.

Enil EdamMerge

Caramoan merge tribe — 'Madeline' spelled backwards and split in two, named by Malcolm Freberg after his mother. The second backwards-spelling merge name, after Nobag.

GalangStarting“respect”

Tagalog for 'respect'.

TadhanaStarting“destiny”

Tagalog for 'destiny / fate'.

KasamaMerge“companion”

Merge tribe — Tagalog for 'companion / together'.

AparriStarting

The Brawn tribe, named after Aparri, a municipality in Cagayan, Philippines.

LuzonStarting

The Brains tribe, named after Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines.

SolanaStarting

The Beauty tribe, named after Solana, a municipality in Cagayan, Philippines.

SolarrionMerge

Merge tribe — a portmanteau of the original tribes Solana, Aparri, and Luzon.

CoyopaStarting“a Mayan deity”

Named after Coyopa, a Mayan god (of thunder/lightning).

HunahpuStarting“a Mayan hero god”

Named after Hunahpu, one of the Mayan Hero Twins.

HuyopaMerge

Merge tribe — a portmanteau of the two starting tribes Hunahpu and Coyopa.

EscamecaStarting

The Blue Collar tribe, named after Playa Escameca in Nicaragua.

MasayaStarting

The White Collar tribe, named after Masaya, a city in Nicaragua.

NagaroteStarting

The No Collar tribe, named after Nagarote, a town in Nicaragua.

MericaMerge

Merge tribe — "'Merica" / America, capping the season's white-collar / blue-collar / no-collar take on American class.

BayonStarting“a Cambodian temple”

Named after the Bayon, the temple at the center of Angkor Thom famed for its giant smiling stone faces.

Ta KeoStarting“a Cambodian temple”

Named after Ta Keo, a towering, largely undecorated temple at Angkor.

AngkorSwap“Cambodia's iconic temple”

Named after Angkor Wat, Cambodia's most iconic temple — it even appears on the national flag.

OrkunMerge“thank you”

Cambodia (Second Chance) merge tribe — Khmer for 'thank you', suggested by Kimmi Kappenberg as a gesture to the fans who voted the returnees back onto the season.

Chan LohStarting“Torch Island”

The Brains tribe — Khmer for 'Torch Island', one of the islands surrounding Koh Rong.

GondolStarting“mouse / rat island”

The Beauty tribe — Khmer, glossed as 'mouse/rat island'.

To TangStarting“Square Island”

The Brawn tribe — Khmer for 'Square Island', another island near Koh Rong.

DaraMerge“star”

Merge tribe — Khmer for 'star'.

TakaliStarting“open ocean”

The Gen X tribe — Fijian for 'open ocean'.

VanuaStarting“land / homeland”

The Millennials tribe — Fijian for 'land / homeland'.

IkabulaSwap“turtle”

A third (swap) tribe introduced Day 13 — Fijian for 'turtle'.

VinakaMerge“thank you”

Merge tribe — Fijian for 'thank you'.

ManaStarting“power”

Fijian for 'power' (also a Mamanuca island name).

NukuStarting“sand”

Fijian for 'sand'.

TavuaSwap

A swap tribe, named after Tavua, a town in Fiji's Ba Province.

Maku MakuMerge

Merge tribe — a portmanteau of the starting tribes Mana and Nuku.

LevuStarting“big / large / many”

The Heroes tribe. From Fijian 'levu', meaning big, large, or many.

SokoStarting“to sail”

The Healers tribe. From Fijian 'soko', meaning 'to sail'.

YawaStarting“distance / far”

The Hustlers tribe. From Fijian 'yawa', meaning distance or far — figuratively 'far out / unexpectedly extraordinary'.

SolewaMerge

Merge tribe — a portmanteau blending all three starting tribes: SO-ko + LE-vu + ya-WA.

MaloloStarting

Named after Malolo, a volcanic island in Fiji's Mamanuca group.

NavitiStarting

Named after Naviti, a volcanic island in Fiji's Yasawa group.

YanuyaSwap

A swap tribe, named after Yanuya, a Fijian island near the Mamanucas.

LavitaMerge“to bring/take fire”

Merge tribe — from Fijian 'lavi-ta', 'to bring or take fire'.

DavidStarting

The underdog tribe of the David-and-Goliath theme.

GoliathStarting

The advantaged tribe of the David-and-Goliath theme.

JabeniSwap“champion”

A swap tribe — Fijian for 'champion'.

TivaSwap“to divert / stray”

A swap tribe — Fijian for 'to divert / stray'.

VukuSwap“ability / wise”

A swap tribe — Fijian for 'ability / wise'.

KalokaloMerge“star”

Merge tribe — Fijian for 'star'.

KamaStarting“to burn”

Fijian for 'to burn'.

ManuStarting“bird”

Fijian for 'bird'.

LesuSwap“to return”

A swap tribe — Fijian for 'to return' (apt for the Edge-of-Extinction comeback theme).

VataMerge“altogether”

Merge tribe — Fijian: 'shelf' as a noun, 'altogether' as an adverb.

LairoStarting“land crab”

Fijian for 'land crab'.

VokaiStarting“forest gecko”

Fijian for 'forest gecko'.

LumuwakuMerge

Merge tribe — not a Fijian word but an acronym, 'Love yoU, Miss yoU, really WAnna Kiss yoU', dedicated to eliminated castaway Jack Nichting (echoing a saying of his father).

DakalStarting“gun”

A variant of Fijian 'dakai', meaning 'gun'.

SeleStarting“knife / to cut”

Fijian for 'knife' / 'to cut'.

YaraSwap“harrow / to plow”

A swap tribe — Fijian for 'harrow' (a plow), or the verb 'to plow' — the odd farm-tool out among the weapon-named tribes.

KoruMerge“loop / coil (unfurling fern frond)”

Winners at War merge tribe — Māori for 'loop / coil', the unfurling silver-fern frond symbolizing new beginnings, growth, and strength. Adam Klein proposed it after learning the meaning of Jeremy Collins's koru necklace.

LuvuStarting“to sink / drown / flood”

The blue tribe. From Fijian 'luvu', 'to sink, drown, or flood' — a fit for the blue/water tribe.

UaStarting“wave / swell”

The red tribe. From Fijian 'ua', a wave or swell of the sea.

YaseStarting“lightning”

The yellow tribe. Reported as Fijian for 'lightning'.

MergatoryMerge

A portmanteau of 'merge' + 'purgatory' — the new-era limbo where players must earn their spot in the merged tribe. A player coinage that the show adopted as an actual buff/tribe name (and reused in S50).

Via KanaMerge“hungry”

Merge tribe — Fijian for 'hungry'. Winner Erika Casupanan proposed it, wanting to name the tribe after the one thing everyone shared.

IkaStarting“fish”

Fijian for 'fish'. The season's three starting tribes were all named for Fijian sea creatures.

TakuStarting“hawksbill sea turtle”

From the Fijian for the hawksbill sea turtle.

VatiStarting“swimming crab”

From the Fijian for a swimming crab.

Kula KulaMerge“collared lory (parrot)”

Merge tribe — from Fijian 'kula', the collared lory, the bright-red parrot that is a national bird of Fiji.

BakaStarting“small-leaved fig (banyan)”

The Fijian name for the banyan / small-leaved fig tree. The season's starting tribes were all named for native Fijian trees.

CocoStarting“bishopwood (koka)”

From 'koka', the Fijian name for the bishopwood tree.

VesiStarting“Pacific teak (Intsia bijuga)”

The Fijian name for vesi (Intsia bijuga), the prized Pacific teak hardwood.

GaiaMerge“earth goddess”

Merge tribe — the Greek primordial earth goddess (not a Fijian word). Suggested by Cassidy Clark.

RatuStarting“chief / noble”

A Fijian chief or hereditary noble — a title of rank.

SokaStarting“worship”

The green tribe — from Fijian 'sokalou', 'to worship'.

TikaStarting“right / correct / just”

The purple tribe — a Māori word for 'right / correct / just' (the lone Māori-derived name in an otherwise Fijian season).

MergatoryMergatory

The recurring new-era 'mergatory' phase — 'merge' + 'purgatory' — where players must earn their place in the merged tribe.

Va VaMerge“four ('4-4')”

Merge tribe — coined by winner Yam Yam Arocho from Fijian 'va' ('four'): Va Va = 4-4, for Survivor 44.

BeloStarting“reef heron”

The Fijian name for the reef heron.

LuluStarting“barn owl”

The Fijian name for the barn owl.

RebaStarting“goshawk”

The Fijian name for the goshawk.

MergatoryMergatory

The 'mergatory' earn-the-merge phase ('merge' + 'purgatory').

DakuwaqaMerge“the shark god”

Merge tribe — Dakuwaqa, the Fijian shark god, a revered protector deity of fishermen and the sea.

NamiStarting“wave”

Reported to come from the Japanese 'nami' ('wave') — the odd one out in a mostly-Fijian season.

SigaStarting“day”

Fijian for 'day'.

YanuStarting“island”

From Fijian 'yanuyanu', meaning 'island'.

MergatoryMergatory

The 'mergatory' earn-the-merge phase ('merge' + 'purgatory').

NuinuiMerge“hope”

Merge tribe — reported to derive from a Fijian word for 'hope'.

GataStarting“snake”

Fijian for 'snake'. The season's starting tribes were named for Fijian creatures.

LavoStarting“rat (kalavo)”

From 'kalavo', the Fijian word for 'rat'.

TukuStarting“spider (tukutuku)”

From 'tukutuku', the Fijian word for 'spider'.

BekaMerge“fruit bat”

Merge tribe — the Fijian name for the fruit bat, and the bat is the tribe's emblem.

CivaStarting“pearl”

Fijian for 'pearl'.

LagiStarting“sky (lomalagi)”

From 'lomalagi', the Fijian word for 'sky' / 'heaven'.

VulaStarting“moon”

Fijian for 'moon' (also 'month').

MergatoryMergatory

The 'mergatory' earn-the-merge phase ('merge' + 'purgatory').

Niu NaiMerge“milk”

Merge tribe — coined by David Kinne and Mary Zheng from the Mandarin 'niú nǎi' ('milk'); a playful nod that isn't Fijian at all.

HinaStarting

Per Jeff Probst, a nod to 'intuition' — a quality he sees as essential to winning. (Hina is also a Polynesian moon/feminine deity.)

KeleStarting“to anchor”

Fijian for 'to anchor' — part of the season's seafaring naming theme.

UliStarting“to steer / rudder”

Fijian for 'to steer' (a rudder) — continuing the navigation theme alongside Kele.

LewatuMerge“strongest woman in the village”

Merge tribe — reported to mean 'strongest woman in the village' (echoing 'lewa', woman, and 'vatu', stone).

CilaStarting“to shine”

Fijian for 'to shine'. Its emblem is the sun — one of a deliberate sun/moon/earth trio with Kalo (moon) and Vatu (earth/stone).

KaloStarting“spirit / god (reported)”

Reported as Fijian for 'a spirit' or 'a god'; its emblem is the moon, paired against Cila's sun and Vatu's earth.

VatuStarting“rock / stone”

Fijian for 'rock' / 'stone'. Its emblem is the earth, completing the season's sun/moon/earth trio.

MergatoryMergatory

The 'mergatory' earn-the-merge phase ('merge' + 'purgatory'), revived for the 50th season.

ManulevuMerge“great / big bird”

Merge tribe — Fijian 'manu' ('bird') + 'levu' ('big'): the 'great bird'. Its emblem is a phoenix, fitting the 50th-season theme of resurrection.