City Name Generator for Fictional Towns & Villages
Build a shortlist of fictional settlement names for a story map, tabletop setting, or game prototype. This city name generator also names towns and villages on the same page. It combines original word banks with settlement- and terrain-specific endings, so a coastal village and a mountain city have different naming patterns. Results are generated by rules, without waiting for an AI model.
For
Fiction writers, mapmakers, tabletop game hosts and game designers naming imaginary settlements.
Problem
A list of unrelated fantasy syllables does not help distinguish a small riverside village from a large mountain city.
Output
Five to twenty distinct names per batch, shaped by settlement, setting and style, ready to copy into worldbuilding notes.
Use when
Story mapsGive towns and villages in the same region a consistent feel by reusing the setting and style, or a shared root word.
Tabletop settlementsPrepare a shortlist before a session. City uses larger-settlement endings; Village uses smaller features such as a brook, cove or glen.
Game prototypesCreate readable placeholder names and export them as a plain text list without inventing a whole language first.
What to include
Name the settlement and terrainChoose City, Town or Village, then River, Coastal, Forest or Mountain. Selected tags override the corresponding words in your original request.
Choose a naming styleGrounded uses familiar material and tree words; Lyrical uses invented roots; Weathered uses ash, stone and age-related words. These are creative styles, not authentic historical languages.
Keep a root wordOptionally type root "Ash" in the request. Use double quotes and 1-24 English letters, spaces, apostrophes or hyphens, starting with a letter. Every name will retain that root; unsupported root formats are ignored.
Set the size of the shortlistChoose 5, 10 or 20 names. Typed quantities such as 7 names work too; requests are bounded to 1-20. Defaults are ten grounded river-city names.
Steps
01Describe the settlementEnter a short request, optionally with a quoted root word. The tool stays in this panel while you choose settings.
02Choose useful constraintsSelect the settlement, terrain, style and number of names. Generate produces one name per line with no duplicates inside that batch.
03Keep a shortlistCopy a single name with its row button, copy all names, or download the text file. New generations and refinements draw fresh batches, so save any names you want to retain.
Try this
Coastal village
Generate 10 coastal village names, root "Ash".
Keep a shared naming root for a coastal region.
Mountain city
Generate 5 weathered mountain city names.
Name an old highland city for a fictional map.
Forest town
Generate 20 lyrical forest town names.
Explore an invented naming style for woodland settlements.
Good output
Names use endings from the selected settlement and terrain.
All names within a batch are distinct.
A valid quoted root is retained in every name.
Outputs are labeled as fictional naming ideas, not real places or authentic translations.
Avoid
Using a real-place picker for invented namesThis page invents names. It does not choose existing cities or provide coordinates. Random Place Generator provides broader setting prompts instead.
Expecting unrestricted prompt instructionsThe rules understand the displayed controls, numeric name counts and the quoted-root syntax. Extra requests for lore, languages, meanings or maps are not applied.
Limits
Names are compositional suggestions from finite word banks, not a language model, real-place database, map or etymology service. No cultural or historical authenticity is claimed.
Names may coincide with existing places, works or other people's names. No worldwide uniqueness or availability check is performed. Separate batches can repeat names.
A refinement draws a new batch with recognized settings; it does not edit the previous names. Type without root to remove an earlier custom root. Other unsupported instructions are ignored.
Generated text uses this website's server and requires a connection, even though no external AI model is needed.
FAQ
Can I generate village or town names here?
Yes. Select Village or Town in the same tool. Each uses a different set of endings for the chosen terrain; there is no need to switch pages.
Are these actual cities?
No. The tool combines name parts for fictional settings. An output may happen to match a real place, but it is not selected from a geographic database.
How do I include my own word?
Add root "Ash" or another short English root in double quotes to your request. Every output keeps that root and adds a compatible ending, sometimes with a style modifier.
What changes between naming styles?
Grounded uses familiar roots such as Alder and Copper. Lyrical uses invented roots such as Avela. Weathered uses roots such as Cinder and Slate, with modifiers such as Old. With a custom root, style affects modifiers rather than replacing your word.
Will the names repeat?
Names are unique within each batch of up to 20. A later generation can repeat an earlier name. Names are not checked against other websites, books or real locations.
Does it use AI or support made-up languages?
No model is used for this tool. It uses fixed English-style composition rules and invented roots; it does not translate, follow arbitrary language rules or generate cultural etymologies.