Fantasy Place and World Name Generators

Use them to fill a world map, a campaign setting or a novel's backdrop. Each tool gives ten new names per click. Save the ones you like and you will have a whole map filled in an afternoon, with every name feeling like it belongs.

How real place names are built

Many English place names are a root plus an ending that once had a meaning. The ending -ford meant a river crossing. The ending -ton meant a farm or settlement. The ending -by came from Norse and meant a village. The ending -wick meant a trading place. So Ashford is the river crossing by the ash trees.

Using endings like these, or inventing your own with set meanings, makes a map feel real. Readers sense that the names have history, even if they never learn the meanings.

• Give each region its own set of endings to show different cultures.
• Name rivers and mountains first; towns are often named after them.
• Use bigger, grander names for kingdoms and simple names for villages.

Naming taverns, inns and landmarks

Taverns and inns often follow an old pattern: 'The' plus a describing word plus an animal or object, such as The Prancing Stag or The Copper Kettle. The names were once painted on signs so that people who could not read could still find them. That is why many old inn names are easy to picture.

Landmarks work best when they describe what you see or what happened there. The Weeping Cliffs, Broken Bridge or Kingsfall all hint at a story.

When you name a whole map, start with the biggest features and work down. Name continents and kingdoms first, then rivers, mountains and forests, then cities, then villages and inns. Smaller places often borrow from the bigger names around them, which ties the map together.