Naming a town is different from naming a city or a kingdom — a town name has to feel lived-in. The best ones hint at what the town does (a river crossing, a mine, a market), what grows there, or what happened there once. Below are 110+ town names organized by style so you can match the name to the region of your world, whether you’re building a D&D campaign, writing a novel, or mapping a homebrew setting. Want names shaped to your specific region? The city name generator and village name generator can produce more in any of these styles.

Medieval & Classic Town Names

The backbone style — English-flavored compounds built from fords, bridges, markets, and old family names. These fit almost any temperate fantasy region.

Coastal & Port Town Names

Salt, tides, and trade. Use these for fishing villages that grew into harbors and smuggler-friendly coves.

Mountain & Mining Town Names

Hard stone, deep shafts, and long winters. Good for dwarven trade towns and frontier boomtowns alike.

Dark & Gothic Town Names

For towns with a curse, a secret, or a graveyard bigger than the market square.

Frontier & Trade Town Names

Crossroads settlements, caravan stops, and last-outpost towns at the edge of the map.

Village & Hamlet Names

Smaller and softer — these come straight from our village name pool and suit farming hamlets and forest settlements.

How to Pick a Town Name That Fits Your World

Three quick tests: (1) Geography — a desert town named Mossy Hollow breaks immersion; match the name’s imagery to the terrain. (2) Age — old towns wear worn-down names (Lowton, Fenwick); newer settlements get literal ones (Prosper’s Landing, New Hollow). (3) Neighbors — names cluster by culture, so if the region has Stoneford and Redgate, a Zyx’thal next door needs an in-world reason. If the town sits inside a larger realm you haven’t named yet, start with the kingdom names list or the fantasy kingdom name generator and work down.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good fantasy town name?

Good town names are short, pronounceable, and grounded in something concrete — a landmark, a trade, a founder, or an event. Two-part compounds like Stoneford (“stone” + river crossing) work because real town names formed the same way.

How is a town name different from a city name?

Town names tend to be humbler and more literal than city names — a ford, a mill, a market. Cities accumulate grander or older names. If your settlement has walls, districts, and a ruler, try the city name generator instead.

Can I use these town names in my campaign or novel?

Yes — every name on this page is free to use in your D&D campaign, novel, video game, or worldbuilding project, commercial or personal.