This fantasy city name generator makes names for cities on a map, in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign or in a story. Choose who built the city and it draws on a word list for that people, so a human capital sounds like Whitebridge, a dwarven hold like Irondelve and an orc stronghold like Gorgash. A seventh style makes up a name with no English meaning, such as Tyranis.

Seven Styles of City Name

Style	What it suits	Examples
Human kingdom	Capitals and market cities	Whitebridge, Oakcross
Port city	Harbours and trading towns	Saltport, Gullhaven
Dwarven hold	Cities under the mountain	Irondelve, Stonehall
Orc stronghold	War camps and fortresses	Gorgash, Iron Maw
Dark and gothic	Cursed, haunted or ruined cities	Ravenspire, Duskfell
High magic	Wizards' cities and academies	Starspire, Runegate
Invented name	Old capitals and distant empires	Tyranis, Corathal

What City Name Endings Mean

Fantasy city names sound right when they copy the way real places were named. These endings come from real place names, and each says something about the city.

Ending	Meaning	Real example
-ford	A shallow place where a river can be crossed	Oxford
-bury	A fortified place, from Old English burh	Canterbury
-minster	A large church or monastery	Westminster
-haven	A harbour	Copenhagen, the merchants' haven
-mouth	Where a river meets the sea	Plymouth
-heim	Home, in German and Norse names	Mannheim
-stad	Town, in Scandinavian and Dutch names	Karlstad
-polis	City, in Greek	Constantinople, the city of Constantine

How to Name a City for Your World

Decide who founded it. A city keeps the name its first builders gave it. A human city on old dwarven foundations can still be called Stonehall.
Name it for one feature. A bridge, a gate, a spire or a harbour. The feature gives players something to look for when they arrive.
Keep neighbours alike. Cities of one realm share endings. Generate several names in one style and use them together.
Fill in the map around it. The Kingdom Name Generator names the realm, the Village Name Generator the smaller places, and the Tavern Name Generator the first building the party will visit.

Elven and Other Cities

Elven city names are built from flowing invented syllables, not joined English words, so they have a separate tool: the Elven City Name Generator. For a fortress that is not a city, use the Castle Name Generator.

How to Use the Fantasy City Name Generator

Choose who built the city: Pick a human kingdom, a port, a dwarven hold, an orc stronghold, a gothic city, a city of high magic or an invented name.
Generate: Each press gives eight new city names.
Copy: Use the copy button beside the name you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I come up with a fantasy city name?

Start with why the city is there. Most real cities are named for a river crossing, a fort, a harbour or a founder, and a fantasy city can be named the same way: Whitebridge for its bridge, Saltport for its trade. Then choose sounds that fit the people who built it.

What are good names for an orc city?

Short and harsh. Orc names here are either invented words with hard consonants, such as Gorgash and Urmok, or blunt descriptions of the place, such as Iron Maw and Broken Tooth. Choose the orc stronghold style.

What do dwarves call their cities?

Dwarven cities are named for the mountain and the work: Irondelve, Stonehall, Anvilgate. A delve is a mine or excavation and a hold is a fortress, so both words say the city is dug in and defended.

Does the generator make elven city names?

Elven names follow different rules, so they have their own tool. Use the Elven City Name Generator for high elf and wood elf cities.

Should a city name mean something?

It helps. A name in plain words, such as Ravenspire, tells the reader something at once. An invented name, such as Tyranis, sounds older and more foreign. Many settings mix the two: plain names for towns the heroes come from and invented names for distant capitals.

Can I use these names in a published work?

Yes. They are common words and syllables joined at random. Search for a name before you rely on it, since a simple compound may already be used in a book or a game. Well-known examples are left out of the generator.