Highway Name Generator

Realistic highway, freeway and parkway names for maps

Places & Geography500 names

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Generate highway names that sound like they belong on a real road sign: numbered routes and interstates, named freeways and turnpikes, scenic byways, memorial highways, trucker nicknames like The Widowmaker, plus sci-fi skyways and fantasy king's roads for fictional worlds and game maps.

About highway names

Real highways carry two or three names at once, and that is the trick to making a fictional one believable. There is the number the state or nation assigns (Route 117, State Route 9, Interstate 43, M19, Autoroute A88), the official name a legislature attaches (Veterans Memorial Highway, Governor Ames Expressway, Cascade Ridge Parkway), and the nickname drivers actually use (The Snake, The Devil's Backbone, Hell's Half Mile). Use all three layers for a big road and the map feels lived-in.

The suffix tells you what kind of road it is. Interstate, freeway and motorway mean limited access and no stoplights; expressway and arterial are one step down; turnpike and tollway mean someone collects money; parkway and scenic byway promise trees and views and ban trucks; bypass, spur, loop and connector describe what the road does rather than where it goes. Memorial highways are named for soldiers, firefighters, governors and local heroes. Nicknames are short, menacing or affectionate, and almost always start with The.

This list mixes all of those registers plus a handful of futuristic skyways and fantasy king's roads, so you can name the main drag of a Cities: Skylines build, the interstate a road-trip novel follows, or the trade route on a tabletop map in one pass.

How to choose highway names

  • Give a major fictional highway a number, an official name and a nickname; drivers in your story or game will use different ones depending on who they are.
  • Match the suffix to the road: freeway, interstate and motorway for limited-access roads; parkway or byway for scenic routes; turnpike or tollway if there is a toll; bypass, spur or loop for roads that serve a town rather than cross a region.
  • Memorial highway names should be long and specific (Nurse Ida Bellamy Memorial Highway), while nicknames should be two or three words (The Gauntlet, Hairpin Alley).
  • For non-American settings swap the vocabulary: M-numbers and A-roads in Britain, Autoroute or Route Nationale in France, Autobahn and Bundesstrasse in Germany, and Highway 1 style numbers in Australia and Canada.
  • Name highways after what they pass or where they end (Glacier Gap, Salt Flat, Ocean Gate) before you invent abstract names; real road names are overwhelmingly geographic.

Frequently asked questions

How are real highways named?

Most get a number from a national or state numbering system first, then an honorary name voted by a legislature (often a memorial), and finally a nickname from the people who drive it. Scenic routes are usually named for the landscape they cross, and older roads keep names from the trail or turnpike they replaced.

What is the difference between a highway, freeway, expressway and parkway?

Highway is the general term for any major road. A freeway or interstate has no cross traffic or signals; an expressway has limited access but may have a few junctions; a parkway is a landscaped road that usually bans trucks; a turnpike or tollway charges a toll. Using the right word makes a fictional road name sound authentic.

Can I use these names for a game map or a novel?

Yes. They are free to use for Cities: Skylines and SimCity builds, tabletop campaign maps, fantasy and sci-fi worldbuilding, screenplays and fiction. Numbered routes are generic, and the named highways here are invented; a few share words with real roads, so check if you need a name no real place uses.

How do I name highways in a fantasy or sci-fi world?

Fantasy roads are named for who built them or where they lead: the King's Road, Old Imperial Way, Ironmarch Causeway, Dwarfroad. Sci-fi roads use numbers and system words: Hyperlane 12, Maglev Corridor 3, Sector 12 Arterial, Orbital Ring Road. Both are included in the list alongside the realistic names.

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All 500 highway names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 23 names

  • A38 Devon Expressway
  • A5 Holyhead Road
  • A9 Highland Route
  • Admiral's Highway
  • Airport Connector
  • Alkali Road
  • Alpine Loop
  • Alternate Route 52
  • Amber Coast Road
  • Anchorage Highway
  • Angel Fire Road
  • Antelope Flats Road
  • Antler Pass Highway
  • Apple Valley Parkway
  • Arcology Spur
  • Arctic Circle Highway
  • Ashfall Ridge Highway
  • Ashgrove Turnpike
  • Astronaut Highway
  • Atomic Highway
  • Aurora Parkway
  • Autobahn A99
  • Autoroute A88

B: 36 names

  • Badger Flats Highway
  • Bandit Pass
  • Barge Canal Parkway
  • Barrier Island Highway
  • Bayou Teche Highway
  • Bayview Parkway
  • Bear Tooth Road
  • Beaver Dam Road
  • Big Sky Highway
  • Bighorn Highway
  • Biscuit Hill Road
  • Bitterroot Highway
  • Black Mesa Highway
  • Blackwater Canyon Highway
  • Blue Heron Parkway
  • Blue Star Memorial Route
  • Bluebird Meadow Road
  • Bluecap Highway
  • Bluegrass Parkway
  • Bonanza Parkway
  • Boomtown Expressway
  • Boot Hill Road
  • Bootlegger Highway
  • Borax Highway
  • Breakwater Parkway
  • Brickyard Bypass
  • Bronco Highway
  • Buckhorn Ridge Road
  • Buffalo Jump Road
  • Bullfrog Hollow Road
  • Bullseye Highway
  • Bundesstrasse 77
  • Burro Flats Highway
  • Business Route 41
  • Butterfly Ridge Parkway
  • Bypass 27

C: 49 names

  • Calle Grande
  • Camino Real Norte
  • Cannery Row Expressway
  • Canyon Rim Drive
  • Canyonlands Highway
  • Capital Beltway North
  • Captain Elsa Varga Bridge Road
  • Cardinal Crossing Highway
  • Caribou Crossing Highway
  • Caribou Trail Highway
  • Carretera del Mar
  • Cascade Ridge Parkway
  • Catfish Bend Road
  • Cathedral Parkway
  • Cattle Drive Highway
  • Cedar Valley Turnpike
  • Chief Two Rivers Highway
  • Chisholm Spur
  • Chrome Corridor
  • Cinder Cone Road
  • Cinnamon Bay Parkway
  • Citrus Highway
  • Civic Center Expressway
  • Clearwater Expressway

C, continued

  • Cloudline Parkway
  • Coach Danny Ruiz Parkway
  • Coastal Ridge Highway
  • Cocoa Beach Parkway
  • Commerce Expressway
  • Commodore Parkway
  • Confederation Highway
  • Copper King Highway
  • Copper Route
  • Copperhead Grade
  • Coral Reef Highway
  • Corduroy Road
  • Cornbread Hollow Highway
  • Corporal Jay Whitcomb Highway
  • Corridor H Extension
  • Cotton Belt Road
  • Cotton Gin Highway
  • Cottonwood Freeway
  • County Route 77
  • Cowboy Trail Highway
  • Coyote Canyon Highway
  • Coyote Hills Parkway
  • Crosstown Expressway
  • Crownway
  • Cypress Swamp Highway

D: 18 names

  • Datastream Parkway
  • Dead Shot Pass
  • Deadman's Curve Road
  • Delta Byway
  • Devil's Elbow Road
  • Devil's Kitchen Road
  • Diamond Valley Road
  • Doe Creek Road
  • Dolores Reyes Parkway
  • Dolphin Cove Highway
  • Dome Perimeter Road
  • Dragonfly Marsh Parkway
  • Dragonspine Pass
  • Drover's Road
  • Dry Wash Highway
  • Duck Pond Highway
  • Dwarfroad
  • Dynamite Hill Highway

E: 15 names

  • E45 Scandinavian Route
  • E55 Adriatic Route
  • Eagle Pass Highway
  • Eastgate Beltway
  • Echo Canyon Highway
  • Edge of the World Highway
  • El Camino Viejo
  • Eldorado Expressway
  • Elk Horn Highway
  • Emerald Coast Highway
  • Empire Expressway
  • Empty Quarter Road
  • End of the Line Road
  • Enterprise Parkway
  • Evergreen Parkway

F: 21 names

  • Faerie Ring Road
  • Fall Line Freeway
  • Fallen Firefighters Memorial Parkway
  • Fallen Timber Road
  • Farm-to-Market Road 1209
  • Fawnhaven Parkway
  • Ferry Landing Road
  • Ferryman's Highway
  • Firefly Meadow Road
  • First Responders Freeway
  • Fishermen's Highway
  • Five Mile Straight
  • Flood Plain Expressway
  • Foothills Expressway
  • Fort Morrow Road
  • Forty Mile Desert Road
  • Foundry Expressway
  • Four Corners Highway
  • Foxfire Highway
  • Frontier Highway
  • Fusion Freeway

G: 20 names

  • Garnet Highway
  • Ghost Rider Highway
  • Ghost Town Road
  • Giantsway
  • Ginger Hill Highway
  • Glacier Gap Highway
  • Gold Rush Highway
  • Gold Star Families Highway
  • Golden Spike Highway
  • Goodnight Loop
  • Goose Creek Parkway
  • Governor Ames Expressway
  • Grainland Expressway
  • Grand Circle Drive
  • Granite Belt Highway
  • Great Northern Turnpike
  • Greyhawk Highway
  • Gridway North
  • Griffon Ridge Road
  • Gunsmoke Highway

H: 31 names

  • Habitat Ring Expressway
  • Hairpin Alley
  • Halvorsen Memorial Freeway
  • Harbor Freeway
  • Harbor Master Parkway
  • Harborfront Expressway
  • Harcourt Highway
  • Harlan Pike Memorial Highway
  • Harrowgate Turnpike
  • Haunted Hollow Road
  • Headless Horseman Highway
  • Heaven's Gate Pass
  • Helix Highway
  • Hell's Half Mile
  • Hellgate Highway
  • Heritage Trail Highway
  • Hickory Ridge Road
  • Hideout Canyon Road
  • High Desert Route
  • Highway 14 North
  • Hole-in-the-Wall Highway
  • Hollow Creek Road
  • Hollow Log Road
  • Hominy Ridge Road
  • Honey Hole Highway
  • Honeybee Highway
  • Horseshoe Bend Highway
  • Hospital Hill Road
  • Hummingbird Hill Road
  • Hundred Mile Highway
  • Hyperlane 12

I: 10 names

  • Ice Road North
  • Industrial Spur
  • Innovation Way
  • Interstate 270 Connector
  • Interstate 43 Bypass
  • Interstate 88 Spur
  • Iron Horse Freeway
  • Ironbound Expressway
  • Ironmarch Causeway
  • Ironwood Flats Highway

J: 4 names

  • Jackrabbit Highway
  • Joshua Tree Road
  • Jubilee Highway
  • Judge Petra Lindqvist Parkway

K: 4 names

  • Kestrel Point Parkway
  • Kettering Bypass
  • Kingfisher Creek Highway
  • Kings Causeway

L: 18 names

  • Lakeshore Drive Extension
  • Lariat Loop
  • Last Chance Highway
  • Launch Pad Road
  • Lavender Fields Road
  • Levee Road
  • Lighthouse Keeper's Road
  • Lighthouse Route
  • Lincoln Trail Highway
  • Loneliest Highway in the State
  • Lonely Road
  • Lonesome Mile
  • Longhorn Trail Highway
  • Longleaf Highway
  • Lost Coast Highway
  • Lowcountry Highway
  • Lumberjack Highway
  • Lunar Causeway

M: 27 names

  • M19 Motorway
  • Maglev Corridor 3
  • Manatee Springs Road
  • Maple Leaf Route
  • Mariner's Route
  • Marlow Expressway
  • Marsh Island Causeway
  • Marshal's Highway
  • Mayor Teddy Calloway Expressway
  • Medal of Valor Parkway
  • Meridian Arc Highway
  • Meridian Tollway
  • Mesa Verde Road
  • Midland Arterial
  • Mill Race Expressway
  • Millbrook Turnpike
  • Miners' Highway
  • Mission Control Highway
  • Mission Trail Highway
  • Monument Highway
  • Moonshiner's Road
  • Moose Pass Highway
  • Mother Lode Highway
  • Motorway M1 Extension
  • Mule Skinner Road
  • Muskeg Road
  • Muskrat Bend Road

N: 12 names

  • N1 Northern Highway
  • N7 Southern Highway
  • National Highway 44
  • National Route 3
  • Navy Yard Expressway
  • Nine Mile Grade
  • Ninety-Nine Bends Road
  • North Shore Scenic Drive
  • Northbridge Freeway
  • Northern Lights Highway
  • Nowhere Road
  • Nurse Ida Bellamy Memorial Highway

O: 15 names

  • Ocean Gate Highway
  • Ogre Crossing Road
  • Old Coach Road
  • Old Imperial Way
  • Old Kingsway
  • Old Post Road
  • Old Stage Road
  • Olive Grove Highway
  • Orbital Ring Road
  • Orchard Line
  • Otter Tail Highway
  • Outlaw Trail Road
  • Outrider Parkway
  • Overland Route
  • Oxbow Highway

P: 26 names

  • Pacific Rim Corridor
  • Packhorse Pass
  • Paddlewheel Road
  • Painted Desert Highway
  • Palisade Parkway
  • Pan-Continental Highway
  • Panorama Highway
  • Pay Dirt Road
  • Peach Orchard Highway
  • Pepper Ridge Road
  • Permafrost Parkway
  • Piedmont Parkway
  • Pilgrim's Highway
  • Pilot Boat Road
  • Pioneer Trail Highway
  • Pirate Coast Highway
  • Plank Road
  • Polar Bear Pass
  • Polar Route
  • Pony Express Highway
  • Port Access Road
  • Possum Trot Highway
  • Powder Keg Road
  • Prairie Wind Expressway
  • Provincial Highway 17
  • Purgatory Pass

Q: 2 names

  • Quarry Road
  • Queen's Highway

R: 30 names

  • Ranch Road 3300
  • Range Rider Road
  • Range Road 214
  • Rattlesnake Grade
  • Raven's Roost Parkway
  • Red Rock Parkway
  • Redstone Pass Highway
  • Reindeer Run Road
  • Research Park Freeway
  • Revenuer's Run
  • Reverend Amos Greer Highway
  • Ridge Runner Highway
  • Ridgecrest Loop
  • Rimrock Road
  • Riverbend Bypass
  • Riverboat Parkway
  • Rivermont Expressway
  • Roadrunner Expressway
  • Robbers' Roost Road
  • Rocket Road
  • Rodovia do Litoral
  • Roof of the Range Road
  • Route 117
  • Route 1A Coastal
  • Route 211 Scenic Loop
  • Route 302
  • Route 9W
  • Route des Alpes
  • Route Napoleon Bis
  • Ruta 40 Sur

S: 64 names

  • Saguaro Highway
  • Salamander Springs Road
  • Salt Flat Expressway
  • Salt Road
  • Saltlick Highway
  • Sandhill Crane Highway
  • Sandstone Expressway
  • Sapphire Bay Road
  • Satellite Parkway
  • Sawtooth Scenic Byway
  • Scorpion Pass
  • Sea Turtle Highway
  • Seaboard Highway
  • Seal Rock Highway
  • Seawall Expressway
  • Sector 12 Arterial
  • Senator Okafor Freeway
  • Seven Sisters Pass
  • Shearing Shed Road
  • Sheep Camp Highway
  • Sheriff's Posse Road
  • Shipwreck Coast Road
  • Shipyard Freeway
  • Showboat Highway
  • Sierra Crest Highway
  • Silver Road
  • Silver Spur Road
  • Silverline Expressway
  • Singing Sands Road
  • Sixgun Ridge Road
  • Sky Island Highway
  • Skybridge Highway

S, continued

  • Skyline Boulevard
  • Skyway 9
  • Sleepy Hollow Turnpike
  • Slot Canyon Road
  • Smugglers' Road
  • Snow Goose Flats Highway
  • Sorghum Mill Road
  • Sound View Parkway
  • Sourdough Road
  • Southern Cross Highway
  • Spaceport Expressway
  • Sparrowhawk Pass
  • Spur Ridge Parkway
  • Stadium Freeway
  • Stag Run Parkway
  • Stagecoach Road
  • Starlight Highway
  • Starport Access Freeway
  • State Highway 1
  • State Route 118 Truck Bypass
  • State Route 9
  • Steamboat Landing Highway
  • Steelton Freeway
  • Stockyard Expressway
  • Stonebridge Parkway
  • Strada del Sole
  • Stratoway 7
  • Sugarcane Highway
  • Summit Line
  • Sunset Corridor
  • Sweetwater Parkway
  • Switchback Highway

T: 49 names

  • Tamarack Turnpike
  • Technology Corridor
  • Terraform Highway
  • The Devil's Backbone
  • The Dragon's Tail Road
  • The Elven Ride
  • The Gauntlet
  • The Great Fen Road
  • The King's Road
  • The Long Grey
  • The Neon Artery
  • The Old Dwarf Road
  • The Ribbon
  • The Snake
  • The Spine
  • The Staircase
  • The Sunrise Highway
  • The Weaver's Run
  • The Widowmaker
  • Thousand Island Parkway
  • Three Bridges Road
  • Thunder Alley
  • Thunder Basin Road
  • Thunder Road

T, continued

  • Tidal Basin Parkway
  • Tidewater Turnpike
  • Timberline Parkway
  • Tobacco Barn Road
  • Tollhouse Road
  • Tombstone Territorial Highway
  • Top of the World Highway
  • Township Road 38
  • Trans-Alpine Highway
  • Trans-Continental Highway
  • Trans-Desert Highway
  • Trans-Taiga Road
  • Transamazonica Norte
  • Transit Artery 9
  • Treasure Coast Parkway
  • Trollbridge Highway
  • Truck Route 6
  • Tugboat Highway
  • Tundra Highway
  • Tundra Swan Parkway
  • Turkey Scratch Highway
  • Turnpike Hill Road
  • Turtle Back Highway
  • Twin Rivers Expressway
  • Two Rivers Expressway

U: 3 names

  • Unicorn Glade Parkway
  • University Parkway
  • Upland Expressway

V: 6 names

  • Vandermeer Memorial Freeway
  • Vectorline Expressway
  • Veterans Memorial Highway
  • Via Appia Nova
  • Vigilante Trail
  • Vineyard Route

W: 16 names

  • Wagon Wheel Road
  • Walrus Point Road
  • Wendover Link
  • Western Gateway Freeway
  • Whale Watch Parkway
  • Whalers' Way
  • Wheatbelt Highway
  • Whispering Pines Highway
  • Whooping Crane Road
  • Widowmaker Pass
  • Wild Goose Highway
  • Wildcat Canyon Road
  • Windward Expressway
  • Witch's Cauldron Pass
  • Wolf Creek Pass Road
  • Wyvern Pass

Z: 1 name

  • Zephyr Expressway