Lighthouse Name Generator

Real lighthouses are almost never named for themselves. They take the name of the hazard or landmark they mark, followed by a role word: Cape Wrath Lighthouse, Bell Rock Light, Minot's Ledge Light, Ashtabula Pierhead Light. The middle word tells sailors what kind of danger it is. Head, Point and Cape mean a headland; Rock, Ledge, Reef, Shoal and Bar mean something at or under the waterline; Skerry is a Scottish or Norse sea rock; Pierhead, Breakwater and Range Light belong to harbors and the Great Lakes. American usage shortens to "Light," British and Irish lights are usually "Lighthouse" in full, and a staffed complex is a "Light Station."

The names that stick carry a story: Widow's Reef, Drowned Man's Reef, Execution Rocks, Wrecker's Ledge, Graves Ledge. Saints' names mark Cornish, Irish and Breton coasts; bird names (Gannet, Kittiwake, Puffin) mark seabird colonies; colors and rock types (Blackstone, Greystack, Ironbound) describe what the mariner sees. Elsewhere the role word comes first: Faro de Punta Gris, Phare de la Pointe Grise, Farol do Desterro, Leuchtturm Sturmkap, Fyr Gråskär.

The list mixes famous real lights, plausible invented ones in every regional style, and storybook beacons such as The Widow's Lamp and The Sentinel of Carrow for fantasy settings where a lighthouse is a character in its own right.