Medieval Town Name Generator
Market towns, villages and walled boroughs
Generate medieval town names built from real Old English, Norse and Norman place-name elements: -ford, -bury, -wick, -thorpe, -chester and more. Suited to D&D campaigns, fantasy maps, historical novels and strategy games.
About medieval town names
Real medieval town names are compound words describing the place. Almost every English town name is a natural feature or a founder's name joined to an Old English, Norse or Latin ending: -ford (river crossing), -bury or -borough (fortified place), -ton (farmstead), -wick (dairy farm or trading post), -ham (village), -ley (woodland clearing), -thorpe and -by (Danish settlements), -chester or -caster (former Roman fort), -minster (church town) and -mouth (river mouth). Ashford is literally the ford by the ash trees; Grimsby is Grim's village.
Later additions describe the town's role. Market towns picked up prefixes like Market and Chipping (from the Old English for market), while Church, Castle, Bishops and Kings mark who owned the place. Long descriptive names like Stow-on-the-Wold or Saffron Walden appear when two towns shared a name and needed telling apart.
When naming a town for a fantasy map or campaign, choose the ending that matches the town's function and terrain, then keep the name short and pronounceable. Two syllables plus a suffix (Wrenford, Thistlebury) is the sweet spot; players will actually remember it. This generator combines real historical towns with invented ones that follow the same rules. The list also takes in Norman manorial doubles like Shepton Mallet, abbey and port towns, Norse fell villages, and Welsh, Cornish and Scottish towns with Celtic roots.
How to choose medieval town names
- Pick the suffix by geography: -ford and -bridge for river towns, -mouth and -wick for coastal or trading towns, -bury and -caster for walled or fortified towns, -thorpe and -by for small farming villages.
- Add a prefix like Market, Chipping, Castle, Bishops or Kings to show what makes the town important in your world.
- For a cluster of settlements, reuse a shared root (Aldwick, Aldmoor, Aldergate) to imply they were founded by the same people or lord.
- Say the name aloud with a village accent; medieval names were worn smooth by speech, so drop letters if it sounds too formal (Shrewsford, not Shrewsbury-ford).
- For dark or haunted towns use bleak elements such as Grim-, Coldharbour, Hobbs End or Gallow- rather than obviously spooky words.
Frequently asked questions
How were medieval towns named?
Most were named for a landscape feature or a founder combined with a word for the type of settlement: a ford, a farm, a fortified enclosure, a clearing or a Roman fort. The name was descriptive rather than chosen, and it evolved with speech over centuries.
What do the endings -bury, -ford, -wick and -thorpe mean?
-bury (or -borough) means a fortified place, -ford is a river crossing, -wick is a farm or trading settlement, and -thorpe is a secondary Norse farm or hamlet. -ham is a homestead, -ton a farm or estate, and -chester a former Roman camp.
Are these names good for D&D or other fantasy games?
Yes. Most D&D and fantasy settings use exactly this English-style convention (Waterdeep, Greenest, Phandalin), so these names drop straight into a campaign map. Mix a few Norse-flavoured -by and -thorpe names into a region to suggest a different culture settled there.
Can I use real English town names in my story?
Yes. Place names are not copyrighted. Historical fiction usually uses real towns, while fantasy writers often prefer invented names or altered versions of real ones so readers do not picture the modern town.
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All 1,000 medieval town names
A: 42 names
- Abbess Roding
- Abbots Bromley
- Abbots Langley
- Abbotsbury
- Abbotsford
- Abbotsmere
- Abingdon
- Acton Burnell
- Aelfricstoke
- Aldeburgh
- Alderford
- Aldergate
- Alderhaven
- Aldmoor
- Aldstoke-by-the-Weir
- Aldwick
- Alnmouth
- Alnwick
- Amberstow
- Amblecote
- Ambleside
- Amesbury
- Ampney Crucis
- Andover
- Appleby
- Appledore
- Applegarth
- Appletreewick
- Arundel
- Ashbourne
- Ashby de la Zouch
- Ashby Parva
- Ashcombe
- Ashenfold
- Ashenholt
- Ashford
- Ashwick
- Askrigg
- Aston-sub-Edge
- Axminster
- Aylsham
- Aysgarth
B: 105 names
- Bablock Hythe
- Badgerholt
- Bakewell
- Baldock
- Banbury
- Barleystoke
- Barnard Castle
- Barnstable
- Barrow-in-the-Reeds
- Barrowden
- Barrowmere
- Barton-in-the-Beans
- Bassenthwaite
- Battle
- Beaminster
- Beauchastel
- Beaudesert
- Beaulieu
- Beaumaris
- Beaumarsh
- Beauregard
- Beaurepaire
- Beauvale
- Beccles
- Beckford
- Bedale
- Beechwick
- Belfontaine
- Belleau
- Bellfounders Row
- Bellhaven
- Belmarais
- Belper
- Belvoir
- Beornstead
- Bere Regis
- Berkhamsted
- Berry Pomeroy
- Berwick-upon-Tweed
- Beverley
- Bewdley
- Bexley
- Bickerstaff
- Bideford
- Biggleswade
- Birchbury
- Birchmere
- Birkscale
- Bishop Auckland
- Bishops Castle
- Bishops Lydeard
- Bishops Tawton
B, continued
- Bishops Waltham
- Bishopsgate
- Bitternmarsh
- Blackford
- Blackmere
- Blackthorpe
- Blackwell
- Blakeney
- Blanchland
- Blandford
- Bleakstow
- Blightmarsh
- Bodiam
- Bolsover
- Boscastle
- Bosham
- Boston
- Botolphsbridge
- Bourne
- Bourton-on-the-Water
- Bovey Tracey
- Brackenshaw
- Brackley
- Bradninch
- Braintree
- Braithwaite
- Bramblecote
- Bramford
- Bramhall
- Brampton
- Brancaster Staithe
- Brantgill
- Briarholm
- Briarwick
- Bridgeholm
- Bridgnorth
- Bridport
- Brightdale
- Brightlingsea
- Brimstock
- Brockenhurst
- Bromyard
- Brookhaven
- Broomfield
- Bruton
- Buckingham
- Bungay
- Buntingford
- Burford
- Burnthorpe
- Burton Lazars
- Bury St Edmunds
- Butterwick
C: 92 names
- Caernarfon
- Cairnbury
- Caistor
- Caldbeck
- Caldwell
- Calne
- Camelford
- Candlewold
- Canons Ashby
- Carrowmere
- Castle Acre
- Castle Cary
- Castle Combe
- Castle Donington
- Castle Harrowmoor
- Castle Hedingham
- Castle Rising
- Castleton
- Cerne Abbas
- Chalkhurst
- Chantry Cross
- Chapel-en-le-Frith
- Chapmanslade
- Chard
- Chastelrouge
- Cheddar
- Chepstow
- Chertsey
- Chesham
- Chester-le-Street
- Chesterholm
- Chew Magna
- Chippenham
- Chipping Campden
- Chipping Norbury
- Chipping Norton
- Chipping Ongar
- Chipping Sodbury
- Christchurch
- Chudleigh
- Church Ashby
- Church Eaton
- Church Stretton
- Church Wendlebury
- Cinderford
- Cirenford
C, continued
- Clairvale
- Cleobury Mortimer
- Clitheroe
- Clovelly
- Cloverdale
- Clun
- Cobblestead
- Cockermouth
- Cocklehaven
- Coggeshall
- Cogport
- Colchester
- Cold Ashby
- Cold Ravenstow
- Coldbrook
- Coldharbour
- Coldwater
- Combe Martin
- Combe-atte-Lea
- Compton Pauncefoot
- Conwy
- Coopers Cross
- Coppergate
- Copperthwaite
- Corbridge
- Corfe
- Cotswold Bar
- Cotterby
- Crabtree Cross
- Cragthorpe-under-Fell
- Crail
- Cranbrook
- Cranmere
- Crediton
- Cresswell
- Crewkerne
- Cricklade
- Cromer
- Crowhaven
- Crowland
- Crowmarsh
- Cuckoofield
- Culross
- Curlewden
- Curry Rivel
- Cuthbertsey
D: 31 names
- Danby
- Dapplefield
- Darlington
- Dartmouth
- Daventry
- Deepwell
- Deerhurst
- Denbigh
- Dent
- Dereham
- Devizes
- Dewhurst
- Diss
- Dorchester
- Dorking
- Dovebury
- Dovecote Row
- Draycott
- Draymoor
- Droitwich
- Drovers Halt
- Duncaster
- Dunfermline
- Dunford
- Dunmere
- Dunnockshaw
- Dunstable
- Dunstanburgh
- Dunster
- Dunwich
- Dyers Reach
E: 32 names
- Eadwulfstow
- Eaglesham
- Earl Shilton
- Earls Barton
- Earls Brackenholt
- Earls Colne
- Easingwold
- Easterby
- Eastmarch
- Eastwick
- Ebbmouth
- Ecclesfield
- Eccleshall
- Edricslow
- Eelhythe
- Egremont
- Eldenbury
- Eldercombe
- Elderstoke
- Elgin
- Ellesmere
- Elmbridge
- Elmham-next-the-Mere
- Elmstead
- Elmsworth
- Ember Cross
- Emmetleigh
- Eskgarth
- Ethelstock
- Evesham
- Eye
- Eynsham
F: 34 names
- Faircombe
- Fairhaven
- Fakenham
- Fallowfield
- Fallowmere
- Falmouth
- Faringdon
- Farnham
- Faversham
- Felixkirk
- Fenby-on-the-Water
- Fennelstow
- Fenwick
- Fernbury
- Fernwick
- Finchley Cross
- Flaxworth
- Fleetwater
- Fletchers End
- Flint
- Fontmell Magna
- Fordingbridge
- Fossbury
- Fotheringay
- Fowey
- Foxcombe
- Foxley
- Framlingham
- Friarsgate
- Fridaythorpe
- Frome
- Frostmere
- Fullers Mill
- Furzewold
G: 43 names
- Gainsborough
- Gallowford
- Gallowmoor
- Ganderby
- Garnetwold
- Gibbet Hill
- Giggleswick
- Glastonbury
- Glenford
- Glossop
- Glovers Hatch
- Godalming
- Godmanchester
- Godstow
- Godwinslow
- Goldwick
- Goosebridge
- Gorsebury
- Gorsley
- Grace Dieu
- Gracemont
- Grantchester
- Grantham
- Grasmere
- Grayford
- Great Malvern
- Great Sedgemarsh
- Greenhithe
- Greenvale
- Greybury
- Greythorpe
- Grimsby
- Grimsgarth
- Grimshaw
- Grimsthorpe
- Grimswold
- Grosmont
- Guildford
- Guisborough
- Gullhythe
- Gunnarsthwaite
- Gunnerside
- Guthlacsey
H: 75 names
- Haddonford
- Hadleigh
- Hagtoft
- Hailsham
- Hakonstoft
- Halesworth
- Halloway
- Hallowell
- Haltwhistle
- Haraldsgarth
- Harestoke
- Harewood
- Harlech
- Harleston
- Harrowdale
- Harrowgate
- Hartland
- Hartleigh
- Harvestham
- Haslemere
- Hatch Beauchamp
- Hatherleigh
- Hautmarch
- Haverfordwest
- Hawes
- Hawksmoor
- Hawkstead
- Hawthornden
- Hay-on-Wye
- Hazelford
- Heathwick
- Hedon
- Helmsley
- Helston
- Hemlockshaw
- Hengistdown
- Henley
H, continued
- Herewardstoke
- Hermits Cross
- Herondale
- Heronstow
- Herringhythe
- Herstmonceux
- Hexham
- High Ercall
- Higham Ferrers
- Highcrest
- Hildastow
- Hinton-in-the-Hedges
- Hitchin
- Hobbs End
- Holbeach
- Hollin-under-Edge
- Hollinsford
- Hollowmere
- Hollowstoke
- Holme Lacy
- Holme-next-the-Sea
- Holmfirth
- Holt
- Holystone
- Honiton
- Hopfield
- Hornbury
- Horncastle
- Horsham
- Houghton Conquest
- Howden
- Hubberholme
- Huish Episcopi
- Hungerford
- Hunterscote
- Huntingdon
- Hurstpierpoint
- Hutton-le-Hole
I: 8 names
- Ilkley
- Ilminster
- Ironbridge
- Irongate
- Ivelchester
- Ivybridge
- Ivychurch
- Ixworth
J: 3 names
- Jedburgh
- Jervaulx
- Juniperleigh
K: 35 names
- Kelmarsh
- Kelso
- Kendal
- Kenilworth
- Kestrelby
- Keswick
- Ketilsgarth
- Kettering
- Kettleby
- Kibworth Harcourt
- Kidderminster
- Kidwelly
- Kilnwick
- Kimbolton
- Kings Alderstoke
- Kings Langley
- Kings Lynn
- Kings Somborne
- Kingsbridge
- Kingsbury
- Kingsclere
- Kingsford
- Kingsmere
- Kingsteignton
- Kingston Bagpuize
- Kingswater
- Kington
- Kirkby
- Kirkbymoorside
- Kirkoswald
- Kirkstall
- Kitesworth
- Knaresborough
- Knightsbridge
- Knutsford
L: 40 names
- Lambden
- Lambourne
- Lammas Field
- Langport
- Langtoft
- Lanterngate
- Larkhill
- Larkspur Cross
- Launceston
- Lavenham
- Lechlade
- Ledbury
- Leighton Buzzard
- Leofwinton
- Leominster
- Lewes
- Lichfield
- Lindenford
- Linlithgow
- Linnetcote
- Liskeard
- Little Gidding
- Little Tarnholme
- Little Walsingham
- Long Emberley
- Long Melford
- Longbury
- Longford
- Looe
- Loomstead
- Lostwithiel
- Louth
- Lowestoft
- Lowick
- Lowmoor
- Ludlow
- Lydd
- Lydford
- Lyme
- Lymington
M: 72 names
- Mablethorpe
- Madderfield
- Maidens Lea
- Maids Moreton
- Maldon
- Mallowby
- Malmsbury
- Malpas
- Malton
- Malvoisin
- Maplecombe
- Market Bosworth
- Market Deeping
- Market Drayton
- Market Harborough
- Market Harrow
- Market Lavington
- Market Overton
- Market Rasen
- Market Thistlewood
- Marlborough
- Marlow
- Marshgate
- Marshwick
- Martenhurst
- Masham
- Maypole Heath
- Meadstow
- Melbury Osmond
- Melksham
- Melrose
- Melton
- Merevale
- Merrowdale
- Middleham
- Midhurst
M, continued
- Mildredsey
- Milford Haven
- Millbrook
- Millerston
- Milners Heath
- Milton Abbas
- Minehead
- Minster Lovell
- Mirkthwaite
- Mistlebury
- Mistleford
- Modbury
- Monks Risborough
- Monkstow
- Monmouth
- Montacute
- Montclere
- Montfalcon
- Montgomery
- Montjoy
- Montrose
- Montsauvage
- Moreton-in-Marsh
- Morpeth
- Mossgate
- Mount Grace
- Mountsorrel
- Mournholt
- Mousehole
- Much Hadham
- Much Marcle
- Much Wenlock
- Much Withycombe
- Mummers Green
- Murkwater
- Musselhythe
N: 24 names
- Nantwich
- Neen Savage
- Nether Hollinshaw
- Nether Stowey
- Nether Wallop
- Netherby
- Netmenders Quay
- Nettlebury
- Nettlestead
- New Buckenham
- New Romney
- Newark
- Newbiggin-by-the-Sea
- Newbridge
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Newminster
- Newport Pagnell
- Nightingale Cross
- Norbury
- Northallerton
- Northgate
- Northleach
- Norwich Bar
- Nun Monkton
O: 28 names
- Oakenshaw
- Oakford
- Oakham
- Oakhurst
- Offaslow
- Old Sarum
- Oldcastle
- Olney
- Orchard Wick
- Ordgarsworth
- Ormskeld
- Ormskirk
- Osgodcross
- Osierholt
- Oswaldkirk
- Oswestry
- Oswinsley
- Otley
- Otterburn
- Ottersby
- Ottery St Mary
- Oundle
- Ouseford
- Owlerton
- Oxbridge
- Oxcombe
- Oxenford
- Oxton-le-Moor
P: 36 names
- Padstow
- Painswick
- Patterdale
- Pedlarsworth
- Peebles
- Pembridge
- Pembroke
- Pendasey
- Pennybridge
- Penrith
- Penryn
- Pershore
- Petersfield
- Pevensey
- Peverel
- Pickering
- Pikemere
- Pilgrimstow
- Pinchbeck
- Pinnock
- Pittenweem
- Pleshey
- Plovermarsh
- Plumstead
- Pocklington
- Pontefract
- Porlock
- Portchester
- Potters Marston
- Poulton-le-Fylde
- Pound Green
- Prestbury
- Presteigne
- Princes Risborough
- Priors Marston
- Priorsholt
Q: 7 names
- Quarrington
- Queen Camel
- Queenhithe
- Queens Fallowby
- Queensbury
- Quernmoor
- Quillbury
R: 40 names
- Raglan
- Ragnaldsness
- Rainford
- Ramsey
- Ravenglass
- Ravenholt
- Ravenser Odd
- Ravensthorpe
- Ravensthwaite
- Ravenstonedale
- Ravenwick
- Reculver
- Redmarley
- Redstone
- Reedham
- Reedwold
- Reepham
- Rhuddlan
- Richmond Weald
- Ridgeway
- Rievaulx
- Ripon
- Riverstoke
- Rochemont
- Rochford
- Romaldkirk
- Rood End
- Rookhaven
- Rosebury
- Ross-on-Wye
- Rosthwaite
- Rothbury
- Rotherhithe
- Rougemont
- Rowanshaw
- Rushbury
- Rushmere
- Rye
- Ryecote
- Ryme Intrinseca
S: 99 names
- Saffron Walden
- Sallowford
- Saltash
- Saltersgate
- Saltfleet
- Saltmarsh
- Saltstaithe
- Samphire Staithe
- Sandbach
- Sandhurst
- Sandwich
- Satterthwaite
- Scarcliffe
- Seascale
- Sedbergh
- Sedgeford
- Sedgley-atte-Well
- Selby
- Selkirk
- Settle
- Shadowmere
- Shaftesbury
- Shambles End
- Shap
- Sheepwash
- Sheepy Magna
- Shepherdswell
- Shepton Mallet
- Sherborne
- Shieldford
- Shingleport
- Shipton-under-Wychwood
- Shrewsford
- Sibbertoft
- Sidmouth
- Sigericsley
- Sigurdsthorpe
- Silverdale
- Silverwick
- Skaldness
- Skegness
- Skeldale
- Skipton
- Sleaford
- Small Hythe
- Sorrelstead
- Sorrowford
- Southmere
- Southminster
S, continued
- Southwell
- Southwold
- Spalding
- Sparrowby
- Spilsby
- Spindleworth
- St Albans
- St Andrews
- St Bees
- St Briavels
- St Germans
- St Ives
- St Mawes
- St Neots
- St Osyth
- Stagford
- Staithes
- Stamford
- Stanethwaite
- Stansted Mountfitchet
- Stanwick
- Staplegate
- Starkholm
- Starveacre
- Staunton-over-the-Hill
- Steeple Ashton
- Steeple Barrowby
- Steeple Bumpstead
- Steyning
- Stillwater
- Stirling
- Stoke Mandeville
- Stoke-by-Nayland
- Stokesley
- Stonebridge
- Stonecross
- Stonehaven
- Stormhaven
- Stow-on-the-Wold
- Sturminster
- Sudbury
- Sutton Valence
- Sutton Weald
- Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe
- Swaffham
- Swanford
- Swanwick
- Sweynsthorpe
- Swithunsden
- Sycamore Cross
T: 54 names
- Tadcaster
- Tallowmarsh
- Tamworth
- Tanglewood
- Tannersgate
- Tansyfield
- Tarnbury
- Tarnwick
- Tavistock
- Teaselworth
- Temple Bruer
- Templecombe
- Tenby
- Tenterden
- Tetbury
- Tewkesbury
- Tewkesham
- Thame
- Thaxted
- Theydon Bois
- Thirsk
- Thistlebury
- Thistlecombe
- Thorfinnsby
- Thornbury
- Thorncaster
- Thornecroft
- Thornton-le-Dale
- Thornwick
- Threlkeld
- Thrushford
- Thurstanby
- Tickhill
- Tinderby
- Tinkers Hatch
- Tintagel
- Tisbury
- Tithebarn
- Tithebourne
- Tollbar
- Toller Porcorum
- Tonbridge
- Topsham
- Torbury
- Tostigsby
- Totnes
- Towcester
- Trentmouth
- Tring
- Troutbeck
- Tumblebrook
- Tutbury
- Twyford
- Tynemouth
U: 11 names
- Ugglebarnby
- Ulcombe
- Ulfsbeck
- Ulverscroft
- Ulverston
- Underhill
- Uphaven
- Upper Cresswold
- Uppingham
- Usk
- Uttoxeter
V: 3 names
- Vale Royal
- Vauxbury
- Vixenholt
W: 76 names
- Wadebridge
- Wainfleet
- Wainstoke
- Walberswick
- Waldford
- Wallingford
- Wantage
- Wardbury
- Wardle-in-the-Willows
- Wardlow
- Ware
- Wareham
- Warminster
- Warwick
- Watchet
- Wayford
- Weatherby
- Weavers Green
- Wells
- Wells-next-the-Sea
- Wellstone
- Wem
- Wendmere
- Wendover
- Weobley
- Westford
- Westhaven
- Wetherby
- Wexmouth
- Weymouth
- Wheatstow
- Wherrystaithe
- Whinmoor
- Whitby
- Whitchurch
- Whitcombe
- Whitfield
- Whitmere
W, continued
- Whitstable
- Wickham
- Wigmore
- Wilfridstow
- Willowby
- Wimborne
- Wincanton
- Winchcombe
- Winchelsea
- Windmere
- Winterbourne
- Winterton
- Wirksworth
- Withyham
- Witney
- Wiveliscombe
- Wivenhoe
- Woadleigh
- Wolfkeld
- Wolfsgate
- Wolfstead
- Wolvercote
- Woodbridge
- Woodford
- Wooler
- Woolpit
- Woolwick
- Wootton Bassett
- Wotton-under-Edge
- Wraithwell
- Wrenbury
- Wrenford
- Wrights Hollow
- Wulfricsworth
- Wulfstansey
- Wykeham
- Wymondham
- Wyvernbridge
Y: 9 names
- Yardley
- Yarm
- Yarmouth
- Yaxley
- Yellowford
- Yeovil
- Yewdale
- Yockenthwaite
- Yorkford