Ruins Name Generator

Names for lost temples, fallen keeps and sunken cities

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Generate ruins names for fantasy maps, D&D campaigns, video games and novels: crumbling abbeys, drowned harbours, forgotten ziggurats, barrows with folk names and archaeological sites in a dozen real-world styles. Includes invented names alongside a selection of real lost places for inspiration.

About ruins names

Ruins are named in three different ways. Some keep the name they had when they stood: Pompeii, Tintern, Dunwich. Some are named by the people who live near them now, who have no idea what the place was and call it after what it looks like or what they fear it is, which is how Britain got Wayland's Smithy, the Devil's Quoit and the Hag's Chair. The rest are labelled by scholars with a feature word from the local language (Tell, Khirbet, Tepe, Dun, Caer, Broch, Wheal) plus a nearby village, because the original name is lost.

For fantasy writing, the second kind is usually the most evocative. A name like the Drowned Halls or Widow's Arch tells the reader the place is old, broken and locally notorious without a paragraph of exposition, and leaves room to reveal the true name later as a plot point. Plain names such as Old Varenholt or Tel Ashkar suit maps and archaeologists' notes, where understatement sounds real.

This list mixes evocative descriptive names, invented proper names in Latin, Mesopotamian, Celtic, Norse, Khmer, Mesoamerican and Arabic styles, folk names for barrows and stone circles, industrial ruins like engine houses and salt pans, and a handful of genuine lost places for reference. Match the style to whoever is speaking about the ruin.

How to choose ruins names

  • Give important ruins two names: the formal one on old maps (Castra Vetera) and the folk name locals use (the Wolf Gate); characters who use the old name instantly read as educated or ancient.
  • Match the descriptive word to the type of structure: abbeys, priories and oratories for religious sites, keeps, forts and redoubts for military ones, kilns, wheals and engine houses for industrial ruins.
  • Use a real feature word to signal the culture that built it: Tell or Khirbet for a Near Eastern mound, Dun or Rath for Celtic forts, Broch for Scottish towers, Prasat for Khmer temples, Castra for Roman camps.
  • Pick names that describe what the ruin has become rather than what it was, such as the Sand-Choked Temple or the Drowned Lighthouse; it tells the reader what the scene looks like before they arrive.
  • For a dungeon crawl, name the ruin after a rumour (Skeleton Quay, Plague Pit Church, Wheal Despair); the name becomes the hook that gets the party through the door.

Frequently asked questions

How do archaeologists name ruins whose original name is lost?

They use a local descriptive word plus the nearest modern place name: Tell (mound) in Arabic, Tepe in Persian and Turkish, Khirbet (ruin) in the Levant, Dun or Rath in Ireland, Wheal (mine) in Cornwall. Tell Barsha or Khirbet Anum therefore means roughly 'the mound by Barsha' or 'the ruin near Anum'.

What are good names for ruins in D&D or other tabletop games?

Short descriptive names that promise danger or mystery work best at the table: the Hollow Keep, Skull Hill Barrows, the Sunken Court of Ashur-Vel, Wheal Despair. Players remember names built from a concrete image more easily than invented words alone.

Why do many ruins have folk names like Devil's Quoit or Hag's Chair?

When knowledge of the builders was lost, local people explained impressive stones and mounds through legend, crediting giants, devils, witches, King Arthur or the Norse smith Wayland. Such names are real in Britain and Ireland and are a ready-made pattern for fantasy worlds.

Can I use real ruin names like Pompeii or Skara Brae in fiction?

Yes. Place names are not protected by copyright, and many authors use real lost cities directly or as models. If you want a real flavour without a real place, change one element: Old Winchelsea becomes Old Wendbury, Ravenser Odd becomes Ravenhithe.

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All 500 ruins 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: 13 names

  • Abbey of the Nine Bells
  • Ain Sekhem
  • Aldric's Gate
  • Anchorite's Tower
  • Aquae Mortuae
  • Aquileia
  • Arch of Lost Legions
  • Arkessa Remnant
  • Ashenhold
  • Ashenhythe
  • Ashfall Citadel
  • Ashgrove Priory
  • Atlit Yam

B: 22 names

  • Bab al-Mayyit
  • Baiae
  • Baldo's Arch
  • Banteay Chhoul
  • Barrow of the Five Queens
  • Barrow of the Nine Horsemen
  • Barrow of Unna
  • Beggar's Palace
  • Belas Knap
  • Belmorra
  • Bishop's Folly
  • Bit-Adini Mound
  • Blackcairn
  • Blackfriars Hythe
  • Blackwater Priory
  • Blight Abbey
  • Bodie
  • Bonefield
  • Brannagh's Mound
  • Broch of Gurness
  • Bryn Celli Ddu
  • Burnt Keep of Ravendale

C: 28 names

  • Caer Gwyddno
  • Caer Morwen
  • Cairn of the Salt Queen
  • Cairn Tor
  • Callanish Stones
  • Cashel of the Monks
  • Castle Dunmoral
  • Castle Gravenholt
  • Castra Lupinae
  • Castra Mortua
  • Castra Vetera
  • Cell of Saint Wenna
  • Cerveteri
  • Chapel of the Nine Lanterns
  • Chogha Sefid
  • Cinder Abbey
  • Cistern of Septimus
  • Clochán Hollow
  • Clonmacnoise
  • Colonia Obscura
  • Corwen's Stair
  • Court of the Drowned Bell
  • Craco
  • Crestfall Ruins
  • Crow's Rest Ruins
  • Crowsbarrow
  • Crumbling Hall of Berrow
  • Cuauhtlan Teocalli

D: 19 names

  • Dead Priory of Oakmere
  • Deir al-Banat
  • Devil's Quoit
  • Dorrin's Gate
  • Dreadmoor Howe
  • Drombeg Circle
  • Drowned Chapel of Saint Ives
  • Drowned Man's Stair
  • Dun Aedh
  • Dun Aengus
  • Dun Breac
  • Dun Carloway
  • Dun Duchathair
  • Dunwich
  • Dunwich Greyfriars
  • Dur-Ashurnar
  • Dur-Kurigal
  • Dur-Namzu
  • Dustmarch

E: 5 names

  • Ebonmere Remnants
  • Ek Chulam
  • Eketorp
  • Engine House at Carn Gwyn
  • Eraclea Minoa

F: 8 names

  • Falerii Novi
  • Fallen Spire of Ondrath
  • Felgrim's Wall
  • Fenwick Hollow
  • Fort Desolation
  • Fort Ross
  • Forum Desertum
  • Friar's Folly

G: 16 names

  • Gallarus Oratory
  • Gallows Hill Fort
  • Gallows Row
  • Gallowsmere
  • Gamla Uppsala Mounds
  • Gate of Ten Thousand Lamps
  • Giant's Table
  • Glendalough
  • Gorm's Cairn
  • Gravensmoor Folly
  • Greywatch Ruins
  • Greywater Chapel
  • Grianán of Aileach
  • Grim's Ditch
  • Grimmet's Mill
  • Gur-e Khamush

H: 25 names

  • Haft Tepe Minor
  • Hag's Chair
  • Hagsgate
  • Hall of the Blind Smith
  • Hall of the Sleeping Kings
  • Hallowmere Tithe Barn
  • Halls of Velmyra
  • Hanging Gardens of Sethra
  • Hangman's Arch
  • Harrowgate Remnant
  • Harrowmere
  • Hashima
  • Helike
  • Hengist's Dyke
  • Herculaneum
  • Hermit's Cell
  • Hetty Pegler's Tump
  • Hewlett's Kiln
  • Hill of Broken Crowns
  • Hobb's Tower
  • Hollowfen Cross
  • Horvat Nahal
  • Hrafnsholt
  • Humberstone
  • Hurlers Ring

I: 4 names

  • Ilderon
  • Ismantorp Ring Fort
  • Ithil Var
  • Itzam Kab

J: 3 names

  • Jarlshof
  • Jebel Maqbara
  • Jelling Mounds

K: 19 names

  • Kaltmere Folly
  • Kar-Shalmun
  • Kar-Tukresh
  • Karn Tolvath
  • Kayaköy
  • Kellia Minor
  • Kenfig
  • Kennecott
  • Kharazun Deep
  • Khirbet Anum
  • Khirbet Qeiyar
  • Khirbet Zamra
  • Kiln of the Drowned Parish
  • Kolmanskop
  • Kondapur Tila
  • Kor Velune
  • Kot Asheran
  • Kuroiwa-dera Ato
  • Kvelstad Howe

L: 10 names

  • Lady Avelin's Folly
  • Lamentham
  • Lantern Ruin of Ferrow
  • Lanyon Quoit
  • Leper's Chapel
  • Lighthouse of Greyshoal
  • Lindholm Høje
  • Lindisfarne Priory
  • Long Meg's Daughters
  • Lost Hevring

M: 12 names

  • Maeshowe
  • Maeve's Folly
  • Mahakuta Khandar
  • Mausoleum of Gaius Velo
  • Maze of Old Sethis
  • Men-an-Tol
  • Merlin's Hearth
  • Mire Cathedral
  • Mireille's Chapel
  • Mistwood Chapel
  • Mithraeum of the Ninth
  • Mousa Broch

N: 9 names

  • Nan Kehlap
  • Nar Quith
  • Necropolis of Calvium
  • Ness of Brodgar
  • Nethergate Ruins
  • Nethermoor Ruins
  • Nine Maidens Row
  • Nine Stones of Brannoc
  • Ninkarrak Mound

O: 24 names

  • Old Burgh of Ness
  • Old Coldharbour
  • Old Ferry Stairs of Ness
  • Old Gallowstone
  • Old Greyfriars Gate
  • Old Hemlock Mill
  • Old Kilbrannon
  • Old Kirk of Dunn
  • Old Manor Stumps
  • Old Mother Hask's Chimney
  • Old Sallow Bridge
  • Old Salt Works at Mere
  • Old Stonecross
  • Old Tarn Chapel
  • Old Tarrowick
  • Old Tollbooth of Wick
  • Old Varenholt
  • Old Wendbury
  • Old Winchelsea
  • Oldwall Tower
  • Ormsgard
  • Osric's Howe
  • Ossary of Dunn
  • Ostia Antica

P: 15 names

  • Paestum
  • Pavlopetri
  • Pentedattilo
  • Pilchard Palace
  • Plague Pit Church
  • Pompeii
  • Port Royal
  • Portus Vacua
  • Poulnabrone Dolmen
  • Prasat Chey Thmor
  • Prasat Kralan
  • Prasat Vong
  • Preah Thmor
  • Priest's Leap
  • Pyramiden

Q: 6 names

  • Qadesh Sul
  • Qalat Sihr
  • Qasr al-Ghurab
  • Qasr al-Hamra
  • Qasr al-Rimal
  • Qasr Mudhin

R: 72 names

  • Rath Fionnachta
  • Ravenhithe
  • Ravenmoor Abbey
  • Ravenser Odd
  • Rhyolite
  • Rievaulx
  • Rime Tower
  • Ring of Brodgar
  • Roanoke
  • Ruins of Alwyn Cross
  • Ruins of Amberhollow
  • Ruins of Anvard Reach
  • Ruins of Ashwick
  • Ruins of Bellsworth Abbey
  • Ruins of Bryn Aedrin
  • Ruins of Candlewick Lane
  • Ruins of Carn Dathe
  • Ruins of Castle Fenn
  • Ruins of Corthwick
  • Ruins of Dorsay Keep
  • Ruins of Erdmar
  • Ruins of Eskmere Ford
  • Ruins of Eth Karoon
  • Ruins of Haddington Mill
  • Ruins of Haldane's Rest
  • Ruins of Haven's End
  • Ruins of Highmere
  • Ruins of Ilvarien
  • Ruins of Irongate Bridge
  • Ruins of Kel Mora
  • Ruins of Kesh Anu
  • Ruins of Lammas Hall
  • Ruins of Loshar Dun
  • Ruins of Lyrathe
  • Ruins of Marchwell
  • Ruins of Marrowgate

R, continued

  • Ruins of Mirrowmere
  • Ruins of Morrow Green
  • Ruins of Old Dalmere
  • Ruins of Oldmarket
  • Ruins of Ombraleth
  • Ruins of Osk Rahl
  • Ruins of Pel Haddon
  • Ruins of Qar Tazim
  • Ruins of Qenhara
  • Ruins of Quelmoor
  • Ruins of Ravelgate
  • Ruins of Saint Amaury
  • Ruins of Saint Brennan's
  • Ruins of Sarkonath
  • Ruins of Selmareth
  • Ruins of Tal Sivar
  • Ruins of Tanglebridge
  • Ruins of Tarsis Mor
  • Ruins of the Ashwold Kilns
  • Ruins of the Harvest Shrine
  • Ruins of the Miller's Leat
  • Ruins of the Moon Court
  • Ruins of the Salt Palace
  • Ruins of the Salt Road Station
  • Ruins of the Seventh Gate
  • Ruins of the Tallow Mill
  • Ruins of the Winter Palace
  • Ruins of Thessaly Gate
  • Ruins of Thornmere
  • Ruins of Tor Vellane
  • Ruins of Vellmark Foundry
  • Ruins of Vornlund
  • Ruins of Westmere Priory
  • Ruins of Wyrmfell Keep
  • Ruins of Yll Ander
  • Rungholt

S: 33 names

  • Saint Govan's Cell
  • Saint Kevin's Kitchen
  • Saint Ninian's Cave
  • Saint Piran's Oratory
  • Salt Cathedral of Orrin
  • Sandby Borg
  • Sarn Ildor
  • Segesta
  • Selinunte
  • Seven Churches
  • Seven Sisters Stones
  • Shadowed Gate of Ebbhold
  • Shiroyama Ato
  • Shrine of the Last Rain
  • Shuruppak Heights
  • Sir Rowan's Folly
  • Skara Brae
  • Skeleton Quay
  • Skellig Cells
  • Skull Hill Barrows
  • Smuggler's Keep
  • Sorrowfold
  • Sparrow Tower
  • Stair of the Pilgrim Kings
  • Stannoc Ruin
  • Stary Kamen
  • Station of the Broken Road
  • Stone Circle of Aldmoor
  • Stones of Merrow Tor
  • Stormwrack Fort
  • Strata Florida
  • Suryamandir Bhagna
  • Sybaris

T: 122 names

  • Takht-e Zarrin
  • Tamsin's Well
  • Tarquinia
  • Te Pa Whero
  • Tel Ashkar
  • Tel Dor Reach
  • Tel Harun
  • Tel Umeira
  • Tell Barsha
  • Tell es-Sulayb
  • Tell Halusa
  • Tell Qarqur
  • Temple of the Silent Choir
  • Tepe Sarvan
  • Tepetlan Xoco
  • Terlingua
  • The Amber Vault
  • The Ash Basilica
  • The Blackened Granary
  • The Bleached Temple
  • The Bone Stair
  • The Broken Colonnade
  • The Broken Crown of Aster
  • The Broken Lantern
  • The Broken Stair of Almar
  • The Burnt Library of Mesra
  • The Chained Garden
  • The Choked Well of Maros
  • The Cleft Keep
  • The Collapsed Vault of Ur-Sennet

T, continued

  • The Cracked Bell Tower
  • The Cracked Throne Room
  • The Drowned Forum of Sessa
  • The Drowned Halls
  • The Drowned Lighthouse
  • The Drowned Steps
  • The Dry Fountain Court
  • The Empty Oracle
  • The Fallen Colossus
  • The Fallen Observatory
  • The Falling Stair
  • The Flooded Mint
  • The Forgotten Forum
  • The Fossil Gate
  • The Frost-Split Tower
  • The Gilded Ruin of Asmara
  • The Glass Ruins of Ondine
  • The Grey Stairway
  • The Hanged Tower
  • The Hollow Citadel of Zar
  • The Hollow Gatehouse
  • The Hollow Keep
  • The Hollowed Ziggurat of Zem
  • The Idle Forge
  • The Ivory Well
  • The Last Arch of Baelor
  • The Leaning Basilica
  • The Leaning Minaret
  • The Listing Tower of Esk
  • The Lost Gate of Ophir
  • The Lost Hippodrome

T, continued

  • The Lost Refectory
  • The Moonless Shrine
  • The Moss Throne
  • The Moth Hall
  • The Nameless Cloister
  • The Orchard of Statues
  • The Pale Ziggurat
  • The Red Steps of Tanith
  • The Rook Tower
  • The Rotted Pier of Low Harrow
  • The Ruin at Hollowmere
  • The Ruined Baths of Cassalon
  • The Ruined Hippodrome of Lyr
  • The Sand-Choked Temple
  • The Scoured Keep
  • The Sealed Reliquary
  • The Seaworn Keep
  • The Severed Bridge
  • The Shattered Aqueduct
  • The Shattered Choir Loft
  • The Shattered Dome
  • The Shell Temple
  • The Shepherd's Chapel
  • The Silent Arena
  • The Sorrowed Gate
  • The Standing Arches
  • The Stranded Harbour
  • The Sundered Spire of Caldris
  • The Sunken Cloister of Ymris
  • The Sunken Court of Ashur-Vel

T, continued

  • The Sunken Courtyard of Ilsa
  • The Sunken Mill
  • The Sunless Amphitheatre
  • The Tide-Worn Wall
  • The Toppled Obelisks
  • The Torn Pavilion
  • The Unfinished Palace
  • The Vanished Spires
  • The Veiled Tower
  • The Wasting Halls
  • The Weeping Amphitheatre
  • The Weeping Stair of Coro
  • The Whispering Ziggurat
  • The Wind-Eaten Hall
  • The Wind-Scoured Cloister
  • The Wolf Gate
  • The Wormwood Keep
  • Theatrum Silens
  • Thermae of Corvinus
  • Thornkeep Remnant
  • Thornwall Remnant
  • Thrice-Burned Hall
  • Tintern
  • Tlaloc's Broken Stair
  • Tomb of the Eagles
  • Tombs of the Salt Kings
  • Tor Malden
  • Tower of Idle Crows
  • Tower of the Long Watch
  • Trelleborg Ring Fort
  • Twelve Apostles Circle

U: 3 names

  • Ul Quassad
  • Ul-Tharak
  • Ur-Zababa's Terrace

V: 10 names

  • Vale of Ninety Pillars
  • Valle Crucis
  • Var Ashen
  • Varenholt Barrows
  • Varro's Folly
  • Veil of Stone
  • Vel Sarith
  • Vijaygarh Khandahar
  • Villa of the Faded Mosaics
  • Vulci

W: 16 names

  • Wadi Qusur
  • Wansdyke End
  • Wat Preah Sadeng
  • Wat Thmei Ruin
  • Watchtower of Grieving Winds
  • Wayland's Smithy
  • Weathered Hall of Ingvar
  • West Kennet Long Barrow
  • Wheal Despair
  • Wheal Sorrow
  • Whitby Headland
  • Widow's Arch
  • Widow's Walk
  • Widowhaven
  • Wrackholm
  • Wyrmscar

X: 1 name

  • Xoc Balam

Y: 3 names

  • Yaxchun Mul
  • Yevna's Cross
  • Ysolde's Tower

Z: 2 names

  • Zaborov Gorod
  • Zindan-e Zarin