Settlement Name Generator
Hamlets, outposts, forts and colonies for any map
Generate settlement names for every size and kind of place on your map: frontier forts, mining camps, fishing hamlets, trading posts, river landings, monastery villages and new colonies. Built for worldbuilders, D&D dungeon masters and fantasy writers.
About settlement names
A settlement is not always a town. Maps need names for the places in between: a logging camp that became a village, a fort with a few families under its walls, a ferry landing, a mining claim that might be gone in ten years. Real place names record that history, so the best fantasy settlement names say what the place is and why anyone lives there. Fort Calder was a garrison first. Sawyer's Mill grew around one family's business. New Dunholm was founded by people who left the old one.
The name usually has two parts: a descriptor and a settlement word. The descriptor is a landform (fen, tor, holm), a trade (kiln, forge), a founder (Aldwyn's, Abbots-), or a condition the settlers cared about (Coldwater, Last Hope). The settlement word tells you size and function. Outpost, camp and station are temporary or military. Landing and crossing sit on water or a road. Steading and croft are farms. Hold, dun and caer are fortified. Hamlet, -by and -thorpe are small and rural.
Vary the ages of your names. Old settlements have worn-down single words (Kholm, Brannoch); newer ones keep a founder's name or a clear compound. Put a few New, Little and Upper prefixes near older places of the same name and you have instant history.
How to choose settlement names
- Match the settlement word to the place's purpose: outpost, fort and camp for military or temporary sites, landing and crossing for river and road stops, steading and croft for farms, hold and dun for anything fortified.
- Use possessives (Glover's Reach, Merrick's Landing) when a single founder or family started the place; it gives the DM or reader an instant NPC hook.
- Age your names: older settlements should be short and worn (Kholm, Dunholm), newer ones longer and literal (Fort Cold Comfort, New Ashford).
- Cluster names by language in one region. A valley full of -holm and -vik names next to one of caer and llan names implies two cultures and a border.
- Pick names whose first element changes the mood: Coldwater, Gallows and Sorrow for grim frontier places, Fairwater, Harmony and Providence for hopeful new colonies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a settlement name and a town name?
Settlement is the broader word. Towns and cities are established places with markets and walls; this generator also covers the smaller and rougher kinds of place a map needs, such as forts, outposts, mining camps, ferry landings, farm steadings, hamlets and new colonies.
How do I name a frontier outpost or colony?
Frontier names are usually recent and literal. Use Fort or Camp plus a commander's name or a local feature (Fort Garrow, Camp Bitterroot), or New plus the name of the place the settlers came from (New Pembrook). Names that record hardship or hope (Last Hope, Providence) are common in real colonial history.
What do endings like -holm, -stead, -cote and -by mean?
They are settlement words from Old English and Norse. Holm is an island or river meadow, stead is a farm or homestead, cote is a small cottage or animal shelter, by is a farm or village, and thorpe is an outlying hamlet. Using them correctly makes a fantasy map feel like it has real geography behind it.
Can I use these settlement names in my D&D campaign or novel?
Yes. All of the names here are original or built from common place-name elements, so you can use them freely in homebrew campaigns, published adventures, games and fiction.
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All 500 settlement names
A: 16 names
- Abbotsfen
- Alder Crossing
- Alder's Rest
- Aldwyn's Hold
- Amberfield Colony
- Ambergrove Hamlet
- Anchor Bay
- Anvil Rock
- Arroyo Post
- Ashby-on-the-Water
- Ashen Steading
- Ashenholm
- Ashfall Camp
- Ashgrove
- Ashstead
- Ashwater Landing
B: 38 names
- Badger Crossing
- Baker's Crossing
- Barnacle Bay
- Barrow Cross
- Barrowdown
- Bayou Landing
- Beacon Rock
- Beehive Hollow
- Beggar's Bush
- Bellhaven Colony
- Bergheim
- Berric's Hold
- Bielawa
- Birchholm
- Bishopswick
- Bittern Marsh
- Blackfen
- Blackpool Fen
- Blackrock Landing
- Bleakwater Outpost
- Bonanza Flats
- Bowyer's Green
- Brackenby
- Brackenridge
- Bracklestead
- Brackwater Steading
- Bramble Mill
- Bramblecote
- Bramblehold
- Bramcote-under-Hill
- Breakwater
- Brennamoor
- Brightwater Station
- Brindlewood
- Brochwater
- Brockley Hamlet
- Brookside Hamlet
- Burnside Hamlet
C: 56 names
- Cactus Flats
- Caer Aldwyn
- Caer Bryn
- Caer Elwyn
- Caer Gwyndol
- Caer Morvan
- Caer Penrhos
- Caer Wyllen
- Cairn Hollow
- Camp Bitterroot
- Camp Dusk
- Camp Ember Ridge
- Camp Greenbriar
- Camp Hollowfield
- Camp Ironwater
- Camp Kestrel
- Camp Longshadow
- Camp Pinewater
- Camp Stonewall
- Camp Sundown
- Camp Tallgrass
- Camp Whitewater
- Camp Wildrose
- Canyon Foot
- Carrowden
- Carrowmoor
- Carter's Landing
- Cave Mouth Camp
- Cavern Landing
- Chandler's Wharf
- Cider Hollow
- Cinderholt
- Cinderlane
- Claim Jumper's Gulch
- Cliffside Station
- Cloudrest Village
- Cobble Crossing
- Cold Harbor Landing
- Coldharbour
- Coldholm
- Coldwater Mill
- Coldwater Outpost
- Colliers End
- Confluence Camp
- Copper Landing
- Copperbend
- Corrin's Hold
- Cragstead
- Cresthaven Colony
- Crofter's Steading
- Crow's Meadow
- Crowhaven Outpost
- Crowsfoot
- Curlew Flats
- Cutter's Cove
- Cypress Knee
D: 29 names
- Dawnmarsh
- Dawnreach Colony
- Deadfall Camp
- Deepwater
- Deepwell Hamlet
- Dimmerholt
- Dredge Camp
- Dreymoor
- Driftwood Cove
- Drover Crossing
- Drusk Hold
- Dry Gulch
- Dubrovka
- Dun Ardach
- Dun Broc
- Dun Carrick
- Dun Fallon
- Dun Morrow
- Dun Rathlin
- Dun Skellig
- Dunewatch
- Dunhollow Station
- Dunholm
- Dunmarrow
- Dunmere Landing
- Dunmere Steading
- Dunstead
- Dunvale Outpost
- Dyer's Ford
E: 15 names
- East Harrowgate
- East Ravensby
- Eastmere Colony
- Eastwold
- Eddy Landing
- Elderby Hamlet
- Eldergrove
- Elk Crossing
- Elmstead
- Elmsworth
- Emberfall Outpost
- Embermarsh
- Emmerich's Hold
- Everbrook
- Eyrie Post
F: 44 names
- Fairwater Colony
- Fallowcroft
- Fallowmere
- Farrowgate
- Fate's Crossing
- Fernhill Crossing
- Fernstead
- Ferrywater
- Fisherman's Cove
- Fletcher's Hollow
- Forge Hollow
- Fort Ashby
- Fort Brennan
- Fort Calder
- Fort Cold Comfort
- Fort Dunmore
- Fort Ember
- Fort Farthing
- Fort Garrow
- Fort Graywater
- Fort Hale
- Fort Hollow Pine
- Fort Irons
- Fort Kessel
- Fort Lannick
- Fort Last Hope
- Fort Merrow
- Fort Oakhurst
- Fort Pellam
- Fort Redmane
- Fort Ridgeback
- Fort Sorrow
- Fort Stahl
- Fort Tamsin
- Fort Varro
- Fort Vigil
- Fort Weatherly
- Fowler's Marsh
- Foxhallow
- Freehold Landing
- Friarsgate
- Frostgate
- Frostreach Outpost
- Furnace Hill
G: 22 names
- Gallowmoor Outpost
- Gallows Reach
- Garrison Hill
- Geyser Basin
- Glacier Foot
- Glassbrook
- Glover's Reach
- Goldcroft
- Goosewing Landing
- Gorge Camp
- Gorsehill
- Granary Hollow
- Great Sedgemoor
- Great Wold
- Greenhollow Colony
- Greyfell Steading
- Greyford-le-Fen
- Greyhaven
- Grimholm
- Grimsby Hollow
- Grindle Hamlet
- Gull Haven
H: 26 names
- Haldor's Hold
- Hallow-under-Ridge
- Hallowmoor
- Hammerfall Cross
- Hangman's Hollow
- Hardrock Camp
- Harmony Colony
- Harrow Landing
- Harrow's Mill
- Hartsedge
- Hartwell Station
- Harvest Home
- Haven Landing
- Hawkridge Outpost
- Hazelcote
- Henge Hollow
- Hermit's Ledge
- Hermitage Fen
- Heron Crossing
- Heronwater
- Highmoor
- Hollins Edge
- Hollowbrook
- Hope's Landing
- Hot Springs Camp
- Hunter's Camp
I: 7 names
- Icefall Camp
- Inglemoor
- Ironbend
- Ironhold Camp
- Ironspur Outpost
- Ivarr's Hold
- Ivorywick
J: 2 names
- Jessop's Well
- Juniper Reach
K: 21 names
- Kamenice
- Keep's Shadow
- Kelby-on-Tarn
- Kelder's Wharf
- Kenwater
- Kestrel Crossing
- Kestrel Hollow
- Kholm
- Kilnbury
- Kilnwater
- Kingsfold
- Kingsreach Landing
- Kirk Alder
- Kirk Brannock
- Kirk Dunmore
- Kirk Fenwick
- Kirkbriar
- Kirkby Hamlet
- Kirkhollow
- Kirkmoor
- Kittiwake Bay
L: 24 names
- Lampwick
- Lantern Bay
- Lantern Crossing
- Lantern Station
- Lavafield Post
- Lesnaya
- Lighthouse Point
- Little Ashcombe
- Little Barrow
- Little Dunning
- Little Fenwick
- Little Harrowgate
- Little Marsden
- Little Stoke
- Little Thorpe
- Little Wold
- Littlemarsh
- Logjam Hollow
- Lonely Pine Outpost
- Longbarrow
- Lookout Point
- Lostwater Landing
- Lower Thorpe
- Lowmarsh
M: 19 names
- Mallardmere
- Marlow Fen
- Marrick-under-Fell
- Marrow's Rest
- Marrowgate
- Marshlight Outpost
- Mason's Quarry
- Mercy's Rest
- Merrick's Landing
- Mesa Camp
- Milestone Station
- Miner's Rest
- Mirage Post
- Mirebeck
- Monksmere
- Moorland Steading
- Mosswell
- Motherlode Camp
- Muddle Hamlet
N: 29 names
- Netherfen
- Nettleby Hamlet
- Nettlecombe
- New Ashford
- New Bramblewick
- New Calloway
- New Dunholm
- New Elderbrook
- New Fennick
- New Greystone
- New Halloran
- New Ivorhaven
- New Kendrick
- New Larkspur
- New Marrowby
- New Oakendale
- New Pembrook
- New Rosewater
- New Sedgemoor
- New Thornhaven
- New Wexley
- Ninewells
- Norrow-in-the-Wold
- North Ashcombe
- North Tarnby
- Northgate Outpost
- Northridge Station
- Northwatch
- Nugget Creek
O: 15 names
- Oakenshaw
- Oakridge Hamlet
- Oasis Camp
- Obsidian Flats
- Old Ashcombe
- Old Thurlby
- Oldcastle
- Orchard End
- Orlath
- Osprey Crossing
- Ostrovets
- Otterby Landing
- Ottersfield
- Otterwater
- Oxbow Landing
P: 14 names
- Peatmoor
- Pelham Cross
- Pennock Rise
- Pickaxe Flats
- Pike's Landing
- Pilgrim Crossing
- Pilgrim's Rest
- Pilgrimsgate
- Pinefell Steading
- Pinehurst
- Potter's Bend
- Priorsfield
- Prospect Hollow
- Providence Camp
Q: 4 names
- Quarry Foot
- Quarry Station
- Quarrystead
- Quillbury
R: 15 names
- Ravelby
- Ravensmere
- Ravenstead
- Redfern Outpost
- Redoubt Hill
- Redstone
- Reedwater Fen
- Reeve's Green
- Refuge Hollow
- Relic Hill
- Ridgeback Hamlet
- Riverbend Station
- Rookstead
- Rudnoye
- Rushwater Landing
S: 40 names
- Sable Landing
- Sailor's Rest
- Saltburn Cross
- Saltcrag Outpost
- Saltmarsh Reach
- Saltwick
- Sanctuary Post
- Sandbar Landing
- Sandgate
- Sandpiper Point
- Sawyer's Mill
- Scree Camp
- Sedgecombe
- Seer's Hollow
- Sentinel Ridge
- Sexton's Hollow
- Shadewell
- Shingle Beach
- Shrine Hollow
- Signal Hill
- Sigurd's Hold
- Silverfen
- Skelmoor
- Skybridge Hamlet
- Slate Hollow
- Smuggler's Cove
- Snowline Post
- South Dunning
- Springhead
- Stilt Town
- Stockade Hill
- Stoke-by-Marsh
- Stonebridge
- Stonecarr
- Stonecross Station
- Strazhnik
- Sulfur Springs
- Summit Camp
- Swindale Foot
- Switchback Hollow
T: 19 names
- Tallow Hamlet
- Tallowmarsh
- Tanglewood End
- Tarnwater
- Tessock
- Thistledown
- Thornback Mill
- Thornback Outpost
- Thornby Landing
- Thornstead
- Thrushwick
- Tidewater
- Tillby-next-the-Sea
- Timberline Post
- Tinker's Rest
- Tinsmith's Rest
- Tollgate Crossing
- Trapper's Station
- Traveller's Rest
U: 6 names
- Ulric's Hold
- Umberley
- Underhill
- Upper Ashcombe
- Upper Fenwold
- Upper Marwick
V: 6 names
- Vanehill
- Varnholt
- Verger's Cross
- Vesper Hollow
- Vinehall
- Vostrava
W: 30 names
- Wainwright's Yard
- Warden's Tor
- Watchtower Hill
- Watermill End
- Waystation Thorne
- Weaver's End
- Wellspring Camp
- Wendham upon Brook
- Wendmoor
- West Ravensby
- Westmarch
- Whalebone Cove
- Whitebarrow
- Whiteout Camp
- Whitlow Green
- Wickfield
- Widow Marsh
- Windmill Down
- Winter Steading
- Winter's Rest
- Wolfhold
- Wolfsden
- Woodcutter's Hollow
- Woolcote
- Wrack Landing
- Wrecker's Cove
- Wulfric's Hold
- Wychwood
- Wyrmoor
- Wyvern Outpost