Small Town Name Generator
Believable small-town names for stories, games and maps
Tap a name to copy itPress Space for a new batch500 names in this generator
Generate small town names that sound like real places on a county road sign: founder surnames with -ville and -burg, creek-and-hollow landmark names, hopeful settler names like Harmony and Needmore, and the odd quirky post-office name. Built for novels, screenplays, tabletop campaigns and worldbuilding maps.
About small town names
Real small towns are rarely named by committee. Most took the surname of whoever owned the land, ran the mill or got the post office approved, and added a tail like -ville, -burg, -ton or -boro: Pruittville, Coopersburg, Tiptonville. The next biggest group is a noun plus a landform, describing what was there when the first families arrived: Cedar Hollow, Goose Creek, Walnut Grove. A smaller layer is the hopeful or pious name chosen by settlers who wanted the town to live up to it: Harmony, Amity, Goshen, Needmore.
The register matters more than the words. A small town name should be short enough to fit on a water tower and plain enough that nobody would question it on a highway sign. Two words is the sweet spot; three is the limit. Quirky names like Frying Pan and Loafer's Glory are real, but they work because their neighbors are ordinary, so use one per map at most.
Pick the region before the name: Spanish roots (Agua Fria, El Rito) in the Southwest, French ones (Belle Plaine, Bonne Terre) along the old river routes, Native-derived names (Owatonna, Tuscumbia) in the Midwest and South, and founder-plus-suffix names almost anywhere. Give the town a county and a nearest big city, and the name will feel like it has always been there.
Tips for choosing a name
- Test the name on a welcome sign in your head: 'Welcome to Hadley Corners, pop. 1,240'. If it reads naturally with a population figure after it, it works.
- Give the town a founding story in one sentence (the Pruitts ran the sawmill, the creek dried up in 1891) and the name will suggest itself and feel earned.
- Mix structures across a fictional county: one surname town, one landmark town, one hopeful name and maybe one oddball, so the map does not look like it came from a single template.
- Avoid the most common real names (Springfield, Franklin, Clinton, Salem) if you need your town to feel distinct or searchable; an uncommon surname plus a common suffix is safer.
- Search the name on a map before publishing. Hundreds of tiny real places share names, which is fine for fiction but worth knowing if your story says unkind things about the town.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a town name sound 'small town' instead of 'city'?
Short, concrete and local. Small towns are named for a person, a creek, a hill or a hope, and the name usually has one or two words: Millbrook, Bent Fork, Goshen. Cities tend to carry grander borrowed names (Alexandria, Philadelphia) or official-sounding compounds. Diminutive suffixes like -ville, Corners, Crossing, Switch and Junction instantly signal a small place.
Are any of these real towns?
Some are. Rural place names repeat across the country, so names like Needmore, Sweetwater and Pleasant Hill exist in several states, and a few famous oddities (Rabbit Hash, Gnaw Bone) are included because writers ask for that flavor. Place names are not copyrighted; just avoid implying anything defamatory about a real community.
How do I name several towns in the same fictional county so they fit together?
Pick a shared history and let the names reflect it. A county settled by Scots-Irish farmers gets surname towns and Presbyterian names (Ebenezer, Mount Gilead); a river county gets Landing, Ferry and Ford names; a mining county gets Coal Fork, Smelter Bluff and Irondale. Two or three naming layers are enough to make a map feel coherent.
Can I use these names for a game, TV pilot or Stardew-style farm town?
Yes. All of the names are free to use in commercial projects. For cozy games and TV, lean toward the warmer two-word names (Willow Glen, Maple Bend, Honey Grove); for thrillers and horror, the isolated landform names (Dead Horse Gulch, Wolf Pen, Widow's Crossing) do more work.
All 500 small town names
Browse the full list
- Millbrook
- Cedar Hollow
- Harlow Springs
- Pruittville
- Two Rivers
- Blue Mound
- Ashford
- Dunmore
- Walnut Grove
- Sutter's Crossing
- Maple Bend
- Oakhaven
- Piney Fork
- Bramblewood
- Hadley Corners
- Elm Creek
- Copper Ridge
- Greenbriar
- Larkspur
- Stonebridge
- Willow Glen
- Fairhope
- Plainview
- Hickory Flat
- Meadowlark
- Cold Spring
- Sweetwater
- Bent Fork
- Dry Gulch
- Hollis Junction
- Amity
- Concord Falls
- Harmony
- Prosper
- New Bethel
- Mount Gilead
- Salem Ridge
- Ebenezer
- Pleasant Hill
- Friendship
- Liberty Grove
- Union Star
- Enterprise
- Ninety Oaks
- Turkey Run
- Goose Creek
- Possum Hollow
- Crow Wing
- Beaver Meadow
- Otter Tail
- Wolf Pen
- Catfish Bend
- Sparrow's Point
- Quail Ridge
- Heron Landing
- Fox Chapel
- Badger Hill
- Elkridge
- Bear Wallow
- Hawk's Nest
- Trout Run
- Mill Race
- Sawmill Flats
- Forge Hollow
- Kiln Hill
- Tannery Row
- Smelter Bluff
- Foundry Creek
- Quarry Gap
- Wagon Wheel
- Ferry Landing
- Railbend
- Depot Hill
- Switchback
- Coal Fork
- Ironwood
- Slate Ridge
- Limestone
- Chalk Hill
- Flint Knob
- Gravel Switch
- Sandy Bottom
- Red Clay
- Loam Valley
- Bogtown
- Marshfield
- Fen Hollow
- Swampscott
- Reedy Creek
- Cattail Cove
- Lily Pond
- Frog Level
- Duckwater
- Minnow Lake
- Pickerel Point
- Pike Crossing
- Perch Hollow
- Stillwater
- Clearwater
- Whitewater
- Blackwater Run
- Deep Creek
- Shallowford
- Stony Ford
- Oxford Corners
- Bridgewater
- Sevenmile Ford
- Broken Bow
- Split Rock
- Standing Stone
- Lone Pine
- Three Oaks
- Twin Elms
- Big Timber
- Tall Grass
- Short Hills
- Low Gap
- High Point
- Ridgecrest
- Summitville
- Dell Rapids
- Hillsdale
- Knob Lick
- Bald Knob
- Sugar Loaf
- Haystack Mountain
- Chimney Rock
- Devil's Elbow
- Cupboard Hollow
- Skillet Fork
- Pie Town
- Sugar Creek
- Honey Grove
- Molasses Hill
- Buttermilk Falls
- Biscuit Ridge
- Wheatland
- Barley Flats
- Rye Patch
- Clover Bottom
- Hay Springs
- Orchard Park
- Apple Valley
- Peachtree Corners
- Cherry Fork
- Plum Branch
- Persimmon Gap
- Chestnut Ridge
- Pecan Grove
- Hazelhurst
- Mulberry
- Vineland
- Cider Mill
- Pumpkin Center
- Gourdneck
- Turnip Hollow
- Beanblossom
- Pepper Hill
- Onion Creek
- Sage Brush
- Lavender Hill
- Violet Hill
- Bluebell Crossing
- Goldenrod
- Sunflower
- Columbine Falls
- Aster Grove
- Poppy Hill
- Lupine Meadow
- Dogwood Corners
- Redbud
- Magnolia Springs
- Sycamore Flats
- Cottonwood Falls
- Birchwood
- Tamarack
- Hemlock Hollow
- Juniper Ridge
- Cypress Landing
- Balsam Lake
- Spruce Knob
- Pinehurst
- Alder Creek
- Poplar Bluff
- Beech Grove
- Locust Fork
- Holly Springs
- Laurel Gap
- Ivywood
- Fernbrook
- Mossy Rock
- Bracken Ridge
- Heatherton
- Thistle Creek
- Milkweed Prairie
- Bunker Hill
- Battle Ground
- Garrison Corners
- Fort Defiance
- Stockade Hill
- Picket Fork
- Lookout Mountain
- Beacon Hill
- Signal Knob
- Windy Gap
- Breezy Point
- Frostburg
- Snowflake
- Thunder Ridge
- Lightning Creek
- Rainbow Bend
- Sunrise
- Moonlight Bay
- Twilight Hollow
- Dawnview
- Morningside
- Meteor Falls
- Independence
- Charity Hill
- Faith
- Grace Landing
- Hope Mills
- Bountiful
- Paradise Valley
- Eden Prairie
- Arcadia
- Hatch End
- Thornbury
- Brackenridge
- Pemberton
- Ainsworth
- Kettering
- Radford
- Yardley
- Holcomb
- Danforth
- Crowley
- Brimley
- Tolliver
- Wickham
- Ashcroft
- Grantham
- Hollister
- Brewster
- Penrose
- Wexford
- Calloway
- Ransom
- Everly
- Bixby
- Tolland
- Norcross
- Halstead
- Pickens
- Sumner
- Whitley
- Dunbar
- Fenwick
- Lockhart
- Beckley
- Corbin
- Hazard
- Ravenna
- Elko
- Tecumseh
- Kokomo
- Chillicothe
- Oskaloosa
- Winnebago
- Wapakoneta
- Pocahontas
- Tishomingo
- Okmulgee
- Nacogdoches
- Sequoyah
- Shawano
- Menomonie
- Onalaska
- Ottumwa
- Keokuk
- Tuscola
- Wabash
- Cayuga
- Oneida
- Seneca Falls
- Towanda
- Tunkhannock
- Punxsutawney
- Mahanoy
- Catawissa
- Conshohocken
- Natchitoches
- Opelousas
- Thibodaux
- Ponchatoula
- Bogalusa
- Goshen
- Canaan
- Shiloh
- Bethany
- Antioch
- Smyrna
- Corinth
- Hebron
- Lebanon Junction
- Athens Mill
- Troy Center
- Rome City
- Utica Falls
- Carthage
- Delphi
- Ithaca
- Macedonia
- Sharon Springs
- Tucker's Ferry
- Hobb's Landing
- Gilley's Switch
- Parson's Gap
- Widow's Crossing
- Cutler's Notch
- Boone's Lick
- Hatter's Mill
- Dutchman's Bend
- Miller's Rest
- Pettibone
- Harkness
- Wetherby
- Caldwell
- Stroud
- Ivesdale
- Lockridge
- Nettleton
- Shelburne
- Yancey
- Abbotsford
- Barnwell
- Claypool
- Fairbury
- Gosport
- Haverhill
- Jarrell
- Kirksey
- Purcell
- Rutledge
- Winslow
- Ashburn
- Burkesville
- Cartersburg
- Dillonvale
- Emmettsburg
- Fentonville
- Gravesend
- Hayworth
- Jessup
- Kilgore
- Lambertville
- Milledge
- Norville
- Ochiltree
- Pritchard
- Quincy Mills
- Rowlett
- Stanfield
- Tiptonville
- Vandalia
- Wilburton
- Yorkville
- Zebulon
- Hartsburg
- Bagley
- Coopersburg
- Delphos
- Edgerton
- Fairplay
- Galena
- Irondale
- Jonesport
- Kimball
- Lodi
- Mendon
- Nokomis
- Oneonta
- Roseau
- Sabetha
- Tekamah
- Ulysses
- Vermillion
- Wahoo
- Yates Center
- Tenstrike
- Sixmile
- Fourche
- Halfway
- Midway
- Crossroads
- Five Points
- Forks of Cacapon
- Bent Nail
- Busted Wagon
- Dripping Springs
- Frying Pan
- Hungry Horse
- Lick Skillet
- Mud Lick
- Needmore
- Nameless
- Nowhere Flat
- Pinch
- Rough and Ready
- Scratch Ankle
- Smackover
- Tightwad
- Toad Hop
- Whynot
- Yellow Dog
- Zigzag
- Arrowsmith
- Bee Cave
- Blowing Rock
- Cut Bank
- Rabbit Hash
- Gnaw Bone
- Loafer's Glory
- Agua Fria
- El Rito
- Belle Plaine
- Bonne Terre
- Owatonna
- Tuscumbia
- Prairie du Chien
- Bois d'Arc
- Los Olivos
- Rio Frio
- Sabinal
- Ojo Caliente
- Tres Piedras
- Grosse Tete
- Petit Jean
- Bayou Goula
- Crowley's Ridge
- Hatfield Bottom
- Purdy's Mill
- Dockery Landing
- Tatum's Chapel
- Carver's Gap
- McAdoo
- Stillman Valley
- Vinton Corners
- Ellerbe
- Greeley Fork
- Mossy Creek
- Paint Lick
- Burnt Cabins
- Shady Grove
- Cane Ridge
- Flat Lick
- Ten Sleep
- Sulphur Springs
- Bitter Creek
- Wolf Creek Station
- Fairweather
- Lost Nation
- Buffalo Gap
- Pine Apple
- Rough Creek
- Glen Ferris
- Egypt Hollow
- Horse Cave
- Spotted Horse
- Dime Box
- Cut and Shoot
- Bug Tussle
- Hot Coffee
- Toad Suck
- Goodnight
- Peculiar
- Sopchoppy
- Tarboro Switch
- Clabber Hill
- Kettle Falls
- Muddy Gap
- Greasy Corner
- Cowpens
- Bull Shoals
- Rocky Comfort
- Bell Buckle
- Defeated Creek
- Shoulderblade
- Pumpkintown
- Bruceton Mills
- Dutch Flat
- Gold Hill
- Quartz Gulch
- Tin Cup
- Grubstake
- Salt Lick
- Cross Plains
- Center Point
- Lone Tree
- Hill City
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