Town Name Generator

Are you an aspiring writer of fiction and would like to create new names for your character’s towns? Then you will want to build a fictional world where characters can live, breathe and tell their stories. Creating town names can be very challenging and it is harder to avoid names that aren’t already in existence. That is why using a town name generator can be such a useful tool.

In this article, we look at how you can improve your world’s environment and realism by using a town name generator for your characters to reside.

Why Use a Town Name Generator?

There are numerous reasons why you are going to want to use a town name generator to create locations within your fictional world. For one, you might have writer’s block or want to create something a little more creative than the usual names that are often created. Or you might want to take less time on the name and more time on the environment or the characters that reside within your fictional town.

You might also want to have several towns and be struggling to name them all without looking at the same names again and again. Therefore, you need fresh inspiration for your fiction writing.

Whatever the reason is for the development of the new town name, then the town name generator is a quick and simple reason to help you generate lots of potential names to help you build a fantastic world.

Tips for Naming a Town

While it might seem rather trivial what a town is named, there is actually a lot of thought that often goes into the naming of a fictional town. For instance, certain towns in fiction are named for events that are taking place within the story, others are there to create an idealistic view of the location whereas something more sinister is going to happen.

Therefore, you want to spend some time on the naming of the town to ensure that you’ve got a name that is good for the town, the culture, the population and your story.

Tip One: Consider the Era

The first thing that needs to be considered for any town name is the era that the story is based within. Many towns go through slight changes within the name during the years. For instance, the UK city of London was originally called Londinium. This is a reflection on the Latin name which was given to the location by the Romans who occupied the area at the time.

Likewise, New York in the US was originally New Amsterdam by settlers, based on the fact it was Dutch settlers there. However, before this, local tribes would call the location Manna–hata. The direct translation of this is ‘the place where we get wood to make bows’.

Some towns are also known to move slightly during their eras and this can have a specific importance on their name. For instance, some towns might be named because of the location that they once inhabited but are now in a different location.

In the future, names are likely to change as well. And this can be incorporated into your story.

Tip Two: Naming Conventions

Another thing to consider is the naming conventions around the period that you’re writing about. During the period of Alexander the Great, there were cities that were named after him all over his empire. Another person who had towns named after them include King James of England.

Other towns have had their names derived from local environments. For instance, there are towns named after bends in the river, valleys they live in or mountains that they’re near.

Towns can also be based on local religion of belief.

In some UK settlements, names are based on their legal status. Three towns, in particular, had the addition of le Soken added to them to denote that they were independent territories from local manors.

It might depend heavily on your story or the local environment as to how you’re going to name your town. So be sure that you’re understanding the local naming conventions that you might have.

Tip Three: Storylines

Another factor that you might have is whether the name of the town is going to have any particular focus on your story. Is it going to be a major site of events within the storyline or is it important for the development of a character? It is important to think of these elements when you’re creating the town name.

You might want to consider the town to have a name that is going to give away a certain element of the storyline like ‘Monk’s Retreat’ or ‘Smuggler’s Bay’.

The name doesn’t have to be obvious either, in some science fiction literature, the author will implant another language within the name to give a hint at what is going to happen, but hide it from the audience. For example, using Schlacht for battle.

Or you can try to use a rather ironic name. For instance, calling a place Winter’s Beach when there is no winter within the town or SunnyTown when it never is sunny in the location. A classic example of this is Greenland which was given the name to attract settlers.

Tip Four: Think About the Community

The next part of the naming process is to consider the town’s community. Sometimes communities will have a name that is different from the given name of the city. This could be out of affection or because of some older cultural aspects.

There might also be religious or cultural reasons why a name has a different local name to the official name.

It is important to consider this as part of the naming process when it comes to naming your town. Your town will need to have a community of people, whether they are important or not, to make your story feel alive.

Tip Five: Links

There might be lots of considerations to give to the history of the town. There are lots of towns that have a name that is associated with older towns. For instance, New York is associated with York in England. New South Wales, in Australia, also connections to the region of South Wales in the UK. Then there is New Zealand which has connections to an island off the Danish coast in Europe.

This process could be as simple as placing the word ‘New’ in front of the town name.

Tip Six: Meet Expectations

You’re also going to want to meet the expectations of your audience. If you’re writing a story within a certain setting, like Rome, then they might expect to have a rather Latin name within the town.

Another example would be those writing stories within the Middle Earth environment. Readers will expect Elven and Halfling towns to have certain names that they identify with. Therefore, be sure that you’re going to meet the expectation of the audience.

How to Use the Town Name Generator for your Town

When it comes to using the town name generator, it is very simple. Here are the step-by-step instructions for you to get started and create your town name.

Step 1 – Create a List

The first thing that you will need to do is to write down a list of everything that is going to be relevant to your town. This could be the location, the culture, the place within the story and other elements. You want to make a very long list so you’re sure that you’re not going to miss things out.

Don’t worry about how long the list is. You will start to reduce the list in a moment.

Step 2 – Reduce Down the List

Now you should compare the options on the list to other features within the story. Are certain things on the list going to give too much away about the storyline? Do they not meet the expectations of the reader? Or are you naming your town after something that will not really have any relevance?

This can be a very challenging aspect for you. So you might want to reach out to your readers, fans, friends and family to find the best words for your name. You can also create a poll on your Facebook/Twitter account to find out what your followers think of the words that you’ve highlighted.

Step 3 – Add your Words to the Town Name Generator

Now add the words that you’ve come up with into the town name generator. Every time you enter a word into the generator and click on the ‘Generate’ button you will get a list of potential names that you can use. If you’re not happy with the list, you can click on the ‘Generate’ button again to get a new list of names.

 Town Name Generator

You can try the town name generator below.

Step 4 – Reduce the List Further

Now you’re able to check the names and reduce the list further to come up with the ten that you list best. This can be a very time-consuming process. However, you want to make sure that any name that is on the list that you are going to be very happy with.

You want to make sure that you have about 10 names that you’re happy with.

Step 5 – Check for Usability

Now you need to check the usability of the names that you’ve shortlisted. Some names might sound good but they’ve been used before in other fictional works. While there are some examples of names being used twice, you don’t want to do this in practice if you can help it.

For example, you don’t want to have a name that is Hogwarts, Pontypandy or another fictional town used in other fictional worlds.

Be sure that some places are not trademarked either.

Step 6 – Check Domain Name Status

If you want to build a franchise and a strong fan base, then you might want to consider getting a domain that is the town’s name. So you can check whether it is available or not. The website can be used to tell the stories of those living in your fictional world or you can use it to sell merchandise for those fans who want to support you more.

Step 7 – Choose your Name

Now you can look at the names that are left on your town name list and choose which one you would like. This can be limited, or you could have all ten names left. If you want help, reach out to your community again.

Another person you might want to speak to about the name might be your author community.

Town Name Generator FAQs

Do you have questions about the town name generator? Have a look below, someone might have already asked it and it is listed below.

How Much is it to Use the Town Name Generator?

There is no fee for using the town name generator, regardless of how long you spend on the tool or how many names you generate. You can click on generate as much as you would like and you will get a new list of town names for you to consider.

Even if you choose one of the names from the town name generator, the cost is free. The only cost is when there is a domain name that is connected to your town name. But this is not made payable to the town name generator tool.

Can you Guarantee the Names are Available?

The town name generator is not able to check whether the names generated are available. This is something that you should do during the steps to name your fictional name.

Can Two Cities have the Same Name?

Yes, two cities can have the same name. This happens in lots of real-life places as well as in fictional worlds. However, it is often a good practice to have unique names so that people who are reading your content are not confused by two places that have the same name. You should also try to avoid names that are very similar.

Can you Copyright a City Name?

There are some fictional town names that have trademarked names. But this is very rare and it is very hard to do.

Final Word: Town Name Generator

Above are the steps that are needed for you to create a fictional town name. It is a simple process that is very simple to do and you can have a fictional town name within just a few minutes. And you can use the town name generator as much as you would like for your fictional world without cost.