Tavern and inn name generator

Names for the place where your characters meet, drink and plot: village inns named the way real inn signs were, rough dockside taverns, and fantasy inns for adventurers.

Runs in your browser. Nothing you type or save is sent anywhere.

Kind of tavern

6 12 24 48

or press G

Heraldic beasts, trades and pairs of things, as on real English inn signs.

Shortlist

Press the star on a name to keep it here. The shortlist is shared by all of Feldar's name generators.

Saved in this browser only. Clearing your browser data removes it.

Why inns have the names they have

Old inn names were made to be painted. In 1393 Richard II ordered that anyone brewing ale to sell must hang out a sign, and for centuries most customers recognised an inn by its picture, not its lettering. So the names are things you can paint: an animal, an object, a person at work, a coat of arms.

Heraldry. Beasts in heraldic colors, such as the White Hart and the Red Lion, come from the badges of kings and lords.
Pairs. The Rose and Crown, the Coach and Horses: two paintable things, often a loyalty and a trade.
Trades and people. The Jolly Sailor, the Plough: the customers the inn served.
A family's Arms. An inn called the Something Arms honors a local landowning family, whose coat of arms hung outside.
Numbers. The Three Crowns, the Seven Stars: a repeated emblem.

Name	What makes it work
The White Stag	A heraldic beast in a heraldic color.
The Crown and Key	A pair: one loyalty, one craft.
The Fletcher Arms	Named for a family's coat of arms.
The Rusty Hook	Dockside: a worn object and a rough edge.
Black Tom's Snug	Dockside: a landlord with a reputation.
The Whistling Phoenix	Fantasy: a creature from your world instead of a farm animal.

Taverns in a story

The name sets the scene. A Royal Oak suggests a quiet village and old loyalties; a Drowned Mermaid a port where nobody asks questions. Choose the name for the scene you need.
Give the regulars a nickname for it. Real pubs are renamed by their drinkers. The Whistling Phoenix becomes "the Bird".
Avoid the famous inns. A few inns from famous books are part of fandom vocabulary. The generator skips them; search any name you keep.

Questions writers ask

What is a good name for a fantasy tavern?

Use the old inn-sign pattern with your world's creatures and objects: an adjective and a creature (the Whistling Phoenix), two objects (the Sword and Harp), or a traveller's rest (the Ranger's Rest).

Why are so many pubs called the Red Lion or the White Hart?

They come from heraldry: the badges of kings and noble families, painted on signs at a time when many customers could not read.

What is the difference between an inn and a tavern?

Historically an inn offered rooms and stabling for travellers, while a tavern or alehouse served drink. Many fantasy stories use the words loosely, but the difference can tell readers who stops there.

Can I use these names for a game?

Yes. Search any name you use commercially, as some are names of real pubs.

Keep the places your characters return to

In Feldar a tavern can be a Location card on the Canvas, linked to its landlord, its regulars and the scenes set there, next to the pages you are writing.

Start writing free See how Feldar works

More name generators

Keep reading

Free tool Word counter for writers Words, pages and reading time, with novel lengths by genre. Guide How to outline a novel A full worked example and a free template. Feature The Canvas Characters, places and plot beats as linked cards.