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Tavern Name Generator

Tavern and inn names, plus a GM note.

  1. The Brass WalnutBusy alehouse; cheap stew.

  2. Rhea Tann's TorchBusy bar; dawn bread.

  3. The Velvet QuillTidy bar; a locked cellar.

  4. The Thawed SaddleDim taproom; dawn bread.

  5. The Ruddy HeronBusy taproom; thin beds.

  6. The Wandering ThistleWarm alehouse; thin beds.

  7. Petro Vale's StagTidy bar; a dry stable.

  8. The Gilded BrookTidy parlour; a dry stable.

  9. The Hammock and RavenWarm inn; thin beds.

  10. Petro Vale's SpoonQuiet parlour; cheap stew.

  11. The Rusty YewSmoky parlour; Friday songs.

  12. The Salted FoxQuiet parlour; dawn bread.

  13. The Copper CrabLoud bar; a spare room.

  14. Sela Dorr's CoinStill bar; Friday songs.

  15. The Braided FerryDim parlour; a dry stable.

  16. Cara Wyn's HearthSmoky inn; a locked cellar.

  17. The Gilded TankardLoud taproom; a spare room.

  18. The Nimble OrchardStill taproom; thin beds.

  19. Nessa Keld's HarpSmoky alehouse; watered ale.

  20. Weary Otter InnQuiet taproom; a locked cellar.

Export list

Every name comes with a short line you can read when the party walks in. The "and" shape appears at most once in a mixed list.

How to use the tavern name generator

  1. Tap Generate. Each row is a tavern or an inn, plus a one-line note under it (the room, and one thing it is known for).
  2. Set Kind to The sign (adjective and noun), Owner's (a made-up keeper) or X and Y. On Any, the "and" shape shows up at most once.
  3. On a phone, Kind sits under the Kind button so the notes do not push the list down.
  4. Star the inn you will actually use. The note is saved with the name in your favourites.

The sign is doing a job

A tavern name has to work on a painted board and in a sentence: "Meet me at the …". Two strong words beat a paragraph. This page's first name is The Brass Walnut, and the line under it is the sort of thing a host says without being asked.

Three shapes are used. The plus an adjective plus a noun is the ordinary sign. An owner's name plus a noun is the place everyone still calls after the owner. The noun and noun is the double sign, and a mixed list is allowed only one of those, because a street of them stops sounding like a street. The usual real pub pairs (a red lion, a royal oak, a rose and a crown) are not in the word lists. Famous inns from novels and films are blocked.

The note under the name

The note is for the moment the door opens. It is one mood, one room and one hook: cheap stew, thin beds, dice out back, a dry stable. It is not a menu and not a plot. If you need a plot, the hook is the start of one.

Read the note once, then let the players talk. If they bite on the dice game or the locked cellar, you already have the scene. If they do not, you have not spent a page of preparation. Notes are short on purpose so five names still fit on a phone.

Owners, and what we left out

Owner names are invented two-part names, not historical landlords and not characters from books. Kind set to Owner's gives you a full list of that shape when you want a row of family businesses.

Put the inn in a town that already has a name. A sign that repeats the town's ending (the Brameford Ford) is a joke; use it once, not as a system. Generate the town first, then the inn, and write both on the same card.

How tavern names are built

KindHow a name is builtExamples
The signThe + an adjective + a noun, or that pair plus InnThe Lonesome Turnip, Copper Ribbon Inn, Amber Boar Inn, Ruddy Wheel Inn
Owner'sAn invented owner's name, then 's, then a nounSamel Dorr's Mill, Uma Brant's Crab, Otto Keel's Anchor, Quent Harth's Spoon
X and YThe + a noun + and + a different noun. At most one of these in a mixed listThe Eel and Tankard, The Ribbon and Turnip, The Otter and Kettle, The Crab and Harp

Each name on the page also gets a one-line note for the game master. The table shows the names only. Famous inns and the usual pub pairs (a red lion, a royal oak) are left out.

Tavern names to browse

Signs

  1. Broken Hearth Inn
  2. Zealous Coin Inn
  3. The Hidden Cup
  4. Cinder Kettle Inn
  5. Wandering Ferry Inn
  6. Painted Compass Inn
  7. The Drowsy Saddle
  8. The Crooked Lock
  9. The Drowsy Lock
  10. Patient Candle Inn
  11. The Rusty Brook
  12. The Painted Harp
  13. The Wry Ribbon
  14. The Sturdy Briar
  15. The Wandering Compass
  16. Hidden Churn Inn
  17. The Lucky Drum
  18. The Cosy Boar
  19. The Cosy Bell
  20. Lucky Thistle Inn
  21. The Velvet Turnip
  22. The Brass Sparrow
  23. The Quiet Eel
  24. The Weary Anchor
  25. Broken Torch Inn
  26. The Thawed Pillow
  27. Tin Cask Inn
  28. The Breezy Tankard
  29. The Tilted Inkwell
  30. The Broken Quill

Owners' inns

  1. Pia Harth's Bell
  2. Samel Dorr's Walnut
  3. Rosa Kell's Pike
  4. Nessa Brook's Turnip
  5. Joren Hale's Candle
  6. Anya Pell's Flagon
  7. Mara Quill's Orchard
  8. Ylla Fenn's Heron
  9. Quent Harth's Hammock
  10. Mara Quill's Harp
  11. Finn Oska's Ladle
  12. Anya Pell's Bell
  13. Zane Pell's Heron
  14. Teva Linn's Sparrow
  15. Wes Oska's Mill
  16. Vera Holt's Barrel
  17. Edo Brant's Stag
  18. Rosa Kell's Trout
  19. Joren Hale's Brook
  20. Uma Brant's Flagon
  21. Pia Harth's Barrel
  22. Cara Wyn's Briar
  23. Petro Vale's Bucket
  24. Vera Holt's Raven
  25. Sela Dorr's Heron
  26. Joren Hale's Gate
  27. Rhea Tann's Eel
  28. Ylla Fenn's Walnut
  29. Nessa Keld's Mill
  30. Zane Pell's Inkwell

X and Y

  1. The Brook and Badger
  2. The Bucket and Otter
  3. The Hammock and Mill
  4. The Drum and Pike
  5. The Trout and Hearth
  6. The Attic and Brook
  7. The Turnip and Hearth
  8. The Torch and Briar
  9. The Mill and Hammock
  10. The Thimble and Gate
  11. The Mill and Wheel
  12. The Drum and Quill
  13. The Cork and Key
  14. The Bell and Hammock
  15. The Heron and Brook
  16. The Churn and Crab
  17. The Kettle and Candle
  18. The Walnut and Key
  19. The Ferry and Heron
  20. The Walnut and Lock
  21. The Barrel and Hammock
  22. The Torch and Anvil
  23. The Pike and Barrel
  24. The Pillow and Hammock
  25. The Trout and Raven
  26. The Walnut and Owl
  27. The Owl and Anvil
  28. The Anvil and Ferry
  29. The Candle and Thistle
  30. The Sparrow and Ivy

Mixed, with notes

  1. Yellow Thistle Inn
  2. Petro Vale's Yew
  3. The Turnip and Orchard
  4. Osric Fenn's Thimble
  5. The Wry Turnip
  6. The Rusty Mill
  7. The Rusty Churn
  8. Quiet Briar Inn
  9. Dusty Key Inn
  10. Uma Brant's Quill
  11. The Dusty Ladle
  12. Pria Moss's Heron
  13. Teva Linn's Compass
  14. The Breezy Briar
  15. Amber Kettle Inn
  16. The Humble Sparrow
  17. The Jagged Harp
  18. Merry Gate Inn
  19. The Lucky Ferry
  20. Uma Brant's Boar
  21. The Hidden Quill
  22. The Amber Pike
  23. The Dusty Ivy
  24. The Jagged Inkwell
  25. Osric Fenn's Tankard
  26. The Wry Anchor
  27. Sela Dorr's Drum
  28. Lila Fen's Cup
  29. The Crooked Owl
  30. The Rusty Lock

Running the scene

  • Say the sign, then the note, then stop. The players will ask about the one detail you mentioned.
  • Match the note to the district. A quiet parlour on the docks is a choice. A loud bar in a temple ward is also a choice. Accident is the one to avoid.
  • One inn per village. A second inn is a rivalry, so name it that way.

In a novel

Use the full name the first time and the short noun after that (the Lantern, the Kettle). The owner's name can be the chapter where someone inherits the place. You rarely need both the sign and the owner in the same sentence.

Frequently asked questions

How do you name a tavern or an inn?

Two concrete words, or a keeper's name and the thing they sell. The Gilded Lantern is a sign. Mara Quill's Kettle is a person. This page's list starts at The Brass Walnut, with a line under each name for the table.

What should the note say?

One fact a visitor learns in a minute: the room is quiet or loud, and the place is known for stew, dice, a cellar or a stable. Keep it to a single line. The story can grow from it later.

Why is there only one "and" name in a mixed list?

The Trout and Compass is a good sign. Five of them in a row is a pattern the reader notices instead of the inns. Ask for Kind: X and Y when you want a whole set of that shape; otherwise the mix keeps it rare.

Can I use these tavern names?

Yes, including in published books and paid games. They are free and you do not need to credit this site. We claim no rights in the names. Check a trademark register if the name will brand a real product, and do not reuse a famous inn from someone else's story.

Do you include real pub names?

No. The stock pairs and the famous fictional inns are left out of the lists and blocked if a combination would rebuild one. The adjectives and nouns are ordinary words; the pairings are ours.

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