How it works
This forest name generator puts a first word in front of an old word for a wood, such as weald or holt, and adds a real kind of forest. It names forests for a map or a story.
Read the full guide
Name one forest or a whole country of them
Press New forest name. Tap a part to lock it, then press again for the rest. Lock the wood word on Holt to name every wood in one valley. Lock the kind on taiga and each press names another stretch of one northern forest.
What the old words mean
A weald is an archaic word for a forest. A holt is a small wood or a woody hill, and a spinney is a small wood planted as a shelter for game birds. The list under the tool gives the meaning of every word and one fact for every kind of forest.
Tips
- This fantasy forest name generator suits a hex map: lock the kind for each region and press for names.
- Say the name aloud. A short first word reads best before a long wood word.
Questions and answers
What are some old words for a forest?
Weald, wold, holt, hurst, shaw, frith, copse, spinney and greenwood are old or regional English words for a wood. Each is in the list under the tool with its dictionary meaning.
How do you make up fantasy forest names?
Pair a word for how the wood looks, sounds or has grown with a word that already means wood. The Mossgrown Weald and The Rootbound Holt are made that way. Then decide what kind of forest it is.
Are these real forests?
No. The names are made up, and every name the rows can spell was searched as a page title on Wikipedia and on fantasy fan wikis. The kinds of forest are real, and each fact was checked against its Wikipedia article.
What kinds of forest are there?
The list here runs from taiga, the largest land biome in the world, to cloud forest, mangrove forest and elfin forest, a forest of miniature trees. Each kind has one checked fact.