You Should Probably Give Your House a Name — Here Are a Few Lovely Suggestions

It used to be that only grand estates, castles, and beachy cottages had house names. But Kensington Palace and the Lilac Cottage down by the water needn’t be the only homes that have titles. In fact, I want to wholeheartedly encourage you to name your home. Why? Your home’s name is a place to define your identity and inject a little personality into something, almost like your Instagram handle or a vanity license plate. 

Personally, I’ve always loved the concept of giving your home a name, even if you don’t live in a proper “manor.” Heck, especially if you don’t live in a manor (case in point: former Real Housewife of New York Dorinda Medley’s Bluestone Manor). My point is that house names can still apply to a townhouse, apartment, or studio. It feels regal, stately, and, yes, very fun. Cheap thrills are hard to come by these days.

Plus, if you’re a homeowner, a great name for your home might even help you sell it. The Telegraph wrote up a survey from Globrix that suggested “one in 14 said they would be prepared to pay more for a home just because it had a name. Even those that were not prepared to pay more said their opinion of the property would improve, with 40 percent saying they would be more interested in viewing a property with a name.”

There are a million different directions to go when you pick out a house name — but the first step is to think about the kind of home you have. Is it a bungalow? A cottage? A loft? A word that functions as a suffix to your house name is a great place to start.

• House 
• Home
• Cottage
• Lodge
• Chateau
• Regency
• Villa
• Arms
• Wing
• Corridor
• Studio
• Row
• Bungalow
• Barn
• Loft
• Hideaway
• Oasis
• Retreat

Then, come up with a unique moniker to pair with it. 

• Willows
• Ivy
• Hillside
• Meadow
• Valley
• Pacific
• Gulf
• Railway
• Brook
• Gardens

• Old Mill
• Factory
• Schoolhouse
• Church
• Farm

• Haight
• Westside 
• Flatiron
• Euston
• Division
• Highlands

• Fox
• Honeysuckle
• Squirrel
• Birch
• Peartree
• Cherrywood 
• Bluebell

Does your home or building have something unique about it? What do people comment on when they come over? Consider: 

• Red Shutters
• Ironwork
• Picket Fence
• Gates
• Brick
• Winding Drive
• A Hundred Stairs
• Clapboard

Are there any words that rhyme with your original descriptor? If you selected Retreat, for example, perhaps Petite Retreat could work. Think of other adjectives that either rhyme with or start with the same letter as your previous word for some old-fashioned alliteration, like The Supreme Studio or The Hygge House.

From these starting points, you might come up with names like The Schoolhouse Loft, Honeysuckle House, Peartree Cottage, The Euston Arms, Church View Row, Hundred Stairs Studio, Bluebell Barn, or a thousand others.

You could, of course, be a little more avant-garde than this. Who says you have to follow a naming convention, anyway? You could hearken to the home’s history and choose the last name of one of its previous owners.

You could do things Xanadu style, and either make up or find a really funky word to name your place: Pemberly, Blantyre, Naumkeag. There’s also the option to choose something completely random — because why not? I’d love to visit a house called Doodad Dwelling, Pelican Shack, or Cheese Farm.

If you just want plain old inspiration, look no further than some of the most famous house names throughout history, like:

• The Biltmore Estate
• Hearst Castle
• Fallingwater
• Balmoral Castle
• Sandringham House
• Frogmore Cottage

Now that you have a name for your house, you can do a few fun things to show it off.

• Give it a hashtag and document your life at home or your decorating or renovating journey.
• Make it a location on social media for friends to check-in.
• Put it on a plaque near the front door.
• Have it embroidered onto towels or pillowcases, naturally.