Names for Rooms in American Houses

The purpose of this site is to record a list of all names used for rooms in dwellings in the United States, from colonial times to the present. While the list is presented as house room names, the names are applicable to all living spaces, including apartments, condominiums, and living areas in commercial buildings. The names cover all sizes of residences from one-room cabins and apartments to mansions.

The list of house room names is divided into 9 categories. In alphabetical order, these are activity, bathing, entry or access, formal, meals and cleaning, protection, relaxation, sleeping, and storage. The list does not include porches or other spaces open to the weather other than sleeping porch and lanai.

Activity (rooms for one or more activities other than meals, sleeping, and bathing)

Ballroom

Bar
Billiards room

Bonus room

Card room

Changing room (for swimming pool)

Chapel

Computer room

Craft room

Den

Exercise room

Family room

Flex room (multi-purpose room)

Gallery

Game room

Gathering room

Great hall

Great room

Gym

Hearth room (same as keeping room)

Hobby room

Home theater

Indoor swimming pool

Keeping room (next to kitchen, cold weather sleeping, daytime multipurpose family room)

Library

Loft

Man cave
Media room

Meditation room

Music room

Office

Play room

Prayer room

Puja room (where Hindu family deity and gods are housed)

Recreation or rec room

Rumpas room

Sewing room

Smoking room

Spa

Studio

Study

TV room

Wet bar

Workshop

Bathing

Bathroom

Full bathroom

Half bathroom

Jack and Jill bath

Powder room

Sauna

Three quarter bathroom

Toilet

Water closet

Entry and access (provide a means to get from one area to another)

Anteroom

Atrium

Center hall
Dog trot

Entrance hall

Entry

Foyer

Hall, hallway

Passage

Reception hall
Tunnel

Vestibule

Formal

Dining room

Drawing room (same as parlor)

Living room

Parlor (including front, back, best parlor)
Salon

Withdrawing room (same as parlor)

Meals and cleaning

Breakfast nook

Breakfast room

Butler's kitchen

Butler's pantry

Buttery

Eat-in kitchen

Kitchen

Kitchenette

Larder
Laundry room

Mud room

Pantry

Scullery

Spice kitchen

Summer kitchen

Utility room

Washroom

Protection

Fallout shelter

Safe room (similar to tornado shelter)
Storm cellar

Tornado shelter

Relaxation

Enclosed loggia

Enclosed porch

Florida room

Garden room

Jalousie porch

Lanai

Lounge

Morning room

Reading Room

Retreat

Sitting room

Solarium

Sun room

Tower room (in Victorian Queen Anne style houses with a tower)

Sleeping

Bedroom

Boudoir
Chamber

Dressing room

Garret

Guest room

Lodging room

Maid's room

Nursery

Sleeping porch

Sleeping room

Storage

Attic

Cellar

Closet

Coat closet

Garage

Mechanical room

Root cellar
Secret room

Storage room

Trunk room
Vault

Walk-in closet

Wine cellar