What makes a good planet name?

A name matched to the world's age and role: a rich, weathered name for an ancient core world, a dry catalog designation for a frontier rock. Using both in one setting mirrors real exploration.

Should a planet name reflect the world?

It helps. A name that hints at a scorched desert, an ocean world, or a frozen outpost rewards attentive readers. Decide the world's character first so the name has something to echo.

How do I name a whole star system?

Name planets in relation to their star (a designation, numbered sequence, or shared theme), the way real exoplanets take their star's name plus a letter. Pair planet names with star and spaceship names for a full galaxy.

Planet Name Generator: Worlds That Sound Like They Have History

How Worlds Get Named

Planets in fiction carry names from several traditions at once: evocative proper names that sound like ancient homeworlds, dry survey designations for newly charted worlds, and names borrowed from mythology or the settlers who arrived first. A planet name generator that mixes plain proper names with survey-style variants such as Veridia-IX or Tharsis 4 lets you match the name to a world's age and importance in your story.

The naming style itself is worldbuilding. A core world settled for millennia earns a rich, weathered name; a frontier rock might still be known by its catalog number. Real exploration layers names the same way: in 2019 the IAU's NameExoWorlds campaign gave proper names to 112 cataloged exoplanets and their stars.

Let the World Suggest the Name

A planet's nature can color its name. A scorched desert world, an ocean planet, a frozen outpost, or a lush garden world each invite a name that hints at what is waiting there, which rewards the reader who notices. Deciding the world's character first gives the name something to echo.

Systems benefit from consistency. Naming a planet in relation to its star, whether through a designation, a numbered sequence, or a shared cultural theme, makes a star system read as one place. Real astronomers do the same: by IAU convention an exoplanet takes its star's name plus a lowercase letter, starting with b. Pairing planet names with names from a star name generator ties the whole system together.

Mapping a Galaxy

For a setting that spans many worlds, generate in batches and decide who named them (an old empire, a survey corps, scattered colonists) so the map reflects a real history of discovery and settlement rather than a scatter of unrelated labels.

Generated names are free to use in fiction and games. Pair planet names with star names and spaceship names to build a complete, navigable galaxy, and keep the strongest names for the worlds your story actually visits.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a good planet name?: A name matched to the world's age and role: a rich, weathered name for an ancient core world, a dry catalog designation for a frontier rock. Using both in one setting mirrors real exploration.
Should a planet name reflect the world?: It helps. A name that hints at a scorched desert, an ocean world, or a frozen outpost rewards attentive readers. Decide the world's character first so the name has something to echo.
How do I name a whole star system?: Name planets in relation to their star (a designation, numbered sequence, or shared theme), the way real exoplanets take their star's name plus a letter. Pair planet names with star and spaceship names for a full galaxy.

Sources

Naming Exoplanets — International Astronomical Union
NameExoWorlds 2019 edition — International Astronomical Union