Names
Sci-Fi Human Colony Name Generator
Names are built from two sampled components plus an optional numeric suffix. The first component is a prefix word drawn from a type-specific pool: space stations use directional and positional terms ("Orbital," "Nexus," "Relay"), planetary colonies use expansion-era qualifiers ("New," "Nova," "Prime"), moon bases use geological and isolation terms ("Crater," "Selene," "Rim"), and underground settlements use depth and containment words ("Deep," "Core," "Vault"). When type is set to "any," a 10-word general pool ("Echo," "Horizon," "Frontier," etc.) is used instead. The second component is a 3-letter syllable drawn from a shared 12-entry mid pool ("Arc," "Mar," "Vel," etc.), always appended with a fixed "is" suffix — unless a 40% random roll triggers a numeric suffix, replacing "is" with a hyphen and a 3-digit number between 100 and 999. Results take the form Prefix + Space + Syllable + ("is" or "-NNN"). Game masters building star maps, novelists populating a setting bible, and tabletop RPG designers cataloging a faction's territory all use this tool to generate plausible colony identifiers quickly. The type filter lets a writer give each class of settlement a consistent naming register — so readers can infer "Orbital" means a station and "Sub" means buried infrastructure without being told explicitly. The numeric variant (e.g., "Nexus Vel-347") is useful for conveying bureaucratic, corporate, or military designation systems, while the "is" suffix variant (e.g., "Horizon Maris") reads more like a proper name that has been in use long enough to acquire cultural weight. Generating both types in the same session gives a world immediate naming-convention depth.
How to use
- Choose your options above
- Click Generate
- Copy your result
Detailed instructions
- Set the Count field to how many colony names you need in this batch — start with 6 to 10 for a first pass.
- Open the Colony Type dropdown and select a specific environment type, or leave it on 'Any' to get a mixed range across all settlement categories.
- Click the generate button and scan the output list for names whose tone and implied backstory fit your project.
- Copy individual names you want to keep, or copy the full list into your world-building notes, campaign document, or design spreadsheet.
- Run the generator again with a different Colony Type to build out distinct name pools for each environment in your star system.
Use Cases
- •Naming rival faction home bases across a star map in a Mothership or Stars Without Number campaign
- •Populating a Foundry VTT hex map with distinct station and outpost names before session one
- •Writing chapter-heading location slugs for a serialized sci-fi novel on Substack or Royal Road
- •Seeding a strategy game's procedural starting locations with lore-consistent human colony names
- •Building a corporate colony network with distinct underground vault sites for a dystopian fiction bible
Tips
- →Mix colony types intentionally: pair sterile station names with gritty underground settlement names to signal class or political divides in your fiction.
- →Add a numeral or designation suffix to a generated name (e.g. 'Voss Landing IV') to imply a series of settlements and a longer colonial history.
- →If a name feels too polished, drop one syllable or compress it to an abbreviation — colonies named by settlers often get shortened over generations.
- →Generate a batch of 10 or more and sort them into 'major colony,' 'outpost,' and 'abandoned site' categories to instantly create political texture in your world.
- →Use underground settlement names specifically for locations your characters are hiding from authorities — the naming conventions tend to sound more secretive and insular.
- →Cross-reference generated names against your existing character surnames; a colony named after a character's ancestor can plant world-building details without exposition.
FAQ
What does the numeric suffix variant look like and when does it appear?
Approximately 40% of generated names end with a hyphen and a random 3-digit number (100–999) instead of the letters "is" — for example, "Relay Cor-412" instead of "Relay Coris." This is determined by a random roll on every name independently, so a single batch can contain a mix of both formats. The ratio is not configurable.
How does the colony type filter affect the names?
Selecting a type swaps the prefix pool. Space stations draw from 6 positional and operational words, planetary colonies from 6 expansion-era qualifiers, moon bases from 6 geological and isolation terms, and underground settlements from 6 depth and containment words. The middle syllable pool and the numeric-vs-"is" logic are shared across all types. Choosing "any" uses a broader 10-word general prefix pool.
Can the same name appear twice in a batch?
Yes. The generator samples with replacement from pools of 6 (type-specific) or 10 ("any") prefix words and 12 middle syllables, with no deduplication step. At higher counts, repeated prefix-syllable combinations are possible, though the numeric suffix variant adds variation by appending a number drawn from a 900-value range.
Can I use these names in a published novel or commercial game?
Generator output is not subject to copyright, so you may use and adapt the names freely in commercial work. Because the middle syllable pool is shared across all types, other users will generate names from the same pool — making it worth adding a custom word, changing a letter, or combining two outputs to create something distinctly yours.
What is a good workflow for building a full star system from this tool?
Generate separate batches for each colony type to give your setting a consistent naming register per environment class. Run the "space station" type for orbital infrastructure, "planet" for colonized worlds, "moon base" for satellite outposts, and "underground" for sub-surface facilities. Mixing types in a single batch using "any" works well for seeding a new setting before you have decided on its internal logic.
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