110+ Galaxy Names for Boys, From Orion to Zeus

Table of Contents

• Why space names are having a moment
• How we sorted these
• Constellation names
• Star names
• Planet and moon names
• Sun and light names
• Mythological sky gods
• Rare picks vs. names everyone already knows
• Sibling name pairings
• FAQ

TLDR

If you want one name that reads as strong, easy to say, and not overplayed: Orion. If you want something quieter that almost nobody else in the daycare class will have: Alkaid, Elio, or Norma (yes, it works for a boy — more on that below). Skip Apollo and Atlas if you’re hoping for rare; both have climbed hard in U.S. naming data over the past five years and are now firmly mainstream.

Why space names are having a moment

Space-themed names aren’t a fringe pick anymore. Several have posted real jumps in U.S. Social Security Administration rankings over the past few years — Atlas and Apollo both moved into the top 200 boy names, and Sol has climbed hundreds of spots since 2019 as parents lean into short, single-syllable, meaning-rich options. Part of it is the run of space content in pop culture — Mars rover landings, private launches, the Dune and Star Wars franchises keeping mythology names visible. Part of it is simpler: astronomy gives you a name pool that’s ancient (most of these are 2,000+ years old), globally recognized, and doesn’t come pre-loaded with a decade of a single celebrity’s baggage.

How we sorted these

Most lists mix boys and girls in one long scroll, which means you end up skimming past forty names that don’t apply to you. This one is boys-only, split into five categories — constellations, individual stars, planets and moons, sun/light names, and mythological sky gods — because those are genuinely different naming pools with different sounds and different levels of popularity. At the end, we’ve also flagged which of these are actually rare versus which just feel rare because they sound cosmic.

Constellation names

Constellations give you some of the most usable boy names in this whole list, mostly because a few of them (Orion, Leo, Perseus) have been standard names for centuries — they were people and heroes first, constellations second.

Orion is the hunter constellation, one of the few patterns visible from nearly every populated place on Earth thanks to its three-star belt. As a name it’s Greek, means roughly “rising” or “son of fire” depending on the myth version you follow, and it’s had a real run in the U.S. top 200 for the past several years — not rare, but not tired either.

Draco is the dragon that coils around the north celestial pole; Latin for “dragon,” and yes, most parents now know the Harry Potter association before the astronomy one. Worth knowing going in.

Perseus killed Medusa and rescued Andromeda, and his constellation sits next to hers in the sky — a nice detail if you’re pairing names with a sibling. Greek, means “destroyer.”

Cepheus was Andromeda’s father, an Ethiopian king in the myth, and his constellation forms a simple house-shaped outline near the pole star. Quiet, distinctive, easy nickname to “Ceph” or “Cep.”

Name	Meaning	Origin	Vibe
Orion	Rising / son of fire	Greek	Confident, classic
Leo	Lion	Latin	Strong, common, zodiac crossover
Draco	Dragon	Latin/Greek	Bold, Potter-adjacent
Perseus	Destroyer	Greek	Heroic, underused
Hercules	Glory of Hera	Greek	Big, mythic, a lot for a small kid
Cygnus	Swan	Greek	Soft sound, unusual
Corvus	Raven	Latin	Dark, sleek, rare
Lupus	Wolf	Latin	Rugged, short
Auriga	Charioteer	Latin	Distinctive, hard to shorten
Phoenix	Fire bird	Greek	Popular, symbolic
Aquila	Eagle	Latin	Strong consonants, rare
Indus	The Indian (named for the river/people)	Latin	Very rare, geographic root
Norma	Carpenter’s square	Latin	Unisex-read now, historically used for boys too
Crux	Cross	Latin	Short, sharp, Southern Cross reference
Grus	Crane (the bird)	Latin	Very rare, one syllable
Lynx	Lynx	Greek	Modern-sounding, animal name crossover
Cepheus	King (mythical)	Greek	Regal, quiet
Cassio	From Cassiopeia’s root	Greek	Shakespeare crossover (Othello)
Serpens	Serpent	Latin	Edgy, rarely used
Camelo	Shortened from Camelopardalis (giraffe)	Latin	Playful, obscure
Boaz	Adapted sound-alike for Boötes	Hebrew/Greek	Biblical root, easy to say
Delphinus	Dolphin	Latin	Gentle, unusual
Hydrus	Water snake	Latin	Sleek, rare
Volans	Flying fish	Latin	Very rare, modern feel
Pavo	Peacock	Latin	Short, striking

Star names

Star names for boys tend to sound sharper and more consonant-heavy than constellation names — a lot of them come through Arabic astronomy, which dominated star cataloging for centuries before European telescopes caught up.

Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, sits in Canis Major and gets its name from the Greek for “scorching” — ancient Egyptians tracked its rising to predict the Nile flood. It’s had a boost from Harry Potter (Sirius Black), similar to Draco, so don’t expect total obscurity.

Altair is one of the closest bright stars to Earth at just 17 light-years, part of the Summer Triangle, and its name comes from the Arabic al-nasr al-ta’ir, “the flying eagle.”

Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere and one of the closest giant stars to our solar system; the name is Greek for “guardian of the bear,” a reference to its position trailing Ursa Major.

Alkaid marks the end of the Big Dipper’s handle and its name comes from Arabic for “the leader of the daughters,” part of a poetic older name for the whole Ursa Major grouping. Almost nobody uses this one — genuinely rare.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Vibe
Sirius	Scorching / glowing	Greek	Bright, Potter crossover
Rigel	Foot (of Orion)	Arabic	Sharp, modern
Altair	The flying eagle	Arabic	Strong, underused
Antares	Rival of Mars	Greek	Bold, red-star meaning
Arcturus	Guardian of the bear	Greek	Distinctive, protective meaning
Castor	Beaver / one of the Gemini twins	Greek	Classic, wearable
Pollux	The other Gemini twin	Greek	Pairs naturally with Castor
Deneb	Tail (of the swan)	Arabic	Short, punchy
Regulus	Little king	Latin	Regal, easy to say
Capella	Little she-goat	Latin	Soft, more commonly used for girls
Procyon	Before the dog (rises before Sirius)	Greek	Unusual, scholarly feel
Bellatrix	Female warrior	Latin	Reads feminine — Potter association strong
Alnair	The bright one	Arabic	Meaningful, rare
Merak	The loin (of the bear)	Arabic	Short, sleek
Dubhe	The bear	Arabic	Very rare, one syllable
Kochab	Star	Arabic	Simple sound, obscure
Alkaid	The leader	Arabic	Rare, meaningful
Mizar	Girdle/waistband	Arabic	Unusual texture
Elnath	The butting one (Taurus’ horn)	Arabic	Distinctive, rare
Hadar	Ground/settlement	Arabic	Grounded feel, uncommon
Canopus	Named for a mythical helmsman	Greek	Second-brightest star, nautical root
Achernar	End of the river	Arabic	Poetic, rare

Planet and moon names

These skew toward mythology twice over — most planets and moons were named after Roman or Greek gods, so you’re getting the celestial reference and the myth reference in one word.

Atlas is the Titan condemned to hold up the sky, and also a small moon of Saturn — a name that’s climbed into the U.S. top 50 in the past decade, so treat it as popular, not a hidden gem anymore.

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is the only moon in the solar system known to have a dense atmosphere and stable liquid — lakes of methane, not water. Strong sound, straightforward meaning.

Kepler honors Johannes Kepler, the astronomer whose laws of planetary motion still hold up 400 years later, and it’s also the name of NASA’s exoplanet-hunting space telescope. Surname-style name, currently rare as a first name.

Ganymede is Jupiter’s largest moon — bigger than the planet Mercury — and in Greek myth was a Trojan prince taken to Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods. Long but distinctive, shortens naturally to “Gan” or “Mede.”

Name	Meaning	Origin	Vibe
Mars	Roman god of war; red planet	Latin	Punchy, popular
Jupiter	King of the Roman gods; largest planet	Latin	Bold, rising fast
Saturn	God of time and agriculture	Latin	Heavy, distinctive
Neptune	God of the sea	Latin	Watery, unusual
Titan	Race of giant gods; Saturn’s moon	Greek	Strong, single-syllable feel
Io	Mythical priestess turned moon of Jupiter	Greek	Very short, modern
Triton	Son of Poseidon; Neptune’s moon	Greek	Mythic, rare
Phobos	Fear personified; Mars’ moon	Greek	Edgy, uncommon
Ganymede	Trojan prince; Jupiter’s largest moon	Greek	Long, distinctive
Atlas	Titan who holds up the sky	Greek	Popular, strong
Oberon	King of the fairies (Shakespeare); Uranus’ moon	English/German	Literary, rare
Charon	Ferryman of the dead; Pluto’s largest moon	Greek	Dark, sleek
Kepler	For astronomer Johannes Kepler	German (surname)	Modern, rare
Halley	For astronomer Edmond Halley	English (surname)	Comet association, unisex-read
Copernicus	For astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus	Polish/Latin	Very rare, a mouthful
Nix	Goddess of night; Pluto’s moon	Greek	Short, sharp
Vesta	Goddess of the hearth; largest asteroid	Latin	Softer sound, usually feminine
Ceres	Goddess of agriculture; dwarf planet	Latin	Usually feminine but crosses over
Larsen	Not myth-based, but often paired thematically with ice-moon names	—	Modern, informal pick
Umbriel	Uranus’ moon, from Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock”	Literary	Literary, obscure

Sun and light names

If constellations feel too niche and planets feel too common, sun-and-light names split the difference — most are short, most translate directly to “sun,” “light,” or “radiant,” and several already exist as standard names in other cultures.

Sol is Latin for “sun” and has posted one of the sharpest climbs of any name on this list in recent SSA data — parents like the one syllable and the direct meaning. If your goal is uniqueness, this one’s no longer it.

Cyrus comes from Old Persian and is linked to the sun through its association with Cyrus the Great, whose name likely derives from a root meaning “like the sun.” Long history as a standalone name outside the space-name trend.

Uriel is Hebrew for “God is my light,” one of the archangels in Jewish and Christian tradition associated with illumination and wisdom rather than a specific star.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Vibe
Sol	Sun	Latin	Short, trending fast
Apollo	Greek/Roman god of the sun and light	Greek	Popular, strong
Helios	Personification of the sun	Greek	Direct, rising in use
Ra	Egyptian sun god	Egyptian	Very short, bold
Lucius	Light	Latin	Classic, wearable
Phaeton	“Shining one,” Helios’ son	Greek	Mythic, cautionary tale attached
Cyrus	Possibly “like the sun”	Old Persian	Established, not niche
Uriel	God is my light	Hebrew	Meaningful, uncommon
Elio	Sun (Italian form)	Italian	Soft, modern
Aurelio	Golden, sun-touched	Latin/Italian	Warm, underused
Roshan	Light, bright	Persian	Common in South Asia, rare in the West
Ziv	Radiance	Hebrew	Very short, distinctive
Kiran	Ray of light	Sanskrit	Common in India, fresh elsewhere
Zorion	Adapted from “sun/happiness” roots	Basque-inspired	Very rare

Mythological sky gods

Every ancient culture had a god running the sky, the sun, or the thunder — and most of those names are still sitting there, unused, because parents default to Greek and Roman mythology and skip everything else.

Chandra is the Hindu god associated with the moon, and while it’s used for girls in some Western contexts, in Sanskrit tradition it’s a masculine deity name — worth knowing if you want a moon-linked name that isn’t Luna’s male equivalent by default.

Marduk was the chief god of Babylon, credited in Babylonian myth with organizing the stars into the calendar and setting the paths of the sun and moon. Heavy, ancient, essentially unused as a first name.

Freyr was the Norse god of sun and fertility, brother to Freya, worshipped for bringing good weather and harvests — a name that’s seen modest revival in Scandinavian countries but stays rare in English-speaking ones.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Vibe
Zeus	King of the Greek gods, ruler of the sky	Greek	Bold, a lot to live up to
Cronus	Titan god of time, father of Zeus	Greek	Heavy, rare
Hermes	Messenger god, linked to Mercury	Greek	Sleek, brand association (fashion house)
Osiris	Egyptian god linked to Orion in myth	Egyptian	Distinctive, rising slowly
Thor	Norse god of thunder and sky	Norse	Popular via Marvel
Freyr	Norse god of sun and fertility	Norse	Rare, soft sound
Janus	Roman god of transitions, two-faced sky god	Latin	Unusual, meaningful
Enki	Sumerian god of sky and water wisdom	Sumerian	Very rare, ancient
Anu	Sumerian sky god	Sumerian	Short, obscure
Marduk	Babylonian god who organized the stars	Babylonian	Heavy, essentially unused
Surya	Hindu sun god	Sanskrit	Common in India, fresh elsewhere
Chandra	Hindu moon deity	Sanskrit	Meaningful, cross-cultural
Amun	Egyptian god linked to the hidden/invisible sky	Egyptian	Ancient, rare
Belenus	Celtic sun god	Celtic	Very rare, distinctive sound

Rare picks vs. names everyone already knows

Not every name on this list is actually rare, even though it sounds it. Based on recent U.S. naming data, Apollo, Atlas, Sol, Leo, Phoenix, Mars, and Orion have all moved into common territory — you’ll likely meet at least one at a birthday party. If uniqueness is the goal, look toward Alkaid, Norma, Grus, Indus, Kepler, Marduk, Enki, Zorion, and Belenus — names pulled straight from star catalogs and older mythologies that haven’t been filtered through baby-name blogs yet.

Sibling name pairings

Because myth and astronomy both run in families and pairs, several of these names double as ready-made sibling sets:

• Castor and Pollux — the Gemini twins, an obvious matched pair
• Perseus and Andromeda — hero and the princess he rescued, if you’re mixing genders
• Atlas and Titan — both from the Titan generation of Greek myth
• Helios and Elio — sun name, classic and modern version, for twins
• Orion and Leo — two of the most recognizable constellations, easy to say together

FAQ

Are galaxy names for boys actually popular right now, or is this a niche trend? A handful — Apollo, Atlas, Sol, Leo, Orion — have real, documented climbs in U.S. Social Security Administration data over the past five to ten years. Most of the rest of this list stays well outside the top 1,000, which is what makes them useful if you want meaning without the popularity.

What’s a unique galaxy name for a boy that isn’t Orion or Apollo? Alkaid, Norma, Kepler, Marduk, and Belenus all carry real astronomical or mythological meaning and see almost no use as first names in English-speaking countries.

Do these names pair well with common middle names? Short, mythic first names like Atlas, Leo, and Sol tend to pair easily with a traditional middle name (Atlas James, Leo Michael) if you want one bold name balanced by one familiar one. Longer names like Ganymede or Copernicus read best with a short, simple middle name to keep the full name from getting unwieldy.

Is it a problem that some of these overlap with Harry Potter characters? Sirius and Draco both carry that association now for most people under 40. That’s not automatically a dealbreaker, but it’s worth knowing before you commit, since it will come up in conversation more often than the astronomy reference will.