Naming your children is one of the most gratifying, beautiful, and important decisions you will ever make, but at the same time it is scary as hell. You don’t get to change it if you think of a better one later on, this is how everyone will call them in their life, and what if they don’t like it when they grow up?. Spoiler: at some point in their lives every kid will say they don’t like their name, whether they actually like it or not, so don’t worry too much about that last one.

With all this weight on your shoulders and so many options available, choosing a name can become a paralizing task. Our advice: Don’t let it get to you too much. A name is just a name and what really matters is how much you love them, how well you raise them and the values and personality they will associate with that name.

Still, you want to name them something original, but not absurd; something inspired, but not pretentious; something beautiful, but not flamboyant. Here’s where we come to help you.

We have brainstormed and compiled this huge list of baby name ideas inspired by astronomy and space, hopefully you will find the perfect name you are looking for here. We wish you and your baby the best!.

Table of Contents

Why choose a name inspired by space?

Celestial objects that receive a proper name instead of just an alphanumeric designation are often named after heroes, historical figures or mythological deities so they can be a great source of inspiration when you want to select a name that evoques virtues such as beauty, strength and courage.

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter saga named a lot of characters in the series after stars and constellations, and while you don’t have to go as far as to name your child Regulus, it shows how effective the technique can be to pick a name and how rich and vast the pool of space-based names is.

But that’s enough talk. Let’s get to the list.

Planet and moon’s names

In this section, you will find names inspired by planets, moons, and the solar system. You might notice a greater number of girl names. This is because since people have looked at the sky, they have associated its beauty with feminine traits so there are more celestial objects with female names. The same trend happens in the constellations section.

Boy names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
ApolloGreek god of the Sun. Name of NASA’s missions that took mankind to the moon for the first time. Gwen Stefani’s son is named Apollo
Apollo Creed from the Rocky movies
AtlasOne of Saturn’s moons that give shape to its rings. Named after the Titan god who held the world on his shoulders in Greek mythology.Atlas Norton, son of actor Edward Norton
FerdinandOutermost irregular moon of UranusMultiple Kings of Spain, Portugal and Aragon
Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician
HeliosGreek Titan god of the sun. Also means Sun in Greek. A common variation is Elio in Italian.
Cleopatra’s son was named Alexander Helios
JanusOne of Saturn’s inner moons. Popular in Scandinavian countries.Janus Friis, founder of Skype and Kazaa
JupiterLargest planet in the solar system. Named after the supreme god in Roman mythology,Jupiter Hammon, American poet
MarsFourth planet in the solar system. Named after the Roman god of war.Bruno Mars (stage name), singer
MercurioMercury in Italian and Portuguese. First planet in the solar system. Roman god of trade.Mercurio, Mexican pop band
OberonOutermost and second largest moon of Uranus. King of fairies in Shake’speare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
StephanoOne of Uranus’ moonsCharacter from Shakespeare’s The Tempest
TitanSaturn’s largest moon. Name for the gods that preceded the Olympian gods in Greek mythology.Titan Leeds, American publisher
VulcanA hypothetical planet that was thought to exist between Mercury and the Sun in the 18th century. Its existence has been disproved.

Girl names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
AstridAsteroid family in the central region of the asteroid belt. Also means “divine beauty” in old Norse languagesAstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Spanish-French actress
BelindaInner moon of UranusBelinda Peregrin, Mexican pop singer
Belinda Bauer, Australian actress
BiancaInner moon of UranusBianca Balti, Italian supermodel
CordeliaInnermost moon of UranusCharacter in Shakespeare’s King Lear
DiaOne of Jupiter’s moonsSister of Callisto in Greek mythology
DianaRoman goddess of the moonDiana, Princess of Wales
DespinaOne of Neptune’s moonsDespina Vandi, Greek singer
ErisSecond largest dwarf planet in the Solar System. Greek goddess of strife and discord
GalateaOne of Neptune’s moonsGalatea Brand, character in James Bond’s novel, Moonraker
JulietInner moon of UranusJuliet Capulet from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Juliet Grey, Writer
JunoQueen of the heavens in Roman mythology. Jupiter’s wife.Juno Wright, daughter of actor Jeffery Wright
KalindiSanskrit for The Sun. Also one of the sacred rivers in India.
LarissaOne of Neptune’s moons. Named after one of Poseidon’s lovers.Larissa Wilson, English actress
Larissa Riquelme, Paraguayan model
LunaLatin and Spanish word for MoonLuna Lovegood from the Harry Potter book series
LedaOne of Jupiter’s moonsSpartan Queen in Greek mythology. Mother of Helen of Troy
MirandaOne of Uranus round moonsMiranda Bailey, character from Grey’s Anatomy
Miranda Kerr, Australian model
Monday“Day of the Moon”Monday Settman, character in the film Seven Sisters.
OpheliaInner moon of UranusOphelia Benson, American author
PandoraInner moon of Saturn. First human woman in Greek mythology. Means “The all-gifted”Pandora Delevingne, mother of the actress Cara Delevingne
PenelopeMinor planet/asteroid located in the main asteroid belt. Named after Odysseus’ wife in The OdysseyPenelope Cruz, Spanish actress
Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer
PhoebeSaturn’s moon. Named after a Titan goddess, grandmother of Apollo.Phoebe Buffay, character in the sitcom Friends
Phoebe Adele Gates, daughter of Bill and Melinda Gates
PortiaInner moon of Uranus.Portia de Rossi, actress
Shakespeare’s protagonist in The Merchant of Venice
RheaSecond largest moon of SaturnRhea Durham, model
SednaDwarf planet in the outside of the Solar System. Named after the Inuit goddess of the sea.
SeleneGreek for Moon. Common variations are Selena and Selina.Selena Gomez, American singer
Selina Kyle, Catwoman from the Batman comics
SoleilFrench word for Sun.Soleil Moon Frye, actress
TheiaTheorical planet that collided with Earth billions of Years ago. The impact would have formed the Moon. Named after the Titan Goddess.
TitaniaLargest moon of UranusCharacter in Goethe’s Faust
VenusOnly planet in the Solar System with a female name, brightest object in the night sky after the Moon. Named after the Roman goddess of beauty.Venus Williams, Tennis player

Gender neutral names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
ArielShiniest moon of Uranus. Means ‘lion of God’Ariel Winter, American actress from the Modern Family sitcom
Ariel Ortega, Argentinian soccer player
SolLatin word for SunSol Campbell, English soccer player
Sunday“Day of the Sun”Sunday Rose Kidman, daughter of actress Nicole Kidman

Names inspired by stars, constellations, and mythology

Boy names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
ArcturusFourth brightest star in the sky. Part of the Boötes constellation.Arcturus Mengsk, emperor in the StarCraft game
AsterVariation of the Latin word for “star”
CorvusSmall constellation in the southern hemisphere. It is latin for “crow”Corvus Glaive, villain in Marvel Comics and movies
CosmoGreek for “order”. Root for the term cosmosCosmo Hamilton, English novelist
Draco“The Dragon”. Constellation in the northern sky.Draco Verta, son of actress Danica McKellar
HerculesFifth largest constellation. Named after the Roman hero.Hercules Burnett, baseball player.
Leo“The Lion”. One of the twelve constellations of the zodiacLeo Howard, actor
Orion“The hunter“. Constellation located in the celestial equator visible from all the globe.Orion Clemens, brother of writer Mark Twain
RigelBiggest star in the Orion constellation, also sixth brightest star in the night sky.
SiriusBrightest star in the sky. Also called Alpha Canis Majoris.Sirius Black, character in the Harry Potter book series
Sterling“Little star” from old English
Sterling K. Brown, actor
UlyssesSpace exploration probe built jointly by the U.S. and Europe to study the sun. Named after the Latin name for Odysseus.
Ulysses Grant, U.S. President.

Girl names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
AlyaOne of the stars in a triple-star system in the Serpens constellation Alya Césaire, character in the children’s animated series Miraculous
AndromedaClosest Galaxy to Earth. Named after the daughter of King Cepheus in Greek mythologyAndromeda Tonks, character from the Harry Potter book series
BellatrixSecond biggest star in the Orion constellation. Latin for “female warrior”Bellatrix Lestrange, character from the Harry Potter book series
CarinaConstellation in the southern sky. Karina is a common variation in EuropeKarina Smirnoff, Ukranian-American dancer
CassiopeiaConstellation in the northern sky. Named after a beautiful queen in Greek mythologyCharacter in the TV series Battlestar Galactica
ElectraThird brightest star in the Pleiades star cluster
ElianaDerived from “Helios”, meaning “daughter of the Sun”.Eliana Johnson, writer
LucyWhite Dwarf star in the centaurus constellation. It has crystallized and is now a giant diamond. (Lucy in the sky with diamonds)Lucy Liu, actress
Lyra“The Harp”. One of the original 48 constellations catalogued by Ptolemy.Lyra Virna, Indonesian actress
MaiaBlue giant in the Taurus constellation. Named after Hermes’ mother in Greek mythologyMaia Mitchell, Australian actress and singer
NormaSmall, four star constellation visible in the southern hemisphere.Norma Jeane Mortenson, birth name of Marylin Monroe
StellaLatin word for “star”Stella Luna Pompeo, daughter of actress Ellen Pompeo
TalithaOne of the stars in the Ursa Major constellationTalitha Hamilton, protagonist in the book The Dragonfly Pool
TaraSanskrit word for “star”Tara Reid, actress

Gender Neutral Names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
NovaTerm used to describe the sudden energy release that happens when two stars interact. Also means “new” in Latin.
Nova Whitfield, daughter of rapper Young Fly and Jacky Oh
PhoenixConstellation in the southern hemisphere. Named after the legendary firebird.
Phoenix Richmond, British model
SuryaSun deity in HinduismSurya Bonaly, former French figure skater
VegaBrightest star in the Lyra constellation.

Names inspired by historical figures and space exploration

Boy names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
AlbertAfter Albert Einstein. Also means “noble”Albert Camus, French philosopher
ArmstrongAfter Neil Armstrong, first human to walk on the moon.Armstrong Wells, writer and illustrator
JohanessAfter Johaness Kepler, German astronomer known for the laws of planetary motion
NeilAfter Neil Armstrong, first human to walk on the moon.Neil DeGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and science communicator
NewtonAfter Sir Isaac NewtonNewton Scamander from the Fantastic Beasts movies
NicholasAfter Nicolaus Copernicus, mathematician and astronomer who proposed solar system model where the Sun is at the center instead of EarthNicolas Cage, actor
StephenAfter Stephen Hawking, English cosmologistStephen King, novelist
Stephen “Steph” Curry, basketball player

Girl Names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
GaiaSpace observatory of the European Space Agency. Named after the primordial goddess in Greek mythology.Gaia Germani, Italian actress
MargaretAfter Margaret Hamilton, Director of Software Engineering of the Apollo program.Margaret “Maggie” Grace, actress
SallyAfter Sally Ride, astronaut and first American woman in spaceSally Field, actress
ValentinaAfter Valentina Tereshkova, Russian cosmonaut and first woman in spaceValentina Shevchenko, Kyrgyzstani–Peruvian MMA fighter
Valentina Zenere, Argentinian actress

Gender Neutral names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
Galileo/GalileaAfter Galileo Galilei, italian astronomer and father of the scientific method.Galilea Montijo, Mexican tv host
HalleyAfter Halley’s comet, visible from Earth every 75-76 years y and Edmond Halley, English astronomer.
SaganAfter Carl Sagan, astrophysicist and communicatorSagan Cruz, character in the Phantom 2040 series
YuriAfter Yuri Gagarin, first human to go to outer space. Unrelated, but also common in Japan where it means “lily”.Yuri Masuda, Japanese singer

Names inspired by science fiction

Boy names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
AnakinAnakin Skywalker from Star WarsAnakin Slayd, Canadian musician
FoxFox Mulder from The X-FilesFox Conner, WWII American general
KalKal-el, Superman’s kryptonian nameKal-el Coppola Cage, son of Nicolas Cage
KirkCaptain James Tiberius Kirk, from Star TrekKirk Douglas, actor
LukeLuke Skywalker from Star WarsLuke Armstrong, son of cyclist Lance Armstrong

Girl names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
KaraKara “Starbuck” Thrace from Battlestar Galactica. Also Kara Zor-El, Kryptonian name for SupergirlKara Walker, painter
LeiaLeia Organa from Star WarsLeia Bell, daughter of musician Andy Bell
PadmePadme Amidala, from Star Wars
RipleyEllen Ripley, protagonist in the Alien movies.Ripley Sobo, actress
RiverRiver Tam, character in the series Firefly

Gender Neutral names

NameOriginFamous people and pop culture
CooperCooper, Matthew McConaughey’s character from InterstellarCooper Wallace, football player
Murphy“Murph”, from InterstellarMurphy Claire Levesque, daughter of wrestler Triple H
Author

Elena is a Canadian journalist and researcher. She has been looking at the sky for years and hopes to introduce more people to the wonderful hobby that is astronomy.