💡 GOOD TO KNOWDecide the climate first, then pick a name with matching sounds.
Decide the climate first, then pick a name with matching sounds.
A great planet name tells you something before anyone lands. Hard sounds like Kor and Vex suggest a harsh, rocky world. Soft sounds like Thal and Ara suggest oceans or gentle skies. This planet name generator mixes sound pieces, prefixes and suffixes to create random planet names that feel at home in space opera, fantasy and science fiction.
Press Generate for ten cool planet names at once. Use them to map a galaxy for a tabletop game, name the home world of an alien species, set the scene for a novel, or design levels for a space game. Some results look like catalogue names, such as Korvex IV, and some sound like colonies, such as New Thalara.
How to use the planet name generator
- Press Generate names to get ten planet names.
- Notice the three styles: single names, catalogue names with numbers, and colony names with New or Far.
- Tap Copy or ♡ to save planets for your star map.
- Write one line about each world's climate to match its name.
How real planets get their names
In our own Solar System, the planets other than Earth are named after Roman gods, such as Mars for war and Jupiter for the king of the gods. Uranus is the odd one out, named after a Greek sky god. Moons and dwarf planets follow themes too: many of Uranus's moons are named after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
Planets around other stars, called exoplanets, are usually named by adding a lowercase letter to the star's name. The first planet found gets b, the next c, and so on, as in 51 Pegasi b or Kepler-22b. The International Astronomical Union, which approves official names, has also run public contests to give some exoplanets proper names.
Making a planet name match the world
Sound shapes how readers imagine a place. Use hard consonants for harsh worlds and soft vowels for gentle ones. Then use the suffix to show how people see the planet: a number feels scientific, Prime feels important, and a prefix like New shows humans settled there.
- Desert or volcanic: Draex, Korvex, Zaroth.
- Ocean or garden: Thalara, Nyea, Seria.
- Ice or gas giant: Ulon, Helune, Vorenth.
- Capital world: add Prime, like Solari Prime.
- Colony: add New or Far, like New Mirora.
Building a whole star system
Pick one name for the star, then number its planets with II, III and IV, or use the letters b, c and d for a scientific feel. Give the most important world a proper name of its own. This mix of catalogue names and real names makes a system feel explored, half-known and full of story.
Example names and what makes them work
| Name | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Korvex Prime | Hard sounds and the Prime suffix suggest a powerful capital world. |
| Thalara | Soft and flowing, a natural fit for an ocean planet. |
| New Mirora | The New prefix tells readers this is a human colony. |
| Kepion b | Uses the real exoplanet habit of adding a lowercase letter. |
| Zaroth IV | A catalogue number and a dark name, great for a mining world. |
| Helune | Bright and airy, suits a gas giant or a sun-scorched world. |
| Far Ulenth | Sounds remote and cold, perfect for a frontier outpost. |
| Ixyx-Beta | Odd letters and a hyphen make it feel truly alien. |
Tips for picking the right name
- Decide the climate first, then pick a name with matching sounds.
- Use catalogue numbers for planets nobody cares about yet, and proper names for important ones.
- Name a colony after the old home world, like New Thalara, to hint at history.
- Keep your main planet's name short so it is easy to say in dialogue.
- List every planet with its star, size and climate to keep your map consistent.
Common questions
How do you name a fictional planet?
Start with the world's climate and mood. Pick hard sounds for harsh places and soft sounds for gentle ones. Then add a suffix or prefix, like Prime or New, to show its role and history.
What do the letters after planet names mean?
Real exoplanets are named by adding a lowercase letter to their star's name, starting with b for the first planet found. This tool uses that habit too, so some results look like real catalogue names.
Can I use these planet names in my book or game?
Yes. The names are new mixes of sound pieces, so you can use them freely in novels, tabletop games and video games. A quick search before publishing helps avoid a match with an existing franchise.
Does this work as a fantasy planet name generator too?
It does. Names without numbers, like Thalara or Belion, work well for fantasy realms and magical worlds. Skip the catalogue-style results if you want a less scientific feel.