This planet name generator makes fictional planet names in five styles, because the right name depends on who is doing the naming in your story. A survey ship logs a catalog number, colonists pick something from their myths, an empire imposes a grand Latin title, and the people who were born there use a word from their own language. Choose the style that matches, and each result comes with a short description of the world, such as "ice world with a ring system".

Five Ways to Name a Fictional Planet

Style	How it sounds	Suits
Sci-fi (invented)	A coined word of two or three syllables, like Pelamar or Janithos	Space opera, alien homeworlds, tabletop campaigns
Hard sci-fi (catalog)	A star designation plus a letter, like TOI-564g	Near-future and realistic settings, newly discovered worlds
Mythological	A god or titan, sometimes with a numeral, like Juno IV	Colonised systems, settings with a human history
Grimdark	Gothic and Latin-sounding, like Veroth Secundus	Warhammer 40,000-style empires and war zones
Fantasy	Soft and vowel-rich, like Aurindor	Magical worlds, planes and science-fantasy

Mixing styles inside one setting is realistic. Our own sky does it: the nearby planets have the names of gods, and distant ones have catalog numbers because nobody has had a reason to call them anything else yet.

How Real Planets and Moons Are Named

The planets of the solar system are named for Roman gods, and the International Astronomical Union keeps each planet's moons on a theme. Jupiter's moons are named for the lovers and descendants of Zeus, such as Io, Europa and Ganymede. Uranus breaks the pattern, with moons named for characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope, such as Titania, Oberon and Ariel.

Planets around other stars get a designation instead of a name: the star's catalog name and a lowercase letter in order of discovery, starting at b. Kepler-186f and TRAPPIST-1e are named this way. Giving a fictional world's moons, continents and cities names from one shared source produces the same sense of order. The Moon Name Generator and Space Station Name Generator cover what orbits the planet.

Made-Up Planet Names That Sound Real

Writers rarely invent planet names from nothing. Frank Herbert took Arrakis, the desert planet of Dune, from the traditional Arabic name of a real star. Other famous worlds rework a familiar word: Vulcan is the Roman god of fire, and Pandora is a figure from Greek myth. Starting from a real root and changing it slightly is a reliable method. The invented styles in this generator do something similar by joining syllables that are common in English and Latin place names, which is why the results are easy to pronounce. For the people who live on your new world, try the Alien Name Generator.

How to Use the Planet Name Generator

Pick a naming style: Sci-fi gives invented names, Hard sci-fi gives catalog designations like the ones astronomers use, Mythological uses gods and titans, Grimdark gives gothic names with Latin numbering, and Fantasy gives softer names for a magical world.
Generate: Each press gives six planet names, each with a short description of the kind of world it is.
Copy: Use the copy button beside a name to take it into your notes, map or manuscript.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good name for a made-up planet?

One that is easy to say, sounds like it belongs to the people who named it, and is not already famous. Two or three syllables is the usual length: Arrakis, Tatooine, Cadia. Decide who named the planet in your story first, because settlers, scientists and priests would each choose a very different name.

How are real exoplanets named?

By the name of the star followed by a lowercase letter. The star counts as "a", so the first planet found is "b": Kepler-186f is the fifth planet found around the star Kepler-186. A small number also have proper names chosen through public campaigns run by the International Astronomical Union. The Hard sci-fi style uses the same format, so a result may match a real exoplanet.

How do I name the planets in one star system?

Give them something in common. Real astronomy numbers them by letter, older science fiction uses the star's name with a Roman numeral, such as Rigel VII, and a settled system might name every world after one mythology. A shared pattern tells the reader the planets belong together.

How do Warhammer 40,000 planets get their names?

Many use Latin-sounding and gothic words with Latin numbering, such as Prime, Secundus and Tertius, because the setting's High Gothic language is modelled on Latin. The Grimdark style follows that pattern with invented names and is not a list of official planets.

Can I name a planet after a god or myth?

Yes, and it is the oldest tradition there is. The planets of our own solar system carry the names of Roman gods, and most of their moons are named for figures from the same myths. Many god names are already attached to real moons and asteroids, which does not stop you using them in fiction.

Can I use these planet names in a book or game?

Yes. The invented names are made from random syllables and are free to use. It is still worth searching a name before you publish, because a short invented word can match an existing book, game or company by accident.