Planet Name Generator
Sci-fi planets need cosmic gravitas - Vexar Prime, Yelora-V, Aurinox-IX, Belendrak Beta. Our planet generator combines cosmic-feeling roots (Vexar, Yelora, Aurinox, Drakon, Helios, Iridos, Pyrandus) with sci-fi suffixes: Roman numerals, Greek letters, Prime/Major/Minor designations, and bare unsuffixed names.
Example output: Vexar Prime · Yelora-V · Aurinox-IX · Belendrak Beta
Example Planet Names
A sample drawn straight from this generator. Click Generate above for a fresh batch.
How to Name a Planet in Fiction
Science fiction planet naming runs on three registers: mythological (the solar system's own convention, extended by IAU rules that still name features on Venus after women and moons of Jupiter after Zeus's consorts), catalog designations (Kepler-452b, LV-426) that signal frontier bureaucracy, and settler names that carry the colonists' longing (New Terra, Haven). Each register tells the reader who got there first and what they wanted.
The strongest worldbuilding move is layering them: a planet that is HD 40307g in the registry, Anchor to its settlers, and something older in a dead species' records has three histories before chapter one.
Frequently asked questions
›Why Roman numerals for planets?
Astronomy convention. Star systems often number their planets with Roman numerals (Mercury = Sol I, Venus = Sol II, Earth = Sol III). Sci-fi inherits this. "Yelora-V" reads as the fifth planet of the Yelora system.
›How do I name a binary star system’s planets?
Use the Greek-letter suffixes (Beta, Gamma, Theta) for binary or multi-star systems. "Belendrak Beta" suggests the second planet around the second star. Or pair Roman numerals with Greek letters: Belendrak-VI Beta.
›Can these work for fantasy worlds with cosmic naming?
Yes - high fantasy with mage-astronomers (Earthsea, Witcher) often borrows cosmic naming for celestial bodies. Strip the Roman/Greek suffixes and use bare cosmic roots (Vexar, Helios, Drakon) for fantasy planets or moons.