Planet name generator
This planet name generator produces sci-fi planet names in three styles — hard sci-fi catalogue designations (Kepion-9), romantic space-opera worlds (Auroria Prime), and mythological names (Helios). Pick a style, re-roll in batches, and export the list for your star charts.
Kepos
“survey-realm” — a world on the chart of some far-flung system
Zaria-9
“far-land-catalogue” — third rock from a sun nobody has named
Auresh-9
“gold-world-catalogue” — a world on the chart of some far-flung system
Kepia-9
“survey-land-catalogue” — logged by the survey corps and promptly forgotten
Calor Prime
“star-sphere-prime” — worth a refuelling stop, maybe a chapter
Nyxia
“night-land” — logged by the survey corps and promptly forgotten
Vorara-9
“void-world-catalogue” — a world on the chart of some far-flung system
Thalia
“sea-land” — logged by the survey corps and promptly forgotten
Aurion
“gold-world” — worth a refuelling stop, maybe a chapter
Helara-9
“sun-world-catalogue” — a world on the chart of some far-flung system
Calara
“star-world” — a world on the chart of some far-flung system
Zaros
“far-realm” — logged by the survey corps and promptly forgotten
Kepion
“survey-world” — worth a refuelling stop, maybe a chapter
Proxara
“near-world” — logged by the survey corps and promptly forgotten
Kepia
“survey-land” — a world the star-charts argue about
How planet names are structured
A hard-sci-fi name pairs a survey prefix with a catalogue suffix (Kepion-9, Tauara-IV). A space-opera name is a flowing, pronounceable world (Auroria, Calara). A mythological name borrows a divine root (Helios, Nyxara).
What makes a good planet name
Planet names depend on genre. Hard sci-fi favours catalogue-style designations; space opera favours romantic, pronounceable worlds; mythological naming borrows from the gods and heroes of old.
Examples of planet names
Kepion-9, Auroria Prime, and Helios each sit squarely in their respective sci-fi naming tradition.
Three naming traditions, three kinds of story
Planet names signal genre before a single session starts. Hard sci-fi catalogues worlds the way a survey corps would — a prefix for the mission or star, a serial for order of discovery: Kepion-9 is a rock someone logged, not a home. Space opera names worlds romantically, as places people love: Auroria Prime is a capital waiting to happen. Mythological naming treats planets as gods: Helios, Nyxara.
Pick the tradition that matches your campaign's tone. Mixing all three on one star chart reads as a busy galaxy with a long, inconsistent history — which is sometimes exactly right.
Systems, sectors and consistency at scale
A star system hangs together when its planets share a naming logic. In hard sci-fi, give every world in a system the same survey prefix with ascending serials. In space opera, name the capital world and let its moons and colonies borrow its root — Auroria, Auroria Minor, Port Aur. Mythological systems work as pantheons: siblings, rivals and spouses from the same myth-cycle share the sky.
Generate a batch per style above, assign the styles to different regions of your chart, and the map will imply a setting bible you never had to write.
The building blocks of planet names
Every name above is composed from these pieces — 10 prefixes, 7 roots, 3 endings — and the meaning under each name is derived from them, not invented. Pieces marked with a tradition belong to that style; shared pieces appear in all of them. Combine any prefix with any root and ending and you can build a name of your own by hand.
Prefixes
| Piece | Meaning | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| Kep- | survey | Hard sci-fi |
| Tau- | sector | Hard sci-fi |
| Prox- | near | Hard sci-fi |
| Aur- | gold | Space opera |
| Cal- | star | Space opera |
| Zar- | far | Space opera |
| Hel- | sun | Mythological |
| Nyx- | night | Mythological |
| Thal- | sea | Mythological |
| Vor- | void | Shared |
Roots
| Piece | Meaning | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| ion | world | Shared |
| ara | world | Shared |
| esh | world | Shared |
| or | sphere | Shared |
| une | moon | Shared |
| os | realm | Mythological |
| ia | land | Space opera |
Endings
| Piece | Meaning | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| --9 | catalogue | Hard sci-fi |
| --IV | catalogue | Hard sci-fi |
| - Prime | prime | Space opera |
Worked examples
- Helos-9Hel + os + -9“sun-realm-catalogue”
- HeliaHel + ia“sun-land”
- NyxiaNyx + ia“night-land”
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hard sci-fi and space-opera planet names?
Hard sci-fi names sound like catalogue designations (Kepion-9, Tauara-IV); space-opera names are romantic and pronounceable (Auroria, Calara Prime).
How do I name a planet mythologically?
Borrow a root from mythology — Helios, Nyx, Thalassa — and give it a world-like ending. Use the mythological style filter above.