Navy Ship Name Generator

Warship names from real naval traditions worldwide

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Generate navy ship names that follow real naval conventions: US carriers and destroyers, Royal Navy battle honours and virtues, and warships from the French, German, Japanese, Russian, Indian and other fleets, plus original names in the same style for fiction and games.

About navy ship names

Every navy names its ships by rule, which is why a convincing warship name is really a matter of picking the right tradition. The US Navy gives aircraft carriers to presidents (Nimitz, Gerald R. Ford), destroyers to naval heroes (Arleigh Burke, John Finn), cruisers to battles (Ticonderoga, Leyte Gulf), amphibious ships to cities and battles (San Antonio, Iwo Jima), battleships to states, and older submarines to fish (Tang, Wahoo). The Royal Navy recycles battle-honour names across centuries (Ark Royal, Warspite, Dreadnought) and favours single confident adjectives, so a Type 45 destroyer is Daring, Dauntless, or Defender and a frigate is Kent or Argyll.

Other fleets have equally distinct voices. France honours admirals and provinces (Forbin, Aquitaine), Germany uses its states (Sachsen, Hessen), Italy names for admirals and heroes (Andrea Doria, Carlo Bergamini), Japan uses poetic words for weather, mountains and moons written without honorifics (Kongō, Akizuki, Izumo), Russia uses admirals and cities (Admiral Gorshkov, Severodvinsk), and India uses Sanskrit and place names (Vikrant, Kolkata, Talwar). Singapore's frigates are virtues: Formidable, Steadfast, Tenacious.

The prefix is the tell: USS, HMS, HMAS, HMCS, FS, JS, INS, and so on mark a commissioned warship. For fiction, either borrow one national scheme exactly or coin a name in its register, such as USS Cape Defiance or HMS Stormbreaker.

How to choose navy ship names

  • Match the name type to the ship type: in the US Navy a president means a carrier, a hero a destroyer, a battle a cruiser, and a state a submarine or old battleship.
  • Royal Navy names work best as one strong word (Audacious, Relentless, Bulwark) or a historic battle (Jutland, Trafalgar); avoid two-word adjective combos, which read as fantasy.
  • Use the correct prefix for the navy and era: USS and HMS for commissioned warships, USNS for civilian-crewed support ships, HMAS for Australia, HMCS for Canada, JS for modern Japan.
  • For a fictional flagship, reuse a name with history (Enterprise, Ark Royal, Yamato) only if you want that weight; otherwise invent in the same pattern, like USS Halcyon or HMS Tideguard.
  • Hull numbers add instant realism: DDG-51, CVN-78, F123, D32. Pair an invented name with a plausible number for the ship class.

Frequently asked questions

How does the US Navy choose ship names?

The Secretary of the Navy assigns names following loose conventions: carriers for presidents and statesmen, destroyers for naval and Marine heroes, cruisers for battles, amphibious ships for cities and battles, attack submarines for states and cities, and supply ships for explorers and civil rights figures. Exceptions are common and often controversial.

What do USS, HMS, and the other prefixes mean?

USS is United States Ship, HMS is His (or Her) Majesty's Ship, HMAS and HMCS are the Australian and Canadian equivalents, FS is French Ship, FGS is Federal German Ship, JS is Japanese Ship, and INS is Indian Naval Ship. Prefixes mark commissioned warships; support vessels use variants like USNS and RFA.

Can I use real navy ship names in my novel or game?

Yes. Warship names are public record and reused by real navies constantly, so USS Enterprise or HMS Warspite are free to use. For a fictional ship that has to feel new, follow the convention and invent a name in the same style, as the list's original entries do.

Why do Japanese and Russian names have no prefix here?

Imperial Japanese Navy ships never used a prefix, and Soviet and Russian ships are referred to by name alone, so Yamato and Admiral Kuznetsov are written as they are in naval histories. The modern Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force uses JS, which is shown where it applies.

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All 500 navy ship names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 24 names

  • Admiral Chabanenko
  • Admiral Essen
  • Admiral Golovko
  • Admiral Grigorovich
  • Admiral Hipper
  • Admiral Isakov
  • Admiral Kasatonov
  • Admiral Lazarev
  • Admiral Levchenko
  • Admiral Makarov
  • Admiral Nakhimov
  • Admiral Ushakov
  • Almirante Cochrane
  • Almirante Condell
  • Almirante Latorre
  • Almirante Riveros
  • Anshan
  • ARA Almirante Brown
  • ARA General Belgrano
  • ARA Hércules
  • ARA La Argentina
  • ARC Almirante Padilla
  • ARC Antioquia
  • ARC Caldas

B: 14 names

  • BAP Aguirre
  • BAP Almirante Grau
  • BAP Mariátegui
  • BAP Montero
  • Bismarck
  • Blücher
  • BNS Atlântico
  • BNS Bahia
  • BNS Jerônimo de Albuquerque
  • BNS Leopold I
  • BNS Louise-Marie
  • BNS Minas Gerais
  • BNS São Paulo
  • BNS Tamandaré

C: 1 name

  • Conte di Cavour

D: 1 name

  • Dalian

E: 1 name

  • Emden

F: 31 names

  • FGS Baden-Württemberg
  • FGS Bayern
  • FGS Hamburg
  • FGS Hessen
  • FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
  • FGS Sachsen
  • FGS Schleswig-Holstein
  • FNS Hämeenmaa
  • FNS Hamina
  • FNS Pohjanmaa
  • FNS Uusimaa
  • FS Aquitaine
  • FS Cassard
  • FS Charles de Gaulle
  • FS Chevalier Paul
  • FS Clemenceau
  • FS Dunkerque
  • FS Foch
  • FS Forbin
  • FS Jean Bart
  • FS Jean de Vienne
  • FS Jeanne d'Arc
  • FS La Motte-Picquet
  • FS Mistral
  • FS Montcalm
  • FS Primauguet
  • FS Richelieu
  • FS Strasbourg
  • FS Tonnerre
  • Fujian
  • Fusō

G: 3 names

  • Giulio Cesare
  • Gneisenau
  • Graf Spee

H: 172 names

  • HDMS Absalon
  • HDMS Esbern Snare
  • HDMS Iver Huitfeldt
  • HDMS Niels Juel
  • HDMS Peter Willemoes
  • Hiei
  • Hiryū
  • HMAS Adelaide
  • HMAS Anzac
  • HMAS Arunta
  • HMAS Brisbane
  • HMAS Canberra
  • HMAS Hobart
  • HMAS Perth
  • HMAS Stuart
  • HMAS Sydney
  • HMAS Warramunga
  • HMCS Calgary
  • HMCS Fredericton
  • HMCS Halifax
  • HMCS Montréal
  • HMCS Regina
  • HMCS Toronto
  • HMCS Ville de Québec
  • HMNZS Aotearoa
  • HMNZS Canterbury
  • HMNZS Te Kaha
  • HMNZS Te Mana
  • HMS Achilles
  • HMS Agincourt
  • HMS Aisne
  • HMS Anson
  • HMS Antelope
  • HMS Ardent
  • HMS Argyll
  • HMS Ark Royal
  • HMS Barham
  • HMS Battleaxe
  • HMS Belfast
  • HMS Bounty
  • HMS Broadsword
  • HMS Bulwark
  • HMS Cardiff
  • HMS Chivalrous
  • HMS Cleopatra
  • HMS Colossus
  • HMS Compass Rose
  • HMS Corunna
  • HMS Courageous
  • HMS Coventry
  • HMS Crusader
  • HMS Cumberland
  • HMS Daring
  • HMS Defender
  • HMS Diamond
  • HMS Dido
  • HMS Dragon

H, continued

  • HMS Dreadnought
  • HMS Duncan
  • HMS Eagle
  • HMS Eskimo
  • HMS Exeter
  • HMS Formidable
  • HMS Furious
  • HMS Glamorgan
  • HMS Glasgow
  • HMS Glorious
  • HMS Gloucester
  • HMS Halberd
  • HMS Hawkmoor
  • HMS Hermes
  • HMS Hood
  • HMS Hotspur
  • HMS Howe
  • HMS Illustrious
  • HMS Implacable
  • HMS Invincible
  • HMS Iron Duke
  • HMS Jaguar
  • HMS Jervis
  • HMS Jupiter
  • HMS Jutland
  • HMS Kelly
  • HMS Kent
  • HMS King George V
  • HMS Leander
  • HMS Leviathan
  • HMS Lion
  • HMS Liverpool
  • HMS Lydia
  • HMS Lynx
  • HMS Malaya
  • HMS Manchester
  • HMS Morningstar
  • HMS Nelson
  • HMS Newcastle
  • HMS Norfolk
  • HMS Northwind
  • HMS Obdurate
  • HMS Ocean
  • HMS Partisan
  • HMS Penelope
  • HMS Pike
  • HMS Powerful
  • HMS Prince of Wales
  • HMS Queen Elizabeth
  • HMS Ramillies
  • HMS Rampart
  • HMS Renown
  • HMS Repulse
  • HMS Resolution
  • HMS Revenge
  • HMS Richmond
  • HMS Rodney

H, continued

  • HMS Royal Oak
  • HMS Royal Sovereign
  • HMS Sabre
  • HMS Saltash
  • HMS Savage
  • HMS Scylla
  • HMS Sheffield
  • HMS Sirius
  • HMS Sophie
  • HMS St Albans
  • HMS Stormbreaker
  • HMS Swift
  • HMS Tartar
  • HMS Theseus
  • HMS Tideguard
  • HMS Torrin
  • HMS Undaunted
  • HMS Unicorn
  • HMS Valiant
  • HMS Vanguard
  • HMS Vengeance
  • HMS Victorious
  • HMS Victory
  • HMS Virago
  • HMS Warspite
  • HMS Westminster
  • HMS Whirlwind
  • HMS Wildfire
  • HMS Yarmouth
  • HMS York
  • HMS Zealous
  • HNLMS De Ruyter
  • HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën
  • HNLMS Evertsen
  • HNLMS Friesland
  • HNLMS Holland
  • HNLMS Johan de Witt
  • HNLMS Karel Doorman
  • HNLMS Rotterdam
  • HNLMS Tromp
  • HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen
  • HNoMS Helge Ingstad
  • HNoMS Roald Amundsen
  • HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl
  • HS Aegeon
  • HS Elli
  • HS Limnos
  • HS Psara
  • HS Salamis
  • HS Spetsai
  • HSwMS Härnösand
  • HSwMS Helsingborg
  • HSwMS Karlstad
  • HSwMS Visby
  • HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej
  • HTMS Chakri Naruebet
  • HTMS Naresuan
  • HTMS Taksin

I: 19 names

  • INS Delhi
  • INS Imphal
  • INS Kochi
  • INS Kolkata
  • INS Mormugao
  • INS Mumbai
  • INS Mysore
  • INS Vikramaditya
  • INS Vikrant
  • INS Viraat
  • INS Visakhapatnam
  • ITS Andrea Doria
  • ITS Carlo Bergamini
  • ITS Carlo Margottini
  • ITS Cavour
  • ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi
  • ITS Luigi Rizzo
  • ITS Trieste
  • ITS Virginio Fasan

J: 17 names

  • Jeongjo the Great
  • JS Akizuki
  • JS Asahi
  • JS Ashigara
  • JS Atago
  • JS Chōkai
  • JS Fuyuzuki
  • JS Haguro
  • JS Hyūga
  • JS Ise
  • JS Izumo
  • JS Kaga
  • JS Kirishima
  • JS Maya
  • JS Shiranui
  • JS Suzutsuki
  • JS Teruzuki

K: 7 names

  • Kongō
  • Königsberg
  • KRI Diponegoro
  • KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai
  • KRI John Lie
  • KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata
  • KRI Usman Harun

L: 2 names

  • Lhasa
  • Littorio

M: 3 names

  • Marado
  • Marshal Ustinov
  • Musashi

N: 3 names

  • Nagato
  • Nanchang
  • Nürnberg

O: 6 names

  • ORP Błyskawica
  • ORP Burza
  • ORP Dragon
  • ORP Grom
  • ORP Orzeł
  • ORP Piorun

P: 2 names

  • Prinz Eugen
  • Pyotr Velikiy

R: 15 names

  • ROCS Cheng Kung
  • ROCS Keelung
  • ROCS Su Ao
  • ROCS Tso Ying
  • RSS Formidable
  • RSS Intrepid
  • RSS Stalwart
  • RSS Steadfast
  • RSS Supreme
  • RSS Valiant
  • RSS Valour
  • RSS Vengeance
  • RSS Victory
  • RSS Vigilance
  • RSS Vigour

S: 12 names

  • Scharnhorst
  • Sejong the Great
  • Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong
  • Shandong
  • Shōkaku
  • Sōryū
  • SPS Álvaro de Bazán
  • SPS Blas de Lezo
  • SPS Bonifaz
  • SPS Cristóbal Colón
  • SPS Menéndez de Avilés
  • SPS Príncipe de Asturias

T: 7 names

  • TCG Gaziantep
  • TCG Gediz
  • TCG Gemlik
  • TCG Giresun
  • TCG Gökçeada
  • TCG Trakya
  • Tirpitz

U: 152 names

  • USS Abraham Lincoln
  • USS Alabama
  • USS America
  • USS Antietam
  • USS Anzio
  • USS Archerfish
  • USS Arizona
  • USS Arleigh Burke
  • USS Arlington
  • USS Astoria
  • USS Atlanta
  • USS Bainbridge
  • USS Barb
  • USS Barry
  • USS Bataan
  • USS Belleau Wood
  • USS Blue Ridge
  • USS Bonhomme Richard
  • USS Boston
  • USS Boxer
  • USS Brooklyn
  • USS Bunker Hill
  • USS Caine
  • USS California
  • USS Cape Defiance
  • USS Carl Vinson
  • USS Chicago
  • USS Chung-Hoon
  • USS Connecticut
  • USS Constellation
  • USS Constitution
  • USS Coral Sea
  • USS Cowpens
  • USS Doris Miller
  • USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • USS Enterprise
  • USS Essex
  • USS Farragut
  • USS Fitzgerald
  • USS Fletcher
  • USS Forrestal
  • USS Fort Worth
  • USS Franklin
  • USS Gato
  • USS George Washington
  • USS Gerald R. Ford
  • USS Gettysburg
  • USS Gray Harbor
  • USS Growler
  • USS Guadalcanal

U, continued

  • USS Halcyon
  • USS Harry S. Truman
  • USS Helena
  • USS Honolulu
  • USS Hopper
  • USS Hornet
  • USS Houston
  • USS Independence
  • USS Indianapolis
  • USS Intrepid
  • USS Iowa
  • USS Jimmy Carter
  • USS John F. Kennedy
  • USS Johnston
  • USS Juneau
  • USS Kearsarge
  • USS Kestrel
  • USS Kidd
  • USS Kitty Hawk
  • USS Laffey
  • USS Langley
  • USS Leopard
  • USS Lexington
  • USS Leyte Gulf
  • USS Liberty
  • USS Los Angeles
  • USS Mahan
  • USS Makin Island
  • USS Massachusetts
  • USS Meridian
  • USS Michael Monsoor
  • USS Michigan
  • USS Midway
  • USS Missouri
  • USS Mitscher
  • USS Monitor
  • USS Montana
  • USS Mount Whitney
  • USS Nashville
  • USS Nathan James
  • USS Nautilus
  • USS Nevada
  • USS New Jersey
  • USS New Orleans
  • USS New York
  • USS Newport News
  • USS Nimitz
  • USS Normandy
  • USS North Carolina
  • USS Ohio
  • USS Oklahoma

U, continued

  • USS Olympia
  • USS Omaha
  • USS Oriskany
  • USS Pennsylvania
  • USS Pittsburgh
  • USS Portland
  • USS Preble
  • USS Princeton
  • USS Pueblo
  • USS Ranger
  • USS Red Cloud
  • USS Reluctant
  • USS Reuben James
  • USS Ronald Reagan
  • USS Samuel B. Roberts
  • USS San Antonio
  • USS San Diego
  • USS San Francisco
  • USS San Pablo
  • USS Saratoga
  • USS Savannah
  • USS Sea Tiger
  • USS Seahorse
  • USS Seawolf
  • USS Shiloh
  • USS Silversides
  • USS South Dakota
  • USS Spruance
  • USS Stalwart
  • USS Stockdale
  • USS Stonewall Bay
  • USS Tang
  • USS Tempest Bay
  • USS Tennessee
  • USS Texas
  • USS The Sullivans
  • USS Theodore Roosevelt
  • USS Thresher
  • USS Ticonderoga
  • USS Tripoli
  • USS Triton
  • USS Valley Forge
  • USS Vicksburg
  • USS Vincennes
  • USS Virginia
  • USS Wahoo
  • USS Washington
  • USS Wasp
  • USS Wisconsin
  • USS Yorktown
  • USS Zumwalt

V: 2 names

  • Varyag
  • Vittorio Veneto

W: 1 name

  • Wuxi

Y: 3 names

  • Yamashiro
  • Yamato
  • Yulgok Yi I

Z: 2 names

  • Zara
  • Zuikaku