Ship Class Name Generator

Class names for warships, submarines and starships

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Generate ship class names in the style real navies use: lead-ship names like Valiant-class destroyer and Kestrel-class corvette, Type and Project designations, historic and modern classes from the US, British and allied fleets, and sci-fi starship classes. Each entry pairs a class name with a hull type so you can drop it straight into a fleet list or setting bible.

About ship class names

Most navies name a class after its first ship, so the class name is really a ship name with -class attached: the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, the Astute-class submarine. Which words get chosen depends on the tradition. The Royal Navy has used virtues (Daring, Audacious), weapons (Battleaxe, Trafalgar-era battles), rivers and counties; the US Navy leans on people, states and cities; Soviet and Russian designs carry a Project number and a design-bureau name; the British and Chinese also use plain Type numbers such as Type 45 or Type 055. Science fiction borrowed the habit wholesale, which is why Galaxy-class, Venator-class and Imperial-class sound like naval entries rather than fantasy.

A convincing invented class follows the same logic. Pick a word with some heft that could plausibly be a lead ship (Tempest, Halcyon, Resolute), attach -class, and pair it with a hull type that matches the tone: corvettes and patrol boats take quick, light names like Kestrel or Peregrine, while dreadnoughts and carriers carry Leviathan, Titan or Sovereign-style weight.

This list mixes well-known real classes, Type and Project designations, canonical sci-fi classes and several hundred original ones across destroyers, frigates, cruisers, carriers, submarines, amphibious ships, cutters, auxiliaries and starships. Swap the hull type freely; the class name is the part that matters.

How to choose ship class names

  • Pick a naming theme per fleet and stick to it: birds for patrol craft, weapons for destroyers, virtues for capital ships. Readers and players notice the pattern, and it makes the fleet feel designed rather than random.
  • Match the weight of the word to the ship. Kestrel-class suits a corvette; Leviathan-class does not. Big slow hulls get heavy, mythic or geographic names, fast hulls get sharp one- or two-syllable ones.
  • Write it as 'Valiant-class destroyer' in prose, hyphenated and with the hull type in lower case; only capitalise the type in tables and lists. Use 'Type 45' or 'Project 885' style designations when you want a bureaucratic, real-navy feel.
  • Name the class for the lead ship and then name sister ships in the same family (Valiant, Vigilant, Venturer), so each individual ship name hints at its class.
  • For sci-fi, avoid lifting canonical class names from a franchise you are not writing in; take the convention instead and coin your own (Meridian-class, Equinox-class, Horizon-class).

Frequently asked questions

How are real ship classes named?

Usually after the first ship built to the design, which is why you see Nimitz-class carrier or Queen Elizabeth-class carrier. Some navies use a design number instead, such as the British Type 26 frigate, the Chinese Type 055 destroyer or the Russian Project 22350. The class name is then used for every sister ship built to that design.

What is the difference between a ship class and a ship type?

The type is the role and hull category (destroyer, frigate, submarine, amphibious assault ship); the class is a specific design within that type, shared by a group of near-identical ships. So the Arleigh Burke class is one class of the destroyer type. The names in this generator pair both so you can see the combination at a glance.

Can I use these names for starships and science fiction?

Yes. Sci-fi fleets copy naval conventions directly, so 'Galaxy-class' and 'Venator-class' follow the same lead-ship logic. Take an original entry like Equinox-class or Harbinger-class, swap the hull type for starship, cruiser or dreadnought, and name individual ships in the same family for consistency.

Should I write it as 'Valiant class' or 'Valiant-class'?

When the class name modifies a noun, hyphenate it: 'a Valiant-class destroyer'. When it stands alone as a noun phrase, drop the hyphen: 'the Valiant class was retired in 1998'. Most navies, reference works and wikis follow this rule, and the hull type stays lower-case in running text.

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All 500 ship class 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: 39 names

  • Acclamator-class Assault Ship
  • Accord-class Patrol Frigate
  • Acheron-class Destroyer
  • Achilles-class Destroyer
  • Admiral-class Battlecruiser
  • Adventure-class Light Carrier
  • Akira-class Starship
  • Albatross-class Weather Ship
  • Albion-class Landing Platform Dock
  • Alliance-class Destroyer
  • Altair-class Destroyer
  • Amazon-class Frigate
  • Amber-class Fisheries Patrol Ship

A, continued

  • America-class Amphibious Assault Ship
  • Andromeda-class Starship
  • Antares-class Battleship
  • Anvil-class Monitor
  • Anzac-class Frigate
  • Apex-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Aquarius-class Fleet Tanker
  • Aquila-class Carrier
  • Arbalest-class Gunboat
  • Archipelago-class Patrol Cutter
  • Arcturus-class Command Ship
  • Ares-class Battleship
  • Argus-class Radar Picket

A, continued

  • Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer
  • Artemis-class Scout Cruiser
  • Ashfall-class Destroyer
  • Ashigaru-class Escort
  • Astute-class Submarine
  • Athena-class Command Ship
  • Atlas-class Heavy Lift Ship
  • Atoll-class Patrol Craft
  • Audacious-class Carrier
  • Aurora-class Light Cruiser
  • Avalanche-class Assault Ship
  • Avalon-class Hospital Ship
  • Avon-class Patrol Boat

B: 29 names

  • Bailiff-class Offshore Patrol Vessel
  • Ballista-class Missile Cruiser
  • Banshee-class Electronic Warfare Ship
  • Barbican-class Escort
  • Barracuda-class Nuclear Submarine
  • Basalt-class Monitor
  • Basilisk-class Fast Attack Submarine
  • Bastion-class Coastal Defence Ship
  • Bay-class Landing Ship Dock
  • Beacon-class Navigation Tender
  • Beagle-class Survey Sloop
  • Bear-class Icebreaker
  • Behemoth-class Heavy Transport
  • Bellatrix-class Missile Frigate

B, continued

  • Bellerophon-class Carrier
  • Beluga-class Research Submarine
  • Betelgeuse-class Dreadnought
  • Bismarck-class Battleship
  • Bison-class Landing Craft
  • Black Swan-class Sloop
  • Blizzard-class Icebreaker
  • Blue Ridge-class Command Ship
  • Bluewater-class Ocean Escort
  • Boar-class Assault Craft
  • Boreas-class Icebreaker
  • Broadsword-class Heavy Destroyer
  • Brownwater-class River Monitor
  • Bull-class Heavy Tug
  • Bulwark-class Assault Ship

C: 48 names

  • Caldera-class Carrier
  • Camelot-class Command Ship
  • Canberra-class Landing Helicopter Dock
  • Canopus-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Cape-class Patrol Boat
  • Capella-class Escort Carrier
  • Cassiopeia-class Command Cruiser
  • Castle-class Offshore Patrol Vessel
  • Centaurus-class Cruiser
  • Centurion-class Destroyer
  • Cerberus-class Guardship
  • Challenger-class Oceanographic Ship

C, continued

  • Champion-class Battlecruiser
  • Chancellor-class Flagship
  • Channel-class Minesweeper
  • Cheetah-class Patrol Boat
  • Chimera-class Multirole Frigate
  • Chinook-class Supply Ship
  • Cinder-class Corvette
  • Citadel-class Fortress Ship
  • Claymore-class Heavy Frigate
  • Clyde-class Fleet Tender
  • Cobalt-class Corvette
  • Collins-class Submarine

C, continued

  • Colossus-class Light Carrier
  • Columbia-class Submarine
  • Commonwealth-class Carrier
  • Concord-class Logistics Ship
  • Condor-class Long-Range Patrol Ship
  • Constable-class Fisheries Patrol Vessel
  • Constellation-class Frigate
  • Constitution-class Starship
  • Consul-class Patrol Frigate
  • Coral-class Reef Survey Launch
  • Cormorant-class Minesweeper
  • Corona-class Light Cruiser

C, continued

  • Coronet-class Frigate
  • Corsair-class Raider
  • Corvus-class Boarding Ship
  • Cougar-class Corvette
  • County-class Destroyer
  • Courageous-class Carrier
  • Covenant-class Cruiser
  • Crown-class Carrier
  • Crusader-class Cruiser
  • Cutlass-class Patrol Craft
  • Cyclone-class Patrol Ship
  • Cygnus-class Survey Ship

D: 20 names

  • Daedalus-class Engineering Ship
  • Dagger-class Stealth Corvette
  • Daimyo-class Command Ship
  • Danube-class River Gunboat
  • Daring-class Destroyer
  • Dauntless-class Battleship
  • Dee-class Survey Launch
  • Deepwater-class Long Range Cutter
  • Defiant-class Escort
  • Delta-class Riverine Patrol Boat

D, continued

  • Deneb-class Carrier
  • Devastation-class Turret Ship
  • Diadem-class Light Cruiser
  • Diamond-class Destroyer
  • Dido-class Cruiser
  • Discovery-class Science Ship
  • Dominion-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Dominus-class Dreadnought
  • Draco-class Battleship
  • Dreadnought-class Battleship

E: 19 names

  • Eclipse-class Super Star Destroyer
  • Elk-class Logistics Ship
  • Elysium-class Colony Ship
  • Ember-class Fast Attack Craft
  • Emerald-class Corvette
  • Emissary-class Diplomatic Courier
  • Endeavour-class Research Cruiser
  • Endurance-class Polar Ship
  • Enterprise-class Fleet Carrier

E, continued

  • Envoy-class Fast Transport
  • Eos-class Scout
  • Equinox-class Exploration Vessel
  • Erebus-class Stealth Cruiser
  • Essex-class Carrier
  • Estuary-class Survey Vessel
  • Euphrates-class Minelayer
  • Excalibur-class Battleship
  • Excelsior-class Starship
  • Executor-class Dreadnought

F: 15 names

  • Fairmile-class Motor Launch
  • Falchion-class Corvette
  • Federation-class Battleship
  • Fenrir-class Hunter-Killer Submarine
  • Fjord-class Corvette
  • Fletcher-class Destroyer
  • Flint-class Gunboat
  • Flower-class Corvette
  • Forth-class Offshore Patrol Vessel
  • Fortress-class Battleship
  • Fram-class Arctic Research Vessel
  • Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship
  • Freyja-class Hospital Ship
  • Frontier-class Long Range Explorer
  • Fuji-class Battleship

G: 19 names

  • Galaxy-class Starship
  • Gale-class Frigate
  • Ganges-class Landing Ship
  • Gannet-class Fisheries Protection Vessel
  • Garnet-class Frigate
  • Garrison-class Troop Ship
  • Gato-class Submarine
  • Glacier-class Polar Research Vessel
  • Gladiator-class Corvette

G, continued

  • Gladius-class Fast Attack Craft
  • Glaive-class Stealth Frigate
  • Goliath-class Assault Carrier
  • Gorgon-class Minelayer
  • Goshawk-class Escort
  • Governor-class Amphibious Command Ship
  • Grampus-class Submarine
  • Granite-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Greenwater-class Littoral Combat Ship
  • Griffin-class Escort Destroyer

H: 28 names

  • Halberd-class Destroyer
  • Halcyon-class Carrier
  • Halifax-class Frigate
  • Hamilton-class High Endurance Cutter
  • Hammerhead-class Gunboat
  • Harbinger-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Harbour-class Tug
  • Harrier-class Corvette
  • Harry DeWolf-class Arctic Patrol Ship
  • Hastati-class Frigate
  • Headland-class Coastal Battery Ship
  • Healy-class Icebreaker
  • Heimdall-class Radar Picket
  • Helios-class Solar Research Ship

H, continued

  • Herald-class Dispatch Vessel
  • Hercules-class Salvage Ship
  • Hermes-class Dispatch Vessel
  • Heron-class River Gunboat
  • Hesperus-class Guided Missile Cruiser
  • Hobart-class Destroyer
  • Hood-class Battlecruiser
  • Horizon-class Colony Ship
  • Hudson-class River Monitor
  • Humber-class Hovercraft
  • Hunt-class Mine Countermeasures Vessel
  • Hurricane-class Fast Carrier
  • Hydra-class Missile Cruiser
  • Hyperion-class Battlecruiser

I: 11 names

  • Icarus-class Fast Courier
  • Illustrious-class Carrier
  • Imperator-class Battleship
  • Imperial-class Star Destroyer
  • Inferno-class Battlecruiser
  • Intrepid-class Starship
  • Invincible-class Carrier
  • Iowa-class Battleship
  • Iron Duke-class Dreadnought
  • Iroquois-class Destroyer
  • Island-class Patrol Vessel

J: 5 names

  • Jade-class Frigate
  • Jaguar-class Fast Attack Craft
  • Javelin-class Attack Boat
  • Jormungand-class Submarine Tender
  • Juggernaut-class Siege Ship

K: 12 names

  • Kaiju-class Super-Heavy Carrier
  • Katana-class Destroyer
  • Keep-class Harbour Defence Vessel
  • Kestrel-class Corvette
  • King George V-class Battleship
  • Kingfisher-class Inshore Patrol Boat
  • Kirov-class Battlecruiser
  • Kitsune-class Electronic Warfare Frigate
  • Knight-class Frigate
  • Kodiak-class Icebreaker
  • Kongo-class Destroyer
  • Kraken-class Deep Submergence Vehicle

L: 20 names

  • Lagoon-class Hydrographic Launch
  • Lancer-class Missile Destroyer
  • Lantern-class Survey Ship
  • Leander-class Frigate
  • Legate-class Cruiser
  • Legend-class National Security Cutter
  • Legionnaire-class Troop Transport
  • Leopard-class Frigate
  • Lethe-class Hospital Ship
  • Leviathan-class Fleet Carrier

L, continued

  • Liberty-class Cargo Ship
  • Lighthouse-class Buoy Tender
  • Lightning-class Torpedo Boat
  • Lion-class Battlecruiser
  • Longbow-class Arsenal Ship
  • Los Angeles-class Submarine
  • Lucrehulk-class Battleship
  • Lupa-class Scout
  • Lynx-class Frigate
  • Lyra-class Science Vessel

M: 26 names

  • Mace-class Bombardment Ship
  • Maelstrom-class Battlecruiser
  • Magistrate-class Corvette
  • Magma-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Magpie-class Minesweeper
  • Majestic-class Light Carrier
  • Mako-class Interceptor
  • Mammoth-class Heavy Lift Ship
  • Manta-class Stealth Frigate
  • Manticore-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Marble-class Hospital Ship
  • Marlin-class Fast Patrol Boat
  • Marshal-class Command Cruiser

M, continued

  • Mastiff-class Ocean Tug
  • Medway-class Ocean Patrol Ship
  • Mekong-class Riverine Assault Craft
  • Mercy-class Hospital Ship
  • Meridian-class Survey Vessel
  • Merlin-class Patrol Boat
  • Mersey-class Patrol Ship
  • Minotaur-class Cruiser
  • Mira-class Hospital Ship
  • Miranda-class Starship
  • Mistral-class Amphibious Assault Ship
  • Monarch-class Battleship
  • Monsoon-class Guided Missile Destroyer

N: 11 names

  • Naginata-class Frigate
  • Narwhal-class Under-Ice Submarine
  • Nautilus-class Submarine
  • Nebula-class Starship
  • Nebulon-class Frigate
  • Nelson-class Battleship
  • Nereid-class Replenishment Oiler
  • Nile-class Corvette
  • Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier
  • Nova-class Science Vessel
  • Nyx-class Night Raider

O: 16 names

  • Oberon-class Submarine
  • Obsidian-class Stealth Destroyer
  • Ocean-class Helicopter Carrier
  • Ocelot-class Stealth Corvette
  • Odin-class Dreadnought
  • Ohio-class Submarine
  • Oliver Hazard Perry-class Frigate
  • Onager-class Bombardment Monitor

O, continued

  • Oni-class Assault Ship
  • Onyx-class Stealth Submarine
  • Opal-class Survey Vessel
  • Orb-class Survey Ship
  • Orca-class Attack Submarine
  • Orinoco-class Patrol Boat
  • Orion-class Carrier
  • Osprey-class Minehunter

P: 36 names

  • Paladin-class Battleship
  • Palisade-class Minelayer
  • Panther-class Destroyer
  • Parapet-class Monitor
  • Pathfinder-class Survey Ship
  • Pearl-class Sloop
  • Pegasus-class Escort Carrier
  • Peregrine-class Fast Missile Craft
  • Perseus-class Cruiser
  • Petrel-class Survey Ship
  • Phantom-class Fast Transport
  • Phoenix-class Fleet Carrier

P, continued

  • Pike-class Coastal Submarine
  • Pilgrim-class Hospital Ship
  • Pilum-class Torpedo Boat
  • Pioneer-class Deep Space Tender
  • Polaris-class Navigation Training Ship
  • Portcullis-class Boom Defence Vessel
  • Poseidon-class Patrol Aircraft Tender
  • Praetor-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Procyon-class Destroyer Leader
  • Project 1144 Orlan
  • Project 1164 Atlant
  • Project 20380 Steregushchiy

P, continued

  • Project 22350 Gorshkov
  • Project 636 Varshavyanka
  • Project 885 Yasen
  • Project 956 Sarych
  • Project 971 Shchuka-B
  • Prometheus-class Experimental Cruiser
  • Promontory-class Radar Picket
  • Protectorate-class Escort
  • Provost-class Escort Destroyer
  • Puffin-class Buoy Tender
  • Pulsar-class Stealth Cruiser
  • Pyre-class Bombardment Ship

Q: 2 names

  • Quasar-class Battlecruiser
  • Queen Elizabeth-class Carrier

R: 21 names

  • Ram-class Landing Ship
  • Rampart-class Coastal Defence Ship
  • Ranger-class Patrol Frigate
  • Rapier-class Fast Frigate
  • Raven-class Submarine
  • Redoubt-class Arsenal Ship
  • Reef-class Minehunter
  • Reeve-class Harbour Defence Boat
  • Regent-class Cruiser
  • Renown-class Battlecruiser

R, continued

  • Republic-class Battlecruiser
  • Resolute-class Frigate
  • Resolution-class Exploration Frigate
  • Revenant-class Raider
  • Rhine-class Minesweeper
  • Rigel-class Frigate
  • River-class Frigate
  • Roc-class Assault Carrier
  • Ronin-class Independent Raider
  • Ruby-class Patrol Boat
  • Ryu-class Heavy Cruiser

S: 49 names

  • Sabre-class Missile Boat
  • Sabretooth-class Heavy Destroyer
  • Sagittarius-class Missile Frigate
  • Sailfish-class Hydrofoil
  • Sakura-class Hospital Ship
  • Samson-class Fleet Tug
  • Samurai-class Destroyer
  • San Antonio-class Amphibious Transport Dock
  • Sandpiper-class Hovercraft
  • Sapphire-class Cruiser
  • Sceptre-class Submarine
  • Scimitar-class Interceptor

S, continued

  • Scorpius-class Attack Submarine
  • Scutum-class Escort
  • Seal-class Midget Submarine
  • Seawolf-class Submarine
  • Selene-class Stealth Frigate
  • Sentinel-class Patrol Vessel
  • Severn-class Cutter
  • Shade-class Coastal Patrol Craft
  • Shannon-class Offshore Patrol Vessel
  • Sheriff-class Coastal Patrol Boat
  • Shoal-class Inshore Minesweeper
  • Shogun-class Battleship

S, continued

  • Silver-class Frigate
  • Sirius-class Scout
  • Sirocco-class Landing Ship
  • Slate-class Minesweeper
  • Solstice-class Patrol Cruiser
  • Sound-class Sonar Trials Ship
  • Sovereign-class Starship
  • Spearhead-class Expeditionary Transport
  • Spectre-class Special Operations Submarine
  • Sphinx-class Intelligence Ship
  • Spica-class Corvette
  • Spruance-class Destroyer

S, continued

  • Squall-class Corvette
  • Squire-class Patrol Boat
  • Stag-class Frigate
  • Stalwart-class Amphibious Assault Ship
  • Starling-class Sloop
  • Steward-class Fleet Replenishment Ship
  • Stingray-class Minehunter
  • Stormcrow-class Raider
  • Strait-class Fast Ferry
  • Sturgeon-class Submarine
  • Styx-class River Monitor
  • Swift-class Torpedo Boat
  • Swordfish-class Torpedo Boat

T: 43 names

  • Tagus-class Frigate
  • Talon-class Fast Attack Craft
  • Tamar-class Offshore Patrol Vessel
  • Tanto-class Patrol Boat
  • Tartarus-class Prison Transport
  • Taurus-class Tug
  • Tay-class Frigate
  • Tempest-class Cruiser
  • Templar-class Heavy Frigate
  • Tengu-class Stealth Corvette
  • Tern-class Training Ship
  • Terra Nova-class Ice Patrol Ship
  • Testudo-class Armoured Transport
  • Thames-class Coastal Patrol Vessel

T, continued

  • Thor-class Monitor
  • Thresher-class Attack Submarine
  • Throne-class Command Ship
  • Thunderchild-class Torpedo Ram
  • Thunderhead-class Battleship
  • Ticonderoga-class Cruiser
  • Tiger Shark-class Coastal Submarine
  • Tigris-class Gunboat
  • Titan-class Super Carrier
  • Tomahawk-class Missile Boat
  • Topaz-class Minehunter
  • Town-class Cruiser
  • Triarii-class Heavy Destroyer
  • Tribal-class Destroyer

T, continued

  • Tribune-class Command Frigate
  • Trident-class Ballistic Missile Submarine
  • Triton-class Submarine
  • Tsunami-class Bombardment Ship
  • Tundra-class Arctic Patrol Ship
  • Tyne-class Fisheries Protection Vessel
  • Type 055 Destroyer
  • Type 094 Ballistic Missile Submarine
  • Type 212 Submarine
  • Type 23 Frigate
  • Type 26 Frigate
  • Type 31 Frigate
  • Type 45 Destroyer
  • Type 83 Destroyer
  • Typhoon-class Submarine

U: 1 name

  • Unity-class Command Ship

V: 11 names

  • Valiant-class Destroyer
  • Valkyrie-class Frigate
  • Vanguard-class Battlecruiser
  • Vega-class Cruiser
  • Venator-class Star Destroyer
  • Viceroy-class Cruiser
  • Victory-class Cargo Ship
  • Victory-class Star Destroyer
  • Vindicator-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Virginia-class Submarine
  • Volga-class Cargo Ship

W: 13 names

  • Wakizashi-class Corvette
  • Walrus-class Patrol Submarine
  • Warden-class Guardship
  • Warhammer-class Monitor
  • Warrior-class Armoured Frigate
  • Wasp-class Amphibious Assault Ship
  • Watchtower-class Radar Picket
  • Wear-class Coastal Minesweeper
  • Whirlwind-class Destroyer
  • Wolfhound-class Destroyer
  • Wolverine-class Destroyer
  • Wraith-class Stealth Destroyer
  • Wyvern-class Escort Carrier

Y: 3 names

  • Yamato-class Battleship
  • Yeoman-class Landing Craft
  • Yukon-class Patrol Icebreaker

Z: 3 names

  • Zenith-class Fleet Carrier
  • Zephyr-class Sloop
  • Zumwalt-class Destroyer