Starship Name Generator

Names fit for a hull plate and a ship's log

Sci-Fi1,000 names

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Generate starship names in the styles real navies and great science fiction actually use: virtues and abstract nouns, mythological figures, place names, famous people, and evocative two-word phrases. Suitable for warships, freighters, exploration vessels and the beat-up smuggler's ship your party will never sell.

About starship names

The best starship names borrow from centuries of real naval tradition. The Royal Navy named ships for virtues and qualities (Dauntless, Indomitable, Warspite), classical figures (Ajax, Bellerophon, Agamemnon) and abstract ideals, and NASA followed suit with Enterprise, Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis. Science fiction inherited the habit: Star Trek's Intrepid, Defiant and Excelsior are pure Royal Navy, The Expanse's Rocinante is a literary joke, Firefly's Serenity is a battlefield, and Iain M. Banks' Culture ships (No More Mr Nice Guy, Of Course I Still Love You) show how far you can push a name once the crew stops caring about dignity.

A useful test is to imagine the name in three places: painted on the hull, spoken over comms ('Resolute, this is Traffic Control'), and written in a ship's log. Single strong words work everywhere. Two-word phrases (Long Shot, Cold Comfort, Distant Thunder) suit independent freighters and smugglers, where a name signals attitude. Mythology gives gravitas to warships, and explorers' names (Magellan, Shackleton, Zheng He) fit survey vessels and colony ships. Prefixes like USS, HMS, ISV or MCRN come from the ship's registry, not the name, so decide those separately.

Avoid mashing two space words together (Nebula Star, Cosmic Wanderer); the result sounds like a screensaver rather than a ship. The list adds battles, space probes, blades, gemstones, winds and moons.

How to choose starship names

  • Match the naming tradition to the ship's role: virtues and mythology for warships, explorers and stars for survey vessels, wry phrases for freighters and smugglers.
  • Pick a registry prefix separately (USS, HMS, ISV, MCRN, or your own faction's) and keep it consistent across the fleet.
  • Say the name in a comms line: 'Kestrel, you are cleared for departure.' If it is awkward to speak, it is the wrong name.
  • Ships in the same class often share a theme (all birds, all Greek heroes, all virtues), which is a cheap way to make a fleet feel designed.
  • A nickname the crew uses ('the Roci', 'the Falcon') can be shorter and rougher than the official name, and adds character.

Frequently asked questions

How do navies traditionally name ships?

Real navies use virtues (Dauntless, Resolute), mythological figures (Ajax, Bellona), place names, famous people, and animals such as birds of prey. Ships in a class often share a theme, and a prefix like HMS or USS marks the service, not the name.

What are famous starship names in science fiction?

USS Enterprise, Millennium Falcon, Serenity, Nostromo, Rocinante, Normandy, Heart of Gold, Bebop, Event Horizon and Pillar of Autumn are among the best known, and most follow real naval conventions of virtues, myths or evocative phrases.

Should a starship name have a prefix like USS?

Only if the ship belongs to an organized service. USS, HMS and similar prefixes indicate registry, and independent civilian ships usually go without one, which is why Serenity and Rocinante stand alone.

Can I use these starship names in a published game or novel?

Yes. Words, mythological figures and historical names are not owned by anyone; only specific fictional ships like Millennium Falcon are trademarked and are best avoided in commercial work.

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All 1,000 starship 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: 81 names

  • Ace in the Hole
  • Achilles
  • Aconcagua
  • Acrux
  • Actium
  • Adamant
  • Advent
  • Aegir
  • Aegis of Tarsis
  • Aeneas
  • Aeolus
  • Agamemnon
  • Agincourt
  • Ahead of Schedule for Once
  • Ajax
  • Al-Biruni
  • Albacore
  • Albatross
  • Albedo
  • Albireo
  • Alcor
  • Aldebaran
  • Alderamin
  • Alexandria
  • Alioth
  • Almach
  • Alnair
  • Alnilam
  • Alnitak
  • Alpenglow
  • Alphard
  • Alphecca
  • Alpheratz
  • Altair
  • Amalthea
  • Amaterasu
  • Ambassador
  • Amber Light
  • Amity
  • Amundsen

A, continued

  • Anahita
  • Analemma
  • Anansi
  • Andromeda
  • Ankaa
  • Annapurna
  • Antares
  • Antigone
  • Anubis
  • Anvil of Mercury
  • Aphelion
  • Apogee
  • Aquarius
  • Arbalest
  • Arbiter
  • Arctic Tern
  • Arcturus
  • Ardent
  • Ares
  • Argo
  • Argus
  • Aristarchus
  • Arjuna
  • Armstrong
  • Arrokoth
  • Artemis
  • Aryabhata
  • Ashen Dawn
  • Ask Me Again After Coffee
  • Asphodel
  • Assurance
  • Astraea
  • Astrolabe
  • Athena
  • Atlantis
  • Atria
  • Audacity
  • Aurochs
  • Aurora
  • Avior
  • Aye Aye

B: 53 names

  • Bad Debt
  • Bad Penny
  • Baikonur
  • Bailing Wire
  • Ballad
  • Banner of Vesta
  • Bannockburn
  • Banshee
  • Barbican
  • Barnard's Arrow
  • Barracuda
  • Basilisk
  • Bastet
  • Bateleur
  • Bay of Rainbows
  • Beacon
  • Beagle
  • Bebop
  • Beginner's Luck
  • Bellatrix
  • Bellerophon
  • Bellona
  • Benefit of the Doubt
  • Bent Coin
  • Bent Nail
  • Beowulf
  • Bering
  • Better Days
  • Bhaskara
  • Black Swan
  • Bligh
  • Blind Luck
  • Bluefin
  • Bluford
  • Boatswain
  • Bohr
  • Bonito
  • Boreas
  • Borrowed Time
  • Bosphorus
  • Bougainville
  • Bowhead
  • Brahmagupta
  • Breath of Venus
  • Bright Star
  • Brisingamen
  • Bristlecone
  • Broken Halo
  • Buccaneer
  • Bulwark
  • Burnell
  • Burning Bridge
  • Byzantium

C: 67 names

  • Cabral
  • Cachalot
  • Cadmus
  • Calculated Risk
  • Caliburn
  • Canaveral
  • Candor
  • Canterbury
  • Cape Horn
  • Cape of Storms
  • Caracal
  • Carnelian
  • Carronade
  • Carthage
  • Cassini
  • Cassiopeia
  • Cassowary
  • Cast Off
  • Castor
  • Catch of the Day
  • Cautious Optimism
  • Centaurus
  • Centurion
  • Cepheus
  • Cerberus
  • Cernan
  • Champion
  • Champlain
  • Chandrasekhar
  • Chandrayaan
  • Change of Heart
  • Chawla
  • Children of Luna

C, continued

  • Chimborazo
  • Chimera
  • Circe
  • Clarity
  • Claymore
  • Clean Getaway
  • Clemency
  • Close Shave
  • Cobra
  • Coelacanth
  • Cold Comfort
  • Cold Iron
  • Collins
  • Compline
  • Concord
  • Concordia
  • Condor
  • Conqueror
  • Copernicus
  • Coral Sea
  • Cormorant
  • Corona
  • Courageous
  • Covenant
  • Creative Accounting
  • Creature Comforts
  • Crooked Mile
  • Crown of Oberon
  • Crusader
  • Curiosity
  • Custodian
  • Cutty Sark
  • Cyclone
  • Cygnus

D: 31 names

  • Daedalus
  • Danube
  • Dark Horse
  • Daughter of Enceladus
  • Dauntless
  • Dawn of Cydonia
  • Dead Reckoning
  • Decisive
  • Deep Reckoning
  • Defender
  • Defiant
  • Deneb
  • Diligence
  • Diomedes
  • Diphda
  • Diplomatic Incident
  • Dirac
  • Discovery
  • Distant Drum
  • Distant Thunder
  • Dominion
  • Don't Ask What's in the Hold
  • Don't Mention the Reactor
  • Dragonfly
  • Drake
  • Dreadnought
  • Drifter
  • Dry Spell
  • Dubhe
  • Duchess of Tharsis
  • Duct Tape

E: 40 names

  • Earhart
  • Earthshine
  • Echo of Hellas
  • Ecliptic
  • Eddington
  • Edelweiss
  • Edison
  • Elbow Grease
  • Electra
  • Electrum
  • Elegy
  • Eleventh Hour
  • Elnath
  • Eltanin
  • Ember Tide
  • Empty Pockets
  • Empty Quarter
  • Enceladus
  • Endeavour
  • Endurance
  • Enduring
  • Enif
  • Enkidu
  • Enterprise
  • Envoy
  • Eos
  • Epimetheus
  • Epona
  • Epsilon Eridani
  • Equanimity
  • Equinox
  • Eratosthenes
  • Euler
  • Europa
  • Evening Star
  • Event Horizon
  • Excalibur
  • Excelsior
  • Exemplar
  • Eye of Jupiter

F: 49 names

  • Fair Warning
  • Fair Winds
  • Falchion
  • Falling Leaf
  • False Bottom
  • Famous Last Words
  • Far Shore
  • Far Traveler
  • Farragut
  • Farthest Reach
  • Fata Morgana
  • Faxian
  • Fearless
  • Fenghuang
  • Fenrir
  • Fermi
  • Feynman
  • Fidelity
  • Fighting Words
  • Figure of Speech
  • Final Notice
  • Fist of Mars
  • Flamberge
  • Flank Speed
  • Flower of Miranda
  • Flying Dutchman
  • Fogbow
  • Fomalhaut
  • Fool's Errand
  • Foremost
  • Forerunner
  • Formidable
  • Fortitude
  • Fortuna
  • Foul Weather
  • Fourth Wall
  • Franklin
  • Free Agent
  • Free Fall
  • Free Radical
  • Freyja
  • Friendship
  • Frigatebird
  • Frobisher
  • Full Fathom Five
  • Fulmar
  • Funny You Should Ask
  • Furious
  • Further Than We Should Have Gone

G: 43 names

  • Gacrux
  • Gagarin
  • Galahad
  • Galileo
  • Gallant
  • Gannet
  • Ganymede
  • Garuda
  • Gaspra
  • Gathering Storm
  • Gauss
  • Gawain
  • Gear Up
  • Gegenschein
  • Geminid
  • Gentian
  • Ghost of Pluto
  • Gibraltar
  • Gilgamesh
  • Giotto
  • Gjallarhorn
  • Gladius
  • Glaive
  • Glenn
  • Glorious
  • Glory of Amalthea
  • Goddard
  • Golden Fleece
  • Golden Hind
  • Good Grief
  • Goshawk
  • Grace of Iapetus
  • Grand Tour
  • Green Flash
  • Grissom
  • Groombridge
  • Groundswell
  • Gryphon
  • Guardian
  • Guardian of the Gate
  • Guiding Star
  • Gungnir
  • Gyrfalcon

H: 53 names

  • Halcyon
  • Half Moon
  • Hammer of Deimos
  • Hammerhead
  • Happy Accident
  • Happy Hour
  • Hard Bargain
  • Hard Word
  • Harmony
  • Harrier
  • Harvest Moon
  • Haumea
  • Hawking
  • Head Start
  • Headwind
  • Heart of Gold
  • Hector
  • Heimdall
  • Heirloom
  • Held Together by Optimism
  • Helios
  • Hellebore
  • Helmsman
  • Henson
  • Heracles
  • Herald of Hyperion
  • Herald of Tethys
  • Here Goes Nothing
  • Hermes
  • Herschel
  • Hesperides
  • Hestia
  • Hi'iaka
  • Hillary
  • Himalia
  • Hina
  • Hipparchus
  • Hippogriff
  • Honest Mistake
  • Honey Badger
  • Horatius
  • Hornet
  • Horse Latitudes
  • Hrunting
  • Humboldt
  • Humpback
  • Huracan
  • Huygens
  • Hy-Brasil
  • Hydra
  • Hygiea
  • Hypatia
  • Hyperion

I: 27 names

  • Ibn Battuta
  • Ibn Majid
  • Icarus
  • Ice Hauler
  • Illapa
  • Illustrious
  • Ilmarinen
  • Impervious
  • Implacable
  • Indefatigable
  • Indomitable
  • Indra
  • Inflexible
  • Integrity
  • Inti
  • Intrepid
  • Invictus
  • Invincible
  • Iron Lantern
  • Ironwood
  • Irresistible
  • Ishtar
  • It Looked Shorter on the Map
  • It Seemed Like a Good Idea
  • Itokawa
  • Itzamna
  • Ixchel

J: 11 names

  • Jaguar
  • Jatayu
  • Jewel of Ganymede
  • Jingwei
  • Jormungandr
  • Journey's End
  • Joyeuse
  • Juno
  • Jury Rig
  • Just Passing Through
  • Jutland

K: 25 names

  • Kali
  • Kanaloa
  • Katabatic
  • Kaus Australis
  • Keeper of the Flame
  • Kepler
  • Kestrel
  • Khepri
  • Khonsu
  • Khopesh
  • Kindred
  • Kite
  • Kittiwake
  • Kitty Hawk
  • Kochab
  • Kon-Tiki
  • Korolev
  • Kourou
  • Kovalevskaya
  • Kraken
  • Kuafu
  • Kuiper
  • Kunpeng
  • Kupe
  • Kusanagi

L: 53 names

  • Lady of Mimas
  • Lagrange
  • Lake of Dreams
  • Lalande
  • Lammergeier
  • Lantern of Europa
  • Lanternfish
  • Lapis Lazuli
  • Laplace
  • Lapwing
  • Last Call
  • Last Laugh
  • Last Light
  • Lauds
  • Leap of Faith
  • Leavitt
  • Legacy
  • Leif Erikson
  • Lemaitre
  • Leonid
  • Leonov
  • Lepanto
  • Leviathan
  • Lexington
  • Libeccio
  • Liberator
  • Liberty
  • Libration
  • Light of Triton
  • Lindbergh
  • Lion of Olympus Mons
  • Little White Lie
  • Live Wire
  • Livingstone
  • Lodestar
  • Long Meridian
  • Long Passage
  • Long Shadow
  • Long Shot
  • Long Story Short
  • Long Way Home
  • Loose Cannon
  • Loose Change
  • Loose Ends
  • Lost and Found
  • Lovelace
  • Lovell
  • Low Tide
  • Lucky Strike
  • Lunokhod
  • Lutetia
  • Luyten
  • Lyrebird

M: 54 names

  • Maat
  • Magellan
  • Magnanimous
  • Maiden of Chryse
  • Majestic
  • Makemake
  • Mamba
  • Manannan
  • Mangalyaan
  • Manta
  • Marco Polo
  • Marduk
  • Margin of Error
  • Mariner
  • Markab
  • Markhor
  • Marsh of Sleep
  • Matchless
  • Matins
  • Matterhorn
  • Maui
  • Mauna Kea
  • Mayflower
  • McAuliffe
  • Medea
  • Megrez
  • Meitner
  • Mekong
  • Memory of Earth
  • Menkar
  • Meridian
  • Merlin
  • Messier
  • Miaplacidus
  • Midnight Run
  • Midnight Sun
  • Midway
  • Mimosa
  • Minerva
  • Minor Miracle
  • Mirfak
  • Mirror of Saturn
  • Mithra
  • Mixed Blessing
  • Mjolnir
  • Mnemosyne
  • Monarch
  • Mongoose
  • Monkshood
  • Monsoon
  • Moonbow
  • Moot Point
  • Morning Star
  • Morning Watch

N: 32 names

  • Nadir
  • Naginata
  • Naglfar
  • Nanook
  • Nansen
  • Narrow Road
  • Narwhal
  • Neap Tide
  • Near Miss
  • Nelson
  • Nemesis
  • New Horizons
  • Nightjar
  • Nike
  • Nimitz
  • Ninth Gate
  • No Fixed Address
  • No Refunds
  • Nobody Reads the Manual
  • Nobody Told the Engines
  • Noether
  • Nomad
  • Nonsuch
  • Nor'easter
  • Normandy
  • Northern Light
  • Nostromo
  • Not Our Fault This Time
  • Nothing to Declare
  • Nunki
  • Nuwa
  • Nyx

O: 30 names

  • Oarfish
  • Oberth
  • Occultation
  • Ocean of Storms
  • Ocelot
  • Ochoa
  • Ockels
  • Odysseus
  • Ogun
  • Okavango
  • Old Faithful
  • Old Habits
  • Olokun
  • Onizuka
  • Onslaught
  • Oort
  • Open Door
  • Open Question
  • Opportunity
  • Orca
  • Orichalcum
  • Orinoco
  • Orion
  • Orphan of Ceres
  • Orpheus
  • Osiris
  • Osprey
  • Outrider
  • Overture
  • Oya

P: 54 names

  • Paid in Full
  • Paladin
  • Pale Horse
  • Pangolin
  • Pangu
  • Paper Lantern
  • Parhelion
  • Partisan
  • Pathfinder
  • Patient Hunter
  • Patroclus
  • Pearl of Proxima
  • Peary
  • Peerless
  • Pele
  • Pendragon
  • Penelope
  • Peregrine
  • Periapsis
  • Perihelion
  • Perseid
  • Perseus
  • Perseverance
  • Persistence
  • Perun
  • Petrel
  • Philae
  • Piazzi
  • Pillar of Autumn
  • Pioneer
  • Plan B
  • Plausible Deniability
  • Pleione
  • Point of Order
  • Poker Face
  • Polar Night
  • Polaris
  • Polarstern
  • Pollux
  • Porphyry
  • Porpoise
  • Poseidon
  • Precession
  • Pride of Elysium
  • Prince of Umbriel
  • Prometheus
  • Promise
  • Pronghorn
  • Protea
  • Protector
  • Proteus
  • Providence
  • Przhevalsky
  • Ptah

Q: 5 names

  • Qilin
  • Queen of Titan
  • Quetzalcoatl
  • Quiet Achiever
  • Quiet Harbor

R: 41 names

  • Ragnarok
  • Raijin
  • Rain Check
  • Rakesh Sharma
  • Ramanujan
  • Ranger
  • Rasalhague
  • Ravenous
  • Raw Deal
  • Reasonable Doubt
  • Reaver
  • Red Dwarf
  • Red Herring
  • Red Shift
  • Red Sky
  • Refuge
  • Regent
  • Regulus
  • Relentless
  • Reliant
  • Renown
  • Repulse
  • Resnik
  • Resolute
  • Resolution
  • Resolve
  • Retribution
  • Rhea
  • Rigel
  • Rite of Passage
  • Roaring Forties
  • Roc
  • Rocinante
  • Rorqual
  • Rose of Titan
  • Rostam
  • Rough Water
  • Rounding Error
  • Rubicon
  • Rust Bucket
  • Ryugu

S: 113 names

  • Sabbath
  • Sabik
  • Sacagawea
  • Sadr
  • Safe Bet
  • Sagacity
  • Sagan
  • Sagittarius
  • Sailfish
  • Saker
  • Salamis
  • Salt Wind
  • Salyut
  • Samarkand
  • Samphire
  • Sampo
  • Sanctuary
  • Santa Maria
  • Saratoga
  • Sardonyx
  • Sargasso
  • Sarissa
  • Saxifrage
  • Scapa Flow
  • Scathach
  • Schiaparelli
  • Scott
  • Scourge of the Belt
  • Scrap Heap
  • Sea of Clouds
  • Second Chance
  • Second Thoughts
  • Sedna
  • Sekhmet
  • Selene
  • Serenity
  • Serval
  • Seventh Wave
  • Shackleton
  • Shamshir
  • Shango
  • Shearwater
  • Shenandoah
  • Shenzhou
  • Shepard
  • Shepherd of the Rings
  • Shield of Io
  • Shikra
  • Shooting Star
  • Short Straw
  • Sigurd
  • Silent Vigil
  • Silver Bullet
  • Silver Compass
  • Silver Thread
  • Simurgh

S, continued

  • Sirius
  • Skadi
  • Skidbladnir
  • Skylab
  • Sleipnir
  • Slice of Life
  • Slim Pickings
  • Slow Burn
  • Slow River
  • Small Mercies
  • Snow Leopard
  • Soft Landing
  • Sojourner
  • Solace
  • Solstice
  • Son of Pallas
  • Song of Sirius
  • Sonnet
  • Southern Cross
  • Spare Parts
  • Specter
  • Speke
  • Spica
  • Spindrift
  • Spinel
  • Spirit of Callisto
  • Spit and Polish
  • Springbok
  • Squall
  • St. Elmo's Fire
  • Star Chamber
  • Steadfast
  • Sterope
  • Still Flying Somehow
  • Still Water
  • Stingray
  • Stone's Throw
  • Stray Dog
  • Struve
  • Stubborn Streak
  • Suhail
  • Sulaco
  • Sum of Parts
  • Sunday Best
  • Sundog
  • Sunk Cost
  • Sure Thing
  • Susanoo
  • Svarog
  • Sweet Nothing
  • Sweetbriar
  • Swift
  • Swiftsure
  • Sword of Terra
  • Sword of the Stars
  • Sycorax
  • Syzygy

T: 55 names

  • Tachi
  • Tall Order
  • Talwar
  • Tamarack
  • Tanegashima
  • Tantalum
  • Tarazed
  • Tau Ceti
  • Taygeta
  • Tears of Dione
  • Technically Still Under Warranty
  • Telesto
  • Temeraire
  • Temperance
  • Tempest
  • Templar
  • Tenacious
  • Tenzing
  • Tereshkova
  • Terra Nova
  • Tezcatlipoca
  • Themistocles
  • Theseus
  • Thin Ice
  • Thorn of Psyche
  • Thousand Lanterns
  • Thresher
  • Thunder Child
  • Thunder of Jove
  • Thunderer
  • Thylacine
  • Tiamat
  • Tiangong
  • Tianwen
  • Ticonderoga
  • Tight Squeeze
  • Timbuktu
  • Tireless
  • Tizona
  • Tlaloc
  • Toliman
  • Tombaugh
  • Tonatiuh
  • Trafalgar
  • Tranquility
  • Traveler's Rest
  • Trenchant
  • Tribune
  • Trieste
  • Triumphant
  • Tropicbird
  • Tsiolkovsky
  • Turnstone
  • Two Bits
  • Tycho Brahe

U: 8 names

  • Ulugh Beg
  • Unbowed
  • Unbroken
  • Under Way
  • Undertow
  • Unity
  • Uphill Battle
  • Utnapishtim

V: 26 names

  • Vainamoinen
  • Valkyrie
  • Valparaiso
  • Vanguard
  • Vantage
  • Varuna
  • Vega
  • Veles
  • Venera
  • Venerable
  • Vengeance
  • Verity
  • Vespers
  • Vesta
  • Victorious
  • Victory
  • Vidar
  • Vigilance
  • Vigilant
  • Vindemiatrix
  • Viracocha
  • Virga
  • Voice of Phobos
  • Voskhod
  • Voyager
  • Vulcan

W: 22 names

  • Wahoo
  • Wallace
  • Waratah
  • Warden of Rhea
  • Warden of the Reach
  • Warspite
  • Watcher of the Deep
  • Wayfarer
  • We Meant to Do That
  • Wee Hours
  • Wezen
  • What Could Go Wrong
  • White Elephant
  • Wild Card
  • Williwaw
  • Winter Sun
  • Wolf Moon
  • Wolf of the Belt
  • Woomera
  • Workhorse
  • Working Hypothesis
  • Wraith

X: 3 names

  • Xiphos
  • Xolotl
  • Xuanzang

Y: 11 names

  • Yamato
  • Yang Liwei
  • Yangtze
  • Yankee Clipper
  • Yatagarasu
  • Yemoja
  • Yes We Have a Permit
  • Yggdrasil
  • Yorktown
  • You Should See the Other Ship
  • Yukawa

Z: 13 names

  • Zanzibar
  • Zealous
  • Zenith
  • Zero Hour
  • Zhang Heng
  • Zheng He
  • Zhurong
  • Zodiacal Light
  • Zonda
  • Zorya
  • Zubenelgenubi
  • Zubeneschamali
  • Zweihander