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Galaxy Name Generator

Galaxy names for science fiction, games and worldbuilding, in three styles: descriptive nicknames, catalog designations and proper names a civilization would give its home.

Style

  1. QSG 8289
  2. Ivisix
  3. Aevor Galaxy
  4. The Sydranar Spiral
  5. Brennick's Galaxy
  6. Scarred Shell Galaxy
  7. Frozen Lantern Galaxy
  8. Nakamura 63
  9. Varga 81
  10. MHX-42
  11. ZWK 9756
  12. Halvorsen's Galaxy
  13. Violet Heron Galaxy
  14. The Violet Wheel
  15. Katon
  16. Frozen Veil Galaxy
  17. The Erisix Deep
  18. The Coil of the Twin Crowns
  19. Sapphire Spiral Galaxy
  20. Broken Spiral Arm Galaxy
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How galaxies really get their names

Almost no real galaxy has a proper name. Most are just catalog entries: a letter code and a number such as M31 or NGC 4414, logged by whoever surveyed that patch of sky. The famous exceptions got nicknames from their shape, not from mythology. The Whirlpool looks like a whirlpool, the Sombrero looks like a hat, and the Cartwheel looks like a cartwheel. Andromeda is the odd one out, and only because it sits in the constellation of that name.

That gives you two believable ways to name a galaxy in fiction. If your story is told by astronomers, soldiers or a survey crew, a catalog code feels authentic and a little cold. If it is told by people who live there, they will have a name of their own, the way we have the Milky Way. A good fictional galaxy name picks one of those voices and sticks to it. Mixing "KRV 2291" and "the Realm of Eternal Starfire" in the same chapter makes both sound fake.

Galaxy names that sound like an astronomer made them

Real designations follow a pattern: a short acronym for the catalog, then a sequence number. The International Astronomical Union asks for acronyms of at least three characters that are unique to their catalog, which is why the catalog style here uses invented three-letter codes like HXO and PGX. Some survey galaxies also carry the name of the astronomer who logged them, so you will see names like Halvorsen 12. None of these codes belong to a real catalog, so they won't collide with a real object someone can look up.

A nice trick for fiction: give a galaxy both kinds of name. Scientists call it LDC 7730, the colonists call it the Silver Loom, and the gap between the two says something about who is in charge.

Galaxy names for sci-fi civilizations

Proper names work best when they sound like they came out of a language, not a thesaurus. The sci-fi style builds two- and three-syllable names from open syllables (Caris, Velandra, Thalor) and sometimes adds a type word such as Expanse, Reach or Cluster. Keep the type word consistent across your setting. If one galaxy is the Maren Reach, readers will assume a Reach is a real category in your universe, which is exactly the kind of detail that makes a setting feel built.

Galaxy names worth stealing for your universe

  • The Veiled SpiralSounds like a nickname astronomers would give a spiral half-hidden behind dust, which is how real ones get named.
  • The Drowned WheelWheel is a shape word, and drowned hints at a dark disc swallowed by gas clouds.
  • The Silver LoomEvokes threads of stars across a disc; good for a colonist name with a bit of poetry to it.
  • The Twin CrownSuggests two galaxies colliding, a setup that gives a story a natural source of disaster.
  • The Harp of the WeaverA long, folkloric name a remote culture might give the one bright smudge in its night sky.
  • KRV 2291Three letters and a number, the exact shape of a real catalog entry; reads as military or scientific.
  • PGX 407Short catalog numbers imply an early, bright discovery, so a low number feels important.
  • Halvorsen 12Named after the fictional surveyor who logged it, the way some real survey galaxies carry a discoverer's name.
  • Sigma VarenA Greek letter plus an invented word reads as official without copying any real object.
  • VelandraThree open syllables and a soft ending; easy for characters to say with affection.
  • ThalorShort and weighty, ideal for the home galaxy of an old empire.
  • The Maren ReachReach implies distance and frontier, so this sounds like the edge of known space.
  • KalvexThe x ending gives it a hard, technological sound suited to a machine civilization.
  • Cyrine CloudCloud suggests an irregular dwarf galaxy, small and shapeless, orbiting something bigger.
  • The Scarred EyeA face-on galaxy crossed by a dark dust lane can look like an eye, which makes this plausible.
  • The Hollow RingRing galaxies exist, formed when one galaxy punches through another, so this has a real basis.
  • Omega DranisOmega signals last or farthest, handy for a galaxy at the edge of a star map.
  • The Sleeping GiantA good name for a huge, old elliptical galaxy where nothing new has formed in ages.
  • Ishikawa-Doyle 7A double-barrelled discoverer name suggests a joint survey team, a small detail of worldbuilding.
  • Lysara ExpanseExpanse makes the name feel vast, and the lilting first word keeps it from sounding cold.
  • The Ember CoilCoil describes tightly wound spiral arms; ember makes it a red, aging galaxy.

Getting a galaxy name right

  • Decide who is speaking. Scientists and navigators use catalog codes; people who live there use a proper name or a nickname.
  • Base nicknames on what the galaxy looks like from far away: a wheel, an eye, a feather, a ring. That is how real galaxy nicknames formed.
  • Keep galaxies rare in your story. Most sci-fi happens inside one galaxy, so if you are naming dozens you may want the planet or star system generators instead.
  • Avoid real galaxy names like Andromeda, Triangulum or the Whirlpool unless you mean the real one. Readers who know astronomy will assume you do.
  • Low catalog numbers suggest bright, early discoveries; high numbers suggest faint, distant objects. Use that to hint at how well-known a galaxy is.
  • If galaxies in your setting have proper names, give them a shared sound so they seem to come from one language.

Questions people ask

What is a cool name for a galaxy?

Cool galaxy names usually describe a shape with a mood word: the Veiled Spiral, the Drowned Wheel, the Ember Coil. For a sci-fi home galaxy, a short invented name like Velandra or Thalor works. For a scientific tone, use a catalog code such as KRV 2291.

How are real galaxies named?

Most real galaxies are named by catalog: a short code and a number, such as M31 from Charles Messier's 18th-century list or an NGC number from the New General Catalogue. A few well-known ones also have nicknames based on their appearance, like the Whirlpool or the Sombrero.

Can I name a real galaxy?

Not officially. Names for astronomical objects go through the International Astronomical Union, which says outright that you cannot buy a name even for a minor planet. Galaxies beyond our own are identified by catalog designations, and sites selling star or galaxy names only give you a certificate.

What are some real galaxy names?

Well-known real galaxy names include the Milky Way, Andromeda (M31), Triangulum (M33), the Whirlpool (M51), the Sombrero (M104) and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The generator avoids these so your fictional galaxy isn't mistaken for a real one.

What should I call the galaxy in my sci-fi story?

Pick a name that matches who is talking. A survey crew might say PGX 407; the natives might call it the Silver Loom. Giving one galaxy both a code and a local name is an easy way to show two cultures looking at the same thing.

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Updated September 2026 · How these names are made