Outer space themed names for babies

Inspired by galaxies, stars and constellations, planets and their moons, astronauts, space travel, and more, these celestial names will send you over the moon.

Space names for girls

Ayelet

Ayelet (pronounced I-yeah-let or eye-let) is a Hebrew name meaning "gazelle." It's most familiar as part of the phrase ayelet hashachar, which translates poetically as "gazelle at dawn" and refers to the morning star.

Danica

Danica is derived from Hebrew or Slavic and is thought to mean "morning star." It certainly suits Danica Patrick, a former professional racecar driver and the only woman to win an IndyCar series race. Never a trendy name, this celestial name is perfect for your little shooting star.

Lyra

A lyrical name for a celestial child, Lyra is the name of a small constellation first recorded by ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy. Lyra is a Greek name that means lyre, and the constellation represents Orpheus' lyre in the night sky. Lyra Belacqua is also the young hero in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy.

Mae

Mae comes from the same root as Maia. Mae Jemison is an engineer, physician, and astronaut – and the first Black woman to go to space as part of the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992. After leaving NASA, she founded a technology research company and a nonprofit educational foundation. Jemison has won countless awards of recognition, including several honorary doctorates, and has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the National Space Hall of Fame.

Maia

Maia is a nymph in Greek mythology: a daughter of Atlas, companion of the moon goddess Artemis, and the mother of Hermes. Maia is also the name of a star in the Pleiades cluster, a group of more than 800 stars in the zodiac constellation Taurus. (Maia is also a race of angelic beings in J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings series.)

Sally

Sally is the name of the first American woman to go into outer space, Sally Ride. Ride, a NASA astronaut with a Ph.D. in physics, rode on two missions aboard the space shuttle Challenger. She went on to inspire American children to pursue careers in science through her outreach company, Sally Ride Science. Sally is a diminutive of the name Sarah, and has a nickname of its own – Sal.

Twyla

Twyla's origins are uncertain, but it may come from a Cajun translation of etoile, the French word for "star." It's also related to twilight, that dreamy time of day when the sun dips below the horizon. Or it could be a British name that means "woven with double thread." Also spelled Twila, this moniker has never broken into the Social Security top 500 names, but it has star power.

Venus

Venus is the name of the brilliant second planet from the sun and Earth's closest neighbor (besides the moon). It's sometimes called Earth's twin, though it's far too hot and toxic to sustain life. This strong name is also the name of the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Tennis great Venus Williams is the most notable bearer of this name.

Space names for boys

Aries

Latin for "ram," Aries is a constellation and the first astrological sign in the zodiac. Ares is also the Greek god of war. People born from March 20 to April 21 are this sign, and are known for being strong-willed, stubborn, and quick-tempered – much like the ram they're named for. If you want a strong-headed child, Aries wins.

Apollo

Apollo is the Greek god of the sun, light, music, and poetry, as well as medicine and healing. This strong name is also associated with the Apollo program, NASA's third human spaceflight program. Apollo 11, the first mission that landed humans on the moon, was part of the program.

Atlas

In Greek mythology, Atlas is a primordial Titan who is said to have invented the first celestial sphere – and some say he invented astronomy itself. When the Olympian gods rebelled against the Titans, Zeus sentenced Atlas to hold up the heavens for eternity. (In art, Atlas is often depicted carrying a globe on his shoulders.) Collections of maps are called atlases for this legendary being.

Buzz

Buzz is a lively name with an unbeatable connection to that thrilling first – when the crew members of Apollo 11, including Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, became the first men to ever walk on the moon. Aldrin is also the first and only person to have performed a religious ceremony on the moon – he took communion and read a few verses of the New Testament during the Apollo 11 mission. Buzz Lightyear, the toy spaceman from the Pixar Toy Story film series, is named after Buzz the man.

Cosmo

Cosmo is the English version of Cosimo, an Italian name that means "order, decency, and beauty." It shares similarities with the word cosmos, which is another word for the universe and is rooted in an ancient Greek word that means "good order" or "orderly arrangement."

Neil

Neil derives from Irish and Gaelic and could have a few meanings, including "cloud," "passionate," and "victory." While clouds happily float in the sky, astronaut Neil Armstrong shot straight for the moon and became the first man to set foot on the moon. As a crew member on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, he's also the one who snapped the now-famous photograph, in which the distant Earth behind him was visibly reflected in the visor of his crewmate Buzz Aldrin's helmet visor. This handsome name is a good choice for those who dare to dream.

Orion

Orion is another name taken from Greek mythology: He was a giant huntsman who was elevated to the heavens by either Zeus or Artemis, depending on the tale. It's also one of the largest constellations, best recognized by Orion's Belt, which is made up of a row of three bright stars. Orion is also the name of NASA's newest spacecraft designed for deep-space missions. Snatch up this bold and beautiful name before it takes off like a rocket.

Sirius

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky and is known as the "dog star" because of its place in the Canis Major constellation. Fittingly, the name stems from a Greek word that means "scorching" or "burning." Sirius, according to Homer's Iliad, is the name of the mythical hunter Orion's dog. This name gained mainstream popularity thanks to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series in which the character Sirius is godfather to the boy wizard, Harry.

Unisex space names

Artemis

Artemis is a Greek goddess of the moon, the hunt, and wilderness. It's also the name of NASA's space mission designed to return astronauts to the moon. With this mission, NASA hopes to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon. As a name, it has a few possible origins: It could stem from the Greek word for "bear," though it's also been linked to words meaning "butcher" or "safe" and "unharmed."

Comet

Comet is a word name most often associated with a glowing celestial body that moves in elliptical patterns around the sun. At any given moment there are thousands of comets in the sky – but they're not always visible. NASA refers to comets as "cosmic snowballs of frozen gases." Comet is a powerful and glowing name for your future stargazer.

Halo

Halo is a brilliant baby name that conjures a certain magnificence. Literally, it's a technical term for a circle of light around the sun or moon caused by light refracting through ice crystals in the atmosphere. It's also a name of religious significance, since a halo is a circle of light surrounding the head of a holy person. And don't forget superstar singer Beyonce's popular song "Halo" – a love song that will make a perfect lullaby for your little light.

Halley

Halley makes the baby names from outer space list in honor of Halley's Comet, the most notorious comet because astronomers have been observing it for the past 2,000 years. Halley's Comet takes 76 years to travel around the sun, and the last time we saw it was in 1986. It will be back in 2061. More commonly spelled Haley, the name is of British origin and means "hay clearing" or "hay meadow."

Juno

Juno is the Roman queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and childbirth. She's the equivalent of the Greek goddess Hera. Juno is also the name of a NASA space probe in orbit around the planet Jupiter. Fittingly, in Roman mythology, Juno is the wife of Jupiter, king of the gods. This short and sweet unisex baby name gives a big nod to the wonders of the universe.

Nova

Nova means "new" in Latin. It also happens to refer to an "exploding star" that appears as a bright flash that gradually fades into the night sky. This astronomical phenomenon has sparked the imagination of artists and poets for centuries, and it's no wonder that its popularity as a baby name is skyrocketing. Nova is being snatched up as a unisex name by celestial-minded parents looking for a bold and unique name.

Vega

Vega is the name of a star – but not just any star. Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra and the fifth brightest star in the night sky. At 25 light years away, it's considered a neighbor to the sun. One day in the far far future, it will be the polestar – the closest star to the North Pole. The star's name comes from a loose translation of the Arabic word for "falling" or "landing." Vega is also a Spanish surname that means "dweller in the meadow."