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Discover our favorite stellar astronaut-inspired names for boys, girls, and unisex options. Browse these perfect cosmic baby names with meanings and space-themed origins for your little star!
Choosing a baby names means that you likely want one that’s special, full of meaning, and maybe even a little out of this world. And if you look to the stars for inspiration, you’re in the right place! From legendary astronauts who first walked on the moon to cosmic phenomena that inspire awe, these celestial name choices blend scientific significance with beautiful sounds. Now, let's dive into some of the most stellar options we could find!
Astronaut Names for Boys
These names for boys are drawn from legendary astronauts, powerful rockets, and the vast expanse of the cosmos.
- Alan - Bright, shining one
- Aldrin - Old and wise ruler
- Apollo - Destroyer; Greek god of the sun
- Aries - A ram
- Armstrong - Strong arms
- Artemis - Hunter
- Astro - Of the stars
- Atlas - To bear
- Buzz - From the village in the woods
- Caspian - White
- Castor - To excel, to shine
- Columba - Dove
- Cooper - Barrel maker
- Cosmo - Order, beauty
- Deke - Sooty; for Donald "Deke" Slayton, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts
- Draco - Dragon
- Elio - Sun
- Elon - Oak tree
- Falcon - Bird of prey; for the SpaceX Falcon rockets
- Felix - Happy, fortunate; honors Felix Baumgartner's space jump
- Galileo - From Galilee
- Glenn - From the wooded valley; for John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth
- Gus - Great, magnificent
- Ham - The first hominid launched into space, a chimpanzee astronaut
- Hercules - Glory of Hera
- Hoku - Star
- Hubble - Bright mind; honors the famous space telescope
- Hunter - One who hunts
- Janus - Gateway
- Jericho - City of the moon
- Juno - Young; NASA mission to Jupiter
- Jupiter - Sky father
- Kale - Man
- Leo - Lion
- Mars - God of war
- Mercury - Messenger of the gods
- Nash - At the ash tree; an alternate name for the star Gamma Sagittarii
- Neil - Champion
- Orion - Hunter
- Perseus - To destroy
- Phoenix - Deep red
- Pluto - Rich
- Rigel - Foot; the brightest star in the Orion constellation
- Rocket - Projecting object
- Saturn - Roman god of agriculture
- Shepherd - Sheep herder; after the Mass Effect character
- Sirius - Burning
- Solar - Of the sun
- Stellar - Of the stars
- Taurus - The bull
- Titan - Giant
- Zeke - God strengthens
Astronaut Names for Girls
For a daughter who shines bright, these names are inspired by female space pioneers, constellations, and cosmic phenomena.
- Aileen - Bright, shining light; for Aileen Collins, the first female Space Shuttle pilot and commander
- Alula - First leap
- Andromeda - Ruler of men
- Ariel - Lion of God; one of Uranus's moons
- Artemis - Hunter
- Aster - Star in Greek
- Astra - Of the stars
- Aurora - Dawn
- Bellatrix - Female warrior
- Bianca - White; a small moon of Uranus, also featured in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew
- Callisto - Most beautiful; a moon of Jupiter and Greek nymph
- Calypso - She who hides
- Carina - Dear one
- Cassiopeia - She whose words excel
- Celeste - Heavenly
- Ceres - To grow
- Christa - Follower of Christ; honors Christa McAuliffe, teacher-astronaut
- Cora - Maiden; short for Coralie, meaning "coral from the sea of stars"
- Cressida - Gold; a moon of Uranus
- Elara - Bright
- Estella - Star
- Esther - Star; a Persian name with Biblical roots
- Europa - Wide-eyed
- Faye - Fairy; for Faye Resnick, a NASA engineer
- Galaxia - Milky
- Halley - Holy; honors Halley's Comet and astronomer Edmond Halley
- Helen - Bright, shining light; for Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut
- Io - Moon; volcanic moon of Jupiter
- Juliet - Youthful
- Juno - Young; NASA mission to Jupiter and Roman goddess
- Kepler - Cap maker; honors Johannes Kepler, astronomer
- Leda - Happy
- Leia - Weary; for Princess Leia from Star Wars, a galactic icon
- Luna - Moon
- Mae - Pearl; for Mae C. Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space
- Mars - God of war
- Miranda - To be admired
- Nasa - To lift; acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Nebula - Mist
- Nova - New
- Ophelia - Help
- Pandora - All-gifted
- Phoebe - Bright, radiant
- Polaris - Of the pole, the North Star
- Portia - Pig or doorway
- Rhea - Flowing; moon of Saturn and Greek Titaness
- Rosalind - Pretty rose
- Sally - Princess; for Sally Ride, the first American woman in space
- Skylar - Scholar
- Solaris - Of the sun
- Starla - Little star
- Stella - Star; the Latin word for star
- Talitha - Little girl
- Titania - Great one
- Valentina - Strength, health; for Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space
- Vega - Swooping eagle; the brightest star in the Lyra constellation
- Venus - Love
- Virgo - Maiden
Cosmic & Celestial-Inspired Names
These names draw from astronomical phenomena, constellations, and cosmic events, perfect for children destined to shine bright.
- Altair - Flying eagle; bright star in Aquila constellation
- Aries - Ram
- Callisto - Most beautiful; largest moon of Jupiter
- Cygnus - Swan
- Draco - Dragon
- Eclipse - Abandonment
- Equinox - Equal night; when day and night are equal length
- Gemini - Twins
- Halley - Holy
- Lyra - Lyre; small constellation containing bright Vega
- Milky - Milk-like; referring to our home galaxy
- Nebula - Mist
- Nova - New
- Orion - Rising in sky
- Parsec - Parallax second; unit of astronomical distance
- Quasar - Quasi-stellar
- Rigel - Left foot; bright star in Orion constellation
- Solstice - Sun stands still
- Supernova - Very new
- Titan - Giant
- Universe - One turn
- Vortex - Whirlpool
- Wormhole - Theoretical tunnel through spacetime
Names From Space Mission & Programs
These names honor the incredible missions and programs that have advanced human space exploration, ideal for future pioneers.
- Apollo - Destroyer; NASA's lunar landing program
- Artemis - Hunter
- Atlantis - Island of Atlas
- Challenger - One who challenges
- Columbia - Land of Columbus; first Space Shuttle orbiter
- Discovery - Act of discovering
- Endeavour - Attempt
- Enterprise - Bold undertaking
- Freedom - Liberty
- Gemini - Twins
- Hermes - Messenger god
- Insight - Clear understanding
- Juno - Young
- Kepler - Cap maker; NASA space telescope hunting exoplanets
- Liberty - Freedom
- Mercury - Messenger; first U.S. human spaceflight program
- Orion - Rising
- Pathfinder - One who finds paths
- Quest - Search; International Space Station airlock
- Ranger - Forest keeper
- Skylab - Sky laboratory; America's first space station
- Spirit - Soul
- Unity - Oneness
- Venture - Risky undertaking
- Voyager - Traveler
Names Honoring Famous Astronauts
These names directly celebrate the brave men and women who've ventured beyond our atmosphere, perfect for honoring space exploration heroes.
For Boys
- Alan - Bright one; Alan Shepard, first American in space
- Buzz - Village in wood; Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, lunar module pilot
- Chris - Anointed; for Chris Hadfield, a beloved Canadian astronaut
- Forrest - Of the woods; for Patrick G. Forrester, a NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Army colonel
- Frank - Free; Frank Borman, Apollo 8 commander
- Glenn - Valley; John Glenn, first American to orbit Earth
- Guion - Guide; Guion Bluford, first African American in space
- James - Supplanter; James Lovell, Apollo 13 commander
- Mark - Warlike; for Mark Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut and U.S. senator
- Neil - Cloud; Neil Armstrong, first person on the moon
- Scott - From Scotland; Scott Kelly, who spent nearly a year in space on the ISS
- Taylor - Tailor; for Taylor Wang, the first person of Chinese origin to go into space
For Girls
- Blair - Field, plain; for Blair Lichtenberg, a payload specialist who flew on the Space Shuttle
- Christa - Christ-bearer; Christa McAuliffe, teacher in space program
- Eileen - Bright light; Eileen Collins, first female shuttle commander
- Hayley - Hay meadow; for Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant and commercial astronaut
- Kathryn - Pure; Kathryn Sullivan, first American woman to spacewalk
- Mae - Pearl; Mae Jemison, first African American woman astronaut
- Morgan - Sea-born, sea-circle; for Barbara Morgan, the first educator to go to space
- Roberta - Bright fame; Roberta Lynn Bondar, Canadian astronaut
- Sally - Princess; Sally Ride, first American woman in space
- Shannon - Wise river; for Shannon Lucid, who once held the record for the longest duration in space by an American woman
- Story - Tale, narrative; for Story Musgrave, a NASA astronaut who flew on six spaceflights
- Tracy - Thracian; for Tracy Caldwell Dyson, an American chemist and NASA astronaut
- Valentina - Strong; Valentina Tereshkova, first woman in space
Unisex Astronaut-Inspired Names
These names transcend gender, capturing the universal appeal of the cosmos. They are modern, cool, and perfect for any child ready to reach for the stars.
- Archer - Bowman
- Arden - Valley of the eagle
- Aries - Ram
- Astro - Star
- Atlas - To bear; Titan from mythology, also a rocket program
- Blair - Field, plain
- Chris - Anointed
- Comet - Long-haired star
- Cosmos - Universe
- Cygnus - Swan
- Dakota - Friend, ally
- Echo - Sound reflection
- Eclipse - To abandon
- Galaxy - A system of millions or billions of stars
- Gemini - Twins; the NASA project that preceded Apollo, and a zodiac constellation
- Halo - Ring of light
- Haven - Safe place; a crater on Mars
- Indi - From India; short for Indigo, the deep blue color of the night sky
- Indigo - Indian dye
- Journey - Daily travel
- Jupiter - The Roman name for the god Zeus
- Kai - Sea
- Lark - A songbird; a nod to the Skylark rockets
- Lunar - Of the moon
- Mars - God of war
- Mercury - The swift messenger god
- Meteor - High in the air
- Neo - New
- Oberon - Noble, bearlike
- Ocean - Sea
- Oran - Green
- Orbit - Circle
- Orion - Hunter
- Pallas - Wisdom
- Phoenix - Dark red
- Quasar - A highly luminous active galactic nucleus
- Quest - Search
- Riley - Courageous; for the iconic hero Ellen Ripley from the movie Alien
- Ripley - Stripe of land
- Rocket - Projecting object
- Rory - Red king
- Sage - Wise; the name of a NASA mission (SAGE III)
- Saturn - To sow
- Scout - To listen, to explore
- Sky - Cloud
- Skyler - Scholar
- Solar - Of the sun
- Solstice - When the sun stands still
- Star - Celestial body
- Starling - A type of bird
- Stellar - Of the stars
- Sunny - Bright disposition
- Terra - Earth
- Unity - Oneness
- Vega - Falling eagle; one of the brightest stars visible from Earth
- Void - Empty space
- Wren - Small bird
- Zenith - The point in the sky directly above an observer
- Zephyr - West wind
Shooting for the Stars With Names
Choose one of these names to give your child a connection to humanity's most ambitious dreams! Your little star will carry a piece of that cosmic legacy, whatever path they choose to follow. Happy naming, and best of luck to you!
For more information, check out these popular topics:
- 105 Baby Names That Mean Star & Constellations
- 75 Galaxy-Inspired Baby Names for Space Lovers
- 100 Space-Inspired Names For Your Little Star
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