Astronomers
Thanks to the scientists who study the world beyond earth, we are wiser about planets, stars, moons, black holes and all the other wonders of the universe.
- Claudius: Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek-Roman astronomer who lived in Egypt, created the term epicycle to describe the earth’s movements.
- Clyde: American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh is credited with the discovery of Planet X (Pluto).
- Edmund: Halley's Comet is named after British astronomer Edmund Halley.
- Galileo: Italy's Galileo Galilei, one of the greatest astronomers in history, invented the telescope.
- Johannes: German astronomer Johannes Kepler formulated and verified the three laws of planetary motion known as Kepler’s Laws.
- Maria: Massachusetts-born Maria Mitchell discovered a telescopic comet in 1847.
- Nicholas: Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus is best known for the Copernican Theory which suggests that the sun rests near the center of the universe and the earth revolves around it.
- Tycho: Tycho Brahe, a Danish astronomer, created precise astronomical measurements of the solar system.
Stars and constellations
Whether you're inclined to describe a star as "a sparkling twinkle light" in the sky or "a luminous ball of hydrogen and helium held together by its own gravity," you're sure to find brilliant baby name inspiration among these stars:
- Andromeda
- Aquila
- Ara
- Carina
- Cassiopeia
- Corona
- Draco
- Gemini
- Hercules
- Indus
- Leo
- Lira
- Orion
- Pisces
- Ursa
- Vela
- Virgo
Famous astronauts
There are a lot of different labels for the astronaut — spaceman, cosmonaut, space traveler, space cadet — but just one mission: to travel in space.
- Alan: Alan Shepard was the first American in space.
- Buzz: Dr. Buzz Aldrin was the second man to walk on the moon.
- James: James Lovell, Jr. commanded Apollo 8 (the first orbit around the moon) and Apollo 13.
- John: John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth.
- Kathryn: Dr. Kathryn Thornton has spent nearly 600 hours in space.1
- Neil: Neil Armstrong flew Apollo 11 and was the first man to walk on the moon.
- Sally: Dr. Sally Ride was the first woman astronaut and the youngest American astronaut in space.
Planets and their moons
The International Astronomical Union defines a planet as a round (or nearly round) object that orbits the sun (and, if we may, provides truly unique baby name inspiration).
- Ariel
- Callisto
- Dione
- Elara
- Janus
- Larissa
- Leda
- Mars
- Phoebe
- Pluto
- Rhea
- Triton
- Venus
Rocket and satellite names
Every NASA spacecraft is given a name of significance that might represent, among other things, physics, exploration, mythology, music, colors, communications, weapons, geology, biology or meteorology.
- Aeros
- Apollo
- Artemis
- Astro
- Aurora
- Galaxy
- Helios
- Juno
- Scout
- Sirius
- Starlette
- Strela
- Vektor
- Zenit
More out-there baby name inspiration
Cool baby names inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy
Baby names to survive the zombie apocalypse
Baby names from Supernatural