Celestial names and what they mean
Celestial names are names taken from the sky: stars such as Vega and Sirius, and constellations such as Lyra and Orion. Here are 46 of them for a baby or a pet, with what each name means, the language it comes from and where to find it in the sky.
Names from the stars
| Name | Meaning | Origin | In the sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sirius | glowing | Greek | A star in Canis Major |
| Vega | swooping eagle | Arabic | A star in Lyra |
| Capella | little goat | Latin | A star in Auriga |
| Altair | flying eagle | Arabic | A star in Aquila |
| Bellatrix | female warrior | Latin | A star in Orion |
| Rigel | foot | Arabic | A star in Orion |
| Spica | ear of grain | Latin | A star in Virgo |
| Regulus | little king | Latin | A star in Leo |
| Castor | a twin of Greek myth | Greek | A star in Gemini |
| Pollux | a twin of Greek myth | Latin | A star in Gemini |
| Polaris | pole star | Latin | A star in Ursa Minor |
| Deneb | tail | Arabic | A star in Cygnus |
| Antares | rival of Ares, the god of war | Greek | A star in Scorpius |
| Adhara | the maidens | Arabic | A star in Canis Major |
| Alnilam | string of pearls | Arabic | A star in Orion |
| Mira | wonderful | Latin | A star in Cetus |
| Maia | one of the seven sisters of the Pleiades | Greek | A star in Taurus |
| Electra | one of the seven sisters of the Pleiades | Greek | A star in Taurus |
| Atlas | the Titan who was father of the Pleiades | Greek | A star in Taurus |
Names from the constellations
| Name | Meaning | Origin | In the sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orion | a giant hunter of Greek myth | Greek | The constellation Orion |
| Andromeda | a princess of Greek myth | Greek | The constellation Andromeda |
| Cassiopeia | a queen of Greek myth, Andromeda's mother | Greek | The constellation Cassiopeia |
| Perseus | the Greek hero who beheaded Medusa | Greek | The constellation Perseus |
| Pegasus | the winged horse of Greek myth | Greek | The constellation Pegasus |
| Phoenix | the bird of Greek myth that rises from its ashes | Greek | The constellation Phoenix |
| Hercules | the Roman name of the hero Heracles | Latin | The constellation Hercules |
| Lyra | lyre | Latin | The constellation Lyra |
| Leo | lion | Latin | The constellation Leo |
| Draco | dragon | Latin | The constellation Draco |
| Aquila | eagle | Latin | The constellation Aquila |
| Columba | dove | Latin | The constellation Columba |
| Carina | keel of a ship | Latin | The constellation Carina |
| Vela | sails | Latin | The constellation Vela |
| Ursa | bear | Latin | The constellation Ursa Major |
| Aries | ram | Latin | The constellation Aries |
| Libra | scales | Latin | The constellation Libra |
| Corvus | crow | Latin | The constellation Corvus |
| Lupus | wolf | Latin | The constellation Lupus |
| Cygnus | swan | Latin | The constellation Cygnus |
Names that mean star
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Stella | star | Latin |
| Estelle | star | French |
| Astra | stars | Latin |
| Seren | star | Welsh |
| Tara | star | Sanskrit |
| Najma | star | Arabic |
| Hoshi | star | Japanese |
The night sky the day they were born
Our star maps show the stars above the place a child was born, at the minute they arrived, with their name and a message below. We print each one on museum-grade paper, a keepsake for the nursery.
Questions about celestial names
Celestial names are names taken from the sky: from stars such as Vega and Sirius, from constellations such as Lyra and Orion, and from words that mean star, such as Stella.
Stella is Latin for star, and Estelle comes from the same word through French. Seren means star in Welsh, Tara in Sanskrit, Najma in Arabic and Hoshi in Japanese.
Sirius, Castor, Antares, Maia, Electra, Atlas, Orion, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Pegasus and Phoenix all come from Greek.
The brightest stars of Orion are Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Alnilam, Alnitak, Saiph and Mintaka.
Not officially. Only the International Astronomical Union gives stars official names, and it doesn't sell them. We don't name stars either: we print the sky as it was above the place and minute you choose, such as the night a child was born.