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Stellar Name

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"Stella, oh, Stella, Stella! Stella for Star!"
— Blanche, A Streetcar Named Desire

The night sky has been a source of wonder and inspiration for generations. Each new generation is told to "reach for the stars," and stories of people taking that advice quite literally can be found in your local bookstore's Science Fiction section. Most of us aren't so lucky as to be able to travel to the heavens, but there's still one consolation: We can name our children after them.

In brief, a Stellar Name is a character name derived from something found in the night sky, such as a star, planet, constellation, or other object. "Eta Carinae" or "Cygnus X-1" are unlikely, but these would probably also be Names to Run Away From. Terra would only count if falls under the above conditions.

A Sub-Trope of Scientific and Technological Theme Naming, under its astronomical branch. See also Cosmic Motifs and Zodiac Motifs. In the case of planets, often overlaps with Religious and Mythological Theme Naming.

Examples:

(Note: As it can be difficult to determine whether a mythical character was named for a heavenly body or vice-versa, please refrain from listing them.)
    open/close all folders 

    The Sky and Non-Specific Stars 
Astra (meaning "stars" in Latin, but often interpreted as a feminine singular).
  • The goddess Astra is the recurring ally and lover of the eponymous hero of the British (Daily Mirror) newspaper strip Garth.
  • Astra is one of the innumerable members of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard in the X-Men books.
  • The last piece of the Key of Time from Doctor Who storyline "The Armageddon Factor" was named Princess Astra. Lest we forget, her boyfriend calls this name at least twenty times per episode: "Astra? Astra? Astra?"
  • Astra is Supergirl's aunt and former enemy in her live-action series.
  • Blogger Astra Aurora of Das Sporking.
  • Astra is one of the skills in Fire Emblem.
  • Astra is also Ultraman Leo's younger twin brother.
  • Hope Corrigan of the Wearing the Cape series uses Astra as their superhero codename.

Celeste (meaning "heavenly" or "pertaining to the sky,"note  from the Latin caelum) is a not uncommon female name.
  • Babar's wife is named Celeste.
  • So is Blathers's sister from Animal Crossing. Doubles as a Meaningful Name since she operates the observatory in Wild World and City Folk. Similarly, in New Horizons she shows up with meteor showers and gives you star-themed DIY recipes.
  • Pokémon Sun and Moon introduces Celesteela, an Ultra Beast which looks like a cross between a woman with a Long Neck and a rocket, is part this and part Punny Name on its typing.note 
  • Celeste has the eponymous mountain.

Celestia (for the derivation see "Celeste") Celestine (Latin Coelestinus or Caelestinus, Italian Celestino, French Célestin, for the derivation see "Celeste") is a male name. It also has distaff counterparts (Italian Celestina, French Célestine).
  • There were five popes called Celestine (the last one, St. Celestine V., died in 1296, and founded the monastic order of the Celestines), and one anti-pope.
  • Celestine Lucross from The Night Unfurls is a female variant.
  • The resourceful Célestin Poux in A Very Long Engagement.

Celia is another name derived from Latin caelum ("sky, heaven"). It occurs in a number of variants and derivations, such as Céline (French) and Celina (Spanish), although in the latter case it can also be derived from Marcelina or Selina (Selene, see "Other Bodies"). Estella and Estelle (derived from Latin stella "star" via Occitan French Estèla) are common female names.
  • Friends has Joey's talent agent Estelle — fittingly, since her entire job is to help her clients reach stardom.
  • Rich Bitch Estella from Great Expectations. The author even hangs a subtle Lampshade on it (she first appears carrying a candle in an otherwise dark hallway).
  • Estelle Bright from The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Fittingly, several characters liken her to the sun due to her boundlessly positive personality.
  • Merry's wife in The Lord of the Rings is named Estella.
  • Rosalina is renamed Estela in the Spanish version of Super Mario Galaxy.
  • Estellise/Estelle from Tales of Vesperia counts, along with the game title itself, referencing a star in-game and the guild, Brave Vesperia that the party establishes.
  • And of course, you can't discuss the name Estelle without bringing up Estelle the singer.

Esther is a common female name meaning "star" in old Persian. It may in fact be the source of the word "star" as the proper Persian pronunciation is "Ishtar".
  • Made popular especially among Jewish people due to the eponymous queen in the Book of Esther as part of the Hebrew Bible.
  • Sister Esther Blanchett from Trinity Blood is also referred to as the "Star of Hope" numerous times in the story.

Estrella ("star" in Spanish) Etoile means star in French or something shaped like a star.
  • A train station in France named Charles De Gaulle-Etoile.
  • Cure Etoile is the alter ego of Homare Kagayaki in HuGtto! Pretty Cure.
  • L'Etoile is one of the songs of Céline Dion.
  • Étoile is a rather obscure Animal Crossing villager; a sheep with a star motif.

Hoshi, Japanese for "star"
  • La Seine No Hoshi: The main heroine is named La Seine No Hoshi, which means "Star of the Seine".note 
  • It is a fairly common name or part of a name in anime and manga. A less common example as a given name is Hoshi Anju from Love Witch.
  • Incidentally, this means that Subaru Hoshikawa from Ryuusei no Rockman is doubly "starstruck", namewise: The aforementioned "Subaru", plus a surname that can apparently mean "galaxy" or, specifically, the Milky Way.
  • There's the classic baseball manga/anime Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants). Trust me, even if you haven't seen it, you've seen it (gets homaged that much). The hero of that story is named "Hoshi", with the double meaning implied.
  • The Hoshino family from Katamari Damacy, surname meaning "of the stars".
  • Another Hoshino, so to speak: Hoshi no Kirby.
  • In a non-anime example, Hoshi Sato of Star Trek: Enterprise, who is the Japanese linguist, was undoubtedly given that name for a reason.
  • Hoshi from Battlestar Galactica.
  • In Smile Pretty Cure!, Miyuki Hoshizora's name roughly translates to "the starry sky of happiness". This doubles as a Prophetic Name.
  • In Star★Twinkle Pretty Cure, there's Hikaru Hoshina in which her alter ego is Cure Star and she uses the power of light.
  • Kimyio Hoshi is the real name of DCU Japanese superheroine Doctor Light, who, as her codename indicates, can generate/manipulate light.
  • Seira Hoshikawa from Day Break Illusion who has powers associated with the tarot card, the Star.
  • Protector of the Small: Kel names the riding horse Raoul gives her Hoshi because she has a star-shaped marking on her head.
  • Hoshi Sato from Star Trek: Enterprise
  • One Tamagotchi character is named Hoshitchi. Befitting of the name, the character resembles a shooting star.
  • Lily Hoshikawa from Zombie Land Saga, whose last name means "river of stars".

Nova (from Latin stella nova "new star")
  • It is the name of several Marvel Universe characters, including the hero (A Man Called) Nova and one of Galactus's heralds, formerly Johnny Storm's girlfriend Frankie Raye.

Nyota
  • Nyota Uhura from Star Trek, meaning "Star Freedom" in Swahili.

Sky and Skye Sora, Japanese for "sky" Star and Starr Star often appears in compounds and combinations Stella (meaning "star" in Latin and Italian) is a fairly common female name
  • STELLAAAAAAA! in A Streetcar Named Desire.
  • Stella the skunk from Over the Hedge, getting a Shout-Out to A Streetcar Named Desire.
  • Stella Dallas of Stella Dallas.
  • Stella from Winx Club, who had sun- and moon-based powers.
  • Stella Rimington, first female head of MI5.
  • Stella Bonasera from CSI: NY, a Fair Cop.
  • Stella Goodman from Waking the Dead, also a Fair Cop.
  • Tales of Legendia has Dead Older Sister (and love interest) Stella.
  • A blind girl in one episode of Cowboy Bebop
  • Stella Zinman, romantic interest but not the mother on How I Met Your Mother.
  • There's also Stella, the ill-fated love interest of Shinn from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.
  • Astrid from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn was named Stella in the Japanese version of the game.
  • Stella Shortman, physician/scientist adventurer and mother of the protagonist of Hey Arnold!.
  • Stella Star ("Star Star"?) from Starcrash
  • Stella from Interstella 5555.
  • Stella McCartney, fashion designer and daughter of Sir Paul.
  • Stella Kowalski, ex-wife of Stanley Raymond 'Ray' Kowalski on Due South. Yes, they were named after that Stella and Stanley.
  • This is Sveta's name on the Japanese version of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.
  • Stellaluna.
  • Philip Sidney's sonnet sequence Astrophil and Stella about an Astrophil (literally meaning 'star-lover') pining over a Stella who's frequently associated with beautiful but distant stars and heavens.
  • In The Sims 2: University, one of the pre-created students is an alien exchange student studying on Earth, appropriately named Stella Terrano (and with the surname from Latin "terra", meaning "earth", no less). Later on in The Sims 2: Seasons, Bella Goth's Suspiciously Similar Substitute is named Stella Roth.
  • Stella is the name of Jay's dog in Modern Family. This becomes a minor plot point in one episode when she gets loose, allowing Cameron to fulfill his lifelong dream of yelling "STELLAAAA!" à la Stanley in Streetcar.
  • Stella is the real name of the player character from Black★Rock Shooter: The Game
  • Hellsinker has a meter labeled "Stella" that indicates the game's Dynamic Difficulty.
  • Stellavanity.
  • The 1918 film Stella Maris has the titular Ingenue protagonist.
  • The Essex Serpent: Stella Ransome who is as lovely and as radiant as her name implies. She also has silvery blond hair and is associated with the blue colour of all shades.
  • Lord Asriel's dæmon Stelmaria from the His Dark Materials series. The name may be related to the common appellation of the Virgin Mary (Maria in many languages) as Stella Maris ("star of the sea").
  • The main character in Crystal Fighters is named Stella Kim.
  • Stella the pink bird from the Angry Birds franchise.

Other

  • The main character of Fly Me to the Moon has a name written with the kanji for "starry sky", normally read 'Hoshizora', but is read as "Nasa", as in the US National Air and Space Administration. His parents were apparently hoping it would push him to becoming a great scientist, but he considered it an Embarrassing First Name growing up — though it pushed him to work hard in school so people wouldn't make fun of him for it.
  • One of the villains in Season 11 of Happy Heroes, Xingying, has a name that means "Starshadow" or "Shadowstar" in English. He works alongside a character named Yuewu, or "Moondance".
  • Superman's Kryptonian name, Kal-El, means "Star Child" when translated into English from Kryptonese.
  • Kaze no Shōjo Emily and the book it's based on, Emily of New Moon, have a protagonist named Emily Byrd Starr, and she insists that she is a Starr even if her living family insists that she is a Murray.
  • In Tolkien's Legendarium:
    • One of the names for Elves in Elvish is Eldar (or edhil), meaning "(people) of the stars." In The Silmarillion, the Elves arose (achieved sentience) when the stars were placed in the sky. The element el or edhel can be found in many names: see for instance, 'Elrond' translated alternatively (by Tolkien himself!) as "Dome of Stars" or "Elf of the Cave."
    • In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Elendil means "Elf-friend", but he tries to pass it of as an alternate meaning, a "Lover of Stars" when Queen Miriel asks what the meaning of his name is.
  • A couple of Argon ships in the X-Universe series are named for stellar phenomena, specifically the Nova fighter, Eclipse heavy fighter, and Magnetar military transport.

    Specific Stars and Constellations 
  • The Atomic Time of Monsters: The scorpion-like Kaiju Girtabane is named after a star in the Scorpio constellation.
  • Doctor Who:
    • "The Curse of Peladon" and "The Monster of Peladon" have nonhumanoid alien characters named Arcturus (Alpha Bootis) and Alpha Centauri. They are the delegates from those places, so they may be an abbreviated version of their titles, rather than names.
    • "Monster" also had a Vega (Alpha Lyrae) Nexos.
  • Harry Potter: Almost the entire Black family. Sirius (Alpha Canis Maioris), Bellatrix (Gamma Orionis), Regulus Arcturus (Alpha Leonis & Alpha Boötis), Alphard (Alpha Hydrae), Andromeda, and so on. There are a few exceptions, most notably Phineas and Narcissanote ; she, however, passed the tradition to her son, Draco Malfoy, and Draco's son Scorpius. Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora Tonks, had the middle name Vulpecula, according to Word of God. Also, unrelated character Merope (23 Tauris) Gaunt. Bellatrix and Regulus double as meaningful names: in Latin, they mean "warrioress" and "chief, little king", respectively.
  • The Oz mobile suits in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing are named after the Western Zodiac.
  • Alicia Arcturus from The Night Unfurls, her last name being the brightest star in the northern constellation of Boötes.
  • The Rigel Black Chronicles expands on Harry Potter canon with "star lights", artefacts that give light only to a Black family member named for the star whose light is captured in them. Narcissa missed out because her blonde hair threw her parentage into suspicion, and by the time it was established that she was definitely her father's daughter, it was too late; she already had a different name. However, she's very touched when Sirius gifts Draco with his associated star light on his thirteenth birthday.
  • Transformers:
    • The Transformers: Beast Wars comic introduced the Covenant, a group of 12 robots who were ancestral to the Transformers. The ones with names have names based on the Western Zodiac.
    • In many continuities, Optimus Prime started his life as Orion Pax.
  • The title character in Momo has a pet turtle named Cassiopeia.
  • Mega Man Star Force has Geo Stelar and Luna. Additionally, the first game's bosses are all named for constellations. Also, Doctor Vega and Altair (Alpha Aquilae) from the second game. Finally, the third game's Superboss is named Sirius. Geo Stelar's Japanese name is Subaru Hoshikawa. Subaru is also the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, and the kanji for Hoshikawa means "star river".
  • Bomberman 64 features characters named Sirius, Orion, Regulus, and Altair (and his pet robot Vega). Token female Artemis is named after the Greek goddess of the moon.
  • The original name of the final boss of Street Fighter II is "Vega". In non-Japanese versions of the franchise the stellar name was given to the Spanish bullfighter with the claw in hand and the final boss received his non-Japanese name from the African-American boxer, M.Bison, to avoid any likeness to the heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson.
  • A number of bosses and NPCs in Ogre Battle are named after stars or constellations. There's Deneb (named after Deneb Okab (Delta Aquilae), the star at the head of the Cygnus constellation), Sirius, Canopus (Alpha Carinae), the Gemini, Prochon (from Procyon aka Alpha Canis Minoris) and Kapella (from Capella aka Alpha Aurigae). The theme continues in the sequel, Tactics Ogre.
  • In Forbidden Planet, Altaira "Alta" Morbius is named after the star Altair. This makes sense, because she was born on Altair 4, the fourth planet orbiting the star.
  • The DCU character Orion, named after the Orion constellation.
  • All the New York Kagekidan girls from Sakura Wars are named after constellations.
  • Betelgeuse from Beetlejuice shares his name with Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), one of the largest known stars in the universe, though his name's spelling is different from that of the star. In the film, his advertising flyer spells it the same as the star, leading Alec Baldwin to mispronounce it.
  • Sirius from Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones is a slightly odd case. He actually is the star Sirius (Alpha Canis Maioris, also called the Dog Star), but since he's in the form of a dog and can't talk, everybody else comes up with their own names for him. Two of those names are Leo and Sirius.
  • All of the teams from the Atari ST video game Speedball are named after constellations (Perseus, Mira, Draco, etc.)
  • Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS has Ginga Nakajima, whose name means "galaxy" in Japanese. Her little sister's name, Subaru, refers to the Pleiades. However, it should be pointed out that they aren't named after stars. Subaru is named, like very many Lyrical Nanoha characters, after machinery manufacturers — specifically, the Subaru car company, and Nakajima Aircraft, an old name for Fuji Heavy Industries, which is Subaru's parent company. Ginga, on the other hand, may be named after one of the characters from Gear Fighter Dendou, where the concept for her weapons comes from.
  • In speaking of Ginga, It was one of Kirara Amanogawa/Cure Twinkle's keys in Go! Princess Pretty Cure.
  • Bleach: Word of God has it that Orihime Inoue's first name is after the Japanese name of the star Vega.
  • Several Anime series have a character with the name Subaru. This is the Japanese name for the constellation/star cluster Pleiades. The car company takes its name from this also (it's on their emblem), because it was formed from 6 smaller companies (there is usually said to be seven pleiades — whence the common appellation "the Seven Sisters" — but most people can only see six, while those with unsually good eyesight may discern 8+, and telescopes reveal hundreds more).
  • The various Seishi in Fushigi Yuugi are named for the constellations defined by the astrological/geomantic system described briefly in the entry on The Four Gods; of course, this is central to the plot. Tamahome's and Hotohori's real names, Kishuku and Seishuku respectively, mean the same thing and are written in the same way as their Seishi names. The "Ryu" in Nuriko's real name, Ryuuen, means "Willow", which is what his Seishi symbol stands for as well.
  • The protagonists of Tokyo Babylon have names related to stars: Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades, Hokuto for the Plough (aka the "Big Dipper" in Ursa Major), and Seishiro has the kanji for star (sei) in his name.
  • Final Fantasy:
  • Yuto Sakurai/Kamen Rider Zeronos from Kamen Rider Den-O gets a lot of stellar references, especially appropriate since he's an avid stargazer. Zeronos' two forms are Altair and Vega, while his partner Imagin is named Deneb. This also reflects Yuto's relationship with Airi Nogami; in Eastern astrology, Altair and Vega are Star-Crossed Lovers who can only meet once a year, with the aid of Deneb, either a bridge of magpies or a fairy guardian (see Tanabata, a festival based on the same myth).
  • Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament has characters named Vega and Diphda (Beta Ceti, also called Deneb Kaitos). This is just the beginning of the game's celestial being-themed naming.
  • The three Arena Emperors (Alkaid, Taihaku, Sirius) in .hack//G.U. are all named after stars (barring Taihaku, whose name refers to the planet Venus, which is often called a star in many cultures). Additionally, their former Guild Master, Antares, is also named after a star.
  • Genshin Impacts Beidou is named after the Chinese name for the Big Dipper constellation.
  • In Jet Force Gemini the main characters' names are Juno (name of an Asteroid), Vela, and Lupus.
  • Super Robot Wars: the Altairion and Vegalion from the stars Altair and Vega. Notably, these two stars take part in the story of cowherd and the weaver girl.
  • Atrus, Sirrus, and Achenar are all named after stars — Arcturus, Sirius, and Achernar (Alpha Eridani) respectively.
  • In the Star Wars universe, Amidala's sister was named Sola, i.e. a feminized version of the Latin sol "Sun".
  • Pretty much everyone from Gaia Online's Lonely Star item: Saiph and Hatsya (named for Saiph (Kappa Orionis) and Hatsya (also called Hatysa, Iota Orionis), two stars in Orion), Cygnus, Gemini, Pisces and Crux.
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey's heroes assign each of the Schwarzwelt's sectors a name based on a constellation beginning with each successive letter of the alphabet, tending towards ones in the southern sky—Antlia, Bootes, Carina, Delphinus, Eridanus, Fornax, Grus, Horologium. (Atlus didn't have much of a choice with Bootes and Delphinus; they're northern sky constellations, yes, but also the only ones that begin with their respective letters.)
  • In the LEGO Life on Mars theme, all of the Martian characters are named after stars or constellations, often with a trait shared by the character, like Cassiopeia (the only female Martian in the series) or their leader Riegel (which isn't a star name; however, Rigel (Beta Orionis) is the sixth-brightest star in the sky).
  • Nearly every single enemy in Hybrid Heaven is named after a star.
  • Starcraft: Arcturus Mengsk is named after the star Arcturus.
  • James Vega from Mass Effect 3 takes his last name from a star — Vega is the traditional name of Alpha Bootis.
  • Soul Series: Algol is named after the star of the same name. He also had a son named Arcturus.
  • GEAR Fighter Dendoh is all over this. Main characters are called Hokuto (North Star) and Ginga (Galaxy), there's Cool Big Sis Vega and mother of Hokuto, The Dragon Altair who is Vega's older brother and later on, another villain called Subaru he's Altair's brother of sorts. Yes, that means everyone but Ginga here is related.
  • In Star Blazers, the English language version of Space Battleship Yamato, we have Derek Wildstar, Nova, and Orion.
  • Albireo from Negima! Magister Negi Magi, whose name comes from a binary star in the constellation Cygnus (Beta Cygni).
  • The trolls of Homestuck each share a symbol with a particular Zodiac sign. In addition to other aspects of their lives, their names (and occasionally usernames) contain allusions to their respective signs, ranging from anagrams (Sollux Captor/twinArmageddons for Gemini), constellation names from other languages (Kanaya, Karkat, and Vriska are derived from Hindu with spelling adjustments; Terezi from Azerbaijani), to mythological references (the Aquarius troll is named Eridan), to more direct references (Tavros). Additionally, the numbers 6, 12, and 612 just keep happening to them — for example, the mentioned spelling adjustments, as each troll has a first name and last name of six letters each.
  • The title character from Ristar.
  • Rygel in Farscape, probably another reference to Rigel.
  • In My Sister's Keeper, Anna is named after the Andromeda Galaxy.
  • Devil Survivor 2 takes this and runs with it: the antagonists, the Septentriones, are named after the stars of the Big Dipper, their master is called Polaris, your 12 potential party members represent the Western Zodiac, The Player Character gets called "the Shining One"... The Updated Re-release continues this with a new group of enemies called the Triangulum, who draw upon the stars of the Spring Triangle, including an extra member taken from the other star of the Great Diamond, plus a new enemy called Canopus.
  • Himitsu Sentai Gorenger: The first syllable of each of the original rangers' family namenote  form the name "Kashiopea", as in "Cassiopeia". The cosmic radiation from this constellation is extremely lethal to the Big Bad.
  • Uchu Sentai Kyuranger titles its Rangers after the constellations they draw power from: Shishi Red (Leo), Sasori Orange (Scorpio), Ookami Blue (Lupus), Tenbin Gold (Libra), Hibitsukai Silver (Ophiuchus), Oushi Black (Taurus), Chamaeleon Green (Chamaeleon), Kajiku Yellow (Dorado), Washi Pink (Aquila), Ryu Commander (Draco), Koguma Skyblue (Ursa Minor), and Houou Soldier (Phoenix).
  • Ra's al Ghul's name is based on the Star Algol (Beta Persei).
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! (Franchise and Card Game) has some examples:
    • The Constellar and Fire Fist (OCG name: Flame Star) archetypes have this trope active by default. but the former has names based on either the Western Zodiac or various related galaxies.
      • Constellars are used, fittingly, by Hokuto Shijima. Adding to the theme is his Big Dipper hair piece, and his first on-screen duel takes place on the Action Field "Cosmo Sanctuary" (said to be his favorite).
      • And of course, Yuya's Magician of Astromancy/Stargazer Magician.
    • Then there's the Galaxy archetype with Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and its other forms, while the Seven Barian Lords are named for the stars in the Big Dipper.
    • Stardust Dragon and related cards. Rua's Dub Name is Leo. His twin's is below on the page.
    • Starform Dragon
    • Stardust Divinity
    • certain cards with Leo in the title.
    • In the manga version of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Kaiser's monsters are all named after the stars in the constellation Draco. One of them, Cyber Eltanin, is a card in the real game.
    • The Stellaknights are named after stars. The first three to be revealed are named after the points of the Summer Triangle.
  • Another example from The Sims 2 in Castor Nova. Fanon has even given him a twin brother named Pollux.
  • Polaris (short for Latin Stella Polaris "polar star"), designated Alpha Ursae Minoris in Astronomy, is known as the North(ern) Star in English.
  • Lampshaded in My Teacher Fried My Brains: Duncan concludes that his science teacher, Andromeda Jones, is the alien infiltrator, and is surprised that she had enough chutzpah to use a constellation for her alias. The alien is actually his Home Ec teacher, who averts this trope.
  • In First Light, the dogs are all named after moons, stars, constellations, and galaxies.
  • The AMD 10th family is also known as "Stars" due to many of the processors being named after specific stars: Agena, Coliman (Beta and Alpha Centauri), Kuma (Nu Draconis), Rana (Delta Eridani), and Spica (Alpha Virginis).
  • Raumpatrouille has the spaceships Orion VII, Orion VIII, Hydra, and Pegasus.
  • The main characters from Puella Magi Kazumi Magica are called the Pleiades Saints, and their opponents all have a twin/duality motif going on (the Pleiades cluster is located in the constellation of Taurus. The zodiac that follows is Gemini) After Kazumi makes a wish to become human, she takes on the surname Subaru in reference to her friends.
  • Several members of Species X from DNA are named after stars.
  • In Re:Zero, all of the Witches of Sin and their Archbishops are named after certain stars (eg: Betelgeuse), while the protagonist Subaru gets his name from the Japanese name of the Pleiades. In a what-if story, Subaru decides to keep up the theme by naming his children Rigel and Spica (he considered Vega, but it sounded "too dangerous").
  • Ben-Hur: Sheik Ilderim's horses were named after stars: Altair, Aldebaran, Antares, and Rigel.
  • Greater Dog and Lesser Dog from Undertale have their names derived from the dog constellations (Canis Major and Canis Minor)
  • In the mangas Ginga Densetsu Weed: Orion and Ginga: The Last Wars, the three protagonists, Weed's sons, are named Sirius, Orion, and Rigel. Their younger sister is named Bellatrix.
  • Mugen Souls Z has a dozen characters themed after the Western Zodiac. One of them, Syrma, is named for a star in the constellation Virgo.
  • Saint Seiya has its Cloths named after the 88 constellations, with the strongest ones named after the constellations of the Western Zodiac. Seiya himself has more of a nonspecific stellar name, as explained above.
  • Starship Promise is crammed full of star- and space-themed names, in keeping with its Space Opera / Raygun Gothic style. Just among the main cast there's The Captain Orion Akatsuki (for bonus points, "akatsuki" is Japanese for "dawn"), starship pilot Atlas, and Empire captain Antares, as well as more general space references like Nova and Comet. The only main character who doesn't have some kind of space-themed name is Jaxon Silva, the bounty hunter.
  • Sequinox has the stars, obviously, since they are literally stars. Constellations are leaders while their generals are the stars that make them up (for example, Scorpius has her generals Antares, Sargas, and Shaula).
  • Played With in Gravity Falls—protagonist Dipper is called that because he has a birthmark shaped like the Big Dipper on his forehead (which he purposefully hides with long bangs and a hat. He's Only Known by Their Nickname in the show, but his real name, Mason, averts this trope.
  • The Reunion With Twelve Fascinating Goddesses: The twelve goddesses have surnames taken from various stars: Ryura Vega, Di Anna Altair, Zoema Spica, Zesca Aldebaran, Gushana Rigel, Minami Arcrux, Jimalta Mimoza, Al Ai Yuk Capela, Pandura Regulus, La Shii Fomalhaut, Mephiros Betelgaus.
  • Cure Milky (for the Milky Way) in Star★Twinkle Pretty Cure.
  • In Wonder Woman and the Star Riders the Star Rider with "the power of the sun" is named Solara.
  • In Yokoka's Quest, Betelgeuse (of Orion) and Meissa note  are both stars in the Orion constellation. Azha (of Eridanus), and his sisters Theemin and Rana, are stars in the Eridanus constellation. The goddess Polaris is named after the North Star, and Vega is also named after a star.
  • Mira of Asteroid in Love shares a name with the variable star in the constellation Cetus. This fact is important to the entire premise; her childhood promise with Ao is based on the fact that her name is this while Ao's isn't. That's why asteroids come into play—The Promise is to find an asteroid together and name it after Ao.
  • The four named characters in Roadqueen: Eternal Roadtrip to Love have stellar themed names: Leo, Cassiopeia (usually shortened to Cass), and even Boots are all named after constellations, while Vega is named for the brightest star in Lyra. For bonus points, they attend Princess Andromeda Academy in the prologue.
  • All of the bosses of sora save the last are named after stars: Alte (Lambda Leonis, shortened from Alterf), Tsih (Gamma Cassiopeiae, from its Chinese name), Mira (Omicron Ceti), Sham (Alpha Sagittae), and Nath (Beta Tauri, shortened from Elnath).
  • The demons in Demon Gaze II are all named after constellations.
  • As with the original series, each of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol featured in Battlestar Galactica (2003) has a name inspired by one of the Western Zodiac constellations (i.e., the colony of Caprica —> the constellation Capricorn, Libran —> Libra, Tauron —> Taurus, etc).
  • Gammamon's adult forms in Digimon Ghost Game are BetelGammamon (named for Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in Orion), KausGammamon (named for Kaus Australis, a blue-white giant in Sagittarius), WezenGammamon (named for Wezen, a star in Canis Major), and GulusGammamon (named for the star Regulus, which is the brightest star in the night sky). All of their attack names are also named after asteroids and similar objects. His Perfect and Ultimate forms follow suit: Canoweissmon is partly derived from Canopus, a star in the constellation Carina and the second-brightest star in the night sky, Regulusmon is derived from Regulus, the brightest star in the Leo constellation, and Siriusmon is derived from Sirius, a star in the constellation Canis Major and the brightest star in the night sky..
    • Gammamon's Tamer, Hiro, also follows the space name theme. His family name, Amanokawa, means "milky way", while the kanji used for Hiro means "space". Then there's Hiro's father, Hokuto, whose name refers to the Big Dipper.
  • Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has a Gang of Bullies named Team Star who are divided into five groups named after the five main stars of the Cassiopeia constellation: Segin, Schedar, Navi, Ruchbah and Caph. And shortly after you start the game, you also become acquainted to someone named Cassiopeia who has some business with Team Star.
  • Maris Stella: Maris Stella comes from Stella Maris, an old name for the North Star.
  • Each of the Horoscopes from Kamen Rider Fourze has a civilian name that serves as a punny or meaningful reference to their associated Zodiac constellation. For example, Sarina Sonoda has a name that's an anagram for sasori nano da (i.e. I am a scorpion), or Erin Suda, the Aquarius Zodiarts, having a name that's an anagram for Eridanus, the river constellation that comes forth from Aquarius.
  • Each of the Sazer heroes from Chouseishin Gransazer has a name ultimately derived from their associated constellation. For example, Sazer Tarious = Sagittarius, Sazer Gorbion = Scorpio, Sazer Remls = Gemini (with the variation of the twins being Romulus and Remus rather than Castor and Polydeuces).
  • Voltes V has a dub-specific example. In the Italian and Greek dub, Prince Heinel's name is changed to Prince Sirius. It's befitting since Sirius is the brightest star in Earth's night sky, and Heinel/Sirius is an Alien Prince. It also manages to stay a Meaningful Name despite the changenote . Sirius is also the Greek word for "glowing" or "scorching".

    Other Bodies 
Luna (Latin for "moon" and also the name of its goddess) is a common one Moon, the English word for Luna, is not quite as common, but occurs as a real-life surname
  • Real Life:
    • Frank Zappa's daughter Moon Unit, was named after a spacecraft, not after the moon itself. However, she uses only her first name in everyday usage and is referred to just as Moon Zappa.
    • Marion Moon (birth name) happens to be the mother of Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the Moon.
  • Laura Moon from American Gods and of course her husband, Shadow.
  • Queen Moon Butterfly, mother of the protagonist of Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
  • Molly Moon, main character of the Molly Moon series. (In-Universe, she's named after a marshmallow packing crate and a lolly.)
  • Parodied with Tumblr's "Moon Moon" meme.
  • April Moon, a minor character in Batman Beyond.

Moon also appears in compounds and combinations Morgenstern (German for "morning star" — i. e. Venus or Jupiter, depending on their position relative to Earth) is a real-life surname
  • German poet Christian Morgenstern, writer of the Gallows Songs, and his father, painter Christian Morgenstern.
  • S. Morgenstern, the writer of the book "abridged" by William Goldman in The Princess Bride.
  • Rhoda Morgenstern of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off Rhoda.
  • Funnily enough, Stephanie Morgenstern, who appeared in the DiC dub of Sailor Moon as Sailor Venus.
  • Valentine Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments.

Selene is the ancient Greek name for the moon and its older goddess (one of the Titans), who later became confounded with Artemis. The name is also used in astronomy; for instance, "selenography" is an old term for the geography of the moon, and in older Speculative Fiction native inhabitants of the moon are called Selenites. Selene also occurs in variants like Selena and Selina.

Other Moon-related names

  • In Avatar: The Last Airbender, we have Princess Yue, whose name is Chinese for "moon;" she was named in honor of the Moon Spirit, who healed her when she nearly died at birth. When the Moon Spirit is killed by Zhao, she pulls a Heroic Sacrifice and becomes the new Moon Spirit herself.
  • Cardcaptor Sakura also has a character named Yue, whose powers are drawn from the moon.
  • On Gargoyles, the Weird Sisters are apparently named Phoebe, Luna and Seline, all of which were moon goddesses. This may be related to the fact that Word of God says that their individual powers (fate, grace, and fury) wax and wane at different times.
  • Sailor Moon: Sailor Chibimoon/Chibi-usa's cat, also the daughter of cats Luna and Artemis, is named Diana.
  • Played With in Animorphs, where the future Visser One named her human daughter "Madra," after a moon of her home planet.
  • The women in The Outer Limits episode "Lithia" are named after moons. Hera and Phoebe are named Saturn's moon, while Ariel and Miranda are named after moon of Uranus.
  • Wayne and Gibby from Hylics are both named after phases of the moon. Their appearances reflect this, as Gibby has a spherical head, while Wayne's head is shaped like a crescent.
  • The Zero Escape series has a penchant for lunar names. Characters named Diana, Luna, and Tenmyouji (here read as "solar eclipse"- spoilers in link) all play roles in it. The first two have similar names for another reason, though.
  • One of the villains in Season 11 of Happy Heroes is named Yuewu, or "Moondance". She works alongside a villain named Xingying, which means "Starshadow"/"Shadowstar".
  • One of Star's ancestors in Star vs. the Forces of Evil is Crescenta the Eager, named for the crescent moon phase.
  • In The Lunar Chronicles, the Big Bad is the queen of the moon, named Levana, the Hebrew word for "moon." The previous queen was her older sister, Channary, which means "full moon" or "moon girl" in Khmer. Their mother was named Jannali, which is from an Aboriginal Australian word for—you guessed it!—"moon."

Sun-related names

  • Akari Taiyou from Day Break Illusion. Taiyou is Japanese for 'sun' and she has powers based on the tarot card, The Sun (Il Sole in Italian).
  • Inazuma Eleven brings us Amemiya Taiyou in GO, who is named for the sun.
  • Cure Soleil (French for Sun) in Star★Twinkle Pretty Cure.
  • Warrior Cats has Sol, which is another sun name.
  • Hellsinker has a meter labeled "Sol" that determines individual shot power and is used up when firing a Smart Bomb. In addition, Segment 5 features a "Sol" side, featuring yellow walls.
  • Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Queen Solaria Butterfly "the Monster Carver".
    • By contrast, her daughter Eclipsa's name is meant to invoke a solar eclipse: she is the opposite of her racist, bloodthirsty mother in every way, choosing solely to go on the defensive before abandoning the kingdom altogether to elope with her monster lover. To hammer it home, her title is "Queen of Darkness", a reference to her talent for dark magic and her elopement to the aforementioned monster Globgor, "Prince of Darkness".
  • Mass Effect 2 reveals that Garrus has a sister named Solana.
  • Queens of Mewni: along with the canon Solaria and Eclipsa mentioned above, there's also Solena the Smitten (which doubles as an Ironic Name since Solena is regarded as the first Night Queen of Mewnian prophecy), Helia the Light of Power, and Aurora the Queen of Dawn.

Various

  • Mars Blackmon from the Spike Lee movie She's Gotta Have It.
  • The Mars chocolate bar was named after its inventor (who was also one of the Ms in M&M chocolates), but this led to other chocolate bars in the same range also being given celestial names (Galaxy and Milky Way).
  • Ethan Mars (along with his family) of Heavy Rain.
  • Winston Marrs from the Sega Genesis version of Shadowrun.
  • Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto. He first appeared around 1930, the same year the (dwarf) planet Pluto was discovered, and it's highly unlikely that someone would name a cartoon dog after the Roman god of the dead.
  • Sailor Moon:
  • The Stardroids from Mega Man V for the Game Boy were named after planets. Even Terra, which means "Earth". Also Dark Moon (this game's version of a Yellow Devil) and Sunstar, the final boss.
  • Pokémon Diamond and Pearl:
    • The Team Galactic commanders are named Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto (who was renamed Charon in the English release). Their leader Cyrus's name refers to the sun.
    • And Cynthia is the name of a moon goddess, making Champion Cynthia a counterpart to Cyrus. (If you want to stretch this, the player character's name [Dawn or Lucas] can be read as referring to the morning star.)
  • The five sisters, Exalted's Maidens of Destiny; Mars, Maiden of Battles; Venus, Maiden of Serenity; Jupiter, Maiden of Secrets; Mercury, Maiden of Journeys; and Saturn, Maiden of Endings.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! has the Agents, who are each named after a planet in the solar system (sans Neptune). They are a Homage to Paradiso. Also the Legendary Planets from the GX manga (complete with dwarf planet Pluto and the Sun). However, only Venus, Earth, Saturn, Neptune, and Sol's have been Defictionalized.
  • The Five Stars in Majima's Cabaret Club Czar sidequest in Yakuza 0 run cabaret clubs that are all named after celestial bodies: Club Mars, Club Mercury, Club Venus, Club Jupiter, and Club Moon. The cabaret club that Majima uses to oppose them is tangentially related to the theme, being named Club Sunshine.
  • The Super Novas in Custom Robo Arena: Lunax, Terrax, and Solax (which is also a pun). They're just nicknames though, as Lunax's real name is Lenny (his Berserk Button, of sorts).
  • The elements Uranium, Neptunium, and Plutonium. Cerium and Palladium too! As a bonus, Selenium (Moon) and Tellurium (Earth). Helium is both the Sun and sun god Helios.
  • Neptunia has the eponymous character Neptune as well as Plutia. By extension, the unreleased Sega Neptune* and Sega Pluto* consoles they were based on.
  • Tidus and Yuna in Final Fantasy X are named after the sun and moon, respectively — the words come from Okinawan.
  • Speaking of Venus and Jupiter in the twilight, the J. R. R. Tolkien inverted the trope with Eärendil, originally a Half-Elf named "Lover of the Sea," later the evening star.
    • The Lord of the Rings also has Second Age human lord Elendil ("star-friend"/"elf-friend") and his sons Isildur ("moon-servant") and Anárion ("sun-son"). This also led indirectly to the naming of the three original major cities of Gondor: Minas Ithil ("Tower of the Moon") east of the Anduin, Minas Anor ("Tower of the Sun") west of the Anduin, and the capital Osgiliath ("Citadel of the Host of Stars") on the banks of the Anduin. However, years later, the Ringwraiths took Minas Ithil for the Dark Lord, driving the Gondorians out of Ithilien (the area around Minas Ithil) and renamed named the city "Minas Morgul" ("Tower of Sorcery"); Osgiliath, which had already begun to decline due to plagues and the shifting of the royal capital to Minas Anor, was finally abandoned. After the fall and renaming of Minas Ithil, Minas Anor was given its familiar name: "Minas Tirith" ("Tower of Guard").
  • In We Know the Devil, the three main characters are named Venus, Neptune, and Jupiter, each displaying symbolism associated with their planets and Roman gods.
  • We Know The Devil's Non-Linear Sequel Heaven Will Be Mine continues the planetary name theme with Saturn, Pluto, and Luna-Terra (which is the name of the terraformed Moon in this universe). There's also minor characters Mars and Mercury. Most of the other named characters are named after various other moons in the solar system: Iapetus is a moon of Saturn, Nix is a moon of Pluto, Europa and Ganymede are moons of Jupiter, Halimede is a moon of Neptune, and Neith is a hypothetical moon of Venus.
  • Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny's Lunamaria Hawke is named after the basaltic planes on the moon. Shinn has a thing for heavenly bodies, perhaps?
  • Touhou Project has the Three Fairies of Light: Sunny Milk, Luna Child and Star Sapphire.
  • Queens of Mewni has Venus the Fairest.
  • Ariel and her father King Triton from The Little Mermaid (1989) respectively share their names with moons orbiting the planets Uranus and Neptune.
  • One Piece: The Five Elders (or Gorosei, literally translated as "Five Elder Stars" or "Five Elder Planets") are each named after a planet: Topman Warcury (Mercury), Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro (Venus), Marcus Mars, Shepherd Ju Peter and Jaygarcia Saturn.

    Miscellaneous 
  • Stellaluna, a children's picture book about a bat combines the words for "star" and "moon".
  • The book This Place Has No Atmosphere by Paula Danziger takes place in a future where people now live on the moon. The heroine is named Aurora Borealis Williams, her sister is Starr, other kids in school are Juna (first kid conceived in space) and Cosmosa.
  • The main character of Diana Wynne Jones' novel, The Game 2007, is named Haley, the reader realizes the significance towards the end of the story when they meet her parents.
  • Tycho Brahe was an astronomer with an awesome, seldom-heard name that got scooped up a few times for fiction.
  • Baten Kaitos is made of this, for most of the locations and non-playable characters. And of course, the game's name refers to a star...
  • Final Fantasy VI has Terra and Celes, earth and sky (but the former's name was created by the translation, in Japanese it is "Tina").
  • In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, we have all the major Team Galatic members, who are named after something in our solar system: Jupiter (Ceres in the Spanish version), Mars (Venus in the Spanish version), Saturn and Charon (after Pluto's largest moon). Cyrus's name comes from a Persian word meaning "sun".
    • And Cynthia is the name of a moon goddess, making Champion Cynthia a counterpart to Cyrus. (If you want to stretch this, the player character's name [Dawn or Lucas] can be read as referring to the morning star.)
    • There are also two Pokemon that fit, Solrock and Lunatone. Solrock looks like a sun, and Lunatone like a crescent moon.
    • Pokémon Sun and Moon has a pair of legendaries named Solgaleo (sun-themed) and Lunala (moon-themed). However, they are weak to the element their respective theme is associated withnote .
  • Digimon gives us the Olympos XII — these Digimon are named for the Roman gods of Olympus, so some of them inadvertently share their names with the planets; namely, Mercurymon (Mercury), Venusmon (Venus), Marsmon (Mars), Jupitermon (Jupiter) and Neptunemon (Nepture). Also present is Ceresmon, who shares her name with dwarf planet Ceres, and Olympos XII adjacent Digimon Plutomon, sharing his name with dwarf planet Pluto.
  • All of Lucy's Celestial Spirits in Fairy Tail are named after constellations.
  • The villains of Power Rangers in Space follow the show's Tropes in Space theme: Astronema (astro, astronomy) and Ecliptor (eclispe).
  • Rom Di Prisco, either in Need for Speed games or otherwise, names his music primarily after constellations, stars, or other spacial objects such as Sirius, Hydrus, Cetus, Aquila, the Gamma and Delta Velorums, Triton, the Cygnus Rift (known as the Great Rift but it starts at Cygnus). Meanwhile, the other theme goes to science and mathematics.
  • Curtis Schweitzer composes music for Starbound, Many of them are themed after constellations (Cygnus X-1, Cassiopeia), planets (Jupiter, Mercury, Europa), or other celestial bodies (Horsehead Nebula, Accretion Disc, Stellar Formation).
  • The nations in Advance Wars are all named for celestial objects: Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, Green Earth, and Black Hole.
  • The band M83 is named after the galaxy Messier 83.
  • In Startropics, the Yo-Yo upgrades are called "Morning Star" and "Supernova". When the game was rereleased on Virtual Console years later, the Yo-Yo itself was renamed the "Star".
  • Passengers (2016) is a sci-fi romance/thriller movie where the girl (Jennifer Lawrence) is named Aurora.
  • A magical girl team from Sleepless Domain's backstory, Team Spear featured girls whose magical girl titles ran the spectrum. The first we're told about is a girl named Mitsuki, known as Moonlight Spear. Her teammates were Sunlight Spear and Starlight Spear.
  • BattleTech features a lot of celestial-themed names of all types: star themed ones include the Starslayer and Nightstar; constellations including the Orion, Cygnus, and Arcas (another name for Ursa Minor); and other celestial phenomenon like the Nova and Supernova.
  • The UNS in Schlock Mercenary names their battleplates after major asteroid impact events.
  • The mobile Rhythm Game RAVON makes extensive use of star-themed terms and names:
    • The unlock maps are named after constellations, galaxies, and other space objects: Station (as in a space station), Asteroids, Milky Way, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer.
    • What other rhythm games call a "full combo", this game calls a Nova. What other games call an "all Perfect", this game calls a Super Nova.
    • The Gameplay Grading uses stellar classifications for letter ranks; in order of lowest to highest, they are: M, K, G, F, A, B, O.
  • Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Moon's mother, Comet Butterfly, and Eclipsa's half-monster daughter, Meteora Butterfly.
  • Nearly every playable character in Relayer is named after some space object, be it planets (Terra, Mercury, Uranus), stars (Sun, Sirius), or something else (Milky Way, Halley). Even Himiko, a normal Japanese name, is a reference to a particular interstellar cloud. Most are justified in that the stars are actually passing their "will" to the youths who make up the party.
  • Ratchet & Clank: Talwyn Apogee. "Apogee" is the point in an orbit when the orbiting body is the furthest from the primary body.
  • Flick-to-Stick Bungees: The Polaris crew in Jazwares' Series 1 have this as Theme Naming; Nova, Blitzar, Comet, and Lunar.
  • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Generally speaking, unicorns often have names pertaining to stars, astronomical phenomena and the night sky, such as Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, Starswirl, Twilight Velvet, Night Light, and Stellar Flare, mixed in with solar ones such as Sunset Shimmer, Sunburst and Luster Dawn.
  • Sailor Moon: Sailor Moon's final enemy is Sailor Galaxia, and there's also the mysterious Sailor Cosmos.
  • Queens of Mewni: along with the canonical Comet and Meteora, there's their mutual ancestor (and Meteora's namesake) Meteora the Relentless, Cosmica the Explorer, and Galaxia the Clairvoyant.
  • The titular protagonist of ''Ultraman Blazar' gets his name from a type of active galactic nucleus.
  • Ultraman Cosmos, whose name comes from the ancient Greek word for the universe itself.

Alternative Title(s): Stellar Theme Naming

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