What is a Bayer designation?

A Bayer designation names a star with a Greek letter plus the Latin genitive of its constellation, such as Alpha Centauri or Beta Lyrae. Brighter stars usually get earlier Greek letters. This tool builds invented versions in that exact format.

Are the proper names real stars?

No. Proper names like Vega or Rigel exist for real stars, but this tool generates invented names that follow the same Arabic and Latin-flavoured sound, so they fit alongside real names without colliding with them.

Why mix Greek letters with constellation names?

That mix mirrors how real catalogs work — a designation pins a star to a constellation and ranks it by a letter or number. Using it gives your fictional systems an authentic astronomical feel rather than reading as pure fantasy.

Can I name a planet inside one of these systems?

Yes. Pair a system name with the planet name generator: planets typically take the system name plus a lowercase letter starting at b, so Beta Corvi b reads as the first planet of that star.

Is any data sent anywhere?

No. Generation runs entirely in your browser from bundled word lists. None of the names you create are uploaded, stored, or tracked.

Star System Name Generator

A believable sci-fi universe needs a star map, and a star map needs names that sound like an astronomer cataloged them. Real stars carry layered names — a proper name for the famous ones, a Greek-letter Bayer designation tying them to a constellation, and a dry catalog number for the rest. This tool generates all three styles.

How it works

Bayer-style names combine a Greek letter (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and so on) with an invented constellation in Latin genitive form, matching the format of Alpha Centauri. Catalog-style names pair a survey prefix with a number, the way faint stars appear in real catalogs. Proper names are assembled from syllables with the Arabic and Latin flavour of historic star names like Aldebaran or Betelgeuse. The mixed mode picks a style at random per entry so a generated map feels naturally varied.

Tips and example

For a galaxy map, use proper names for the handful of major hubs and catalog or Bayer designations for everything else — that hierarchy reads as authentic.
A Bayer designation implies a constellation, which implies a viewpoint. If your story is set far from Earth, lean on invented proper names instead.
Combine Gamma Velari with a planet such as Gamma Velari c to name an entire system in seconds.