Celestial and Star Names

Traditionally, this name is written with kanji that give it lovely meanings of "full moon," "moonlight," or similar. The character Mitsuki in Naruto uses kanji that denote the meaning "snake vessel," appropriate given he can summon magical snakes.

Fanciful image distinguishes this Native-American name.

Nashira is one of those obscure space names that might rise along with such heavenly choices as Orion, Luna, and even Nevaeh. A giant star in Capricorn, Nashira is an unusual and attractive name with several positive associations.

Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.

An obscure yet on-trend name with two wonderful meanings associated with it. Neoma is one of the freshest celestial girl names with moon-related meanings, rarer than Luna or Phoebe but with the same fluid sound.

Nikini means full moon in the language of Sri Lanka. In a world of Lunas and Selenas, Nikini is a spunkier Eastern choice with a beautiful lunar meaning.

Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.

Oriana is a dashing medieval name, with a meaning similar to Aurora. At this point, though, Oriana is much more unusual than Aurora and makes a unique choice if you're searching for names that mean new beginnings or dawn.

Orion is a rising star, with both mythical and celestial overtones.

Phoebe is the Latin variation of the Greek name Phoibe, which derived from phoibos, meaning "bright." In classical mythology, Phoebe is the by-name of Artemis, goddess of the moon and of hunting. The masculine version of Phoebe is Phoebus.

The Roman god of the underworld, the former ninth planet, a cartoon dog...but not a baby.

The astronomical Polaris is better known as the North Star, the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation. It's also the name of a character in the Marvel Universe, the daughter of Magneto.

Castor's twin in the constellation Gemini. That final x makes this name modern and cool.

Appealing in part because of its similarity to the likable Omar.

A dashing name used mainly in India with one of the best meanings around.

A title of the Hindu sun god, made cross-culturally famous by sitar player Ravi Shankar.

This handsome Japanese name has dozens of possible meanings, depending on the kanji characters used.

The name of the wife of Alexander the Great, more attractive than the better-known Roxanne. Roxana was first used in the English-speaking world in the 1600s and was popularized by Daniel Defoe's novel Roxana, published in 1724. An underused and attractive possibility and perfect if you're searching for names that mean new beginnings.

A strong and stylish alternative to the super-fashionable Luna, with a double background as a Scandinavian and Japanese name. It's the female form of the Nordic male name Rune, meaning "secret lore", and also a Japanese name meaning "moon" – making this an undiscovered celestial choice.

With the prevailing popularity of Samuel, some parents are considering this more (literally) powerful biblical name, which shares the desirable nickname of Sam.