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Alien names: 190+ sci-fi, funny and cute alien name ideas

195 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

Good alien names sound like nothing on Earth, like Qell'tharo, Zyvanna and Krovaan, mixing rare letter pairs such as zh, xx and qu with long vowels and the odd apostrophe. The best ones still roll off the tongue, so your readers or players can actually say them.

This page has 190+ original alien names: sci-fi alien names, alien names for girls and boys, species names, insect, reptile, ocean and energy beings, leaders, homeworlds, funny alien names and cute ones. A short section of real terms from astronomy and astrobiology closes the list. No aliens from movies, TV shows or games are included.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Xalthor

    Grand and old, for a galactic emperor

  • Tardigrade

    Tiny water bear that has survived exposure to open space

  • Zyvanna

    Bright and buzzy, for a starship pilot

  • Supreme Archivist Brennox

    Keeps the memory of a vanished galaxy

  • Thryssa

    Shimmery and quick, for a telepath

  • Captain Blorbo

    Commands a ship made entirely of jelly

Want endless ideas? Try the planet name generator and generate new names in one click.

Sci-fi alien names

All-purpose alien character names for stories, games and tabletop campaigns. Every one is invented.

  1. Qell'tharo: An apostrophe and a rolling R, classic space opera
  2. Ixxa: Short and buzzing, for a hive scout
  3. Vrenn: A clipped growl, great for a bounty hunter
  4. Okkaru: Clicking K sounds suggest a beaked or shelled species
  5. Thessix: Sleek and sibilant, for a diplomat with secrets
  6. Yulvaan: Long vowels that feel slow, wise and ancient
  7. Kirrix: Chittering and quick, like an insect pilot
  8. Pzalo: A PZ opening no human language would choose
  9. Ulmekh: A guttural ending for a heavy-world warrior
  10. Zhaanu: Soft ZH and a gentle U, for a peaceful traveler
  11. Xyrrith: All sharp edges, for a menacing invader
  12. Torvaxi: Sounds like a starship engine warming up
  13. Eskelaar: Formal and stately, for a galactic senator
  14. Nnoba: A doubled N at the start feels truly alien
  15. Quillex: Spiky and bright, for a quick-witted engineer
  16. Vashtuun: Desert-dry and deep, for a nomad of the dunes
  17. Orrelik: Friendly and rolling, for a ship's medic
  18. Imbrax: Strong and blocky, for a space station dockworker
  19. Tzeko: A TZ opening that sounds like radio static
  20. Haluun: Floaty and calm, for a gas giant dweller
  21. Ozzrak: A snarling double Z, for a space pirate
  22. Merrikai: Bright and musical, for a starport singer

Alien names for girls

Original alien names for female characters, from starship captains to moon princesses.

  1. Zyvanna: Bright and buzzy, for a starship pilot
  2. Oolavi: Soft and round, like a gentle ocean world
  3. Kirrella: A clicking K with a sweet ending, for a curious scout
  4. Yxanna: A rare Y-X opening that looks like a code
  5. Pellucia: From pellucid, meaning clear enough to see through
  6. Thryssa: Shimmery and quick, for a telepath
  7. Nuvora: Feels like a newborn star, soft and glowing
  8. Yllix: Short and strange, with a mirrored double L
  9. Ulamee: Long vowels that hum when you say them
  10. Zenthia: Calm and wise, for an alien diplomat
  11. Orrelai: A rolling R and an airy finish
  12. Kessuri: Sweet and snappy, for a young navigator
  13. Lumiqa: Luminous, with an unexpected Q
  14. Vaelix: Elegant with a sharp sci-fi edge
  15. Seliqua: Silky with a surprising Q, for a moon princess
  16. Tzeyla: A crackly start and a lilting end, for a radio operator
  17. Miraxa: Echoes a real pulsing red giant star in Cetus
  18. Qisarra: A rare QI start, made for a starship captain
  19. Elowi: Light and airy, for a winged alien
  20. Sorrova: Graceful and a little sad, for a wandering poet

Alien names for boys

Original alien names for male characters, from emperors to friendly blobs.

  1. Krovaan: Deep and rumbling, for a warrior from a heavy planet
  2. Zethrik: Crackling with static, for a tech genius
  3. Oxxor: Reads the same both ways, like a code
  4. Tarrvok: Gruff and solid, for a mining colony foreman
  5. Quazzit: Quick and quirky, sounds like a spaceship part
  6. Belthuun: Long vowels that echo like a voice in a canyon
  7. Yrrex: A snarling double R for a tough mercenary
  8. Ommdar: A calm hum at the start and a firm finish
  9. Xalthor: Grand and old, for a galactic emperor
  10. Pruvek: Odd and earthy, for a botanist from beyond
  11. Drezzik: A buzzing double Z, for an insect-like hero
  12. Halvoon: Wobbly and warm, for a friendly giant
  13. Torrix: Twisting and strong, for a fighter pilot
  14. Nezzarin: Smooth and sly, for an interstellar trader
  15. Glorvaan: Big, bold and a little dramatic
  16. Eskarion: Polished, for an ambassador from a distant fleet
  17. Muuvik: A squishy double U, for a friendly blob
  18. Thraxx: Hard and short, like a laser blast
  19. Zebulox: Zany and bouncy, for a comic sidekick
  20. Okkavar: A clicking start for an alien with a beak

Alien species names

Invented names for whole alien races, each with a one-line idea to build on.

  1. Thessari: Graceful telepaths who speak in colors
  2. Vorrani: Proud, long-lived miners of a crystal world
  3. Quellin: Tiny, curious traders who love shiny things
  4. Turrakai: Shelled travelers who carry their homes on their backs
  5. Zhaal: Silent watchers who communicate by touch
  6. Mellivox: A singing species whose voices power their machines
  7. Draxxi: Armored warriors from a high-gravity planet
  8. Ulmeqi: Ocean dwellers who glow when they talk
  9. Pyrrhi: Fire-loving beings from a volcanic moon
  10. Kith'ra: Spiderlike weavers of living bridges
  11. Nimbari: Cloud floaters who never touch the ground
  12. Grovvak: Slow, gentle giants who farm asteroids
  13. Ixxen: Hive-minded insects with perfect manners
  14. Sollanth: Sun worshippers who sleep through every night
  15. Varrogh: Desert nomads with heat-proof scales
  16. Yuloi: Shy forest folk who see in ultraviolet
  17. Teqqari: Engineers who build ships from living coral
  18. Zirrith: Crystal beings who communicate by chiming
  19. Brellik: Cheerful amphibians who love long debates
  20. Plovvi: Round, rolling herbivores who graze on space moss

Insect and reptile alien names

Names that sound like clicking mandibles or a slow hiss. Each note says which kind of creature it suits.

  1. Kchitta: Insectoid; the K-CH start sounds like clicking mandibles
  2. Zzivra: Insectoid; a buzzing start for a winged drone
  3. Tikkarak: Insectoid; ticks and clacks like a beetle
  4. Chirrup: Insectoid; named for the sound it makes at dusk
  5. Klikkit: Insectoid; a soldier ant of the stars
  6. Mantiqua: Insectoid; a mantis-like queen with perfect posture
  7. Hivra: Insectoid; leader of a hive with a million voices
  8. Ssethra: Reptilian; a long hiss for a cold-blooded scholar
  9. Varrask: Reptilian; scaly, desert-born and proud
  10. Hissik: Reptilian; quick, small and always sunbathing
  11. Krellath: Reptilian; heavy-tailed guardian of a swamp world
  12. Sazzrek: Reptilian; a cunning lizard warlord
  13. Draggith: Reptilian; claims to be cousin to the dragons
  14. Gekkara: Reptilian; a wall-climbing spy from a jungle moon

Ocean and energy alien names

Names for aliens of the deep sea and beings made of pure light or plasma, several built on real words.

  1. Maraquo: Aquatic; from mare, the Latin word for sea
  2. Uulessa: Aquatic; a deep-sea singer who glows in the dark
  3. Pelloru: Aquatic; a squishy, cheerful reef dweller
  4. Thalassi: Aquatic; from thalassa, the Greek word for sea
  5. Glubbix: Aquatic; speaks only in bubbles
  6. Tentavo: Aquatic; eight arms and three hearts, like an octopus
  7. Hadaleen: Aquatic; from the hadal zone, the deepest ocean trenches
  8. Luxion: Energy being; from lux, the Latin word for light
  9. Pulsara: Energy being; flickers like a spinning neutron star
  10. Aurorix: Energy being; shimmers like the northern lights
  11. Ionyx: Energy being; built on ion, an electrically charged particle
  12. Quasari: Energy being; named for quasars, among the brightest objects known
  13. Photrix: Energy being; from photon, a single particle of light
  14. Plasmira: Energy being; made of plasma, often called the fourth state of matter

Alien leader names and titles

Rulers, captains and elders, each with a title that sets their rank.

  1. High Speaker Ixalor: Speaks for a council of a thousand worlds
  2. Empress Vaelithra: Rules a glittering empire from a ring station
  3. Grand Navigator Oruun: Charts every jump between the stars
  4. First Voice Quelli: Chosen to greet humanity, and very nervous about it
  5. Supreme Archivist Brennox: Keeps the memory of a vanished galaxy
  6. Hive Queen Thrikka: Mother of a billion buzzing workers
  7. Fleet Admiral Drevolk: Commands an armada of living ships
  8. The Eldest Pallu: Oldest living being in the known universe
  9. Ambassador Pellith: Brings gifts nobody on Earth understands
  10. Warlord Gaxxun: Conquered three moons before breakfast
  11. Chancellor Mirrovai: Runs the galactic senate with endless patience
  12. Prime Observer Uulo: Has studied Earth television for decades
  13. Matriarch Sseya: Leads a nest of serpent sages
  14. Sky-King Halvaro: Rules a planet of floating cities
  15. Keeper Oshvaal: Guards the gate between two galaxies

Alien homeworld names

Every alien needs a place to come from. For thousands more, try the planet name generator.

  1. Xelvarra Prime: Capital world of a sprawling star empire
  2. Quessar Minor: A small, cold moon with big ambitions
  3. Vellanthe: A garden planet with purple forests
  4. Ruunmar: A rust-red desert world with two suns
  5. Brakkos Six: Sixth planet out, home to tough miners
  6. Vexis Delta: A busy trade hub at the edge of a nebula
  7. Nembrosa: A misty swamp world lit by glowing fungi
  8. Zhaluun: An ocean planet with no land at all
  9. Orrenvale: Rolling grassy plains under a ringed sky
  10. Pyrrak: A volcanic world where rivers run with lava
  11. Glacivar: From glacies, Latin for ice, a frozen world
  12. Mellith: A crystal planet that rings when the wind blows
  13. Kaxxar: A fortress world carved into an asteroid
  14. Thulevan: Echoes Thule, the far north of ancient maps
  15. Iridax: A rainbow-banded gas giant, from iris, Greek for rainbow

Funny alien names

Silly names for comic aliens, costumes, party games and very confused visitors.

  1. Glorbert: Squishy, polite and always asking to see your leader
  2. Captain Blorbo: Commands a ship made entirely of jelly
  3. Gary from Mars: An ordinary office worker, technically interplanetary
  4. Area Fifty-Fun: Where aliens go on vacation
  5. Spacey Tracy: Always forgets which planet she parked on
  6. Zip Zorbleton: Fastest saucer in the sector, worst at parking
  7. Professor Wobbleton: A brilliant scientist who cannot stand still
  8. Little Green Gerald: Small, emerald-colored and very proud of his rocket
  9. Beep Boop Betty: Speaks only in robot noises, fluently
  10. Crop Circle Carl: Leaves art in every cornfield he visits
  11. U.F.Bro: Flies in sideways and calls everyone dude
  12. Saucer Sam: Drives the shiniest flying disc in town
  13. Tentacle Ted: Gives the best eight-armed hugs in the galaxy
  14. Lord Gloopington: Aristocratic, gelatinous and very fancy
  15. Space Cadet Steve: Means well, never lands on the right planet
  16. Grandpa Zorbo: Tells long stories about the Big Bang
  17. Stardust Stu: Sheds glitter wherever he goes
  18. Nebula Nancy: Head in the clouds, literally
  19. Squiggles from Sector Seven: Changes shape whenever someone tries to draw it
  20. Admiral Hiccup: Jumps a few feet through space whenever he gets the jitters
  21. Zappy McZapface: Named by a very enthusiastic public vote
  22. Pluto's Revenge: Still upset about the planet demotion of 2006

Cute alien names

Sweet names for plush aliens, kids' stories, pets and little green friends.

  1. Blipsy: Tiny and beeping, like a dot on a radar
  2. Zibbit: Quick and bouncy, for a hopping critter
  3. Moonbean: A sweet bean-shaped visitor from the moon
  4. Squishbit: Soft enough to squeeze, small enough to pocket
  5. Glimmie: Glows faintly when it is happy
  6. Oobie: Round, wobbly and impossible not to love
  7. Teeka: Short and chirpy, for a pocket-sized pal
  8. Starbun: A bunny-eared alien from a candy-colored star
  9. Fizzlet: Sparkles like soda when it giggles
  10. Wumble: Mumbles softly in its sleep
  11. Wobblepop: Jiggles and pops like a bubble
  12. Nubbin: Two little antennae and a huge smile
  13. Zoozle: Zooms around the room in loops
  14. Bippity: Bounces to its own private soundtrack
  15. Lulo: Gentle and sleepy, for a plush toy
  16. Quibble: Argues sweetly about absolutely everything
  17. Plinky: Makes a tiny plink sound when it lands

Real science terms for alien names

Real terms from astronomy and astrobiology, the science of life beyond Earth. They make clever names for an alien, a ship or a pet.

  1. LGM-1: Joking label for the first pulsar signal, detected in 1967
  2. Tardigrade: Tiny water bear that has survived exposure to open space
  3. Extremophile: Life that thrives in boiling, freezing or acidic places
  4. Panspermia: The idea that life could travel between worlds on rocks
  5. Biosignature: A chemical clue that living things may be present
  6. Technosignature: Any sign of alien technology, like a radio beacon
  7. Wow Signal: Strong radio burst caught by Ohio's Big Ear telescope in 1977
  8. Drake Equation: A radio astronomer's 1961 formula for estimating alien civilizations
  9. Fermi Paradox: If aliens are common, why have we not seen any?
  10. Arecibo: Puerto Rico telescope that beamed a message toward star cluster M13 in 1974
  11. Golden Record: Sounds and images of Earth carried by both Voyager probes
  12. Kardashev: Soviet astronomer who ranked civilizations by the energy they use
  13. Dyson Sphere: A physicist's 1960 idea for structures that capture a star's energy
  14. Exomoon: A moon orbiting a planet beyond our solar system
  15. Archaea: Ancient single-celled life, some living in boiling hot springs
  16. Pioneer Plaque: Engraved greeting on two NASA probes launched in 1972 and 1973

How to pick the right name

Match the sound to the body

Clicking K and T sounds suit insects, long hisses suit reptiles, and soft vowels suit ocean dwellers or gentle giants. The name should hint at what the alien looks like.

Break English rules on purpose

Letter pairs English rarely uses, such as zh, xx, tz or a doubled vowel, make a name feel foreign right away. One unusual pair is enough.

Keep it sayable

If readers cannot guess how to say it, they will skip over it. Try the name out loud three times before you commit.

Name the homeworld too

A planet name like Ruunmar or Vellanthe gives your alien a history. Species and planet names that share a sound feel like they belong together.

Alien names: 195 ideas from Nomezo

Save this list for later

Pin it to a naming board, or tap the heart next to any name to keep it in your favorites on this device.

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Frequently asked questions

What are good alien names for girls?

Zyvanna, Pellucia, Nuvora, Seliqua and Kessuri are original picks with a graceful sci-fi sound. For something cute, try Glimmie or Starbun.

What are some funny alien names?

Captain Blorbo, Gary from Mars, Crop Circle Carl, Lord Gloopington and Pluto's Revenge are all good for a laugh. Pairing an ordinary first name with something cosmic, like Nebula Nancy, almost always works.

How do you make an alien name sound alien?

Use letter pairs that are rare in English, such as zh, xx, qi or tz, add a doubled vowel or an apostrophe, and end on an unusual sound. Then say it aloud to make sure people can still pronounce it.

What was the Wow signal?

It was a strong, narrow radio signal picked up by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope on August 15, 1977. Astronomer Jerry Ehman circled it on the printout and wrote Wow!, and it has never been detected again.

Have scientists found real aliens?

No. No life has been confirmed beyond Earth, but scientists search for biosignatures on other planets and moons and listen for technosignatures such as artificial radio signals.

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