When it comes to naming babies, we can all do worse than finding inspiration by looking above to the heavens, right? Babies named for heavenly bodies are taking their namesake from something as eternal as eternal can be — so no matter how unusual the name, it's a reference that simply can't go out of style because it's about the heavens. This makes it about as close to the opposite of these "28 Baby Names That Parents Will Likely Regret in a Few Years" as possible. How can something that's been in the sky for all that time be out of fashion? Besides, so many of the names for heavenly bodies are derived from really classic sources such as William Shakespeare plays, Alexander Pope poems, and other works of great literature, we can't really imagine any of them becoming not extremely cool.
For moms who are looking to find a specific star, sun, moon, planet, or satellite-related baby name, we definitely recommend also checking out these 50 Baby Names Based on Astronomy, which will no doubt satisfy the *Scientific American-*reading crowd (among which we definitely count ourselves a part). And for moms looking for a little nature inspiration that may not come directly from the heavens, we recommend 20 Nature-Inspired Baby Names for Earthy Moms. Those interested in names of all stripes that are stunning and less typical should read 21 Beautiful but Forgotten Baby Girl Names From the Roaring '20s, which will definitely introduce moms to names they hadn't heard of before (or had read once but forgotten). Anyone who wants a baby name that's as classic as the stars — without necessarily being inspired by them — should check out 92 Classic Names That Will Still Be in Style When Your Baby Turns 60.
Estelle
Of French origin, Estelle is a girl's name that literally means "star," so it doesn't really get more space-related than that! Variations include "Stella," "Estella," and "Estrella," and we think they're all equally lovely.
Holmes
Holmes isn't just the name of a famous detective — it's also a periodic comet in our solar system! Discovered in 1892 by British astronomer Edwin Holmes, it's normally very faint but is occasionally visible to the naked eye. We think it's a great name for a boy.
Leo
Leo is one of the zodiac constellations, and it's visible between Virgo and Cancer. However, we think astronomy fans certainly don't have to consider the astrological sign implications here — a baby doesn't have to be born a Leo to really live up to the name, which is Latin for "lion."
Portia
Portia is a Shakespearean name, and it's the protagonist of Shakespear's play Merchant of Venice. All of the moons of Uranus are named after Shakespeare or Pope characters, and all of them are distinctive names. We love Portia for a girl.
Europa
Europa is a moon of Jupiter, originally a Greek name stemming from ancient Greek mythology. Europa was a Phoenician princess who was kidnapped by Zeus. It works well as a name for a baby girl.
Helene
Helene is the name of a moon of Saturn. It was named after the tremendous beauty Helen of Troy. The Voyager flybys in the 1980s provided the first close looks at Helene, one of the four tTojan moons, which are unique in the Saturn orbit.
Juliet
Juliet is, naturally, a Shakespearean name from Romeo and Juliet, which is how it came to name a moon of Uranus. It's a classic, romantic girls' name, so it won't go out of style any time soon.
Halley
Halley is the name of the famous comet, and with its unusual spelling — most children with the name spell it "Hailey" or "Haley" — it'll be relatively unusual. Although it's more traditionally a name for a girl, it works just as well for a boy.
Orion
Orion is the name of the best-known constellations in the night sky — nearly everybody can pick out Orion's Belt. Although it's an unusual name, we absolutely love it for either a girl or a boy, and it will almost certainly be the only Orion in the class.
Lyra
Lyra is the name of a constellation in the northern sky, representing a lyre, which is a stringed musical instrument that was more common generations ago. It's a beautiful name for a baby girl, we think.
Corvus
Corvus is a small constellation in the southern celestial memisphere. The name means "raven" or "crow," in Latin, and it's an unusual name that we think would be very handsome, especially for a baby boy.
Luna
Luna is Latin for the moon, and it's also a relatively popular baby name for girls. We think it's a gorgeous way to invoke the night sky in the baby's name while still being accessible (and not freaking out the grandparents).
Alya
Alya is the name of a binary star that flickers pale and gold yellow. It's visible between two branches of the Milky Way Galaxy. It's also similar to the Arabic name "Aliyah," which is a really beautiful girls' name.
Bianca
Bianca is another name of a moon of Uranus that takes its original inspiration from a Shakespeare character. And what's better than being named after a moon and a character in Othello? This way, if there's a science-y parent and a literature-focused parent, each can be pleased.
Callisto
Callisto is the name of the second-largest moon of Jupiter — only Ganymede is bigger — and it's also the third-largest moon in the solar system. Originally discovered by Galileo and named after a Greek nymph, Callisto is a name any girl or boy would be lucky to have.
Janus
Janus is the name of a moon of Saturn, named after the two-faced Roman God Janus. It was discovered in 1966. It's also a cool alternate spelling for the name Janice, which means "God is gracious."
Altair
Altair is the name of a faraway star in the constellation Aquila. It's the brightest star in the constellation, visible in the northern summer sky, and partially forms the Summer Triangle. We think it's a really cool name for a baby boy.
Aquila
Aquila is the Latin word for "eagle" and is the name of a constellation on the celestial equator. This was named for the bird who carried Zeus's thunderbolts in both Greek and Roman mythology. The name works for a boy or for a girl.
Terra
Terra, originally "Terra Mater," is Latin for "Mother Earth," a goddess from the ancient Roman pantheon. Although the Earth is itself a heavenly body, Terra is also the name of a multinational NASA satellite that's orbiting the planet.
Belinda
Belinda is the name of a moon of Uranus, named after the heroine of a poem by Pope. It belongs to the "Portia group of satellites," which has to be the name of a girl band somewhere. Belinda is an apt name for a sweet little girl.
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