ADHARAfAstronomy Derived from Arabic عذارى ('adhara) meaning "maidens". This is the name of the second brightest star (after Sirius) in the constellation Canis Major.
ALCYONEfGreek Mythology (Latinized) Latinized form of Greek Ἀλκυόνη (Alkyone), derived from the word ἀλκυών (alkyon) meaning "kingfisher". In Greek myth this name belonged to a daughter of Aeolus and the wife of Ceyx. After her husband was killed in a shipwreck she threw herself into the water, but the gods saved her and turned them both into kingfishers. This is also the name of the brightest of the Pleiades, the seven stars in the constellation Taurus.
ALUDRAfAstronomy Derived from Arabic العذرا (al-'adhra) meaning "the maiden". This is the name of a star in the constellation Canis Major.
ANTARESmAstronomy From Greek Ἀντάρης (Antares), traditionally said to mean "opposing ARES". This is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius.
ARISTAfAstronomy Means "ear of corn" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.
ARUNDHATIfHinduism, Indian, Hindi The name of a star (also called Alcor), which was named after a type of climbing plant, possibly meaning "not restrained" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief it is the name of the sage Vasishtha's wife, who is identified with the star.
ASTRAfEnglish (Rare) Means "star", ultimately from Greek ἀστήρ (aster). This name has only been (rarely) used since the 20th century.
ASTRAEAfGreek Mythology (Latinized) Latinized form of the Greek Ἀστραία (Astraia), derived from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star". Astraea was a Greek goddess of justice and innocence. After wickedness took root in the world she left the earth and became the constellation Virgo.
ASTROPHELmLiterature Probably intended to mean "star lover", from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star" and φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This name was first used by the 16th-century poet Sir Philip Sidney in his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella.
AYELETfHebrew Means "doe, female deer, gazelle". It is taken from the Hebrew phrase אַיֶלֶת הַשַׁחַר ('ayelet hashachar), literally "gazelle of dawn", which is a name of the morning star.
BELLATRIXfAstronomy Means "female warrior" in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.
BETELGEUSEmAstronomy The name of the star that marks the right shoulder of the constellation Orion. It is derived from Arabic يد الجوزا (yad al-Jawza) meaning "the hand of Jawza". جوزا (Jawza) meaning "central one" was the old Arabic name for the constellation Orion (also for Gemini).
CARINA (1)fEnglish, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Late Roman Late Latin name derived from cara meaning "dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of Jason's ship the Argo.
CASTORmGreek Mythology (Latinized) From the Greek name Κάστωρ (Kastor), possibly related to κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" (pluperfect κέκαστο). Alternatively it could be derived from the Greek word κάστωρ (kastor) meaning "beaver", though the legends about Castor do not mention beavers, which were foreign animals to the Greeks. In Greek myth Castor was a son of Zeus and the twin brother of Pollux. The constellation Gemini, which represents the two brothers, contains a star by this name.
COSMOmItalian, English Italian variant of COSIMO. It was introduced to Britain in the 18th century by the second Scottish Duke of Gordon, who named his son and successor after his friend Cosimo III de' Medici.
DANICAfSerbian, Croatian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, English From a Slavic word meaning "morning star, Venus". This name occurs in Slavic folklore as a personification of the morning star. It has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world since the 1970s.
DARA (2)f & mKhmer Means "star" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit.
DENEBmAstronomy Derived from Arabic ذنب (dhanab) meaning "tail". This is the name of a star in the constellation Cygnus.
ESTELLAfEnglish Latinate form of ESTELLE. This was the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860).
ESTHERfEnglish, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek Possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess ISHTAR. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.... [more]
HŌKŪLANIfHawaiian Means "heavenly star" from Hawaiian hōkū "star" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
KALLISTOfGreek Mythology, Ancient Greek Derived from Greek κάλλιστος (kallistos) meaning "most beautiful", a derivative of καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful". In Greek mythology Kallisto was a nymph who was loved by Zeus. She was changed into a she-bear by Hera, and subsequently became the Great Bear constellation. This was also an ancient Greek personal name.
MAIA (1)fGreek Mythology, Roman Mythology, Portuguese, Georgian From Greek μαῖα (maia) meaning "good mother, dame, foster mother", perhaps in origin a nursery form of μήτηρ (meter). In Greek and Roman mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, the group of seven stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Her son by Zeus was Hermes.
MARISfEnglish (Rare) Means "of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".
MARISTELAfSpanish, Portuguese From the title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea" in Latin. It can also be a combination of MARÍA and ESTELA.
OURANIAfGreek Mythology Derived from Greek οὐράνιος (ouranios) meaning "heavenly". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of astronomy and astrology, one of the nine Muses.
POLLUXmRoman Mythology Roman form of Greek Πολυδεύκης (Polydeukes) meaning "very sweet", from Greek πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and δευκής (deukes) meaning "sweet". In mythology he was the twin brother of Castor and a son of Zeus. The constellation Gemini, which represents the two brothers, contains a star by this name.
QUETZALCOATLmAztec and Toltec Mythology Means "feathered snake" in Nahuatl, derived from quetzalli "feather" and coatl "snake". In Aztec and other Mesoamerican mythology he was the god of the sky, wind, and knowledge, also associated with the morning star. According to one legend he created the humans of this age using the bones of humans from the previous age and adding his own blood.
RIGELmAstronomy Derived from Arabic الرجل (al-Rijl) meaning "foot". This is the name of the star that forms the left foot of the constellation Orion.
SEONG-JINmKorean From Sino-Korean 成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or 星 (seong) meaning "star, planet" combined with 鎭 (jin) meaning "town, marketplace" or 震 (jin) meaning "shake, tremor, excite". Other hanja character combinations are also possible.
STELLA (1)fEnglish, Italian, Dutch, German Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Sir Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.
STERLINGmEnglish From a Scottish surname that was derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning. The name can also be given in reference to the English word sterling meaning "excellent". In this case, the word derives from sterling silver, which was so named because of the emblem that some Norman coins bore, from Old English meaning "little star".
SUHAILmArabic, Urdu Derived from Arabic سَهُلَ (sahula) meaning "level, even". This is the Arabic name of the second brightest star in the sky, known in the western world as Canopus.
TANITHfSemitic Mythology Derived from Semitic roots meaning "serpent lady". This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of Ba'al Hammon.
TARIQmArabic Means "he who knocks at the door" in Arabic. This is the Arabic name of the morning star. Tariq ibn Ziyad was the Islamic general who conquered Spain for the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century.
VENUSfRoman Mythology Means "love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. As the mother of Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.