Want a stellar baby name?

You could start by looking at baby names that mean "star." Examples include Citlali (Nahuatl), Estelle (French), Hoshi (Japanese), Nthanda (Tumbuka), Seren (Welsh), Stella (Latin), Whetu (Maori), and Yildiz (Turkish).

You could also look directly into the night sky for inspiration--either at specific stars or at entire constellations. To start you off, here are two dozen star names (plus their meanings, and the constellations in which they're located):

• Adhara - from Arabic 'adara, "virgins" - Canis Major


• Aldebaran - from Arabic al-dabaran, "the follower" - Taurus


• Altair - from Arabic an-nasr at-ta'ir, "the flying eagle" - Aquila


• Aludra - from Arabic al-'adra, "the virgin" - Canis Major


• Antares - Latin for "holds against Ares [a.k.a. Mars]" - Scorpio


• Azha - from Arabic asiyane, "the [ostrich] nest" - Eridanus


• Deneb - from Arabic dhanab ad-dajajah, "tail of the hen" - Cygnus


• Denebola - from Arabic danab al-asad, "tail of the lion" - Leo


• Hamal - from Arabic al-hamal, "the ram/sheep" - Aires


• Kastra - Latin for "military camp" - Capricorn


• Meissa - from Arabic al-maisan, "the shining one" - Orion


• Nash - from Arabic al-nasl, "arrowhead' - Sagittarius


• Nashira - from Arabic, possibly meaning "bearer of good news" - Capricorn


• Nunki - from Assyrian, of unknown meaning - Sagittarius


• Polaris - Latin for "polar star" - Ursa Major


• Rana - Latin for "frog" - Eridanus


• Rigel - from Arabic al-rijl, "the foot" - Orion


• Shaula - from Arabic al-sawla, "the raised [tail]" - Scorpio


• Sheratan - from Arabic al-sharatan, "the two signs" - Aires


• Sirius - Latin for "burning" - Canis Major


• Sirrah - from Arabic sirra al-faras, "navel of the horse" - Andromeda


• Suhail - from Arabic al-suhail al wazn, "the bright [star] of the weight" - Vela


• Thuban - from Arabic thu'ban, "the basilisk" - Draco


• Vega - from Arabic an-nasr al-waqi, "the falling eagle" - Lyra

Of the constellation names above, Leo and Orion are the ones most commonly used as baby names. Other constellation names you could consider (and their Latin definitions) include: Auriga (charioteer), Carina (keel), Corvus (raven/crow) and Norma (right angle).