Sci-fi baby names are about much more than wacky inventions and unpronounceable alien words. In fact, some of the most memorable science fiction characters have very ordinary, classic names. Think Luke Skywalker, James T. Kirk, Sarah Connor, Amy Pond.

　　Other sci-fi names are more unconventional, whether they’re long-neglected gems, newly-minted names, or come from sources like classical mythology and international languages. Many parents also love these styles, so it’s no surprise that sci-fi characters have influenced baby names.

　　One example is Trinity. In the 1990s this name began to creep up in popularity, but after The Matrix came out in 1999, Trinity shot up from 400 girls to 4000 girls in two years, a forerunner of the trend for modern Christian names.

　　It was a similar story for Logan when the first X-Men film was released: Hugh Jackman’s character boosted a name that was already rising.

　　For the right name, parents are willing to take a gamble on brand new names, even before they know if the character will turn out to be good and bad. That’s what happened with Star Wars villain name Kylo, which rose from virtually nothing, to being given to over 200 boys the year after The Force Awakens was released.

　　If you’re looking for a name that nods to sci-fi, this list is for you. We’ve chosen a wide variety of names and styles from some of the most popular shows, films and books. They range from subtle sci-fi references to ones that scream out “my parents are Trekkies”, and would all fit into today’s naming landscape.

Our Top 100 Sci-Fi baby names

　　Alia — Dune

　　Amelia — Doctor Who

　　Anakin — Star Wars

　　Apollo — Battlestar Galactica

　　Archer — Star Trek

　　Ariadne — Inception

　　Arthur — The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

　　Astrid — Fringe

　　Atreyu — The Neverending Story

　　Ayala — Star Trek

　　Bastian — The Neverending Story

　　Ben — Star Wars

　　Bernard — Westworld

　　Bodhi — Star Wars

　　Boomer — Battlestar Galactica

　　Bowman — 2001: A Space Odyssey

　　Cassian — Star Wars

　　Castor — Orphan Black

　　Clara — Doctor Who

　　Cosima — Orphan Black

　　Damaya — The Fifth Season

　　Deckard — Blade Runner

　　Delphine — Orphan Black

　　Duncan — Dune

　　Eames — Inception

　　Eleven — Stranger Things

　　Elliott — E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

　　Emmett — Back to the Future

　　Ender — Ender’s Game

　　Evie — Orphan Black

　　Felix — Orphan Black

　　Finn — Star Wars

　　Fisher — Star Wars

　　Fox — The X-Files

　　Freya — Stargate

　　Gaius — Battlestar Galactica

　　Geordi — Star Trek

　　Gordon — Flash Gordon

　　Helena — Orphan Black

　　Hermes — Futurama

　　Ianto — Torchwood

　　Ira — Orphan Black

　　Isaac — Isaac Asimov, author

　　Jack — Doctor Who

　　Janek — Prometheus

　　Jaylah — Star Trek

　　Jean-Luc — Star Trek

　　Jetson — The Jetsons

　　Jonas — Stargate

　　Joss — writer Joss Whedon

　　Kaylee — Firefly

　　Khan — Star Trek

　　Kira — Star Trek, Orphan Black

　　Kirk — Star Trek

　　Korben — The Fifth Element

　　Kylo — Star Wars

　　Lando — Star Wars

　　Leela — Doctor Who, Futurama

　　Leia — Star Wars

　　Leland — Star Trek

　　Logan — X-Men

　　Luke — Star Wars

　　Mace — Star Wars

　　Malcolm — Firefly

　　Maxine — Stranger Things

　　Mika — Orphan Black

　　Monty — Firefly

　　Morpheus — The Matrix

　　Nalo — author Nalo Hopkinson

　　Neo — The Matrix

　　Nova — Guardians of the Galaxy

　　Nyota — Star Trek

　　Octavia — author Octavia Estelle Butler

　　Poe — Star Wars

　　Quill — Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men

　　Rey — Star Wars

　　Ridley — director Ridley Scott

　　Ripley — Alien

　　River — Firefly, Doctor Who

　　Rory — Doctor Who

　　Rose — Doctor Who

　　Rudy — Orphan Black

　　Shepherd — Firefly

　　Solo — Star Wars

　　Stark — Farscape, Iron Man

　　Tanith — Stargate; author Tanith Lee

　　Terra — common sci-fi name for planet Earth

　　Tiberius — Star Trek

　　Trinity — The Matrix

　　Ursula — author Ursula K. Le Guin

　　Vala — Stargate

　　Vina — Star Trek

　　Wade — X-Men

　　Winry — Fullmetal Alchemist

　　Xavier — X-Men

　　Xena — Xena: Warrior Princess

　　Yusuf — Inception

　　Zhora — Blade Runner

　　Zoe — Firefly, Caprica, Doctor Who

　　Find even more inspiration on our list of Sci-Fi Baby Names.

About the Author

Clare Green

　　Clare Green has been writing for Nameberry since 2015, covering everything from names peaking right now to feminist baby names, and keeping up-to-date with international baby name rankings. Her work has featured in publications such as The Independent and HuffPost. Clare has a background in linguistics and librarianship, and recently completed an MA dissertation researching names in multilingual families. She lives in England with her husband and son. You can reach her at [email protected]

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