So I'm working on a science fiction mecha-based series, which is my own envisioning of a Gundam series. I've just had a decently hard time in finding realistic names for space colonies, most importantly the first space colony built by the Earthnoids.
Is is in real Earth's future, or is it some other world of your own creation? If it is future Earth, then re-using names of places here and adding "New" to the beginning seems a good choice. It's what we generally do. If it isn't Earth, then you can still use that concept, just with the made up places from your home planet. Without knowing more about your story, that's all the advice I have for you. Good luck.
Look at the way early colonies or settlements were named in the past: Some were named after cities and towns from back home: New York, Cambridge, Hull, etc. Some, like Georgetown or Georgia, were named for royalty or government leaders. Some, like Hudson or Pennsylvania (Penn's Woods) were named for explorers. Stiil others were named for features of the land: Bridgetown, Florida, Marshfield. Some were named as expressions of ideals: Providence, La Paz (the Peace). These are all applicable to naming colonies on other planets.
It can also be named like the newly discovered stars are named today.... like for example I just read in the paper today the discovery of the largest star named R136a1 located in the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Or, you can use the name of the new world and simply assign a number... for example Mars colonies can be named Mars-8001, Mars-8002.
Just as previous new worlds were named after the companies which funded the settlers, so too will future new worlds. And who will fund them? The Microsoft System, of course!
Hm.. oh, it's based around Earth's future with Earthnoid-built space colones (@ King Hawk), with the series set in SCE 108 (108 years after the first space colony was built) with XXX total human population. I was thinking of New.. and combining it with some astronomers. I have one colony already down, New Sydney (which is the setting for one of the events that leads to a war between the colonies and Earth). Thanks Cogito! Probably will name some after prominent world leaders, depending on the colony's purpose (since they'll be varying in their main focus': agriculture, residential colony, industrial, etc. etc.). Colonizing the moon's partially easy, considering all the craters are already named on the moon. Though, finding strategic areas on the moon to place them is a bit harder. <_< Oh, and I really like Manay's suggestion for Mars, considering there'll be a small portion of humanity on, and around (in space colonies), Mars; the entire region named the Outer Sphere. Curious on the named after companies.. never heard of that, lol. You mean like the East India Company or, something like that in the colonial era?
Well, think of Virginia company & Virginia. Think of every New ____ in America, or the wealth of ports along the African cape. All names after that which funded the colonisations, or controlled the settles, or in homage to those that felt they owed a debt. By the time we colonise planets, there may actually be a Google Earth.
And the plaque reads: In memory of the 4 brave space explorers who first crashed into the cloudy mountains of ****.
Haha, I'd love to take a visit to the Virgin Mobile planet...it'd probably be so expensive only celebs could stay -.-'' (complete with hot air balloons and private islands) I agree with the idea of having "official" names and "slang" names. For example, give a planet a basic number ID (something logical, like if it was in X system B nebula be like XB001), but then have them name it after something significant in the forming of the planet. As others have said, company names, prominent leaders, etc... Create the lore of the planet and a name will come. And it doesn't have to be a name the settlers like either >
