Mercury
| Catenae | Radio telescope facilities |
| Craters | Artists, musicians, painters, and authors who have made outstanding or fundamental contributions to their field and have been recognized as art historically significant figures for more than 50 years |
| Dorsa | Scientists who have contributed to the study of Mercury |
| Faculae | Word for "snake" in various languages |
| Fossae | Significant works of architecture |
| Montes | Word for "hot" in various languages |
| Planitiae, plana | Names for Mercury (either the planet or the god) in various languages |
| Rupēs | Ships of discovery or scientific expeditions |
| Valles | Abandoned cities (or towns or settlements) of antiquity |
Venus
| Astra | Goddesses, miscellaneous |
| Chasmata | Goddesses of hunt; moon goddesses |
| Colles | Sea goddesses |
| Coronae | Fertility and earth goddesses |
| Craters | Women who have made outstanding or fundamental contributions to their field (over 20 km); Common female first names (under 20 km) |
| Dorsa | Sky goddesses |
| Farra | Water goddesses |
| Fluctūs | Goddesses, miscellaneous |
| Fossae | Goddesses of war |
| Labyrinthi | Goddesses, miscellaneous |
| Lineae | Goddesses of war |
| Montes | Goddesses, miscellaneous (also one physicist) |
| Paterae | Famous women |
| Planitiae | Mythological heroines |
| Plana | Goddesses of prosperity |
| Regiones | Giantesses and Titanesses (also two Greek alphanumeric) |
| Rupēs | Goddesses of hearth and home |
| Tesserae | Goddesses of fate and fortune |
| Terrae | Goddesses of love |
| Tholi | Goddesses, miscellaneous |
| Undae | Desert goddesses |
| Valles | Word for planet Venus in various world languages (400 km and longer); River goddesses (less than 400 km in length) |
The Moon
Note: During the 360-year history of lunar nomenclature, various names were given that do not conform to the present naming scheme, including the special action of 1970 to commemorate six astronauts and six cosmonauts while they were still living. The themes below will be followed for future naming with adherence to the current IAU Rules and Conventions (https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Rules).
| Craters | Scientists, engineers, and explorers, as well as other persons connected with astronomy, planetary, or space research who have made outstanding or fundamental contributions to their field. Russian cosmonauts are commemorated by craters in and around Mare Moscoviense. American astronauts are commemorated by craters in and around the crater Apollo. Appropriate locations will be provided in the future for other space-faring nations. First names are used for small craters of special interest. |
| Lacūs, maria, paludes, sinūs, and oceani | Latin terms describing weather and other abstract concepts |
| Montes | Terrestrial mountain ranges, nearby craters, and scientists who have made outstanding or fundamental contributions to their fields |
| Rupēs, valles | Nearby craters or other landforms |
| Dorsa | Geoscientists |
| Catenae and rimae | Nearby craters |
| Satellite Features | Craters lettered after nearby prominent named craters |
Mars and Martian Satellites
Mars
| Albedo Features | Names from classical mythology assigned by Schiaparelli and Antoniadi |
| Large craters (approximately 50 km and larger) | Scientists, especially those who have contributed significantly to the study of Mars; writers and others who have contributed to the lore of Mars |
| Small craters (approximately 50 km and smaller) | Small towns and villages of the world with populations of approximately 100,000 or less. This category is simply a large source of crater names. No commemoration of specific towns or villages is intended. |
| Smaller features within a larger named feature | The normal naming convention shall be suspended and instead their names shall be chosen so that they bear a mnemonic relationship to the given name of the larger feature, followed by the appropriate descriptor term (crater, cavus, patera, etc.). |
| Large valles | Name for Mars/star in various languages |
| Small valles | Classical or modern names of rivers |
| Other features | From a nearby named albedo feature on Schiaparelli or Antoniadi maps. If no nearby albedo feature name is available, then from a nearby named crater. |
Deimos
Authors who wrote about martian satellites
Phobos
Scientists involved with the discovery, dynamics, or properties of the martian satellites, and people and places from Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"
Satellites of Jupiter
Amalthea
People and places associated with the Amalthea myth
Thebe
People and places associated with the Thebe myth
Io
| Active eruptive centers | Fire, sun, thunder, and volcano gods and heroes |
| Catenae | Sun gods |
| Fluctūs | Name derived from nearby named feature, or fire, sun, thunder, volcano gods, goddesses and heroes, or mythical blacksmiths |
| Mensae | People associated with Io myth, people from Dante's Inferno, or derived from a nearby named feature |
| Montes | Places associated with Io myth, places from Dante's Inferno, or derived from a nearby named feature |
| Paterae | Fire, sun, thunder, volcano gods, heroes, goddesses, mythical blacksmiths, including names from the associated eruptive center |
| Plana | Places associated with Io myth, places from Dante's Inferno, or derived from a nearby named feature |
| Regiones | Places associated with Io myth, places from Dante's Inferno, or derived from a nearby named feature |
| Tholi | People associated with Io myth, people from Dante's Inferno, or derived from a nearby named feature |
| Valles | Named derived from nearby named feature |
Europa
| Chaos and cavi | Places associated with Celtic myths |
| Craters and mensae | Celtic gods and heroes |
| Flexūs | Places associated with the Europa myth, or Celtic stone rows |
| Large ringed features | Celtic stone circles |
| Lineae and fossae | People associated with the Europa myth, or Celtic stone rows |
| Maculae | Places associated with the Europa myth |
| Regiones | Places associated with Celtic myths |
Ganymede
| Catenae | Gods and heroes of ancient Fertile Crescent people |
| Craters | Gods and heroes of ancient Fertile Crescent people |
| Faculae | Places associated with Egyptian myths |
| Fossae | Gods (or principals) of ancient Fertile Crescent people |
| Paterae | Dry wadis (channels) of the Fertile Crescent region |
| Regiones | Astronomers who discovered Jovian satellites |
| Sulci | Places associated with myths of ancient people |
Callisto
Names are drawn from myths and folktales of cultures of the Far North such as Norse, Chukchi, Inuit, Sami, etc.
| Catenae | Rivers, valleys, and ravines from myths and folktales of cultures of the Far North |
| Craters | Characters from myths and folktales of cultures of the Far North |
| Faculae | Gods and characters of frost, snow, cold, and sleet from myths and folktales of cultures of the Far North |
| Large ringed features | Places (other than rivers, valleys and ravines) from myths and folktales of cultures of the Far North |
Satellites of Saturn
Janus
People from myth of Castor and Pollux (twins)
Epimetheus
People from myth of Castor and Pollux (twins)
Mimas
| Craters | People from Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur legends (Baines translation), also one crater named for the discoverer of Mimas |
| Chasmata | Places from Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur legends (Baines translation), and places from Greek myths about giants (Mimas was named for a giant) |
Enceladus
People and places from Burton's Arabian Nights
Tethys
People and places from Homer's Odyssey
Dione
People and places from Virgil's Aeneid
Rhea
People and places from creation myths (with Asian emphasis)
Titan
| Albedo features, terrae | Sacred or enchanted places, paradise, or celestial realms from legends, myths, stories, and poems of cultures from around the world |
| Colles | Names of characters from Middle-earth, the fictional setting in fantasy novels by English author J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) |
| Craters and ringed features | Gods and goddesses of wisdom |
| Facula and faculae |
Facula: Names of islands on Earth that are not politically independent Faculae: Names of archipelagos |
| Fluctūs | Gods and goddesses of beauty |
| Flumina | Names of mythical or imaginary rivers |
| Freta | Names of characters from the Foundation series of science fiction novels by American author Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) |
| Insulae | Names of islands from legends and myths |
| Lacūs and lacunae | Lakes on Earth, preferably with a shape similar to the lacus or lacuna on Titan |
| Maria | Sea creatures from myth and literature |
| Montes | Names of mountains and peaks from Middle-earth, the fictional setting in fantasy novels by English author J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) |
| Other features (maculae, regiones, paterae, and arcūs) | Deities of happiness, peace, and harmony from world cultures |
| Planitiae and labyrinthi | Names of planets from the Dune series of science fiction novels by American author Frank Herbert (1920 - 1986) |
| Sinūs | Names of terrestrial bays, coves, fjords or other inlets |
| Undae | Gods and goddesses of wind |
| Virgae | Gods and goddesses of rain |
Hyperion
Sun and Moon deities
Iapetus
People and places from Sayers' translation of Chanson de Roland (For craters, French names are generally used in the bright areas, and Saracen names are generally used in the dark areas)
Phoebe
| Craters | People associated with Phoebe, people from the Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius and Valerius Flaccus |
| Other features | Places from the Argonautica |
Satellites of Uranus
Puck
Mischievous (Pucklike) spirits (class)
Miranda
Characters, places from Shakespeare's plays
Ariel
Light spirits (individual and class)
Umbriel
Dark spirits (individual)
Titania
Female Shakespearean characters, places
Oberon
Shakespearean tragic heroes and places
Small Satellites
Heroines from Shakespeare and Pope
Satellites of Neptune
Proteus
Water-related spirits, gods, goddesses (excluding Greek and Roman names)
Triton
Aquatic names, excluding Roman and Greek. Possible categories include worldwide aquatic spirits, terrestrial fountains or fountain locations, terrestrial aquatic features, terrestrial geysers or geyser locations, terrestrial islands.
Nereid
Individual nereids
Small Satellites
Gods and goddesses associated with Neptune/Poseidon mythology or generic mythological aquatic beings
Pluto and Plutonian Satellites
Pluto
| Faculae, labyrinthi, maculae, and sulci | Gods, goddesses, and other beings associated with the Underworld from mythology, folklore and literature |
| Cavi, dorsa, lacūs, and paterae | Names for the Underworld and for Underworld locales from mythology, folklore and literature |
| Fluctūs, fossae, and valles | Heroes and other explorers of the Underworld |
| Craters and regiones | Scientists and engineers associated with Pluto and the Kuiper Belt |
| Colles, lineae, planitiae, and terrae | Pioneering space missions and spacecraft |
| Montes, paludes, rupēs | Historic pioneers who crossed new horizons in the exploration of the Earth, sea and sky |
Charon
| Maculae, plana, planitiae, and terrae | Destinations and milestones of fictional space and other exploration |
| Chasmata | Fictional and mythological vessels of space and other exploration |
| Craters | Fictional and mythological voyagers, travelers and explorers |
| Montes and dorsa | Authors and artists associated with space exploration, especially Pluto and the Kuiper Belt |
Styx
River gods
Nix
Deities of the night
Kerberos
Dogs from literature, mythology and history
Hydra
Legendary serpents and dragons
Asteroids
(1) Ceres
| Craters | Gods and goddesses of agriculture and vegetation from world mythology |
| Other features | Names of agricultural festivals of the world |
(4) Vesta
| Craters | Names historically associated with the Roman goddess Vesta (vestal virgins, people associated with vestal virgins) and famous Roman women. Approved names are not meant to commemorate individuals, but merely as names for surface features. |
| Regiones | Discoverer of Vesta, and scientists who have contributed to the exploration and study of Vesta |
| Other features | Places and festivals associated with vestal virgins |
(21) Lutetia
| Craters | Cities of the Roman Empire and adjacent parts of Europe at the time of Lutetia (52 BC - 360 AD) |
| Regiones | Discoverer of Lutetia, and provinces of the Roman Empire at the time of Lutetia |
| Other features | Rivers of the Roman Empire and adjacent parts of Europe at the time of Lutetia |
(243) Ida
| Craters | Caverns and grottos of the world |
| Dorsa | Galileo project participants |
| Regiones | Discoverer of Ida and places associated with the discoverer |
(243) Ida I Dactyl
| Craters | Idaean dactyls |
(253) Mathilde
| Craters | Coal fields and basins of the world |
(433) Eros
| Craters | Mythological and legendary names of an erotic nature |
| Regiones | Discoverers of Eros |
| Dorsa | Scientists who have contributed to the exploration and study of Eros |
(951) Gaspra
| Craters | Spas of the world |
| Regiones | Discoverer of Gaspra, and Galileo project participants |
(2867) Steins
| Craters | Names of gemstones |
| Regio | Discoverer of Steins |
| Other features | Places associated with gemstones |
(25143) Itokawa
| All feature types | Places and features associated with astronautics and planetary sciences |
(65803) Didymos and Dimorphos
| All feature types | Percussion musical instruments |
(101955) Bennu
| All feature types | Birds and bird-like creatures in mythology, and the places associated with them |
(152830) Dinkinesh and Selam
| All feature types | "Words for ‘wonderful’, ‘marvelous’, or ‘beautiful’ in the languages of the world. Note: For those languages where such words have separate spellings for the different grammatical genders, the feminine form is used to fit the feminine name of the asteroid, Dinkinesh, which defines the theme. This name means “You are wonderful/marvelous" in Amharic as the local name for Lucy, fossil remains of the female hominid discovered in Ethiopia in 1974." |
(162173) Ryugu
| All feature types | Names in stories and fairy tales for children |
(486958) Arrokoth
| All feature types | Words for "sky" in the languages of the world, past and present |