Just How Many Stars in the Milky Way Galaxy Are Given Official Names Through Late 2025?
Welcome Back to Our Weekly Deep Dive Into Space!
If you’ve ever gazed at the night sky and wished you could learn more about the stars beyond what is visible to your eyes—specifically, how many stars actually have names instead of just being cataloged—you’re in the right place today. We are going to take an in-depth look at how many of the approximately 100-400 BILLION stars in our Milky Way have received an official name recognized by professional astronomical organizations as of late 2025.
Only A Small Number of Stars Have Received Official Names
As it turns out, a very small percentage of stars have received an official name. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has identified between 500 and 600 additional stars as of late 2025. These include well-known stars such as Sirius, Betelgeuse, Vega, and Polaris.
Why Only a Small Number Of Stars Have Been Officially Named?
The reason why only a small number of stars receive official names is because the IAU uses a set of rules to govern the use of names for stars. The purpose of this process is to ensure consistency and clarity when communicating information regarding stars. Additionally, most stars are recorded in large catalogs and databases such as Hipparcos or Gaia; each of these databases contains millions or even tens of billions of records of stars.
Star Naming History
Ancient cultures, including Arabic, Greek, Latin, and others, passed down many of the names of the stars. The history of humans looking to the stars for guidance and inspiration is as old as humans themselves. For instance, an Arabic phrase inspired the name “Betelgeuse”, while the Arabic word al-Waqi inspired the name “Vega”.
In recent years, the IAU has worked to formalize the recognition of historical star names while allowing for the introduction of new star names that are proposed by the public.
An extensive, yet unofficial industry exists for the purchase of star names as gifts and novelty items.
While buying a star name may be a lovely gift or novelty item, these names do not provide any scientific value or validity.
Why It Is Important To Use Consistent Names
Using consistent names for stars provides astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts with a common language to discuss and reference stars. Using a catalog number to refer to a star rather than its name can be confusing. For example, a Gaia catalog number is typically a string of 15 digits. In contrast, using the name of a star allows for easier communication and understanding.
Named Stars Provide Cultural Significance & Navigation
In addition to making discussion and study of stars easier, named stars often provide cultural significance and help to act as navigational references and touchstones for artists, writers, musicians, etc.
Want to Explore Named Stars?
To get started exploring the named stars in the night sky, consider getting a star atlas with named stars or download a planetarium app such as Stellarium or Sky Guide that shows named stars.
What's Coming Up Next?
The total number of named stars will likely increase over time; however, it will do so gradually as the IAU continues to balance the need for organization with the increasing popularity of our galaxy. In the meantime, ongoing discoveries of new stars, planets, and beyond will continue to make stargazing a rich and exciting experience.
Thank You for Joining Me in Unraveling Another Piece of the Cosmic Puzzle.
Next week, we will take an in-depth look at recent developments regarding exoplanets, planets that orbit distant stars, some of which may eventually get names.