How Meteorites Get Their Names

Why meteorites need official names

Meteorites do not get named casually. The international authority is the Meteoritical Society's Nomenclature Committee, usually called NomCom. A meteorite name becomes official only after that committee approves it and the name appears in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database. If you want to compare examples while you read, you can browse meteorites on MeteorIndex.

The basic rule: name the place, not the rock

The core convention is straightforward: a new meteorite is usually named after a geographic locality near where it was first recovered. The official guidelines allow many kinds of mapped features.

• Towns, villages, counties, provinces, and states can work.
• Natural features such as rivers, mountains, lakes, capes, and islands can work.
• Parks, mines, and major historical sites can also be acceptable.

Buildings, roads, schools, businesses, and personal names are generally avoided. The goal is stability and clarity.

When names turn into codes

Northwest Africa 869

Some meteorites are found in regions where exact provenance is uncertain. The Meteoritical Society uses a regional name plus a number. "Northwest Africa 869" is a classic example, officially abbreviated "NWA 869."

Allan Hills 84001

"Allan Hills 84001," usually shortened to "ALH 84001," is one of the most famous examples. "Allan Hills" is the geographic locality, "84" refers to the 1984 collecting season, and "001" is the sequence number.

What happens when several meteorites come from the same area?

• If multiple pieces belong to one observed fall, they share a single name.
• If separate meteorites are found near the same locality, the name can take letter suffixes, such as "Kress (a)" and "Kress (b)."
• If a new fall happens near a place that already has a meteorite, the new fall can receive a year suffix, as in "Monahans (1938)" and "Monahans (1998)."

Some meteorite names are more memorable than others

• Canyon Diablo shows how a striking name can still be a normal geographic name.
• Old Woman comes from the Old Woman Mountains in California.
• Sutter's Mill shows that historical sites can sometimes be used.

Why the system matters

Without a disciplined naming system, the scientific record would become unreliable very quickly. An official name ties a specimen to a documented place, a classification history, and a type specimen in a curated collection. For readers, meteorite names tell a story. Sometimes that story is a town. Sometimes it is a mountain range, a desert region, or an Antarctic field season.