I use IAF for (Imperial Armada Flagship), and have different styles of names for various classes of ships. I generally play TEC, and this these are just TEC names. I have a different set for the Advent, and I never play as the Vasari.

Akkan Class Battlecruiser:
IAF Excaliber
IAF Phoenix
IAF Enterprise

Dunov Class Battlecruiser:
IAF Thor
IAF Aegis
IAF Shield

Sova Class Carrier:
IAF Akagi
IAF Ryuji
IAF Shokaku
IAF Zukaku

Marza Class Dreadnought:
IAF Talon
IAF Scythe

Kol Class Battleship:
IAF Yamato
IAF Mushashi
IAF Bismarck
IAF Tirpitz

Names like those. I usually acquire Akkans early on for faster expansion with Kol Support. But once I become large my Japanese World War II named carriers start to dump out. I wish I could have just slightly longer names though. IAF Hammerhead, IAF Swordfish, IAF Imperial Mandate, etc, etc...

Warlord Earthpig is my empire's name

EPS = Earthpig's Ship

EPS Valiant
EPS Crusader
EPS Genocide (ever notice that your ships are NUKING the BEJESUS out of planets?)
EPS Murder (see above)
EPS Conquest
EPS Aggressive (i think i have to leave the EPS off this one cuz its to long)

thinking of future ship names with the help of thesaurus.com...

EPS Audacious
EPS Bold
EPS Dauntless
EPS Belligerent (i like that one)
EPS Assert

My names are normally based on those of the Confederation of American States (I seriously doubt anyone knows what I'm talking about. Only a few of my friends know about this.) when I play TEC. For Vasari, they're based on that of the Senteilent Confederation (Again, I'd like to think I'm the only one who knows what that is.). I usually just use random alien names, like Jul'Gati or such, for planets. The only common name I have is SCS Earth for Marauders, based on the history of the Senteilents.

Most Common Names
Kol Battleship
USS Old Glory (Flagship)
USS Viper
USS Minuteman
USS Lone Wolf
USS Titan

Sova Carrier
USS Patriot (Usually the first Sova I build.)
USS Overlord
USS Marathon
USS Gaia

Akkan Battlecruiser
USS Generous
USS Saintly
USS Fernek

Dunov Battlecruiser
USS Loki
USS Pariah
USS Forsaken

Marza Dreadnought
USS Judgement
USS Vengeance
USS Ultimatum
USS Headstone
USS Durandal

Home Planet
Wright (Aviator naming convention [A])
Vinci (Scientist naming convention [S])
MacArthur (Military leader naming convention [G])

Desert Planets (These are usually fortress planets with a special military significance to me.)
Lockheed (A)
Sikorsky (A - Is used for random names if only one desert planet is under control)
Gauss (S)
Oppenheimer (S)
Rommel (G)

Random Names
Lindbergh (A)
Whitehead (A)
Bossi (A)
Bellanca (A)
Norton (A)
Earhart (A)
Lazarus (A - Typically used for volcanics.)
Maxim (A)
Spaatz (A)
Hoyt (A)
Vandenberg (A)
Hawking (S)
Newton (S)
Copernicus (S)
Einstein (S)
Galileo (S)
Grant (G)
Lee (G)
Patton (G)
Montgomery (G)


And that's my huge list. There's likely more floating around in the back of my head, but they aren't clear at the moment.

Anyone? : P

It's best to have practical names that taunt your opponent...


For example:
Name your sova carrier "EMBARGO OMG!"

Freespace 2?

yeah

my first two KOLs to "Arcadia" and "Emereldas" and my first Akkan to "999" (thats pronounced three nine for those that dont know)

I use the TDN: BSR -(1 through however many I have). 10 points to anyone who gets the reference(hint: we are the knights of the round table we dance whenever we are able!)

Ah yes UNV (Unity Naval Vessel) is what I do for the Advent.

I name other ships stuff like Judigator and the other of Thrawn's ships.

Thats mine too, Brits came up with some badass names, I like...

Ajax
Repulse
Revenge
Warspite
Terror
Conqueror
Invincible
Vengeance
Resistance
Vanguard

My general list of names for TEC are names i've gotten out of sci fi books, other games, and just off the top of my head

Reckoning (always my first Kol name)
Defiant
Reliant
Valiant
Kunetsov
Intrepid
Bestower
Restorer
Horizion
Devastator
Gorgon
Explorer
Imperius

I name my capital ships after types of cheeses;
Cheese
Swiss Cheese
Cheddar
Pepperjack
Mouldy
Ghouda
Smoky Ghouda

etc...

Similar to Vladmire, when playing as the TEC and being Canadian, I usually name my caps after ships that members of my family served on or were affiliated with. This results in my ships having a mix of English & French names (Restigouche, Champlain, Chaudiere, Columbia, Hamilton, Barrie, etc...)

So what's up with the ridiculous character limit anyway? It's too short to include longer words! You don't have to use ridiculous 40k-esque 'Holy Blue Triumph of the Craggy Western Knife Master Inside his Castle that was Also in Japan' names to hit it: you can't even fit 'HMS Invincible'. A 24-character limit would be ideal; even stupid names like 'Pillar of Autumn' would easily fit with room to spare for an outrageous clan tag. [x{*}x] Pillar of Autumn would fit, even. The current system (where the 'tag' is counted in the character limit) means you have to use quite short words, which is lame.

I can't be assed renaming ships since you can't quickly set a namelist (without editing files beforehand) and most names don't even fit.

Naming ships Invincible is probably not a very good idea, especially given that 4 out of the 6 HMS Invincibles have been destroyed... Tempting fate = bad.

Heh, I randomly name mine off my mood.


TDN FORPONY! <- My first Cap Ship(Kol) - Kodos to those who know where it's from. :)
Myaimsucks
Who?
Ravager
Hellgate
Angel
TDN Blade


There are all the ones I remember using, but I know I have many many more.

I name all mine after ex girlfriends I dont like that way when they get blown up I dont care

so when I see it come on sceen "HelenisaB" has been destroyed kinda makes me smile

Mine are usually emotions IE Hate love triumph fury, sometimes reaper or victory

LMAO

Yeah, calling a ship 'Firebait' or 'Design Flaw' or 'Ineffective and slow' will improve their survivability because they have passive names, right?

I generally play TEC and build an Akkan first, which I name after the facion's leader--me! The I generally build Sovas and Kols, with a late game Dunov or two. The Sovas have a USN flavor--I name them after my favorite presidents, with the first being Roosevelt (Franklin, of course), others include Jefferson, Lincoln, Truman, Johnson (tragic figure--great domestically, unravelled by Vietnam). The Kols and Dunovs get a British flavor (they might not be hostorically accuarate but sound like real or fictional RN names) such as Defiant, Indomitable, Sword, Victory with some Greek deities thrown in (Hercules, Zeus, Ares, Apollo).

Nothing bad happened to anything named Icarus, so it might just work...
But seriously, naming something the Invincible is just asking for it to be blown up

Bloodhawk I spit up coffee at your comment. You sir are the WIN! My Invincible-I through INVINCIBLE-IV in EVE are fine though .

Tossing out another name:

Hecate - A progenitor class mothership