PC Names
Naming your PC is a rite of passage for tech enthusiasts — it gives your machine personality and makes it feel like a trusted companion rather than just hardware.
Famous PC Names That Nailed It
Real-world names that became iconic. Here's what makes them work.
Simple, evocative name for a machine that beat a world chess champion — 'deep' suggesting depth of calculation, 'blue' IBM's brand color
One of fiction's most iconic computer names — the calm, human-sounding name contrasting perfectly with the machine's unsettling behavior
The world's first general-purpose electronic computer — its acronym-style name set the pattern for decades of computer naming
Giving your PC a name is one of the small joys of being a computer enthusiast. Whether you're naming a powerful gaming rig, a home server, a workstation, or just a laptop you've grown attached to, a great name adds personality to an otherwise functional machine. It also has practical value — in network settings, a named computer is easier to identify than a random device ID.
PC names tend to fall into a few satisfying categories: mythological names (gods, heroes, legendary creatures), sci-fi and pop culture references, tech-themed wordplay, personality descriptions of what the machine does or how fast it runs, and purely personal names the owner connects with. Any of these can make for a great computer name.
The best PC names are short enough to type in terminal commands without frustration, memorable, and unique enough to stand out in a home network. Avoid spaces (they cause command-line issues) and keep it under 15 characters if possible. Beyond that, let your personality, interests, and the machine's character guide you.
Tips for Choosing PC Names
Avoid spaces and special characters in PC names — they cause problems in network settings and command-line use.
Keep names under 15 characters for compatibility with all operating systems and network tools.
Mythological names (Thor, Atlas, Helios) make great PC names — powerful, distinctive, and easy to spell.
Name your PC after its role or personality — a fast gaming rig might be 'Blaze' while a quiet NAS server might be 'Vault.'
If you have multiple machines, consider a naming theme (Greek gods, planets, NATO alphabet) to keep your home network organized.
Frequently Asked Questions
PC hostnames work best when they contain only letters, numbers, and hyphens — no spaces, underscores, or special characters. Keep them under 15 characters for full compatibility across all network environments. The name should be unique on your network to avoid conflicts.
Using your own name (like 'Johns-MacBook') is the default for many systems and works fine for single-machine households. But a more distinctive name is more fun and easier to identify in network logs, remote desktop sessions, and file sharing.
Popular naming themes include: Greek/Roman gods (Apollo, Zeus, Athena), planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn), Norse mythology (Odin, Thor, Freya), fictional AIs (HAL, JARVIS, GLADOS), space missions (Apollo, Voyager, Artemis), or the NATO phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie).
Absolutely. 'NachoProblem,' 'PCPrincipal,' 'NotAVirus,' 'DefinitelyLegal,' and 'TotallyYourPC' are all examples of PC names that will amuse anyone who sees them on your network. Humor is a perfectly valid naming strategy for personal machines.
On Windows: Settings > System > About > Rename this PC. On Mac: System Settings > General > Sharing > edit the Computer Name field. On Linux: edit /etc/hostname. Changes usually require a restart to propagate across the network.
Complete Guide to Naming Your PC
Why Name Your PC?
Beyond the fun of personalization, a good PC name has real practical benefits. In a home with multiple computers, tablets, and smart devices, named machines are dramatically easier to identify in your router's device list, in remote desktop applications, and when setting up file sharing. 'DESKTOP-A4F7K9' tells you nothing; 'Athena' tells you exactly which machine you're connecting to.
For enthusiasts who build custom rigs, naming is also part of the build's identity — as much as the case design, the RGB setup, or the cable management. A well-named machine feels complete in a way that an unnamed one doesn't.
Naming Themes That Work Great
Mythology is the perennial favorite for PC naming, and for good reason. Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, and Japanese mythological names are short, powerful, distinctive, and carry built-in associations of strength and reliability. Zeus, Odin, Athena, Ra, and Amaterasu are all excellent PC names.
Science and space themes work equally well — naming machines after planets, stars, missions, or astronomical phenomena creates a coherent multi-machine naming system that scales beautifully. And for pop culture enthusiasts, fictional computers, AIs, and ships from sci-fi franchises offer endless inspiration.
Gaming Rig Naming
Gaming PCs call for names with attitude — something that suggests power, speed, and dominance. Names from war mythology (Ares, Mjolnir, Excalibur), legendary monsters (Hydra, Fenrir, Leviathan), and gaming culture (Respawn, Frag, Clutch) all work well. The name should feel like it belongs to a machine that wins.
Many gamers name their rigs after the build's dominant component or aesthetic — a machine built around a green GPU might become 'Emerald,' while an all-black build might be 'Obsidian' or 'Midnight.' Let the machine's physical character inspire its name.
Server and NAS Naming
Home servers, NAS devices, and always-on machines benefit from names suggesting reliability and function. Names like Vault, Fortress, Archive, Anchor, and Pillar communicate stability. For a multi-server home lab, themed naming (all planets, all Greek gods) makes administration much simpler.
Many system administrators use the convention of naming servers after their function — 'fileserver01' or 'media-hub' — but this loses personality. Combining function and theme works well: 'Atlas' for a server that holds everything, 'Hermes' for a fast proxy, 'Hephaestus' for a build server.
Related Categories
Curious about what names mean? Explore Name Meanings →