Ship Naming Guides
Learn what a ship name means, how to make one, and which format fits a caption, an archive, or a wedding sign.
What fans and couples mean by “ship name,” with examples that show how the format changes by context.
A simple method for joining two names and fixing the seam when the first blend sounds awkward.
When to use a slash or ampersand, and how to find the tag your fandom already uses.
A fill-in template and a completed example for introducing a self-insert and a fictional other.
Check the spelling, search results, and readability before your wedding hashtag goes to print.
Choose a starting point
If you heard the term for the first time, start with what a ship name means. If you already have two names on paper, make a blend by hand and compare it with the tool’s suggestions. For publication, read the guide for the place your name will appear. A reader looking for a relationship on AO3 needs different information from a wedding guest typing a hashtag off a sign.
Use a generator while you read
The two-name combiner gives you fragments you can check against each name. Start with the group generator when three or more names need to stay visible. The fandom generator formats full labels, the selfship generator turns two motifs into a name, and the wedding hashtag tool shows how a tag reads in lowercase.