What is codename.py?

codename.py is a small Python script that spits out fun, memorable names for whatever you’re working on.

  • Need a server name that isn’t “server-b”?
  • Naming a side project or Git branch?
  • Want your test VM to sound like a secret mission?

Run codename.py and get instant inspiration—whether that’s Gallant Phoenix, Wily Wombat, or Operation Turquoise Spider.

🔗 View codename.py on GitHub

Features

  • Adjective–Noun combos: Clever Otter, Wandering Nebula, Ancient Lantern…
  • Ubuntu-style: Alliterative, animal-inspired names (e.g., Brilliant Badger, Wily Wombat)
  • Military-style: Operation-style names (Operation Silent Arrow)
  • Single noun mode: Just a big, bold word
  • JSON output: For piping into other tools
  • Batch mode: Generate a bunch of names at once (--count)
  • No dependencies: Pure Python, runs anywhere with python3

Why did I write this?

I am the kind of person for whom everything just grinds to a halt the moment I have to name something. It could be a project or a video game character or a host name–it doesn’t matter. I always sit there for way too long trying to think of the perfect name.

One night I started tinkering with a few wordlists and a Python script. It began spitting out names that made me laugh—and suddenly my VM wasn’t ubuntu-test3 anymore. Now I didn’t actually call it Operation Larvae Offensive but the silly output inspired better names.

That’s the real magic: it shakes ideas loose and makes synapses fire. It’s like having your own /dev/inspiration for ideas–an endless stream of names and half-names and weird combinations.

try running codename --count 50 or even codename --count 1000 and see!

Usage

Run these commands right from your terminal:

  • python3 codename.py — Random “Adjective Noun” pair
  • python3 codename.py --ubuntu — Ubuntu-style: adj & animal share first letter
  • python3 codename.py --military — Military-style: Operation + noun
  • python3 codename.py --noun — Just a noun
  • python3 codename.py --count 5 — Generate five names

The script uses standard libraries and does not require a venv. Just make sure to keep the wordlists in the same directory.

Sample Output

in Military mode:

Operation Mass Derision
Operation Enhance
Operation Known Tommy
Operation Rival Threat
Operation Slack

Or in Ubuntu mode:

Vacant Vespid
Obvious Osprey
Tireless Treehopper
Zealous Zebra
Sustained Snipe

Word Lists

The magic comes from three simple text files:

  • adjectives.txt — required
  • nouns.txt — required
  • animals.txt — optional (for Ubuntu mode)

They live next to the script. Add your own words to make themed generators—spooky Halloween names, corporate buzzword names, or even fantasy D&D-style names.

The Unix system dictionary is just a giant, flat list of words. Parsing for parts of speech (for example, to separate adjectives from nouns) requires libraries like NLTK and WordNet–and that’s slow at runtime. Bundling pre-built wordlists with the script turned out to be a super-fast and lightweight alternative, and an easily extensible one.

👉 Look out for an upcoming post about how I made these wordlists using nltk and wordnet and about the joys of good corpora.

Future Direction

  • I’m planning on fixing JSON output with json.dumps()
  • I’m working on a –theme argument to allow for custom word lists and new themes like –cyberpunk or –fantasy. Those will need custom dictionaries or a better way to “detect” a cool word.
  • I’d also like to support a tiny web server mode so your non-technical friends might be impressed too!

Conclusion

Why settle for project-2 when you could have, Operation Neon Owl or Randy Rhinoceros? Grab your copy of codename.py on GitHub and start naming stuff like it matters!