Meanings of minor-planet names
There are hundreds of thousands numbered minor planets. Very few are named, however. , there are 23,081 named minor planets. There are 600,000 numbered ones. Most of the minor planets are named after people. Most of them were astronomers. Many of them are things from mythology or fiction. Many minor planets are also named after places. These can be things like cities, towns, villages, mountains, volcanoes, rivers, observatories, organizations, clubs and astronomical societies. Some are named after animals and plants. A few minor planets are named after other things such as supercomputers and some origins are unknown.