---
id: unique-namer
version: "1.6.2"
license: MIT License Copyright (c) 2024 Andrzej Zielezinski Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),… (full text in the JSON record)
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# unique-namer — Generate unique, human-readable, and memorable names or identifiers

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 189.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

unique-namer is a lightweight Python library that generates memorable, human-readable names and identifiers by pairing random adjectives with nouns from themed categories. It provides both a Python API and a command-line utility, with no external dependencies and support for Python 3.6 and later. The package draws inspiration from Docker's container naming and Nextflow's process naming conventions, offering a practical solution for creating readable identifiers in place of random strings or UUIDs.

The library covers 25 categories spanning science, animals, history, food, technology, and more, each with its own set of nouns. Users can generate simple names like 'talented-toucan', create unique IDs by appending alphanumeric suffixes, customize separators and text case, or mix categories randomly. It's designed for naming temporary directories, session IDs, process names, project names, or submitted jobs—any context where a human-friendly identifier is preferable to a raw hash or sequential number.

Use it for:

- Generate memorable session or user IDs for web applications and APIs instead of raw UUIDs
- Name temporary directories, build artifacts, or log files with readable identifiers for debugging
- Create themed project or job names in batch processing systems or workflow engines
- Assign gamer tags, usernames, or character names in games or social applications
- Label experimental runs or test instances in data science or CI/CD pipelines

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Generates unique, human-readable names and identifiers by combining adjectives with nouns from 25 thematic categories, with optional alphanumeric suffixes for ID creation.

Yes. The package is lightweight, dependency-free, well-licensed, and solves a genuine usability problem—replacing opaque identifiers with memorable names. It has no known vulnerabilities and works across current Python versions. The aging maintenance status (407 days since release) is not a blocker for a stable utility with a narrow, well-defined scope, though users should verify that the category data and naming logic meet their specific thematic needs before relying on it in production.

## Install

pip install unique-namer
uv add unique-namer
poetry add unique-namer

## Installing unique-namer

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python with no runtime dependencies, distributed as a wheel. Package is aging (407 days since last release) but the repository remains active with recent commits and no archived status.

License in practice: MIT License permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for commercial and private projects alike.

Quickstart:

pip install unique-namer

import namer

name = namer.generate()
print(name)  # Example: 'blushy-cyclist'

name_with_id = namer.generate(category='astronomy', suffix_length=5)
print(name_with_id)  # Example: 'crazy-supernova-9a1b2'

Verify before relying:

- Whether the 25 categories and 17 million unique name combinations remain stable across versions
- Performance characteristics when generating names at scale or in high-throughput scenarios

## Package facts

- License: MIT License Copyright (c) 2024 Andrzej Zielezinski Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),… (full text in the JSON record) (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 189.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

generate random memorable names, unique identifier generator, human-readable id creation, docker-style container names, temporary directory naming, session id generator, themed name generation, name-generation, identifier-creation, cli-utility

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