Guidelines for release names

This page documents how Fedora releases should be named.

Summary

• Names are suggested by the community.
  • The fedora-devel-list mailing list was previously used for suggestions.
  • Beginning with Fedora 11, name suggestions are solicited through a wiki page.
• To suggest a name, a community member must:
  • Show how the name meets the "is-a" test. For example, "Schnozz is a ____, and so is Keister."
    • Names for releases N and N+1 must be related, and names for releases N and N+2 cannot share the same relationship.
    • The "is-a" relationship must be reasonably novel. For example, "is a brand of automobile" is reasonably novel. "is a word with seven letters" is not.
  • Document preliminary searches showing the name is not encumbered by trademarks or other use that makes it a bad or risky choice.
• Names are vetted:
  • by the Fedora Art team for applicability to theming
  • by the Red Hat Legal department for a more intensive trademark search
  • by the Fedora Board to make sure the name ballot is of sufficient size and composition.
• The final release name is decided through a community vote.
• Problems are resolved through the Fedora Board and the FPL.

Suggestion table

The first row is a template provided for educational purposes only.

Name	"Is a..."	Tested	Approved
TestName	name used for a Fedora distro	Google search +software, +computer, +Linux, +IT

How to use this table

1. Come up with a name idea. Put the name in the first column.
2. Determine whether it passes the "is-a" test. You must be able to complete the sentence " is a <...>, and so is <YOUR_NAME>." The link to the new name cannot be the same as the link from to . Mark the link in the appropriate column, such as "river in Kazakhstan," "deep-sea organism."
   • Don't choose obvious links, because they usually result in uninteresting names.
   • Don't choose very general names or unclear links.
   • Do choose obscure links to interesting things, which makes for a better name.
   • Do avoid all previous links wherever possible.
   • Do make sure there are at least a couple of ways to link out of the new name to the next name -- and they must be unique too!
3. Use Google to search for possible trademark collisions. First search for the term itself along with "+software", and then broaden your search to include "+computer", "+hardware", "+technology", "+IT", and so on. Do not skimp on this step.
   • If you find a collision, it is best to find another name. Names that cause collisions will be eliminated by Red Hat's Legal department and thus waste their time, which is a valuable commodity for Fedora. Help us maximize their effectiveness by weeding out names that are trademarks of other entities, especially those in the IT industry.
   • If the collision is outside the IT/computing market, you can still submit the name but you should note the collision in the "Tested" column, and include a link to the site where the collision was found.
   • If you find no collisions, make that notation in the "Tested" column.
4. Do not mark the approval columns. These are reserved for the approval authorities such as the Board and Red Hat Legal.

Release Names

• Name suggestions for Fedora 42
• History of Fedora release names