This is a list of namedminor planets in an alphabetical, case-insensitive order grouped by the first letter of their name.[a][b] New namings, typically proposed by thediscoverer and approved by theWorking Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) of theInternational Astronomical Union, are published nowadays in theirWGSBN Bulletin and summarized in a dedicated list several times a year.[1]
Over the last four decades, the list has grown significantly with an average rate of 492 new namings published every year (or 1.35 namings per day). While in March 1979,[2] only 1924 minor planets had received a name and completed thedesignation process, as of 15 July 2024[update], the list contains 24,836 named objects.[1] This, however, only accounts for3.45% of all numbered bodies, as there are over720,000 minor planets with a well established orbit which is a precondition for receiving a name. Of all these minor-planet names, 1311 containdiacritical marks.[3]