While the term harvest moon may ring a bell in most heads, some of the other monthly lunar names are nowhere near as well known. Think pink . . . and worm, and strawberries, and wolves. Or how about the sturgeon moon?

Most full moon names in the United States date back to the Native Americans, who lived in what is now the northern and eastern United States up to a few hundred years ago. They kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full moon, and hence to the entire month in which the full moon occurred.

There were some variations in the moon names, but in general the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England and westward to Lake Superior. European settlers followed their own customs and created some of their own names.

Since the lunar—or synodic—month is roughly 29.5 days long on average, the actual calendar dates of the full moon shift from year to year.

What follows is a listing of the most common full moon names used primarily in the United States and Canada. But first lets look at some cool lunar cycle facts.