Hurricanes are named by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States, using lists maintained and updated by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

. The naming system involves six alphabetical lists of names for Atlantic hurricanes, which rotate every six years. These lists alternate between male and female names and exclude less common letters like Q, U, X, Y, and Z to ensure clarity and ease of communication

. A tropical storm is given a name once it reaches sustained winds of at least 39 mph, and if it intensifies to sustained winds of 74 mph or more, it becomes a hurricane but retains the same name

. Names of particularly destructive or deadly storms are retired and replaced to avoid confusion and sensitivity in future seasons

. Historically, hurricanes were named after saints' feast days or places they hit. The modern practice of using personal names began during World War II and evolved to female names only in 1953, then to alternating male and female names starting in 1979

. In summary:

• Names are chosen from six rotating alphabetical lists maintained by the WMO.
• The NHC assigns names when storms reach tropical storm strength.
• Names alternate male and female and skip certain letters.
• Names of significant storms are retired.
• The system was formalized starting in 1953 and refined over time