"Aurora" was the last of three ships with a displacement of 6,600 tons, built at the end of the 19th century at the St. Petersburg shipyard. The first two ships of this project were named "Pallada" and "Diana," while the third remained unnamed for almost a year and was simply referred to as "a cruiser with a displacement of 6,630 tons, type Diana." In the Russian navy, ship types were not named after the lead ship of the class but rather after the shortest and most resonant name of one of the similar ships. It was not until 1897 that the ship received a name. According to the tradition dating back to the time of Peter I, the right to name large ships belonged to the Tsar. Therefore, Tsar Nicholas II was presented with a list of possible names for the cruiser under construction: "Aurora," "Naiad," "Heliona," "Juno," "Psyche," "Askold," "Varyag," "Bogatyr," "Boyarin," "Polkan," "Neptune." The Emperor underlined one name on the list and wrote in pencil in the margin: "Aurora."