北斗七星之名始見於漢代緯書《春秋運斗樞》：「第一天樞，第二璇，第三璣，第四權，第五玉衡，第六開陽，第七瑤光。第一至第四為魁，第五至第七為標，合而為斗。」。北斗七星的中國星名由斗口至斗杓連線順序為天樞、天璇、天璣、天權、玉衡、開陽和瑤光。前四顆稱「斗魁」，有稱「璇璣」；後三顆稱「斗杓」。現代星名則命名為大熊座α、大熊座β、大熊座γ、大熊座δ、大熊座ε、大熊座ζ和大熊座η。通過斗口的兩顆星連線，朝斗口方向延長5倍可以找到北極星，這兩顆也稱作「指極星」。

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星名	古名	英文名	拜耳恆星 命名法	視星等	距離 （光年）
天樞	貪狼	Dubhe	α UMa	1.79	124
天璇	巨門	Merak	β UMa	2.34	79
天璣	祿存	Phecda	γ UMa	2.41	84
天權	文曲	Megrez	δ UMa	3.32	81
玉衡	廉貞	Alioth	ε UMa	1.76	81
開陽	武曲	Mizar	ζ UMa	2.23	78
瑤光	破軍	Alkaid	η UMa	1.85	101

The Big Dipper (US) or Plough (UK) is an asterism of seven stars recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures. These stars are the brightest of the formal constellation Ursa Major; six of them are second magnitude stars, while only Megrez (δ) is of third magnitude. The North Star (Polaris), the current northern pole star on Earth, can be located by extending an imaginary line from Merak (β) through Dubhe (α). Polaris is part of the "Little Dipper", Ursa Minor.

In traditional Chinese astronomy, which continues to be used for throughout East Asia (e.g., in astrology), these stars are generally considered to compose the Right Wall of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure which surrounds the Northern Celestial Pole, although numerous other groupings and names have been made over the centuries. Similarly, each star has a distinct name, which likewise has varied over time and depending upon the asterism being constructed. The Western asterism is now known as the "Northern Dipper" (北斗) or the "Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper" (北斗七星; Mandarin: Běidǒu Qīxīng;