diff --git a/tooling/atlas-verify b/tooling/atlas-verify
index 999f0c8f5..3e67cfb9c 100755
--- a/tooling/atlas-verify
+++ b/tooling/atlas-verify
@@ -25,13 +25,7 @@ def verify_proposal(path: Path) -> list[str]:
         if b.get("inhabited") and not b.get("proper_name"):
             errors.append(f"Inhabited body {b['body_id']} has no proper_name")
 
-    # 2. Uninhabited bodies should have null names
-    for b in bodies:
-        if not b.get("inhabited") and b.get("proper_name"):
-            errors.append(
-                f"Uninhabited body {b['body_id']} has proper_name "
-                f"'{b['proper_name']}' (should be null)"
-            )
+    # 2. Uninhabited bodies MAY have names (lore reasons) — no check needed
 
     # 3. All stations must have names
     for s in stations: