This error occurs when PostgreSQL encounters an identifier (table name, column name, function name, etc.) that violates naming rules. Identifiers must start with a letter or underscore, contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores, and be 63 characters or fewer. Reserved keywords used as identifiers without proper quoting also trigger this error.
PostgreSQL names must follow strict rules: begin with a letter (a-z) or underscore (_), contain only letters, digits (0-9), underscores, or dollar signs ($), and not exceed 63 characters. This error indicates that a name you provided violates one or more of these rules. The most common cause is using special characters (hyphens, spaces, periods) in identifiers without quoting them, or using reserved keywords without double-quotes. PostgreSQL is strict about identifier syntax because it parses these names during query execution.
The error message should indicate the specific name causing the issue. Review your CREATE statement or query for invalid characters or format issues.
-- Example: ERROR: invalid name syntax
CREATE TABLE my-table (id INT); -- Invalid: contains hyphenChange hyphens, spaces, and other special characters to underscores. This is the recommended approach for clean, maintainable schemas.
-- Correct: use underscores instead of hyphens
CREATE TABLE my_table (id INT);
CREATE COLUMN my_column VARCHAR(100);If you must use a reserved keyword as an identifier, enclose it in double quotes. Remember: you must use double quotes every time you reference this object.
-- Correct: reserved keyword quoted
CREATE TABLE "user" (id INT, "name" VARCHAR(100));
SELECT * FROM "user"; -- Must quote here too
-- Wrong: using reserved keyword without quotes
CREATE TABLE user (id INT); -- Syntax errorIdentifiers cannot start with a digit. Rename tables or columns that begin with numbers.
-- Correct: starts with letter
CREATE TABLE table_1 (id INT);
-- Wrong: starts with digit
CREATE TABLE 1_table (id INT); -- Invalid name syntaxWhen passing table names to PostgreSQL functions, use double quotes if the name contains spaces or mixed case.
-- If table name has spaces, quote it
SELECT pg_table_size('"my table"');
-- Or use schema-qualified names
SELECT pg_table_size('public."my table"');Keep identifiers to 63 characters or fewer. PostgreSQL silently truncates longer names, which can cause unexpected behavior.
-- Correct: well under 63 character limit
CREATE TABLE customer_purchase_history (id INT);
-- Risky: may be truncated
CREATE TABLE this_is_an_extremely_long_table_name_that_exceeds_the_maximum_identifier_length (id INT);PostgreSQL identifier rules are case-insensitive by default. Unquoted identifiers are automatically folded to lowercase, so 'TableName', 'tablename', and 'TABLENAME' all refer to the same object. However, quoted identifiers preserve case: "TableName" is different from "tablename". Avoid mixing quoted and unquoted references to the same object, as this creates confusion and potential bugs. For programmatic solutions, use the QUOTE_IDENT() function to safely quote identifiers in dynamically constructed queries. The 63-character limit applies to PostgreSQL versions up to 15; always check your specific version's documentation. When migrating from other databases, be aware that some systems (like SQL Server with brackets or MySQL with backticks) have different quoting mechanisms, so explicit conversion may be needed.
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