diff --git a/tools/nid_names.py b/tools/nid_names.py
index 2cb0d756e4..0df8c3f147 100644
--- a/tools/nid_names.py
+++ b/tools/nid_names.py
@@ -131,16 +131,18 @@ def option_name(argument, options):
 def nid_arguments(arguments, options):
     normalized = []
     collecting = False
+    collecting_option = "--nid"
     for index, argument in enumerate(arguments):
         if argument == "--":
             normalized.extend(arguments[index:])
             break
         name = option_name(argument, options)
-        if name == "--nid" and "=" not in argument:
+        if name in ("--nid", "--name", "--symbol") and "=" not in argument:
             collecting = True
+            collecting_option = "--name" if name in ("--name", "--symbol") else "--nid"
             continue
         if collecting and name is None:
-            normalized.append("--nid=" + argument)
+            normalized.append(collecting_option + "=" + argument)
             continue
         collecting = False
         normalized.append(argument)
@@ -154,11 +156,24 @@ def main(argv=None):
                         help="NID database CSV (downloaded to a cache dir by default)")
     parser.add_argument("--nid", action="append", default=None,
                         help="resolve only these NIDs instead of scanning the tree")
+    parser.add_argument("--name", "--symbol", dest="name", action="append", default=None,
+                        help="compute NIDs for these symbol names")
     parser.add_argument("--json", action="store_true",
                         help="emit machine-readable JSON")
     options = [option for action in parser._actions for option in action.option_strings]
     arguments = sys.argv[1:] if argv is None else argv
     args = parser.parse_args(nid_arguments(arguments, options))
+    if args.name:
+        if args.nid:
+            parser.error("--name/--symbol cannot be combined with --nid")
+        rows = [{"name": name, "nid": compute_nid(name)} for name in args.name]
+        if args.json:
+            print(json.dumps({"symbols": rows}, indent=1))
+        else:
+            print("%-40s %s" % ("NAME", "NID"))
+            for row in rows:
+                print("%-40s %s" % (row["name"], row["nid"]))
+        return 0
     requested_nids = any(option_name(argument, options) == "--nid" for argument in arguments)
     for nid in args.nid or []:
         if re.fullmatch(r"[A-Za-z0-9+\-]{11}", nid) is None:
diff --git a/tools/tests/test_nid_names.py b/tools/tests/test_nid_names.py
index 41a8f5118d..6dd4b20804 100644
--- a/tools/tests/test_nid_names.py
+++ b/tools/tests/test_nid_names.py
@@ -240,10 +240,47 @@ int APS5_VABI sceReal() { return 0; }
 ''')
         self.assertEqual(nid_names.collect_real_names(), {"sceReal"})
 
+    def test_name_option_computes_symbol_nid(self):
+        output = io.StringIO()
+        with patch.object(sys, "argv", ["nid_names.py", "--name", "ceilf", "floorf"]), contextlib.redirect_stdout(output):
+            self.assertEqual(nid_names.main(), 0)
+        text = output.getvalue()
+        self.assertIn("ceilf", text)
+        self.assertIn("GAUuLKGhsCw", text)
+        self.assertIn("floorf", text)
+        self.assertIn("mKhVDmYciWA", text)
+
+    def test_name_option_with_json_emits_symbols_list(self):
+        output = io.StringIO()
+        with patch.object(sys, "argv", ["nid_names.py", "--name", "ceilf", "--json"]), contextlib.redirect_stdout(output):
+            self.assertEqual(nid_names.main(), 0)
+        data = json.loads(output.getvalue())
+        self.assertEqual(data, {"symbols": [{"name": "ceilf", "nid": "GAUuLKGhsCw"}]})
+
+    def test_symbol_alias_does_not_load_database(self):
+        output = io.StringIO()
+        with patch.object(sys, "argv", ["nid_names.py", "--symbol", "truncf"]), \
+                patch.object(nid_names, "load_db", side_effect=AssertionError("unexpected db load")), \
+                contextlib.redirect_stdout(output):
+            self.assertEqual(nid_names.main(), 0)
+        self.assertIn("Vo8rvWtZw3g", output.getvalue())
+
+    def test_name_option_rejects_nid_and_keeps_long_names(self):
+        with patch.object(sys, "argv", ["nid_names.py", "--name", "ceilf", "--nid", "AAAAAAAAAAA"]), \
+                contextlib.redirect_stderr(io.StringIO()):
+            with self.assertRaises(SystemExit):
+                nid_names.main()
+        long_name = "a" * 50
+        output = io.StringIO()
+        with patch.object(sys, "argv", ["nid_names.py", "--name", long_name]), contextlib.redirect_stdout(output):
+            self.assertEqual(nid_names.main(), 0)
+        self.assertIn(long_name, output.getvalue())
+
     def test_spliced_line_comment_and_macro_tokens(self):
         self.write_source('// continued \\\nAPS5_EXPORT("AAAAAAAAAAA", exampleUnknown00);\nAPS5_EX\\\nPORT("BBBBBBBBBBB", exampleUnknown01);\n')
         self.assertEqual(nid_names.collect_unknowns(), {"BBBBBBBBBBB": "core/libs/prx/libSceExample/Export.cpp:exampleUnknown01"})
 
 
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()