200 Names That Mean Death and Darkness

Names that mean death across different cultures are often dark and devilish. Find girl, boy, and gender-neutral dark names, including angels and gods of death.

Megan Tkacy

Updated: February 28, 2024

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Considering names that mean death for your precious bundle of joy may seem dark to many, but some parents will be surprised to find a distinct choice among these devious epithets that perfectly fit their little miracle.

Why Choose Baby Names Meaning Death?

In Western culture, death is a topic usually discussed grimly or avoided altogether. In other cultures though, death is treated as a celebration of life and it is often seen as a way to connect with the spiritual world. Life and death go hand in hand and there’s a history full of gods and rulers related to the darkness.

Choosing the right baby girl name or baby boy name is one of the first and most important choices a parent has to make.

Baby Girl Names That Mean Death (With Origins)

Whether you’re looking to avoid names that are related to death and darkness or seeking them out specifically, we’ve gathered up a list of unique names for you to look through!

Abiba - An African name that means “child born after grandmother died.”
Achlys - This is a Greek name that means “mist.” It is also the epithet of the goddess of misery. She represents the cloud of darkness or mist that envelopes people’s eyes in death.
Adaliah - This Biblical name means “one who draws water, poverty, cloud, or death.”
Agrona - An Old English name meaning “goddess of strife and slaughter.” It is also an Old Celtic name meaning “battle” or “slaughter.” This is also the name of the Brythonic (Celtic) goddess of war and death.
Allani - In Hurrian mythology, this is the goddess (or “lady”) who reigned over the shadowy underworld.
Amaia - This Basque name means “the end” or “resolution.”
Amaya - Of Japanese origins, this name means “the end” or “night rain.”
Angerona - This Latin name means “goddess of anguish.” Ango is the Latin word for to choke or strangle, making this title a description of a type of death.
Asaka - A Japanese name that translates to “beautiful death.”
Atropos - In Greek mythology, this is one of the three fates. These were the divinities who oversaw human life. As the story goes, Atropos was responsible for cutting the thread, bringing death to the human associated with it.
Bacia - A Ugandan name meaning “family deaths ruined the home.”
Bronach - In the sixth century, this Irish woman (whose name means “sorrow” or “sadness”) helped shipwrecked sailors and rang a bell to announce troublesome waters.
Cessair - Meaning “sorrow” and “affliction,” this name belonged to an Irish lass who perished during Noah’s catastrophic flood in the Bible.
Chiwa - An African name that means “death.”
Cihuateteo - Aztec for “divine women,” these are believed to be the spirits of women who died during childbirth.
Clotho - This is the name of one of the other three fates in Greek mythology. This name means “weaver.”
Coatlicue - This Aztec goddess, whose name translates to “skirt of snakes,” was the mother of 400 children. Killed by one of her many daughters, Coatlicue is considered the patron of those who died in childbirth.
Deianira - A name with Greek origins that means “man destroyer.”
Desdemona - This Greek name means “misery” or “ill-fated.”
Dolores - This Latin name means “lady of sorrows.”
Ereshkigal - A figure in Sumerian mythology, this “lady of the great Earth” presided over the land of the dead.
Ernaline - This is a Celtic name that means “battle to the death” and an Old German name that means “earnest” or “vigorous.”
Freyja - In Norse mythology, this is the goddess of love, fertility, war, and death.
Hecate - The Greek goddess of demons, magic, and witchcraft, this name translates to “far off.”
Hel - This is the name of the goddess of the dead in Norse mythology.
Hunapo - Of Maori origins, this name means “hidden darkness.”
Itishree - This is a Hindi name that means “the end.”
Kalma - In Finnish mythology, this is the name of the goddess of death.
Keket - An ancient Egyptian figure who ruled the night alongside her partner, Kek, this name means “darkness.”
Keres - This Greek name means “death spirits.”
Khalida - This name has Arabic origins and it means “immortal,” “everlasting,” and “deathless.”
Libitina - A Latin name meaning “death.”
Lilith - This Hebrew name means “of the night” or “night demon.” In Jewish folklore, this was the first wife of Adam and the wife of Lucifer, making her closely associated with death.
Lola - A popular name with Spanish and Latin origins, this translates to “sorrow.” It’s also the name of a 19th-century Irish dancer who gained notoriety through her affair with King Louis I.
Lorelai - In German legends, this was the name of a siren whose beautiful melodies lured men to their deaths. This name means “alluring temptress.”
Louhi - This is another Finnish name that means “goddess of death” or “snake.”

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Mallory - A popular name in the U.S. during the 1980s, this is French for “without good fortune.” It also translates to “unfortunate” and “ill-omened.”
Manea - Goddess of the Dead in Roman mythology and mother of ghosts, this name means “spirit” and “to think.”
Mara - In Sanskrit, this name means “death.” Additionally, in the Bible, this title is described as an expression of grief after a death, hence the Hebrew meaning of “bitter.”
Marzana - A Polish name that translates to “death,” this was the goddess of death and new beginnings in Baltic and Slavic mythology.
Morana - This Slavic name means “death” or “illness.” It is also the moniker of the goddess of winter and death in European mythology.
Morrigan - In Irish and Celtic mythology, this goddess is known as the “bringer of death.”
Morticia - The iconic matriarch of “The Addams Family,” this name is based on the Latin word “Mort,” which translates to death.
Mrithun - An Indian name that means “lord of death.”
Odin - This is the name of the god of war and the dead in Old Norse mythology.
Omisha - A Hindi name meaning “goddess of birth and death.”
Naenia - Meaning “dirge” and “incantation,” this was the goddess of funerals in Roman mythology.
Nekane -The Basque alternative for Dolores, this once-trendy name in Spain means “sorrows.”
Nephthys - Ancient Egypt’s goddess of mourning and the sky, this name fittingly means “lady of the house.”
Pana - An Inuit goddess known for nurturing souls in the Underworld before their reincarnation, this snappy moniker means “snow knife.”
Persephone - From Greek mythology, this is the name of the queen of the underworld, a title she gained after her abduction by Hades, king of the underworld! The name means “bringer of destruction” or “bringer of death.”
Prantika - An Indian name that means “the end.”
Proserpina - Meaning “bringer of death” and “destroyer of murder,” this goddess was the Roman equivalent of Persephone.
Ran - Goddess of the sea in Norse mythology, this figure would capture swimmers with her large net and drag them to the water’s deep depths. Ran translates to “plundering” and “robbery.”
Shivani - This is the Hindi Goddess Parvati. Her name means “life and death.”
Smierc - The Polish version of the Grim Reaper, commonly portrayed as a frail woman sporting white robes, this name translates to “death.”
Solikha - From Sanskrit scripts, this was the “flower of death” found atop a mountain made of corpses, which was believed to reveal someone’s true intentions.
Tamasvi - A rare Sanskrit name, which means “one with darkness inside,” this is common among followers of the Hindu religion.
Tanda - A Native American name that means “the seer of life and death.”
Thana - This is an Arabic name meaning “death.” From Greek mythology, this is the feminine form of Thanatos.
Ultima - A Latin baby name that means “last” or “endmost.”
Yama - This is the name of the Hindu God of death and justice. Other names for this mythical figure include Kala and Dharmaraja.

Boy Names That Mean Death (With Origins)

There are some cultures that do look down upon naming your child certain titles, and many countries have actually banned certain names. Some of these include Akuma and Lucifer. And while these aren’t names meaning death, they are definitely associated with it! In fact, these names are both titles for the devil.

Abaddon - An angel who reigned over the abyss in the Bible, this translates to “doom” and “destruction.”
Admatha - This Biblical boy name means “a cloud of death.”
Aeron - While this name means “shining light” in Hebrew, it is also the Welsh name of the god of battle and slaughter in Celtic mythology.
Ahimoth - This is another Biblical name that means “brother of death.”
Ajal - A Muslim name meaning “hour of death.”
Akuji - This African name means “dead and awake.”
Alexiares - An Olympus gatekeeper in Greek mythology, this moniker is bestowed upon those who “guard from death and ruin.”
Amartya - Meaning “deathless” and “immortal,” this name comes from Sanskrit texts.
Ankou - In Breton (Cornish) Mythology, this is the personification of death.
Anpu - This is the name of the Egyptian god of the dead.
Anubis - This is the Greek form of Anpu, which means “to decay.”
Arawn - This is the name of the Welsh king of the Otherworld. This is the Celtic version of the realm of the dead.
Archemoros - The son of a king in Greek mythology, this means “forerunner of death.”
Ares - A Greek name that means “god of war” and “ruin.”
Athanasios - A Greek name meaning “immortal” or “noble.” This title for one who cheats death can be shortened to Thanos or Athan.
Azmaveth - This is a biblical name that means “strong death.”
Azrael - A Hebrew name that means "help from God," this religious figure is likened to the Grim Reaper.
Balor — This is an Irish name that means “the deadly one.” In Celtic mythology, this is a one-eyed giant whose gaze brought death to those around him.
Benoni - A Hebrew name that translates to “son of my sorrow.”
Berodach - A biblical name that means “the son of death.”
Charon - In Greek mythology, this figure (whose name means “of keen gaze”) was tasked with transporting souls to the underworld.
Chernobog - A Slavic deity whose name means "black god", he is often associated with death and disaster.
Claeg - An English name that means “one that is subjected to death.”
Dáinn - An Old Norse name meaning “dead.”
Dearil - This is a Scottish and German name that means “call of death.”
Djall - A demon of fire and death in Albanian folklore, this name means “devil.”
Donn - Meaning “ruler of the world” in Old English, this also means “the dark one” in Celtic folklore.
Enma - This is the name of the Buddhist god of hell. This name serves as the personification of death.
Ernesh - An Indian name meaning “sincere” or “battle to the death.”
Hadeon - This Ukrainian moniker means “destroyer.”
Hapi - Pronounced as “happy,” the name of this underworld guardian in Egyptian mythology means “Nile river.”
Hazarmaveth - A biblical name meaning “dwelling of death.” Hazar is a fun nickname for this mouthful of a title!
Javaraya - From the state of Karnataka, this Indian name means “god of death.”
Jeevak - This is another Indian name, which refers to the time from the present until death.
Jerimoth - A Biblical name that means “he that fears or rejects death.” This is a great alternative to the name Jeremy.
Jolon - This Native American moniker means “valley of the dead oaks.”
Kalabhiti - A Hindu name meaning “of whom death is afraid.”
Kalakuta - This Indian and Sanskrit name means “potion of death.”
Kalaraja - In Sanskrit, this name means “lord of death.”
Kalayavan - An Indian name meaning “as horrible as death.”
Kaliya - This is another Indian name meaning “time of death.”
Kritanta - Of Indian origin, this name means “god of death.”
Lefu - Within the South African Sotho tribe, this means “sickness” or “death.”
Leukadios - Derived from Greek, this means “there will be light again after mourning.”
Mabuz - This is an Arthurian name that means “ruler of Death Castle.”
Markandeya - A unique name meaning “conqueror of death” in Sanskrit, this also means “sage” in Hindi.
Melwas - Meaning “princely youth” or “prince of death” in old Welsh, this was the original name of the villain who abducted Queen Guinevere in the King Arthur tale.
Meremoth - Of biblical origins, this name means “bitterness of death.”
Merripen - This American Roma name means “death or life.”
Methusael - This biblical name means “who demands his death.”
Mort - An Old French name meaning “death,” “dead,” or “still water.”
Mors - Of Latin origins, this name means “death.”
Mot - This Ugaritic name means “death.”
Mrithun - An Indian name that means “lord of death.”
Nastrond - The name of the afterlife for sinners in Norse mythology, this means “corpse shore” or “shore of death.”
Nirnasha - This is an Indian name meaning “deathless.”
Osiris - A moniker of Egyptian origin, this has several meanings, including “eyesight,” “powerful” and “mighty.”
Owuo - This is the name of the god of death in various African mythologies.
Pluto - This is the Greek name for the god of the dead. Better known as Hades, this was the god of the underworld.
Sephtis - A Persian name meaning “eternal death.”
Supay - Of Incan origins, this name means “God Of evil death.”
Sychar - This is a biblical name that means “end.”
Tartarus - Derived from Greek mythology, this “hellish place” was a prison for Titan gods.
Than - A Vietnamese name meaning “death.”
Thanatos - This Greek name means “death.” In Greek mythology, he is the God of death and rules with Hades in the underworld.
Tristan - A Latin and Celtic name that means "noise,” this also means “sad” in old French.
Tuoni - This is the name of the god of the underworld in Finnish mythology.
Tuwile - This Kenyan name means “death is inevitable.”
Uqbah - A Muslim baby name meaning “the end of everything.”

Gender-Neutral Names Meaning Death

Darkness and danger often evoke a sense of mystery and power. The following names carry with them connotations of the night or deadly forces, each holding the weight of those darker elements within their meaning.

Felagha - An Ijaw moniker that means “death has not reached me.”
Jolon - This Native American name means “valley of dead oaks.”
Kritanta - A unisex Indian name meaning “god of death.”
Lefu - Of African origin, this name means “death” or “sickness.”
Letum - This Latin name means “death” or “god of non-violent death.”
Manes - An American name for those who are “strong-willed,” this also means “to the spirits of the dead” in ancient Roman texts.
Maveth - A unisex name with Hebrew origins that means “death.”
Merripen - With the potential nicknames of Merri or Pen, this Romani name means “manner” or “death.”
Omega - A Greek name that means “the end” or “great.”
Shi - This Chinese name has several meanings, including “time,” “history” and, of course, “death.”
Shinigami - In Japanese mythology, this is a death god.

Names That Mean Angel of Death

Angels of Death serve as harbingers of the end, transitioning souls to the afterlife. These names reflect the somber gravitas of such a role, offering a profound sense of finality and existential depth.

Abaddon - This is a Hebrew name that means “ruin” or” destruction.” He is considered an angel of death and is the king of an army of locusts.
Azazel - In Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions, this is the name of the angel of death. This title is the Hebrew word for “scapegoat.”
Azrael - A Hebrew name that means “angel of god.” However, this is also the name for the angel of death in many religions. This is the spiritual being who brings souls to the afterlife.
Dabria - An English name meaning “an angel of death” and a Latin name meaning “name of an angel.”
Samael - This is a Hebrew name that means “venom” or “poison of God." It is also the epithet for the archangel of death in Christian and Jewish religions.

Names That Mean Dark or Deadly

Echoing the sentiments of the first list, these names further delve into the themes of darkness and lethality. They encapsulate the essence of shadowy allure and the potent forces of nature that can both give life and bring it to an end.

Adrienne - This Latin name means “dark.”
Ahma - Of Japanese origin, this baby girl's name means “dark rain.”
Ahriman - Of Persian origins, this boy's name means “evil spirit” or “destruction.”
Apollo - A Greek name that means “destroyer” and “manly.”
Aridam - An Indian name meaning “destroyer of foes.”
Bellinor - Of French origin, this boy's name means “a beautiful and dark person.”
Blake - This Old English name means “black” or “dark.”
Charna - A Yiddish girl’s name that means “dark” or “black.”
Ciara - This Irish name means “ruddy” or “dark.”
Cole - An English name that means “black coal.”
Dahak - A Hindu name meaning “destroyer.”
Daray - This Irish name means “dark.”
Darcel - An Irish boy's name meaning “dark.”
Darcie - This Irish girl's name means “dark girl.”
Darth - Every Star Wars fan knows this name. This German title means “dark.”
Delaney - This is an Irish boy's name that means “dark.”
Deyanira - This female title has Greek and Spanish origins and means “capable of great destruction.”
Donovan - Of Irish origins, this name means “dark warrior.”
Doug - An Old English name that means “dark water.”
Dougal - Another Old English name that means “dark water.”
Doyle - Of Old English origins, this name means “dark stranger.”
Dubheasa - This Irish girl's name means “dark beauty.”
Duncan - This is another Old English name that means “dark warrior.”
Duvessa - Another Irish girl name that means “dark beauty.”
Erebus — This is the name of the Greek god of darkness.
Gedeon - This is a Hebrew baby name that means “destroyer” or “mighty warrior.”
Hadeon - A Ukrainian baby boy name that means “destroyer.”
Heolstor - Of Anglo-Saxon origins, this name means “darkness.”
Jela - A gender-neutral name of Swahili origin that means “father suffered during birth.”
Jemisha - A Hindu name that means “queen of the night” or “queen of the darkness.”
Kali - A unisex baby name with Sanskrit origins meaning "black one."
Kek - An Egyptian boy's name meaning “god of darkness.”
Keket - This is the name of the Egyptian goddess of darkness.
Kerrin - A Gaelic name meaning “dark eyes.”
Kuragari - Of Japanese origin, this name means “darkness.”
Leila - This is an Arabic, African, and Hebrew girl name that means “dark beauty.”
Onyx - Meaning “claw” or “dark black”, this name has Greek origins.
Orpheus - A Greek name that means “darkness of the night.”
Perran - Of Cornish origins, this name means “little dark one.”
Perseus - This Greek demigod was known for killing monsters. His name means “avenger” or “destroyer.”
Runihura - This is an Egyptian baby name that means “destroyer.”
Sable - An English and Slavic name meaning “black.”
Sauda - An African and Arabic name meaning “black,” “dark,” and “love.”
Shamhuth - Of biblical origins, this boy's name means “destruction” or “desolation.”
Sullivan - This is a Gaelic name meaning “black eyes.”
Tamala - An African name that means “dark tree.”
Tamasvi - This Indian girl's name means “one who has darkness inside.”
Tamesis - This gender-neutral English name means “dark one.”
Tamisra - Of Bengali origin, this name means “she who is full of darkness.”
Tynan - An Irish name that means “dark” and “dusky.”
Whiro - This is the name of the Lord of Darkness in Maori mythology. It is a Polynesian name that means “lizard.”
Zelda - A German name that means “dark battle.”
Ziddim - This is a biblical name that means “treasons” or “destructions.”

It is important to remember that it is the person who defines the name, not the other way around. Many evil figures in our history have virtuous names but turn out to be truly wicked people. Examples include Adolf Hitler, whose first name means “noble,” and Ivan the Terrible, whose name means “God is gracious.”

What this means is that you won’t curse your little one into being an evil child by choosing a dark or death-themed name! Whichever way you feel about the topic, names meaning death would certainly stand out above the rest.

Looking for more ominous inspiration? Try out these fiery dragon baby names or look at our list of names for little witches and vampires!

For more baby name inspiration check out these popular baby name lists:

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192 Names That Mean Death and Darkness