What Are The Most Common Reasons Why People Choose Names Associated With Death?
Names that mean death can be a great way to honor a loved one who recently passed.
While death and darkness are taboo topics in many households, some cultures view these as a celebration of life.
Some parents also choose these options as a rainbow baby name or a memorial for a little one they’ve lost.
Surprisingly, some popular names actually have meanings associated with death, darkness, immortality, and similar topics.
We’ve collected the following 110+ fierce and uniquely dark names for you to ponder.
Special Baby Names That Mean Death
What Names Mean Darkness And Death?
- Ajal (Arabic boy name) – “Death,” “destiny,” or “a specific period and hour of death”
- Akuji (American boy name) – It’s an invented name meaning “dead and awake”; created for the video game “Akuji: The Heartless.”
- Bashemath (Hebrew girl name) – It means “confusion of death.”
- Chiwa (Black boy name of African origin) – This name means “death.”
- Claeg (Old English boy name) – This unique name means “one who is subjected to death.”
- Lefu (African gender-neutral name) – It’s an ancient name meaning “death.”
- Lilith (Hebrew girl name) – She’s considered a night monster or a demon figure in Jewish mythology.
- Mara (Sanskrit girl name) – It’s a name that means “death.”
- Mortimer (Latin boy name) – This means “dead sea.” It comes from the Latin word “mort,” meaning “death.”
What Are Dark Names?
These names don’t exactly mean “death” but are still related to the word:
- Adrienne (Latin girl name) – It means “dark one.”
- Ahimoth (Hebrew) – This name means “brother of death.”
- Ares (Greek male god name) – He’s the Greek god of war. The name means “ruin.”
- Baladan (Israeli) – This boy name means “the son of death.”
- Bela (Hebrew) – It means “devouring” or “destruction.”
- Clay (English boy name) – This name means “mortal” or “someone subjected to death at any moment.”
- Dearil (Scottish and German boy name) – It means “call of death” or red-haired.
- Erysichthon (Greek boy name) – It’s a name meaning “someone cursed with insatiable hunger, leading to death.”
- Jela (Swahili boy name) – This name means “the father suffered during birth.”
- Kalakuta (Indian and Sanskrit boy name) – It means “potion of death.”
- Mabuz (Scottish unique name) – This name means “ruler of death castle.”
What Names Mean God Of Death & Darkness?
Many cultures have different names for their gods, including the god of death and darkness:
- Anubis (Greek name) – It also means “god of death.”
- Atropos (Greek) – This name means “inevitable” and “inflexible.” He’s the god who chooses the manner of death and cuts the person’s life thread.
- Hades (Greek) – He’s the God of the underworld in Greek mythology.
- Javaraya (Hindu) – He’s known as the “god of death.”
- Kritanta (Indian) – This name means “God of death.”
- Odin (Old Norse and Scandinavian) – “Frenzied” or “raging”; after the Norse god of death, mystery, magic, and wisdom
- Thanatos (Greek) – This powerful name means “he who brings death.” He’s the personification of death in Greek mythology.
Names For The Goddess Of Death
- Agrona (Old English, Celtic, and Welsh) – Goddess of strife and slaughter
- Angerona (Latin) – Roman goddess of death, the winter solstice, and silence
- Ereshkigal (Sumerian) – Goddess of death and the underworld; name means “lady of the great earth”
- Freyja (Norse) – Goddess of war, death, love, and beauty
- Hel (Norse) – Goddess of death; daughter of Loki and the female giant Angerboda
- Marama (Polynesian and Maori) – Goddess of the moon and death
- Morana (Czech, Croatian, Slovene, Slavic, and Serbian) – Goddess of winter and death; variants include “Marzanna,” “Mara,” “Marena,” “Mora,” and “Morena”
- Morrigan (Irish girl name) – Means “a great emperor queen”; the goddess of death, war, and eternal warfare
- Omisha (Hindi) – Goddess of birth and death
- Valdis (Old Norse) – Goddess of the dead
Who Is The Archangel Or Angel Of Death?
- Azrael (Hebrew biblical name) – Angel of death who separates the soul from the body; name means “helped by God”
- Dabria (English) – He’s also known as an angel of death.
- Samael (Hebrew) – He’s mentioned in the Bible as an angel of death.
Is Azrael For Boys Or Girls?
Azrael is a boy name.
Names For The Lord Or Spirit Of Death
- Cihuateteo (Aztec name) – “Divine women” or “evil spirits of women who died during childbirth”
- Kalaraja (Sanskrit) – Lord of death
- Keres (Greek girl name) – Female spirits drawn to violent deaths
- Manes (Latin and Roman) – Spirits of dead loved ones
- Mrithun (Indian) – Lord of death
- Shinigami (Japanese name) – Evil spirits who encourage humans to seek death
What Name Means Eternal Death?
- Sephtis (Persian) – Eternal death
Famous People With Names That Mean Death
- Chiwa Saitō – Japanese voice actress (“Chiwa” means “death”)
- Jason Death – Australian retired professional rugby league footballer
- Stephen Victor Death – English football goalkeeper
- William Death – 18th-century English privateer and captain
Note that there are many people named “Mara” (a Sanskrit name that means “death”). However, it also has other meanings in different languages, including “ocean” as an Irish girl name and “bitter” as a Hebrew girl name.
Some famous people named Mara:
- Mara Bergman – American author
- Mara Carlyle – English singer and songwriter
- Mara Wilson – American actress and writer
Last Names That Mean Darkness Or Death
- Hakumei (Japanese) – “White death”
- Shi (Japanese and Chinese) – “Death”
- Than (Vietnamese) – “Death”
Other Names With Dark Meanings
Names That Mean Eternal Or Immortal
- Amara (Italian girl name) – “Immortal being blessed without end or death,” “grace,” or “bitter”
- Arius (Greek) – Deathless
- Athanasios (Greek) – Immortal
- Khaalida (Arabic) – “Deathless” or “immortal”; also spelled “Khalida”
- Nirnasha (Indian) – One who can never die
- Odon (Anglo-Saxon) – A person of enduring fame who isn’t subject to death; also the personification of a force
- Tuwile (Kenyan) – Death is invincible
What Baby Names Mean Bad Luck & Misfortune?
- Desdemona (Greek) – The name means “misery,” “ill-fated one,” “misery,” or “of the devil.”
- Mallory (Old French) – This name also means “unfortunate” or “bad luck.”
Names That Mean Sorrow & Misery
- Deirdre (Celtic and Gaelic) – It means “sad one” or “sorrowful.”
- Dolores (Latin) – The name relates to the Lady of sorrows; variants include “Delores.”
Baby Names That Mean Death (According To Gender)
Baby Girl Names Meaning Death
- Deyanira (Greek) – Man destroyer
- Louhi (Finnish mythology) – Another name for “Loviatar,” the death goddess
Baby Boy Names Meaning Death
- Abdulbaith (Arabic) – “Slave of one who raises death” or “servant of resurrection”
- Cletus (Greek) – “Distinguished” or “illustrious”; mortal abducted by Eos, the goddess of dawn, and turned immortal after his death
- Kalayavan (Indian) – As horrible as death
- Merripen (English gypsy name) – Life or death
Unisex Names Meaning Death
- Aeron (Welsh and Celtic unisex name) – Goddess of war and death portrayed as a masculine figure; name means “carnage” or “slaughter”
- Azrail (Hebrew) – Angel of death
Names That Mean Death (By Origin)
Greek Names Meaning Death
- Achlys (Greek girl name) – Death mist clouding the eyes before dying; personification of misery or sorrow
- Thana (Greek and Arabic girl name) – Death
Japanese Names Meaning Death
- Bushuugi – Disaster, death, and sorrow
- Chuuyou – Dying young
- Jisei – Passing away
- Kyuushi – Sudden death
Egyptian Names That Mean Darkness & Death
- Anpu (Egyptian) – This boy name also means “god of the dead.”
- Kek (Egyptian) – He’s the god of darkness.”
- Keket (Egyptian) – Goddess of darkness
- Nephthys (Egyptian) – Goddess who symbolizes the death experience; also known as the “excellent goddess” or “helpful goddess”
Names That Mean Death (From A To Z)
Names Starting With A
- Adaliah (English) – One that draws death, water, cloud, and poverty; variant of “Adalia”
- Abiba (African) – The first child born after a grandmother died; variants include “Abeaba” and “Abeabah”
Names Starting With B
- Bacia (Ugandan) – Family deaths ruined the home
- Bhishak (Hindu) – Someone who can cure the disease of birth and death cycles
Names Starting With C
- Cain (Hebrew biblical boy name) – Adam’s first son in the Bible; he killed his brother Abel out of jealousy
- Clotho (Greek girl name) – Responsible for spinning the mortals’ thread of life
Names Starting With D
- Damien (English and Greek) – Means “to tame” or “subdue”; the son of the devil or the Antichrist in the book and movie “The Omen”
- Dracula (Romanian and Latin) – “Devil” or “dragon”; popularly known as a vampire in Bram Stoker’s classic book “Dracula” (made into movies)
Names Starting With E
- Ernaline (Old Norse and Old German name) – Battle to the death
- Ernesh (Indian) – Battle to the death
Names Starting With F
- Feardorcha (Irish name) – Dark man
- Fenrir (Norse) – Evil wolf in Norse mythology or werewolf bounty hunter in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series
Names Starting With G
- Gifflet – According to old Arthurian legend, Gifflet throws Excalibur into the lake after King Arthur’s death.
Names Starting With H
- Hecate (Greek)- Goddess of ghosts, magic, night, moon, and necromancy in Greek mythology
- Heath (English) – After actor Heath Ledger who played the Joker in “The Dark Knight”
Names Starting With I
- Ilamatecuhtil (Aztec) – Goddess of fertility and death; also spelled as “Ilamatecuhtli”
Names Starting With J
- Janardan (Indian) – The liberator from the cycle of death and birth
- Jeevak (Indian) – Time from the present day until death
Names Starting With K
- Kalabhiti (Hindu) – Of whom death is afraid
- Kaliya (Hindi) – Time of death
- Kiyomi (Japanese anime name) – Kiyomi Takada, a character in the anime series “Death Note”; means “beautiful”
Names Starting With L
- Lachesis (Greek mythology) – One of the three fates responsible for measuring the thread of life; name means “apportioner who’s responsible for deciding how long a mortal person has to live”
- Lawliet (Japanese name) – Another character in the Japanese anime series “Death Note”
- Libitina (Latin) – Ancient Roman goddess of funerals
- Lorelai (German) – Siren who lures men to their death in the Rhine River; variants include “Loralie,” “Loreley,” or “Loralai”
Names Starting With M
- Manat (Arabic and Indian – Hindi unisex name) – “One who believes in fate,” “wish,” or “a prayer”; after the Arabian goddess of death, destiny, faith, and fate
- Markandeya (Hindi) – Conquers over death
- Menahem (Hebrew) – One who provides comfort or consoles; a rainbow baby name given to a little one born after an older sibling’s death
- Methuselah (Hebrew) – “Death of sword” or “his death shall bring”
- Mritunjay (Hindu) – One of the names of Lord Shiva, the One who can conquer death; also means “victory over death”
Names Starting With N
- Naenia (Latin) – Roman goddess of funerals
Names Starting With O
- Osiris – The name of a god-king in Egyptian mythology who died and was reborn yearly.
Names Starting With P
- Persephone (Ancient Greek) – “Bringer of death,” “Greek goddess of death,” or “queen of the underworld”; variants include “Persefoni”
Names Starting With Q
- Q’uq’umatz (Mayan) – Feathered serpent; refers to a Mayan god
Names Starting With R
- Raven (English) – Dark-haired; Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poem about death as a name for a pet
Names Starting With S
- Shivani (Hindi) – Life and death
Names Starting With T
- Tanda (Native American) – The seer of life and death
- Teivel (Yiddish) – Devil
- Teru (Japanese) – After Teru Mikami, a character in “Death Note”; a name meaning “brilliant”
Names Starting With U
- Uzochi (Igbo or West African) – This black boy name means “way of God”; it might be linked to heaven
Names Starting With V
- Vendetta (Italian name) – The name means “blood feud”
Names Starting With Y
- Yamajit (Hindu) – This is another name for Lord Shiva, known as “the conqueror of death”
Bonus: Pet Names Meaning Death
- Banshee – Female spirit that wails loudly when death approaches a home
- Cerberus – The three-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades (hell)
- Cujo – A terrifying dog
- Devil – After the fallen angel Lucifer
- Diablo – Another name for “Devil”
- Gunner – Relates to “Gun”; variants include “Remington,” “Bullet,” “Magnum,” “Sniper,” or Trigger
Factors To Consider When Choosing Baby Names That Mean Death
It’s often difficult to talk about death because the issue is taboo in many cultures.
So, it’s also hard to choose a name that means death, even if you’re trying to honor a loved one or the child’s older sibling who passed on.
Some factors to consider when choosing a name:
- Be sure that you really want to name your baby something that means death
- Babies with names that mean death might potentially be bullied by other kids (or adults) who don’t understand the sentiment or honor behind their name
- Ask your partner if they’re on board with such a name
- You can also use these death names as your baby’s middle name and pick a brighter name as their first name
You can also find ideas from the top 15 baby name generators or from the list of baby names 2023.
Will A Name That Means Death Bring Bad Luck To My Baby?
Names aren’t likely to bring bad luck to babies, even if they mean “death” or other dark associations. However, these ‘ugly names’ with negative meanings might subject them to bullying, which can lower their self-esteem and affect other aspect of their lives.
