Baby names often focus on the cute, the pretty, and the “adorable.” Sometimes, you may just want something a little darker!
If you’re looking for baby names entirely out of the ordinary, we’ve got you sorted and assembled this intriguing list of names that mean death, covering everything from evil to decay. We’ve listed all the meanings, origins, and more behind each one and hope you’ll find the perfect choice for your own little tortured angel.
Note: due to the nature of these names meaning death, some may be sensitive, offensive, or even illegal in different cultures. Please use discretion and conduct thorough research before choosing one for your son or daughter.
Table of Contents
36 Girl Names That Mean Death
Bless your daring little girl with one of these grim death names below.
- Acantha – a beautiful Greek mythological name with the spiky meaning of “thorn.”
- Achlys – meaning “death mist,” this Greek mythological figure represents the clouding of the eyes after death.
- Ammit – a demon in Egyptian mythology, with the dark meaning: “devourer of the dead.”
- Bacia – meaning “family deaths ruined the home,” Bacia is an unusual girl name that means death.
- Chiwa – a perky-sounding African girl name meaning “death.”
- Cuca – is an evil, supernatural hag in Brazilian mythology that means “cruel.”
- Deirdre – meaning “broken-hearted” or “sorrowful,” this Irish feminine name was borne by a tragic figure in Irish legend.
- Desdemona – a cursed Shakespearean name derived from Greek, meaning “ill-fated.”
- Dolores – meaning “sorrows” in Spanish, Dolores is a pretty yet sad choice among names meaning death.
- Enyo – the powerful and destructive killer and Greek goddess of war.
- Freyja – meaning “lady,” Freyja was the Norse goddess of love and beauty, but also war and death.
- Hel – meaning “hidden,” Hel was the goddess of death in Norse mythology who ruled the underworld.
- Izanami – meaning “she who invites,” a creator of both life and death in Japanese mythology.
- Juliet – a Latin girl name meaning “youthful,” belonging to one of the most famous tragic Shakespearean heroines.
- Kali – meaning “dark one,” Kali is the Hindu goddess of death and time.
- Kalma – literally meaning “stench of corpses,” Kalma is the Finnish goddess of death and decay.
- Kauket – the female counterpart to Kek, the Egyptian god of “darkness.”
- Ker – the singular of Keres, meaning “doom,” a deadly spirit in Greek mythology.
- Keres – meaning “doom,” in Greek mythology, the Keres were goddesses of a violent death!
- Lefu – a sweet-sounding African name meaning “death.”
- Lilith – meaning “of the night,” Lilith was a dark demon in Jewish tradition.
- Lorelei – meaning “rock,” a German legend tells of a siren named Lorelei who lured sailors to death.
- Mallory – a French-rooted name related to death, meaning “unfortunate” or “ill-omened.”
- Mania – meaning “mind, spirit,” Mania was the Etruscan goddess of the dead, spirits, and chaos.
- Mara – the Hindu goddess of death, also a Hebrew word for “bitter.”
- Marama – a Polynesian goddess of death, Marama means “moon” in Maori.
- Marzanna – the Polish girl name of a Slavic death goddess whose name means “death.”
- Morana – a Slavic goddess of death, whose name root also means “death.”
- Morrigan – in Irish mythology, Morrigan was the goddess of war and suffering, meaning “great queen.”
- Morticia – derived from the English “mortician,” Morticia is best known as the matriarch in The Addams Family.
- Naenia – meaning “dirge,” Naenia was a Roman goddess of funerals.
- Nephthys – meaning “lady of the house,” Nephthys was an Egyptian goddess of mourning and loss.
- Omisha – a Hindi girl name meaning “goddess of birth and death.”
- Pele – the “shaper or lands,” Pele is the goddess of fire and volcanoes in Hawaiian religion.
- Persephone – meaning “destruction,” Persephone was the queen of the underworld in Greek mythology.
- Prosperina – although it means “fortunate,” Prosperina was the Roman queen of the underworld.
56 Boy Names That Mean Death
Your future son will sound cool with one of these fascinating names that mean death.
- Abaddon – a chaotic Hebrew boy name meaning “destruction.”
- Abchanchu – a vampire and death-bringer from Bolivian legend, who lures victims by feigning helplessness.
- Aita – the Etruscan god of the underworld, with an unknown meaning.
- Akuji – an African boy name with the unnerving meaning of “dead and awake.”
- Anpu – refers to Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of death- a daring pick among names that mean death.
- Anubis – meaning “to decay,” Anubis was an ancient Egyptian god of the dead and mummification.
- Apollo – the Greek god of music and the sun, Apollo means “destroyer,” who ruled over disease.
- Ares – meaning “war, ruin,” Ares was the feisty god of war in Greek mythology.
- Azrael – an Islamic angel of death, who separates the soul from the bodies of the deceased.
- Azvameth – a unique middle-eastern name meaning “strong death.”
- Belial – meaning “worthless,” this Hebrew term is used in the Bible about wickedness.
- Cain – meaning “acquired” in Hebrew, the biblical, fratricidal Cain is often considered the first murderer.
- Cerberus – the dangerous, Greek mythological three-headed dog who guarded the gates to the underworld.
- Chernobog – meaning “the black God,” Chernobog was the Slavic god of darkness, evil, and misfortune.
- Claeg – an English name meaning “mortal,” reminding us of the eventuality of death.
- Dáinn – a stylish-sounding name from Norse mythology, literally meaning “dead.”
- Damien – a Greek name meaning “to tame,” yet often associated with the creepy character in The Omen.
- Dante – an Italian boy name meaning “everlasting,” borne by a writer famous for his poetic depiction of Hell.
- Dev – you could say this cool-sounding choice is short for “devil?”
- Diablo – the Spanish for “devil,” thus a morbid option among death names!
- Djall – meaning “devil,” Djall is the personification of evil in Albanian folklore.
- Dracula – meaning “son of the dragon,” this vampiric name is best associated with the novel by Bram Stoker.
- Duncan – a Gaelic masculine name meaning “dark warrior,” Duncan has a shady aura to it.
- Enma – the Japanese Buddhist god of the dead, another name for Yama.
- Flanagan – a cool-sounding Irish given and last name with the grim meaning of “blood-red.”
- Gunnar – a cool Slavic name meaning “warrior,” with a dark, daring theme.
- Hadeon – a Ukrainian boy name with the chaotic meaning of “destroyer.”
- Hades – meaning “unseen,” Hades was the shady god of the underworld in Greek mythology.
- Hannibal – a historic name often associated with the fictional Hannibal Lecter, created by Thomas Harris.
- Iblis – in Islam, Ibis (meaning “devil”) is considered the leader of the devils.
- Jabez – a biblical boy’s name meaning “one who brings pain and sorrows.”
- Kek – a death name inspired by the ancient Egyptian god of darkness and nighttime.
- Loki – in Norse mythology, Loki was a mischievous trickster god whose name means “knot.”
- Lucifer – despite meaning “bringer of light,” Lucifer is the name of the devil in Christianity.
- Mabuz – in Arthurian legend, Mabuz was the lord of the “castle of the dead.”
- Medjed – a minor deity in Egyptian religion who iconically resembles a ghost.
- Mors – the Latin for “death,” Mors is a stark choice among names meaning death.
- Mortimer – a gloomy-sounding English death name meaning “dead sea.”
- Necro – in English, “necro-” is a prefix used concerning death, making it a unique name.
- Odin – the supreme god of death in Norse mythology, whose name holds the chaotic meaning of “frenzy.”
- Orcus – a Roman underworld god and another name for the underworld itself.
- Osiris – meaning “powerful, mighty,” Osiris was the Egyptian god of the dead and underworld.
- Pluto – meaning “rich,” Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld.
- Ravana – meaning “roaring,” this Sanskrit name was borne by a demon in Hindu mythology.
- Romeo – meaning “Roman,” Romeo belongs to one of the most famous Shakespearean tragic heroes.
- Samael – meaning “poison of God,” Samael is a Hebrew archangel and prince of demons.
- Sephtis – a Persian male name with the dark meaning of “eternal death.”
- Tavarious – a cool-sounding American pick, meaning “misfortune.”
- Teivel – this evil-sounding name means “devil” in Yiddish.
- Thanatos – a Greek god of death, whose name also holds this dark meaning.
- Tuoni – the Finnish god of the underworld and the Italian word for “thunder.”
- Tuwile – a Kenyan name with the joyless meaning of “death is invincible.”
- Übel – a Germanic-rooted male name, translating to “evil.”
- Vlad – meaning “to rule,” this Slavic historical name is often associated with vampires!
- Voldemort – a deathly choice created by J.K. Rowling for her Harry Potter franchise
- Yama – meaning “twin” in Sanskrit, Yama is the Hindu god of death and the underworld.
9 Unisex Names That Mean Death
These gender-neutral death names are designed to suit any little fallen angel.
- Daeva – a daeva is an evil, spiritual entity in Iranian religion.
- Ghost – an uncommon but extraordinary English word name.
- Hemlock – a highly poisonous plant whose toxicity was used to kill Socrates in 399 BC.
- Kennedy – a popular name in modern times, with the alarming meaning of “misshapen head.”
- Kritanta – meaning “god of death,” Kritanta is a feisty death name indeed.
- Mort – a gloomy Latin prefix used to relate to death.
- Onyx – a black gemstone often associated with death and communication from beyond.
- Raven – the pretty name of a bird, often seen as an omen for death.
- Reaper – meaning “harvester,” this unique unisex name is associated with the Grim Reaper.
