200+ Moody Boy Names That Mean Death or Darkness

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Masculine names associated with death and rebirth

Co-authored by Sonya Prior and Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: July 16, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Names Meaning Death
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• Mythological
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• Meaning Darkness
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• Meaning Destruction
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• Meaning Life After Death
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• More Name Ideas

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While most baby names are associated with life and light, there are also several that mean “death” or “darkness” for those who appreciate the darker side of life (and what comes after). In this article, we’ve compiled a list of unique boy names that mean “death.” We also spoke to baby naming experts to find names with other morbid meanings, such as darkness, destruction, and rebirth. Keep reading to find the perfect name for you.

Popular Boy Names That Mean Death

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Some unique boy names that mean death include Balor, Ernesh, Maveth, Mortimer, and Tod. There are also several names that are associated with death deities or myths, such as Osiris, Anubis, Hades, Azrael, and Samael. You may also consider a name that means “destruction,” like Abaddon or Alastor.

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Section 1 of 6:

Boy Names That Mean Death

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1. 
   Choosing a name that means “death” doesn’t have to be a bad omen; it can actually be a great way to honor and treasure life. While “death” isn’t a common name meaning, there are still many names from different cultures that are associated with it. Here are some examples:

   • Admatha (Biblical name meaning “a cloud of death”)
   • Ahimoth (Biblical name for “brother of death”)
   • Ajal (Arabic for “hour of death”)
   • Akuji (African for “dead and awake”)
   • Archemoros (Greek for “forerunner of death”)
   • Azmaveth (Biblical name meaning “strong death”)
   • Balor (Irish for “the deadly one”)
   • Berodach (Biblical name meaning “the son of death”)
   • Cenobio (Latin and Greek for “dweller among the dead”)
   • Claeg (English for “one that is subjected to death”)
   • Dáinn (Norse for “dead”)
   • Dearil (Scottish and German for “call of death”)
   • Ernesh (Indian for “battle to the death”)
   • Geeri (Somali for “death”)
   • Hazarmaveth (Biblical name meaning “dwelling of death”)
   • Javaray (Indian for “god of death”)
   • Jeevak (Indian name referring to the time of the present until death)
   • Jerimoth (Biblical name meaning “he that fears or rejects death”)
   • Jolon (Native American for “valley of the dead oaks”)
   • Jug-eum (Korean for “death”)
   • Kalabhiti (Hindu for “of whom death is afraid”)
   • Kalakuta (Sanskrit for “potion of death”)
   • Kalaraja (Sanskrit for “lord of death”)
   • Kalayavan (Indian for “as horrible as death”)
   • Kaliya (Indian for “time of death”)
   • Kritanta (Indian for “god of death”)
   • Lanmo (Haitian Creole for “death”)
   • Lefu (South African for “death, sickness”)
   • Mabuz (Arthurian for “ruler of Death Castle”)
   • Markandeya (Sanskrit for “conqueror of death”)
   • Maveth (Hebrew for “death”)
   • Melwas (Welsh for “prince of death”)
   • Meremoth (Biblical name meaning “bitterness of death”)
   • Merripen (American Roma for “death or life”)
   • Methusael (Biblical name meaning “who demands his death”)
   • Mikilis (Nahuatl for “death”)
   • Mort (French for “death”)
   • Mortimer (French for “dead sea”)
   • Mors (Latin for “death”)
   • Mot (Ugaritic for “death”)
   • Mrithun (Indian for “lord of death”)
   • Olim (Azerbaijani and Kazakh for “death”)
   • Omega (Greek for “the end”)
   • Sephtis (Persian for “eternal death”)
   • Shi (Chinese for “death”)
   • Than (Vietnamese for “death”)
   • Tod (German for “death”)
   • Tuquniq (Inuktut for “death”)
   • Tuwile (Kenyan for “death is inevitable”)
   • Uqbah (Arabic for “the end of everything”)

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Sonya Prior is a baby naming expert who runs a baby naming consulting business. Known as the BB Namer, she shares name content on Instagram and TikTok to an audience of over 30k followers.

   Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson is a naming consultant based in Liverpool, England. Known as @little_name_library, she shares name meanings and naming tips on Instagram to over 20k followers.
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Section 2 of 6:

Mythological Boy Names Associated with Death

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1. 
   Since death is something we all experience, it’s no surprise that cultures and religions from all over the world have myths about death gods and the afterlife. If none of the names that literally mean “death” catch your eye, consider choosing a name inspired by a death deity. Here are some examples:

   • Alexiares (In Greek mythology, a gatekeeper of Olympus who guards from death and ruin)
   • Anguta (the Inuit god who guides the dead to the afterlife)
   • Ankou (the personification of death in Cornish mythology)
   • Anpu (the Egyptian god of the dead)
   • Anubis (the Egyptian god of the underworld)
   • Arawn (the Welsh king of the Otherworld)
   • Azazel (an angel of death in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam)
   • Azrael (an angel of death in Christianity)
   • Cerberus (the three-headed dog that guards the underworld in Greek mythology)
   • Charon (in Greek mythology, the ferryman to the underworld)
   • Djall (a demon of death in Albanian folklore)
   • Duat (the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology)
   • Dullahan (in Irish mythology, a headless horseman who brings death wherever he goes)
   • Enma (the Buddhist god of hell)
   • Eresh (a gender-neutral alternative to Ereshkigal, the Sumerian goddess of death)
   • Eshu (the Yoruba god of misfortune and death)
   • Hades (the Greek god of the underworld)
   • Iku (the Yoruba god of death)
   • Luison (the Guarani death deity)
   • Mantus (the Etruscan ruler of the underworld)
   • Mictlantecuhtli (the Aztec god of death)
   • Mictlan (a shortened version of Mictlantecuhtli)
   • Mors (the Roman personification of death)
   • Nastrond (the afterlife for sinners in Norse mythology, literally “corpse shore”)
   • Osiris (the Egyptian god of the afterlife)
   • Owuo (the god of death in several African mythologies)
   • Pluto (the Roman god of the underworld)
   • Reaper (after the Grim Reaper)
   • Samael (an archangel of death in Christianity and Judaism)
   • Shinigami (a death god in Japanese mythology)
   • Styx (in Greek mythology, the river that separates the living from the dead)
   • Supay (the Incan god of death)
   • Tartarus (a prison for Titans in Greek mythology, translates to “hellish place”)
   • Thanatos (the Greek god of death)
   • Tuoni (the god of the underworld in Finnish mythology)
   • Xolotl (the Nahuatl god of death, fire, and lightning)
   • Yamaraj (the Hindu god of death and justice)

Section 3 of 6:

Boy Names That Mean Darkness

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1. 
   Baby naming expert Sonya Prior says there are many baby names that relate to darkness or shadows. If you’re looking for a gloomy name, but not necessarily one that means “death,” consider one of the following dark options:

   • Aadhar (Hindi for “shadow, darkness”)
   • Aciel (Hebrew for “shadow of God”)
   • Adham (Arabic for “black”)
   • Adrian (Latin for “dark”)
   • Beal (Gaelic for “shadow”)
   • Bellinor (French for “beautiful and dark person”)
   • Blake (English for “dark”)
   • Cary (Irish for “dark one”)
   • Chaya (Sanskrit for “shadow”)
   • Ciaran (Irish for “little dark one”)
   • Cole (English for “black coal”)
   • Corbin (French for “raven”)
   • Dade (Gaelic for “dark one”)
   • Darcy (Irish for “dark”)
   • Dell (Maltese for “shadow”)
   • Donahue (Irish for “dark warrior”)
   • Donn (Celtic for “the dark one”)
   • Donovan (Gaelic for “dark”)
   • Douglas (Scottish for “black river”)
   • Draven (English for “one who emerges from the shadows”)
   • Duncan (Gaelic for “dark warrior”)
   • Dwayne (Irish for “dark, black”)
   • Erebus (Greek for “deep darkness”)
   • Hadrian (Latin for “dark-haired”)
   • Hamutal (Hebrew for “the shadow of his heart”)
   • Heolstor (Anglo-Saxon for “darkness”)
   • Hunapo (Polynesian for “hidden darkness”)
   • Jett (English for “black”)
   • Kage (Japanese for “shadow”)
   • Kardama (Sanskrit for “shadow”)
   • Keir (Gaelic for “dark-haired”)
   • Kerwin (Irish for “dark”)
   • Layton (English for “dark meadow”)
   • Morris (Latin for “dark”)
   • Nox (Latin for “night”)
   • Nyx (Greek for “night”)
   • Ombre (Latin for “shadow”)
   • Orpheus (Greek for “darkness of the night”)
   • Ozul (Hebrew for “shadow”)
   • Quirin (German for “dark, gloomy”)
   • Raven (English for “dark bird”)
   • Shadow (English for “shade from the sun”)
   • Sullivan (Irish for “little dark eyes”)
   • Tynan (Irish for “dark, dusty”)
   • Tywyll (Welsh for “dark, shadow”)
   • Zalaph (Biblical name meaning “shadow”)
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Section 4 of 6:

Boy Names That Mean Destruction

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1. 
   Often, destruction comes before death, and many belief systems associate chaos and destruction with the end of the world. Here are some unique boy names that are associated with destruction, war, chaos, and evil:

   • Abaddon (Hebrew for “ruin, destruction”)
   • Aeron (after the Welsh god of battle and slaughter)
   • Ahriman (Persian for “evil spirit, chaos, destruction”)
   • Akuma (Japanese for “devil, demon”)
   • Alastor (Greek for “vengeance, avenger”)
   • Apollo (Greek for “Destroyer”)
   • Apollyon (Greek for “the destroyer”)
   • Apopis (after the Egyptian god of chaos)
   • Ares (after the Greek god of war, battle, and ruin)
   • Asani (Swahili for “rebellious”)
   • Breaker (English for “one who breaks”)
   • Bela (Hebrew for “devouring, destruction”)
   • Bolverkr (Norse for “worker of evil”)
   • Buster (English for “one who breaks things”)
   • Cain (Scottish for “war-like”)
   • Casimir (Polish for “destroyer of peace”)
   • Chaos (Greek for “emptiness, abyss”)
   • Chernobog (a Slavic deity associated with misfortune)
   • Cifarelli (Italian for “devil, demon”)
   • Dahak (Hindu for “destroyer)
   • Deimos (Greek for “terror, dread”)
   • Dolion (Greek for “deceit, betrayal”)
   • Fachnan (Irish for “malicious”)
   • Foley (Irish for “pirate, marauder, plunderer”)
   • Fury (after the Greek goddesses of vengeance and retribution)
   • Gavroche (French for “Mischievous child”)
   • Gvantsa (Georgian for “mischievous, wild”)
   • Hadeon (Ukrainian for “destroyer”)
   • Havoc (French for “widespread destruction”)
   • Helmar (Swedish for “fighting fury”)
   • Kek (after the Egyptian god of darkness and chaos)
   • Letum (Latin for “death and destruction”)
   • Loki (after the Norse trickster god)
   • Malvolio (Italian for “ill-will”)
   • Mazzikim (Hebrew for “those who harm”)
   • Nidal (Arabic for “strife, struggle”)
   • Riot (French for “uproar, tumult”)
   • Seth (after the Egyptian god of chaos and violence)
   • Sverre (Norse for “wild, swinging”)
   • Ubel (German for “evil”)
   • Wilder (German for “untamed, wild”)

Section 5 of 6:

Boy Names That Mean Life After Death

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1. 
   “Names that mean rebirth can carry that soft symbolism of renewal, hope, and beginning again,” says naming expert Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson. If you’re looking for a name that means life after death, try one of the following:

   • Aadi (Sanskrit for “beginning”)
   • Aileni (Welsh for “reborn, regenerate”)
   • Alo (Hawaiian for “breath of life”)
   • Amartya (Sanskrit for “deathless, immortal”)
   • Anastasius (Greek for “reborn”)
   • Ankur (Sanskrit for “new life”)
   • Apela (Hawaiian for “breathing spirit”)
   • Athanasios (Greek for “immortal”)
   • Atreus (Greek for “father of rebirth”)
   • Atunbi (Yoruba for “the reincarnated one”)
   • Avail (German for “renewal”)
   • Brahma (Sanskrit for “creation or growth”)
   • Dagny (Scandinavian for “new day”)
   • Davu (African for “the beginning”)
   • Fresco (Italian for “fresh start”)
   • Harutyun (Armenian for “resurrection”)
   • Inizio (Italian for “new beginnings”)
   • Javed (Persian for “eternal”)
   • Kariuki (Swahili for “rebirth, reincarnated one”)
   • Lazarus (Hebrew for “restored to life”)
   • Leukadios (Greek for “there will be light again after mourning”)
   • Naveen (Indian for “new”)
   • Navijeet (Indian for “new victory”)
   • Ordell (Latin for “beginning”)
   • Phoenix (after the mythological firebird that rises from the ashes)
   • Renato (Latin for “reborn”)
   • Renatus (Latin for “born again”)
   • Rene (Latin for “rebirth, born again”)
   • Rilind (Albanian for “rebirth”)
   • Saisei (Japanese for “rebirth”)
   • Sanjiban (Indian for “restoring of life”)
   • Tadesse (Amharic for “renewed, revived”)
   • Tan (Vietnamese for “new”)
   • Wahuj (Arabic for “new beginning”)
   • Zaron (Hebrew for “new beginning”)
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Section 6 of 6:

More Name Ideas

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1. Didn’t find the name you want? That’s okay—we have plenty more options to choose from! Check out these other wikiHow articles for more dark and spooky name ideas:

   • 200+ Baby Names That Mean Death & Darkness for Boys & Girls
   • 100+ Powerful Last Names that Mean Death & Darkness
   • 55+ Ghostly Names For Boys and Girls
   • 90 Scary Names for Boys & Girls
   • 170+ Unique & Creative Names That Mean “Life”
   • 70+ Cool First & Last Names That Mean Blood

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