160+ Dark & Shadowy Baby Names Meaning “Darkness”

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Baby naming expert Sonya Prior shares her favorite dark, Gothic names meaning “darkness”

Co-authored by Sonya Prior and Devin McSween

Last Updated: June 17, 2026 Fact Checked

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• For Girls
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• For Boys
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• Unisex
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• Meaning “Shadow”
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• Meaning “Death”
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• Meaning “Night”
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• Meaning “Black”
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• Gothic Names

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Names that mean “darkness” have a mysterious and intriguing Gothic feel, which is perfect if you want your little one to stand out from the crowd. Whether you’re looking for a name that literally means “dark,” has an associated meaning, like “shadow,” “death,” “night,” or “black,” or simply has a haunting Gothic feel, we’ve got you covered! We’re going over the best names that mean “darkness” or have a dark feel, with exclusive ideas shared by wikiHow’s naming experts.

Best Names Meaning “Darkness”

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Baby naming expert Sonya Prior says some of her favorite names that mean “darkness” or have a dark, Gothic vibe are Blake, Ciaran, Darcy, Donahue, Guinevere, Laila, Onyx, Twyla, and Vesper. Other great options include:

• “Dark”: Celaeno, Douglas, Duncan, Hadrian, Kerry, Kiara, Melaina, Orpheus, Sullivan
• “Shadow”: Calypso, Ginerva, Morrigan, Tzila, Umbra, Zillah
• “Death”: Amartya, Balor, Desdemona, Mara, Mort, Ophelia, Thanatos
• Gothic names: Blair, Damien, Edgar, Elspeth, Heathcliff, Octavia, Rowan, Sybil

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Section 1 of 8:

Girl Names Meaning “Dark” or “Darkness”

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1. 
   There are several feminine names that literally mean “dark,” which are great options if you want your little one to have a mysterious, gothic name! We’ve also included some names of goddesses who are associated with night, the moon, and darkness.

   • Achlys: “Dark mist,” Greek origin.
   • Artemis: After the Greek goddess of the hunt and wilderness, who’s associated with the moon.
   • Bruna: “Dark” or “brown,” German origin.
   • Celaeno: “The dark one,” Greek origin.
   • Hecate: After the Greek goddess of night, magic, and witchcraft.
   • Kali: “The dark one,” “black,” “death,” or “time,” Sanskrit origin.
   • Kiara: “Dark” or “earth,” Irish origin.
   • Luna: After the Roman goddess of the moon.
   • Maura: “Dark-skinned,” Latin origin.
   • Maurizia: “Dark-skinned,” Latin origin.
   • Melaina: “Dark” or “black,” Greek origin.
   • Melanie: “Dark” or “black,” Greek origin.
   • Metztli: After the Aztec goddess of the moon and night.
   • Morella: “Dark complexion” or “death,” Latin origin.
   • Morena: “Dark-skinned” or “brown-haired,” Spanish origin.
   • Selene: After the Greek goddess of the moon.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Sonya Prior is a baby naming expert known as the BB Namer. She works with families to find the perfect baby name and shares name content on social media.

   Chloe Hodgson is a baby naming expert who shares name origins and meanings on her Instagram @babynamefanatic.

   Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson is a naming expert and consultant. She shares name meanings and naming tips with her over 20k followers on her Instagram, @little_name_library.

   Sydney Bermudez is a folklore expert who shares paranormal cases, internet mysteries, and psychological horror stories to her over 400k followers.
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Section 2 of 8:

Boy Names Meaning “Dark” or “Darkness”

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1. 
   Plenty of masculine names literally mean “dark” or “darkness,” which definitely give your little one a mystical and mysterious vibe. Check out some of our favorite options below:

   • Adham: “Very dark” or “black,” Arabic origin.
   • Ciaran: “Dark-haired,” Irish origin.
   • Chandra: After the Hindu god of the moon.
   • Donahue: “Dark warrior,” Irish origin.
   • Donovan: “Dark” or “brown-haired,” Irish origin.
   • Douglas: “Dark stream” or “black river,” Scottish origin.
   • Doyle: “Dark stranger,” Irish origin.
   • Duncan: “Dark warrior,” Scottish origin.
   • Dunstan: “Dark stone,” English origin.
   • Erebus: After the personification of darkness in Greek mythology.
   • Gethin: “Dark,” “dark-skinned,” or “dusky,” Welsh origin.
   • Hadrian: “Dark-haired,” Latin origin.
   • Krishna: “Dark” or “black,” Sanskrit origin.
   • Máni: After the Norse god of the moon.
   • Maurice: “Dark-skinned,” Latin origin.
   • Maurus: “Dark-skinned,” Latin origin.
   • Moreno: “Dark-haired” or “dark-skinned,” Spanish origin.
   • Morris: “Dark” or “dark-skinned,” Welsh origin.
   • Orpheus: “The darkness of night,” Greek origin.
   • Perran: “Little dark one,” Cornish and Irish origin.
   • Sullivan: “Dark-eyed,” Irish origin.
   • Tariel: “Dark hero,” Persian and Georgian origin.
   • Tynan: “Dark,” Irish origin.

Section 3 of 8:

Gender-Neutral Names Meaning “Dark” or “Darkness”

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1. 
   If you don’t want a traditionally feminine or masculine name, there are several gender-neutral names that literally mean “dark” or “darkness.” Here are some of our favorite options:

   • Blake: “Dark” or “black,” English origin.
   • Colby: “Dark village” or “coal town,” English origin.
   • Darcel: “Dark,” French and Irish origins.
   • Darcy: “Dark one,” Irish origin.
   • Delaney: “Dark challenger,” Irish origin.
   • Duane: “Little dark one,” Irish origin.
   • Kerry: “Little dark one” or “dark-haired,” Irish origin.
   • Merrick: “Dark” or “dark-skinned,” Welsh origin.
   • Phoenix: “Dark red,” Greek origin.
   • Rajani: “The dark one,” Sanskrit origin.
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Section 4 of 8:

Names Meaning “Shadow”

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1. 
   Shadows and shade are associated with darkness, so consider a name that means “shadow” if you don’t like any of the options that literally mean “dark.” Consider these feminine, masculine, and unisex name options:

   • Calypso: “To hide” or “to conceal,” Greek origin (feminine).
   • Gadisa: “Shade,” Oromo origin (masculine).
   • Ginerva: “White shadow,” Italian and Welsh origin (feminine).
   • Guinevere: “White shadow,” Welsh origin (feminine).
   • Jennifer: “White shadow,” Welsh and Cornish origin (feminine).
   • Morrigan: “Phantom queen,” Irish origin (feminine).
   • Scáthach: “The shadowy one,” Irish origin (feminine).
   • Senka: “Shadow” or “shade,” Serbian and Croatian origin (feminine).
   • Shadow: “Shade,” English origin (unisex).
   • Skadi: “Shadow,” Norse origin (feminine).
   • Tzila: “Shade,” Hebrew origin (feminine).
   • Umbra: “Shadow,” Latin origin (unisex).
   • Umbriel: “Shadow,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Zillah: “Shadow” or “shade,” Hebrew origin (feminine).

Section 5 of 8:

Names Meaning “Death”

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1. 
   Names that mean “death” definitely have a dark, eerie, gothic, and slightly sinister vibe, making them a great alternative to names that literally mean “darkness.” Many of these names are based on deities of death and the underworld. Check out these feminine, masculine, and unisex options:

   • Abaddon: “Destruction” or “doom,” Hebrew origin (masculine).
   • Ala: After the Igbo goddess of mortality and the underworld.
   • Amaia: “The end,” Basque and Spanish origin (feminine).
   • Amartya: “Deathlessness,” Sanskrit origin (masculine).
   • Anubis: After the Egyptian god of the dead and the underworld.
   • Balor: “The deadly one,” Irish origin (masculine).
   • Desdemona: “Ill-fated” or “misery,” Greek origin (feminine).
   • Dolores: “Sorrow,” Spanish origin (feminine).
   • Charon: After the ferryman of the underworld in Greek mythology.
   • Hades: After the Greek god of the underworld.
   • Hel: After the Norse goddess of the underworld.
   • Lola: “Sorrow,” Spanish origin (feminine).
   • Mallory: “Unfortunate” or “unlucky,” French origin (unisex).
   • Mara: “Expression of grief,” Hebrew origin (feminine).
   • Morana: After the Slavic goddess of winter death and rebirth.
   • Moros: After the Greek personification of doom.
   • Mort: “Death,” French origin (masculine).
   • Mortem: “Death,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Morticia: “Death” or “mortician,” English origin (feminine).
   • Odin: After the Norse god of the dead and warfare.
   • Ophelia: Associated with the tragic character from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
   • Osiris: After the Egyptian god of the dead, underworld, afterlife, and resurrection.
   • Owuo: After the Akan god of death.
   • Persephone: After the Greek goddess of spring and queen of the underworld.
   • Shiva: After the Hindu god of destruction.
   • Thanatos: After the Greek personification of death.
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Section 6 of 8:

Names Meaning “Night”

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1. 
   Names that mean “night” or “twilight” are a great alternative to names that literally mean “dark,” as night is the time when the world succumbs to darkness. Here are several feminine, masculine, and unisex options to consider:

   • Eha: “Dusk” or “twilight,” Estonian origin (feminine).
   • Erev: “Evening,” Hebrew origin (unisex).
   • Isra: “Journey of the night,” Arabic origin (unisex).
   • Laila: “Night flower,” Persian origin (feminine).
   • Layla: “Night,” Arabic origin (feminine).
   • Lila: “Night,” Arabic origin (feminine).
   • Lilith: “Belonging to the night” or “demon,” Babylonian origin (feminine).
   • Nisha: “Night,” Indian origin (feminine).
   • Noctis: “Of the night,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Nox: “Night,” Latin origin (unisex).
   • Nyx: “Night,” Greek origin (unisex).
   • Otieno: “Born at night,” Luo origin (masculine).
   • Sandhya: “Twilight” or “dusk,” Sanskrit origin (feminine).
   • Twyla: “Twilight,” English origin (feminine).
   • Vesper: “Night star,” Latin origin (unisex).

Section 7 of 8:

Names Meaning “Black”

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1. 
   Names that mean “black” are another great alternative to names that mean “dark.” These options carry a similar mysterious and gothic vibe, and are also closely associated with darkness. Here are our favorite feminine, masculine, and unisex ideas:

   • Branwen: “Blessed raven,” Welsh origin (feminine).
   • Caliban: “Black,” Romanian origin (unisex).
   • Cole: “Charcoal” or “black rock,” English origin (unisex).
   • Colton: “Coal town,” English origin (masculine)
   • Corbin: “Raven,” English and French origin (unisex).
   • Draven: “Of the raven” or “hunter,” Scottish origin (masculine).
   • Ebony: “Deep black wood,” Egyptian and Latin origin (unisex).
   • Jett: “Black stone,” English origin (masculine).
   • Kolbrún: “Black eyebrows,” Norse origin (feminine).
   • Kuro: “ Black,” Japanese origin (masculine).
   • Merle: “Blackbird,” French and Latin origin (unisex).
   • Nero: “Black” or “strong,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Onyx: “Black gemstone,” Greek origin (unisex).
   • Raven: “Large black bird,” English origin (unisex).
   • Siamak: “Black-haired,” Persian origin (masculine).
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Section 8 of 8:

Gothic Names

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1. 
   According to baby naming expert Chloe Hodgson, Gothic names feel very dark and edgy, and have a grand and historic vibe. While these names might not literally mean “darkness,” they have a similar atmospheric feeling, which makes these Gothic girl names and boy names great options to consider:

   • Abraham: “High father,” Hebrew origin (masculine).
   • Adelaide: “Noble,” German origin (feminine).
   • Alaric: “Ruler of all,” German origin (masculine).
   • Ambrose: “Immortal” or “divine,” Greek origin (masculine).
   • Augusta: “Exalted” or “majestic,” Latin origin (feminine).
   • Augustus: “Exalted” or “majestic,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Balthazar: “Bel protect the king,” Akkadian origin (masculine).
   • Benedict: “Blessed,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Blair: “Field” or “battlefield,” Scottish origin (unisex).
   • Cain: “To get,” Hebrew origin (masculine).
   • Cordelia: “Heart,” Latin origin (feminine).
   • Cornelius: “Horn,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Damien: “Tame” or “subdue,” Greek origin (masculine).
   • Draco: “Dragon” or “serpent,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Ebenezer: “Stone of help,” Hebrew origin (masculine).
   • Edgar: “Wealthy spear,” English origin (masculine).
   • Edmund: “Wealthy protector,” English origin (masculine).
   • Elias: “My God is the Lord,” Hebrew origin (masculine).
   • Elspeth: “God is my oath,” Scottish origin (feminine).
   • Ghislaine: “Pledge,” French origin (feminine).
   • Hallow: “Holy” or “sacred,” English origin (unisex).
   • Heathcliff: “A cliff near heath,” English origin (masculine).
   • Jude: “Praised,” Hebrew origin (unisex).
   • Lazarus: “God has helped,” Hebrew origin (masculine).
   • Lucien: “Light,” French origin (masculine).
   • Lucifer: “Light-bringer,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Luther: “Famous warrior,” German origin (masculine).
   • Maeve: “Intoxicating,” Irish origin (feminine).
   • Manon: Diminutive of Marie meaning “sea” or “bitter,” French origin (feminine).
   • Montague: “Pointed hill,” French origin (masculine).
   • Morpheus: “Shaper of dreams,” Greek origin (masculine),
   • Octavia: “Eighth,” Latin origin (feminine).
   • Octavian: “Eighth,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Octavius: “Eighth,” Latin origin (masculine).
   • Pandora: “All gifts,” Greek origin (feminine).
   • Rowan: “Little red one” or “Rowan tree,” Irish origin (unisex).
   • Salem: “Peaceful” or “complete,” Arabic and Hebrew origin (unisex).
   • Sebastian: “Venerable,” Greek origin (masculine).
   • Sloan: “Warrior,” Irish origin (unisex).
   • Sybil: “Prophetess” or “oracle,” Greek origin (feminine).
   • Vlad: “To rule,” Romanian origin (masculine).
   • Wednesday: “Woden’s day,” German origin (unisex).
   • Zelda: “Gray battle maid” or “blessed,” German and Yiddish origin (feminine).

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