Halloween isn’t the only time of year you can be spooky or scary. Gothic culture can be celebrated at any time of the year. Gothic culture, or goth culture, is a modern subculture that first found prevalence in 1980s England. The culture largely is inspired visually by gothic literature, which was the hot genre in the 19th century. Gothic literature is defined by its combination of themes involving horror, death, and romance.
Notable works in this genre are Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Additionally, the short stories that have made Edgar Allan Poe famous are often considered gothic. In modern times, goth has come to refer to a group of people who all subscribe to a certain fashion style or musical taste.
With goth people stereotypically wearing all black clothes and listening to punk and heavy metal music. They are also stereotypically obsessed with the idea of death and satan. Obviously, that is not what every goth person is like, but it is the mental image that most people come up with when they hear “goth.”
But regardless of your reasoning for identifying as “goth”, with this rich genre and subculture defined by beautifully dark and tragic stories, it only makes sense to want to bring some of that energy when it comes to naming your child. Here are 67 goth names that might just be the one for you.
Gothic Boy Names:
Every set of goth parents wants to find the perfect name for their child. However, finding goth names can be tough. Fear not, below you shall find some dark and amazing gothic boy names.
1. Salem
Salem is a town in Massachusetts that is made famous for the Salem With Trials. Making Salem a very popular gothic inspired name. It also is the name of the cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the Netflix reboot had a lot of gothic elements in it.
2. Lucifer
Lucifer was the name of the fallen angel who became satan. Does it really need to be explained what makes this gothic? are both derived the same root lux (light) on the upside; they both translate to “bearer of light.”
3. Anubis
Anubis is the guardian of the dead, mummification, and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian mythology. Which makes it a great gothic name.
4. Odin
In Norse mythology, Odin presides over Valhalla, the nose afterlife that gets half of those who die in battle and where they would train for Ragnarok. Odin is a strong powerful name that has connections to death and the afterlife, two big concepts in gothic culture.
5. Styx
In Greek mythology, the River Styx is a river that forms a boundary between the land of the living and the land of the dead.
6. Hades
Hades is famously the ruler and god of the underworld in Greek mythology. Which makes this a perfectly unique gothic name for your child..
7. Pluto
Pluto is the Roman mythology equivalent of Hades, as he is the ruler of the Underworld. The name Pluto also has grand comic energy to it along with gothic, because of the planet.
8. Dante
Dante is a gothic name because of Italian writer Dante Alighieri who wrote the 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy, which includes Dante’s Inferno, one of the most famous depictions of Hell.
9. Grim
Grim is a nickname of Dutch origin for a dour and forbidding person. It is also the first half of the name of the Grim Reaper, a popular personification of death. All of this gives Grim a very strong gothic energy.
10. Damien
Damian is a name that means “to tame” or “subdue.” It comes from the Greek word “Damianos” which often is translated to “master,” “overcome,” or “conquer.” The name also sounds a lot like the word “Demon”.
11. Jasper
Jasper is a type of stone that is widely held to be very nurturing. It is said that it is good for bringing comfort and reassurance, feelings of optimism, and freedom of fear to the person wearing it.
12. Morpheus
Morpheus is the name of the Greek God of dreams. Morpheus is also one of the names of main character of The Sandman, a series of dark fantasy and horror graphic novels by Neil Gaimen that takes a lot of inspiration from Gothic literature in the visual style and writing.
13. Manfred
Manfred is a name, with German origins, meaning ‘peaceful man.’ The name is also the name of the main character in The Castle of Otranto, a novel by Horace Walpole, which is widely considered the first gothic novel.
14. Bram
Bram is a good name because it would be honoring famous gothic writer, Bram Stocker.
15. Vladimir
Vladimir, or sometimes shortened to Vlad, is an old Slavic name meaning “of great power.” Your child would also be sharing the first name with Vlad the Impaler, the famously cruel ruler of Wallachia who was also the inspiration of one of the most famous characters from gothic literature, Count Dracula.
16. Gabriel
Gabriel is a name derived from the name of an archangel found across many different religions. It also is a good goth name because it would be honoring Gabriel John Utterson, the main character in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a Gothic novella by Robert Louis Stevenson.
17. Victor
Victor translates from Latin to mean “conqueror”, which is a very gothic concept as many gothic works of literature involve conquering in some regard. The name would also be honoring Victor Frankenstein, the main character in one of the most prolific works of gothic literature.
18. Dorian
Dorian is an ancient Greek name meaning “child of the sea”. The name was famously used in Oscar Wilde’s gothic horror novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.
19. Igor
Igor is a good gothic name as it is the name of a character in a famous gothic novel, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.
20. Caine
Caine is a name of Hebrew origin that often is translated as meaning ‘possessed’. Also, in the bible, “Cain” was the first child of Adam and Eve and committed the first murder when he killed his brother Abel. A very tragic character ripe for a gothic story.
21. Fenrir
Fenrir is a Gothic name is derived from Norse legends. In Norse mythology was a giant monstrous wolf and son of the trickster god Loki.
22. Grimoire
Grimoire, is a Gothic name that is derived from folklore about spirits and incantations. In European legends, the Grimorie was an ancient book of spells and magic.
23. Hallow
The word hallow is derivative of an old middle English word meaning sacred and holy. It also is the first half of every goth’s favorite holiday, Halloween. Making it a great name for you kid.
24. Brone
Brone is a cool gothic-sounding name of Irish origin, meaning “sorrowful.” You can almost guarantee they’ll be the only Brone in their class.
25. Ingram
Ingram comes from a German word that means “angel-raven”. Ravens are very popular in gothic imagery, so that makes it a great gothic name.
26. Leviathan
In the Bible, the Leviathan is a sea monster that represented the enemies of God who will be slain. Now, Leviathan is overused as a term to ever to giant menacing creatures hiding in the dark. Very gothic.
27. Athan
Athan is a Greek name that means “immortal.” Sounds pretty gothic to me.
28. Kyran
Kyran is a predominantly English and Irish name that is a variation of the name English and Irish name Kieran and means ‘little dark one.’ Which creates the perfect gothic imagery for your child.
29. Azrael
Azrael is a variation of the name Azriel. Azriel was the name of an angel in Jewish and Islamic tradition who was responsible for separating the soul from the body when someone died. He is also sometimes referred to as the Angel of Death.
30. Lazarus
Lazarus is a boy’s name of Greek origin meaning “God is my helper.” In Christianity, Lazarus was a man brought back to life by Jesus Christ. What is a more gothic concept than rising from the dead to ever-lasting life?
31. Ascelin
Ascelin is a gothic name that is derivative of the germanic word for “ash tree”. With the “ash tree” being connected to the Meliae, a group of nymphs, from Greek mythology.
32. Coven
Is a nice gender-neutral sounding gothic name. Coming from the word for a gathering of witches. The word coven itself is derived from a derogatory old English term for a group of tristers, hence why it became the word for a group of witches.
Gothic Girl Names:
But, what if you are having a girl? Or simply want to you a feminine name? Well, again, fear not, below you shall find some dark and amazing gothic girl names.
33. Dolores
Dolores literally translates into Spanish to mean pain. If that doesn’t capture everything goth names want to be then I don’t know what will. This name would also be honoring the title character of Stephen King’s novel Dolores Claiborne, which many classify as a modern gothic romance novel.
34. Hectate
Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft in Greek mythology. She is known for helping Demeter in the search for Persephone and was allowed to live in the Underworld. Witchcraft and the underworld, the goths love that stuff.
35. Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone is the queen of the underworld, wife of Hades, and goddess of spring growth
36. Hel
In Norse mythology, Hel is the personification of death. As the goddess of death, Hel was the ruler over the realm of the same name, where she received a portion of the dead.
37. Pesta
In Scandinavian areas, during the Black Plague, Death would often be personified as an old woman who was then called Pesta, which means “plague hag,” wearing a black hood. The themes of darkness and death in this name make it a wonderfully gothic name.
38. Raven
A Raven is a blackbird that is often linked to death, darkness, and destruction in many European mythologies. Plus, its probably one of the more normal-sounding names that you’ll find on this list.
39. Lanira
Lanira is a name with Hawaiian origins that means ‘a powerful sorceress’.
40. Guinevere
Guinevere is a name with old Old French origins, It is the French translation for the Welsh word ‘Gwenhwyfar’ meaning ‘white ghost’. Ghosts are a large part of a lot of gothic literature and culture.
41. Mallory
Mallory is an Old English name that means ‘cursed one’. Which is a very cool and ominous gothic name to give your child.
42. Nyx
Nyx is a name that comes from the Greek word for night.
43. Kiara
Kiara is a name with Old Irish origins and means ‘dark’.
44. Layla
Layla is a Hebrew name that has its origins in Arabic. The name means ‘night beauty’. This name’s meaning has a gothic beauty to it that will suit your child nicely.
45. Payton
Payton is a name with English origins and can be gender-neutral. It means ‘fighting man’s estate’. A very powerful name, who wouldn’t want to give their child a gothic name that would imply they are going to be fighting against ‘the man“, that’s awesome.
46. Urva
Urva is an awesome Gothic baby name. It has Islamic roots and means ‘strengthener’. A beautiful sounding name that will imbue your child with strength, what could be better.
47. Damienne
Damienne is a name that has Greek origins and means ‘prophecy’ or ‘prognostication’.
48. Drusilla
Drusilla is a name with Greek origins and means ‘fruitful’. Plus it is the name of a major vampire villain in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and that character is very gothic in appearance.
49. Xena
Xena is a name with Greek origins and means “Warrior Princess”. You can never go wrong with naming your child after a warrior princess.
50. Fae
Fae is a name with origins in both Old English and French and means “fairy.”
51. Miso
Miso is a name that comes the Greek word meaning ‘hatred’. Again, hatred is a very strong theme in gothic culture.
52. Lola
Lola is a name that has Spanish and German origins and it means ‘sorrow’. Again, sorrowness is a very prelevent theme in gothic culture.
53. Clio
Clio is a Greek name meaning “proclaimed”. In Greek mythology, Clio was one of the muses and was the patron of history.
54. Jade
Jade is a stone whose meaning is often interpreted as bringing confidence, acceptance, and health. The name Jade also comes from Spanish and means “precious stone.”
55. Quintella
Quintella is a name with ancient Latin origins. It is the feminine form of the masculine name Quintus, meaning ‘fifth’. Maybe this is your fifth kid? Could be a fun name to give.
56. Blair
Blair is a traditional English name of Gaelic origins and it means ‘battlefield’. A gothic name that means battlefield? Now that is a powerful name to give your child.
57. Zara
Zara is a name with Arabic origins and translates to “seed.”
58. Mary
Mary is a name of Latin origin and means ‘bitterness’ or ‘sea of sorrow’. With sorrows being a prelevalent theme in gothic culture.
59. Branwen
Branwen is a name that comes from Welsh mythology and means ‘raven hair’.
60. Elvira
Elvira is a name with Spanish origins and it means ‘beautiful’ or ‘truth’.
61. Riley
Riley is a name with Irish origins and is often interpreted as meaning ‘brave’ or ‘tough’.
62. Scarlet
Scarlet is an Old English name that refers to a color that is red or a ‘deep red’. Which is of course the color of blood, which is very gothic in nature.
63. Miriam
Miriam is a name that has Hebrew roots and means ‘river of bitterness’ or ‘rebellion’. A concept that is very gothic.
64. Trista
Trista is a name with old French origins that means “noisy or full of sorrow”.
65. Desdemona
Desdemona is a name of Greek origin that is the female version of Desmond and means ‘misery’.
66. Garnet
Garnet is a name with old English origins and is also the name of a gemstone with a deep red color. The name also originally comes from the word for Pomegranate, which has a lot of connections to death in mythologies, making it popular in gothic culture.
67. Minerva
Minerva is classically referenced in gothic literature and is the Roman goddess of wisdom.
Well, hopefully, this list has given you some great gothic ideas of what you will name your child. There are a lot of different routes you could take in naming your child something with Gothic connections. You could choose something subtle like Mary or something where the gothic elements are in your face like Hades, it is entirely up to you. Whatever you choose, I hope this list helped!
I’m Cathrine and I’m a 39-year-old mother of 3 from Utica, New York. And I’m extremely happy you’ve come to visit my hide-out on the web. Here I post about everything related to family-life and usually it will involve babies and lessons I’ve learned over the years from experts, friends, and my own mistakes. So hopefully you will find what i write fun and informational!