What To Name Your Baby Goth












Name Nerds main

Stumped for a name for your little possibly-changeling baby? Look no further! (note: yeah we know many of these are totally lame). Most would not be that great on a human, but might be OK for a pet or a screen name. For further Gothification, try adding a suffix and compounding some of the names, like Absinthia ChaosDemon, Lachrimaeus OmegaThorn... or not.

Name significance (if any)
Absinthe If you don't know what this is, you might want to find another subculture to subscribe to. It's an alcoholic beverage made with wormwood (artimisia absinthium), a plant known for its mild hallucinigenic properties. It was very popular among 19th and early 20th century artists.
Ague term for Malaria used from the middle ages up until the 20th century.
Ahriman evil deity in Persian Zoroastrianism
Alcina sorceress in Italian Arthurian legends.
Amanita genus of poisonous mushrooms
Amarantha a mythological Greek flower that never faded.
Amaranthus genus of flower also known as "love lies bleeding." Used in middle ages to stem bleeding.
Amethyst purple gemstone, thought to be a cure for drunkenness, and also to encourage celibacy. Wine goblets in the middle ages were often carved from amethyst. In astrology, it is a symbol of heavenly understanding.
Annabel Lee a tragic poem by Edgar Allan Poe
Anubis/Anpu Egyptian mortuary god
Arachne Greek mythological figure who Athena turned into a spider in a fit of jealousy
Artemisia Greek mythological figure, also the species of wormwood, used to make absinthe.
Ash what's left behind after a fire. Also, think of Daniel Ash.
Asmodeus another name for Satan
Aspiradora means "vaccuum" in Spanish. If you want a name that really sucks! (har har)
Astaroth Demon, Christian mythology
Astolat the place where Elaine the tragic "Lily Maid" of Arthurian legend hailed from
Asura "Demon" in Hinduism
Asya According to one book I have, means "born in a time of grief" in Swahili.
Atropine a poison
Autumn season where everything dies
Avalon the otherworldly place where King Arthur went after he died. Also a model of mini-van.
Avarice Greed. One of the Seven Deadly Sins
Aveira word for "sin" in Hebrew
Avon in Hebrew, a sin of lust or uncontrollable emotion.
Azazel Hebrew Bible goat-like demon
Azrael Angel of Death in the Koran.
Balor one-eyed giant in Irish mythology
Banshee from Irish bean sidhe meaning "woman spirit; fairy; otherwordly being." The banshee screams when someone is about to die.
Bealtaine Celtic holiday-- corresponds with May day (Celtic major festivals are held at mid-points between equinoxes & solstices, not on those days).
Beelzebub Semitic god name sometimes used as an alternate for Satan.
Belial another name for Satan
Belinda a moon of Uranus (snicker, snicker.) The name probably derives from an old word for "serpent."
Belladonna poisonous plant with purple flowers (deadly nightshade)
Blood duh
Bran/Branwen Bran is a Celtic word for "crow." Branwen is apparently a form of Bronwen ("white breast"), altered to include "bran." It would mean white raven. -wen andthe masculine form -wyn are derived from gwen, meaning "white; holy; pure."
Breviary Catholic prayer book for priests
Briar a thorn
Caligula a bizarrely violent and perverted Roman historical figure. Also a movie that has a really smutty version.
Calix/Calixa a Latin name derived for the word for "wine cup.'
Candelaria a plant family thought to drive away evil spirits in the middle ages (common name: mullein)
Catafalque coffin-shaped box covered with a black cloth used in place of a body if one is not available for the funeral.
Chalice fancy cup, used to hold holy blood. Derived from the Latin Calix (see also).
Chaos originally, the state of the universe before the Greek Gods arrived. Has come to mean a state of complete disorder.
Chimera/Chimaera a mythological beast made up of parts of different animals. Also a word for a grotesque product of the imagination.
Chrysanthemum flower associated with death in Japan and some European countries
Cinder see Ash
Circe Greek sorceress
Clove cigarettes that goths and art students smoke a lot of
Cloven what Satan's hoofs are
Corvus/Cornix Be creative! Use the Latin words for 'raven' instead of being GothRaven123112744
Crow(e) bird associated with death
D'Elormie tragic bridegroom in Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Bridal Ballad"
Damian priest in the Exorcist movies, and the possessed kid in the Omen movies.
Dark/Darque/Darkling etc. goths like the dark.
Delora H.P. Lovecraft's aunt, who he was raised by. The name probably is dervied from "dolores" meaning "sorrows."
Demon/Daemon/Demona an evil attendant or spirit
Desdemona tragic Shakespearean heroine
Dicaculus/Dicacula/Dicax "sarcastic" in Latin
Dies Irae means 'day of wrath'-- the part of a requiem mass concerned with the Day of Judgement.
Digitalis (foxglove) poisonous flower
Diti Demon mother in Hinduism
Dolores "sorrows" in Spanish
Draconia "Draconian" means "dire" or "really really serious"
Dragon if you're into that sort of thing
Draven The main dead guy in The Crow was named Eric Draven. Sounds kinda like 'raven," no?
Dunsany influential Irish fantasy/horror writer Lord Dunsany (1878-1957)
Dystopia the opposite of Utopia - theoretical place where everything sucks.
Elsinore Hamlet's castle
Elysium where dead heroes go in Greek mythology.
Ember dying coals
Eris Greek goddess of dischord
Esdras another name for Azrael (see also)
Esmerée the daughter of a Welsh king who was turned into a serpent by magicians. She was freed by a kiss (Arthurian legend)
Eulalie figure in another poem by Edgar Allan Poe. The name means "well spoken."
Eurydice tragic Greek heroine
Evilyn it's got the word "evil" in it-- ok, we're grasping at straws here-- I think she was the bad guy on some cartoon in the 80s.
Felony a major crime. Think about it, though-- Felony. It sounds like Melanie. Wouldn't it make a nice name?
Foxglove a beautiful but poisonous flower
Freya Norse goddess of sex and childbirth. She rode around in a chariot pulled by cats.
Funereal/funerea put the "fun" in funeral!
Gefjun/Gefion Norse goddess to whom virgins went after they died.
Gehenna New Testament version of hell
Giger H.R. Giger, the guy who designed the aliens for Alien, among other stuff goths like.
Golgotha Hebrew for "skull," The skull-shaped hill where Christ was crucified.
Grendel beast in Beowulf
Griffin/Gryphon Mythological beast with the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle.
Grigori fallen angels of the Christian bible
Grimoire book of incantations, making medicines, summoning spirits etc.
Hades Greek lord of the underworld
Hecate Greek sorceress
Hellebore flower that blooms through the snow in the middle of winter. Medieval lore suggested it could be used for curing insanity, leprosy and gout.
Hemlock poison. Plato took it to commit suicide.
Ianthe daughter of the poet Shelley who died in childhood; poem by Lord Byron. The name means 'purple flower' in Greek.
Imbolc Celtic festival - corresponds with St. Bridig's day (Feb. 1). Groundhog Day actually stems from this.
Inclementia harshness; cruelty (Latin)
Innominata the name of the first patented embalming fluid.
Isolde tragic Irish heroine
Israfil/Rafael/Israfel angel who blows the horn signalling Judgment Day. Israfel is the form used by Edgar Allan Poe in his poem Israfel.
Jack as in jackdaw (a kind of raven, said to bring bad luck), jack-o-lantern, Jack the Ripper, Jack from A Nightmare Before Christmas", JFK & Jackie-O etc.
Jezabel Biblical ho
Kalma ancient Finnish goddess of death whose name means "corpse stench."
Lachrimae "tears" in Latin
Lamia "witch; sorceress" in Latin.
Lanius "Butcher; executioner" in Latin.
Leila "night" in Arabic
Lenore figure in Edgar Allan Poe poetry
Lethe river that runs through the underworld in Greek mythology
Lilith legendary evil first wife of Adam (before Eve came along)
Lily traditional funeral flower
Lolita that book by Nabokov about the teenage seductress
Lovecraft after our old buddy H.P.
Lucifer fallen angel, often associated with Satan
Lughnasa /LOO nuh sa/ - Celtic midsummer festival
Luna Latin for "moon"
Malady an illness
Malice harmful intent
Malik Angel who presides over Hell in the Koran.
Maleficent, Maleficence "working or productive of harm or evil"
Mara a maleficent female wraith in Scandinavian folklore that causes nightmares. Bonus: mara means "bitter" in Hebrew. Double bonus: Mara is a (male) demon in traditional Buddhism personifying evil, and the fall from a spiritual state.
Marionette I just find them creepy
Medusa mythological Greek monster whose hair was snakes and blood was poison.
Melancholia "a mental condition and especially a manic-depressive condition characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints, and often hallucinations and delusions" (merriam-webster)
Melania/Melanie Greek, "black"
Melanthe Greek, "Black flower"
Mercy a virtue, goths like the band Sisters of Mercy.
Merula "Blackbird" in Latin
Mephistopheles/Mephisto Renaissance-era names for Satan
Midnight The Witching Hour. Or maybe that's 2:00, I can't remember.
Minax means "menacing" in Latin
Misericordia literally, "merciful heart" in Latin
Mitternacht "Midnight" in German
Miyuki according to one book I have, means "silence of deep snow" in Japanese.
Moon, Moonless, Moonlight ancient symbol of fertility and stuff.
Moirai the Greek Fates
Monstrance hollow cross that holds the holy host
Morbidia It seemed like a good idea at the time
Morbosa/Morbosis "horny" in latin
Morfran "great crow"-- In Welsh mythology, he was so ugly that his mother tried to compensate for it by instill ing him with great wisdom.
Morrigan, the Celtic war/fertility goddess
Mort(e) French for "dead; death"
Mortifer/Mortifera Latin for "lethal; fatal; deadly."
Mortis Latin, adjectival form of "death"
Mortualia funeral dirge
Naenia a type of moth known as "the Gothic"
Narcissa feminine form of Narcissus, a Greek dude who fell in love with his own reflection.
Natrix Latin for 'water snake.'
Necro- prefix meaning "dead; of death"
Necropolis fancy name for a graveyard. Means, literally, "city of the dead"
Nephilim race of half-human giants
Nightshade belladonna - a poisonous purple flower.
Nimue (NIM oo ay) - an Arthurian sorceress. Also called Niniane.
Nin Ogham letter whose kennings include "establishment of peace," and "boast of women." The letter itself is derived from the word for the ash tree. Also the writer Anaïs, or Nine Inch Nails.
Nocturne piece of music evoking night. Means "night"
November cold, crappy month in the northern hemisphere
Obsidian black  glass-like stone made from volcanic eruptions. Used in surgical instruments because it is sharper than steel.
October month that Halloween is in
Oleander a beautiful but poisonous flower
Omega Last letter of the Greek alphabet; signifies the last, or the end.
Ophelia tragic Shakespearean heroine
Orchid I don't know why, orchids pop up a lot in goth clubs, They're exotic and rare.
Orpheus tragic Greek musical hero
Osiris Eqyptian ruler of the underworld
Pancuronium a poisonous compound used in lethal injection death sentences.
Penance what you have to do to make up for your sins
Perdita name invented by Shakespeare - means "lost" in Latin.
Pestilentia Latin for "plague-ridden; unhealthy climate"
Raven bird often associated with death -name used by 14 year old goths all over
Reaper don't fear the reaper.
Requiem a mass for the dead
Sabine/Sabina tribe of Italy that once occupied Rome. Popular legend has Romans kidnapping Sabine women to help populate Rome.
Sabrina/Sabre/Sabrenn Goddess of the river Severn in Celtic mythology. Also the Teenage Witch, and
Sail/Saile/Salley Ogham letter derived from the Irish name of the willow tree. The Yeats poem "Down By The Salley Gardens" uses this old term for "willow." A kenning used for this letter means "pallor of a lifeless one." Bonus: Sally was the girl doll in A Nightmare Before Christmas.
Salem place in Massachusetts where several people were hanged as witches. 
Samael Angel of death in the Talmud.
Samhain /SOW un/ Celtic festival -- corresponds with Halloween
Sanctity holiness
Sanctuary a place to find refuge
Sanguinaria "bloody,' the scientific name for the bloodroot plant.
Sanguinary "attended by blood"
Sardonyx a type of onyx that is red instead of black.
Semyazza a fallen Christian angel
Serpent symbols of evil in a lot of cultures
Severin Siouxsie Sioux's guitarist. he named himself for "Severin, your servant," a character in the Velvet Underground's song "Venus in Furs."
Shabriri Jewish Rabbinical demon of blindness
Shade where there's no sunlight.
Shadow favorite name for black cats
Sidhe Pronounced "shee" or "SHEE yeh" - Irish class of otherworld beings
Solanine the poison found in nightshade plants
Sullen What any good goth is most of the time
Tansy a weed used to induce abortion
Tartarus eternal pit for bad people in Greek mythology
Tenebrae Latin for "darkness"
Thorn(e) sharp and pointy, but you can't have roses without them. Represents the harsh side of beauty.
Tintagel the castle in Cornwall where King Arthur was said to have been born.
Titania queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream
Tristan/Tristram tragic Arthurian hero
Tristesse/Tristessa "Sadness" in French and Italian.
Twilight dusk
Umbra another word for 'darkness'
Valerian a flower that causes drowsiness when steeped in a tea. A cool side effect: gets cats totally high (like catnip plus!)
Vespers Catholic morning prayers
Viaticum emergency Communion given to dying people
Vladimir "Vlad the Impaler"--legendary Romanian ruler and alleged vampire
Wednesday the little girl on the Addams Family
Willow "weeping" tree-- a Victorian symbol of death
Winter season where everything's dead
Wolf(e) deadly beast; what werewolves hang out with.
Xenobia "stranger" in Greek
Yama/Yamaraja Lord of death in Hinduism.
Zothecula "little alcove" in Latin. Bauhaus fans will understand.