Names that mean death are still treated as a little taboo, which is exactly why more parents are willing to use one.
Some families arrive here through the macabre, others through a loss they want to carry forward. Either way, a few of these are far more usable than their meanings suggest: Lola ranked 275th among U.S. girls in 2025 and Lilith 277th, while Azrael, the fastest riser on this list, is up about 607% on the previous decade and reached 656th for boys (1).
Below are 105 death names for boys and girls, with origins, pronunciations, and current U.S. rankings wherever the federal data has them. Most are far too rare to chart at all, which is its own kind of appeal.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Lola, Lilith, Tristan, Mallory and Amaia.
- Lola
- Lilith
- Tristan
- Mallory
- Amaia
105 Cool Names Meaning Death for Boys and Girls
Here are 105 baby names meaning death, listed A to Z, for your little doom slayer.
Abaddon
In the Bible, Abaddon is both a bottomless pit and the angel who rules over that abyss. The name sits close to Sheol, the resting place of the dead, which gives it a weight most spooky names never earn. It reads as heavy and biblical rather than costume-shop scary. If you love spooky biblical names related to death and despair, Abaddon takes the cake.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Doom, destruction
- Pronunciation: ah-vah-DON
- Popularity: Abaddon is barely on the U.S. charts. Its best year was 2020 at 8,744th, and it last appeared in Social Security Administration data in 2023 at 10,826th.
Abiba
Abiba is a Moroccan name given to the first girl born after her grandmother dies, so the sorrow is built into the meaning rather than decorating it. That makes it one of the gentler entries here, a name about continuing a line instead of ending one. Parents who want to honor a grandmother without naming a baby after her outright often land somewhere like this. The long list of spellings gives you room to soften or sharpen the sound.
- Origin: Moroccan
- Meaning: First child born after the grandmother has died
- Pronunciation: AH-biy-bah
- Variations: Abeaba, Abeabah, Abeeba, Abeebah, Abeiba, Abeibah, Abibah, Abieba, Abiebah, Abyba, Abybah
Achlys
In Greek mythology, Achlys was the personification of misery and doom, and a demon who brought on the death mist that clouds the eyes after someone dies. She appears on the shield of Heracles as a pale white figure covered in tears, blood, and dust. Few names on this list carry an image that vivid. Achlys is short, strange, and almost impossible to confuse with anything else on a class roster.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Death mist
- Pronunciation: AK-lis, ak-LOOS
Admatha
Admatha appears in the Book of Esther as one of the seven princes of Persia, which gives this death name a court rather than a graveyard. Its meaning, a cloud of death or mortal vapor, is far darker than the sound suggests. Ad and Matty both work as everyday nicknames. Nobody in your child’s grade will share it.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: A cloud of death, mortal vapor
- Pronunciation: ad-MAW-thaw
Ahimoth
Ahimoth comes from the Hebrew ah, meaning brother, joined to mut, to die, so the whole name reads as brother of death. That is a fearless thing to hand a child, and it lands closer to defiance than doom. Give your son power over life and death with a strong name like Ahimoth. As the brother of death, your little Ahimoth has nothing to fear.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Brother of death
- Pronunciation: AH-hi-moth
Ajal
Ajal is a Muslim concept, the appointed time of death that God has determined for every individual. Muslims believe a person’s Ajal cannot be slowed down or sped up. Choosing it for your son is less a dark statement than a quiet one, an acceptance that life and death sit in God’s hands. It is short, easy to say, and almost unheard of as a given name in the U.S.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Appointed time of death
- Pronunciation: AH-jal
Alexiares
In Greek mythology, Alexiares was a divine son of the hero Herakles. He and his brother Anicetus kept the gates of Olympus, which is why the name carries the sense of guarding against death and ruin rather than dealing it. Your little Alexiares could be a gatekeeper too, the sort who will not let darkness walk in. Alex is waiting as the ready-made nickname.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: She that guards death from death and ruin
- Pronunciation: al-ex-ee-AR-eez
Allani
In Hurrian mythology, Allani was the goddess of the underworld, ruling from a palace at the gate of the timri eze, or dark earth. This beautiful name could be perfect for your little lady of death. It sounds current next to Alani and Allie without borrowing either of their meanings.
- Origin: Hurrian
- Meaning: Lady
- Pronunciation: ah-LAH-nee
- Variations: Allatu, Allatum
- Popularity: Allani is the rarest name on this list that still charts. Only 7 U.S. girls received it in 2025, ranking it 11,998th, though that is up about 61% on the previous decade.
Amaia
Amaia is Basque for the end, and it belonged to a Christian noblewoman in a 19th-century historical novel by Francisco Navarro-Villoslada. Books come to an end the way lives do, which is the gentler reading of this name: death as the close of one chapter rather than the loss of everything. It sounds soft and gentle despite the meaning behind it.
- Origin: Basque
- Meaning: The end
- Pronunciation: ah-MY-uh
- Namesakes: Amaia Montero Saldias, a Spanish singer and former vocalist for the pop band La Oreja de Van Gogh.
- Popularity: Amaia is climbing fast. It reached its best rank yet in 2025 at 555th, with 547 U.S. girls given the name, up around 380% on the decade before.
Amartya
Amartya comes from the Sanskrit a, meaning not, joined to mrta, dead, so the name means deathless. It is the rare entry here that faces the other way. This could be a perfect death-related name for a boy full of life.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Deathless, immortal
- Pronunciation: AW-mort-to
- Namesakes: Amartya Sen, an economist, awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in economics for his contributions to welfare economics.
- Popularity: Amartya has hovered at the edge of the U.S. data since 2005. It ranked 10,769th in 2025, with 6 boys given the name.
Ankou
In Breton mythology, Ankou was a ghost who rode a small night cart to collect the souls of the dead. His skull turned in every direction so no soul could slip past him. That single image does more work than a paragraph of explanation, and it makes Ankou one of the most cinematic names here. Two syllables, no spelling trouble, and a story your child will enjoy telling.
- Origin: Breton
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: AN-coo
- Variations: Ankow
Anubis
Anubis was the ancient Egyptian god of funerary practices and the care of the dead, shown as a jackal or as a man with a jackal’s head. He held a leading position as lord of the dead in the Early Dynastic period and the Old Kingdom before Osiris overshadowed him, and he was reputed to have invented embalming, an art he first used on the body of Osiris (2). With a name like this, your little Anubis will not fear the world beyond.
- Origin: Latin, Egyptian
- Meaning: To decay, royal child
- Pronunciation: ah-NOO-bis
- Popularity: Anubis is rare but rising sharply. It ranked 4,055th in 2025, with 26 U.S. boys given the name, roughly 305% more than in the previous decade.
Archemoros
In Greek mythology, Archemoros was the son of Lycurgus, king of Nemea. The oracle at Delphi told the king his son must not touch the ground until he could walk, and when the boy’s nursemaid set him down at a fountain, a snake killed him. The name means the forerunner of death, and the story explains exactly why. Mythology lovers will recognize it instantly; everyone else will need the short version.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: The forerunner of death
- Pronunciation: ARCH-ey-more-OHS
Asaka
Asaka draws on the Japanese a, meaning bear, or as, the next world and death, joined to ka, beautiful or good. Beautiful death is a strange phrase in English and an ordinary one in much of the world. For your little Asaka, death does not have to bring doom and despair. It can be a beautiful new beginning.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Beautiful death
- Pronunciation: AH-SAH-KAH
Athanasius
Athanasius joins the Greek prefix a to thanatos, death, and belongs to a 4th-century church father and 20th pope of Alexandria who argued for the trinity, the idea that God is one being existing as three divine entities. It is a mouthful, and that is part of the appeal: this is a name with a library behind it. Nate and Nash both work if the full form feels heavy on a toddler.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Death, immortal
- Pronunciation: ath-an-NAY-seeus
- Namesakes: Athanasius, the Great, a 4th-century church father and the 20th pope of Alexandria, Egypt.
- Popularity: Athanasius is rare and gaining. It ranked 5,053rd in 2025, with 19 U.S. boys receiving it, about 112% up on the previous decade.
Azmaveth
Azmaveth is a town in the Bible whose name comes from the Hebrew azaz, to be strong, joined to mut, death. Death is strong is not a comforting sentiment, but it is an honest one, and the name states it without flinching. Az makes an easy nickname for a name that is otherwise a lot to spell out at the pediatrician’s office.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Death is strong
- Pronunciation: AZ-mah-veth
- Variations: Az’maveth
Azrael
In Islam and Judaism, Azrael is the angel of death who separates souls from their bodies, a role close to the grim reaper’s but far more formal. The name itself means my help is God, which is a surprising softness at the center of this powerful name. It is the biggest riser on this whole list.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: My help is God
- Pronunciation: AZ-ray-el
- Variations: Azriel
- Popularity: Azrael is the fastest riser here. Per the Social Security Administration, it hit its best rank yet in 2025 at 656th, with 421 U.S. boys named, roughly 607% more than in the ten years before.
Benoni
Benoni is the name Rachel gave her son on her deathbed, meaning son of my sorrow. After she died, his father Jacob renamed him Benjamin, son of my right hand, so the boy carried both grief and its answer. Sorrow and despair are deeply ingrained in this unusual Hebrew name, which is exactly why some families choose it after a loss. Ben lets it pass unnoticed anywhere you want it to.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Son of my sorrow
- Pronunciation: buh-NOH-nye
- Variations: Benony, Bennoni
Bronach
Bronach comes from the Old Irish bron, sorrowful, and belonged to a 6th-century holy woman who built a refuge for shipwrecked sailors. Her bell warned crews away from storms and dangerous water, so the sorrow in the name sits beside a lifetime of preventing it. Your little Bronach could be a guiding light who keeps other people out of doom and despair. The pronunciation is easier than the spelling suggests.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Sorrow, sadness
- Pronunciation: BRO-nah
- Namesakes: Saint Bronach, a 6th-century holy woman from Ireland.
Cain
In the Bible, Cain is the first son of Adam and Eve and the first killer, striking down his brother Abel after God favored Abel’s offering. The name itself only means acquired, which makes the reputation entirely a matter of what he did with it. Despite Cain’s evil origins, American parents have never quite let it go.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Acquired
- Pronunciation: KAYN
- Variations: Kain
- Namesakes: Cain Velasquez, an American professional wrestler, and two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion.
- Popularity: Cain has stayed on the U.S. charts since 1910. It ranked 1,142nd in 2025 with 185 boys named, below its 2014 best of 727th but still slightly up on the previous decade.
Cessair
In Irish legend, Cessair was Noah’s granddaughter and one of the first inhabitants of Ireland. She died in the great flood, the event that destroyed most of humanity, and her name means sorrow or affliction. Strong as she was, she could not outrun it. The name looks intimidating and comes out sounding like a soft KES-eer.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Sorrow, affliction
- Pronunciation: KES-eer, KAH-seer
- Variations: Ceasair, Cesair, Kesair
Charon
In Greek mythology, Charon ferried the newly dead across to the underworld for Hades. His name comes from charopos, of keen gaze, a nod to fierce or feverish eyes, and the word may also have worked as a euphemism for death itself. One practical catch: it is pronounced like the feminine name Karen, which may cost it a place on your shortlist.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Of keen gaze
- Pronunciation: KEH-ruhn
- Variations: Kharon
- Popularity: Charon has not appeared in U.S. data since 2013, when it ranked 12,471st. Its best year was 1973 at 3,485th.
Chiwa
Chiwa is a Yao name, from a Bantu ethnic group in Southeastern Africa, meaning death or dead one. It is also a Japanese name built from chi, wisdom or thousand, and wa, harmony or peace. Two syllables, two very different readings, and a sound that stays sweet either way.
- Origin: Yao, Japanese
- Meaning: Death, wisdom, and harmony
- Pronunciation: CHEE-wah
- Namesakes: Chiwa Saito, a Japanese voice actress known for her anime roles.
Cihuateteo
In Aztec mythology, the Cihuateteo were the spirits of women who died in childbirth. The Aztecs treated birth as a battle in which a woman fought the gods for her newborn, and those who lost that fight became these divine women, not victims. It is a long name for a small child, but the idea behind it is fierce.
- Origin: Aztec
- Meaning: Divine women
- Pronunciation: see-WHAT-ah-tay-oh
Clotho
Clotho was one of the Three Fates, the one who spun the thread of every human life. She could give life and take it away, which puts her in charge of both ends of the story. Your little girl will not despair about death with a name like Clotho behind her.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Spinner of life and death
- Pronunciation: CLAW-thow
Coatlicue
In Aztec myth, Coatlicue was a goddess with 400 children who became pregnant with a son, Huitzilopochtli. Her jealous daughter Coyolxauhqui killed her to stop the birth, but the son lived and killed his sister in turn. Coatlicue became the patron of women who died in childbirth, which is why her name belongs on a list like this. Her name means skirt of snakes, and the spelling is as much of an undertaking as it looks.
- Origin: Aztec
- Meaning: Skirt of snakes
- Pronunciation: koh-at-lee-kway
Dearil
Dearil is an unusual choice among the boy names that mean death, likely originating in Scotland or Germany, and it was often chosen for red-haired boys. Call of death is a heavy meaning for a name that sounds this ordinary out loud. Dearil is essentially Darrel with the lights turned down.
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: Call of death
- Pronunciation: DEER-il
Deianeira
In Greek mythology, Deianeira was the wife of Heracles. She gave him the Shirt of Nessus to keep him faithful, not knowing it was poisoned, and the hero died wearing it. She was condemned as a husband killer for eternity, though the myth is really about a gift that went wrong. Slayer of man is the meaning, and tragedy is written all over it.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Slayer of man
- Pronunciation: die-uh-NEAR-ah
- Popularity: Deianeira last appeared in U.S. data in 2006 at 17,834th. Its best showing was 4,562nd in 1995.
Desdemona
Desdemona means ill-fated, and Shakespeare gave the name to Othello’s wife in his 1622 play. Othello is tricked into believing she has been unfaithful, and her death follows. It is one of the most elegant names here and one of the saddest. Mona and Desi both take the edge off.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Ill-fated
- Pronunciation: dehz-de-MO-nah
- Popularity: Desdemona has not charted in the U.S. since 2017, when it ranked 11,938th. Its best year was 1919 at 4,988th.
Djall
In Albanian folklore, Djall is a demon of fire, death, and evil, and the name traces to the Latin diabolus, devil. There is no softening this one, and that is presumably the point. Any boy named Djall will be a hell-raiser in this life and the next.
- Origin: Albanian, Latin
- Meaning: Devil
- Pronunciation: de-ALL
- Variations: Dreq
Dolores
Dolores comes from the Spanish title Maria de Los Dolores, Mary of Sorrows, and it was everywhere in America in the 1920s and 30s. That makes it a rare thing on this list: a death name your great-grandmother might have answered to. This sad name suits a girl born during a sorrowful time, after the death of a loved one. Lola and Dodie are the friendlier front doors.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Sorrows
- Pronunciation: doh-LOR-ess
- Variations: Delora, Delores, Deloris
- Namesakes: Dolores del Rio, a prominent Mexican actress, considered the first major female Latin American star in Hollywood.
- Popularity: Dolores peaked at 13th in 1930 and has fallen a long way since. It ranked 2,567th in 2025 with 68 U.S. girls named, though that is up about 28% on the previous decade.
Donn
Donn belonged to an ancient Celtic god of the dead. The pagan Gaels believed their souls travelled to the House of Donn, and in modern Irish folklore he rides a white horse as an otherworldly phantom. The dark one is the meaning, and the single syllable does a lot with it.
- Origin: Celtic
- Meaning: The dark one
- Pronunciation: DAHN
- Popularity: Donn was a genuine mid-century name, ranking 366th in 1949. It has nearly vanished since, last charting in 2024 at 12,807th.
Ereshkigal
Ereshkigal is built from the Sumerian eres, lady or queen, plus ki, earth, and gal, great, so the whole name reads as lady of the great earth. She ruled Kur, the Sumerian land of the dead. It takes some effort to spell, say, and explain.
- Origin: Sumerian
- Meaning: Lady of the great earth
- Pronunciation: ur-ESH-kuh-gal
Erlik
In Turkish mythology, Erlik ruled the underground and the spirit world, an evil god who tormented humans with death and plague. His name is an altered form of erklig, mighty, so the meaning points at power rather than cruelty. Short, blunt, and easy to say for a name with that much menace behind it.
- Origin: Turkish
- Meaning: Mighty, manliness
- Pronunciation: ay-LICK
- Variations: Erlig, Erleg, Yerleg
Fedude
Fedude is used by the Ijaw people of Nigeria and means death has ended. It is often given to a child born after a premature death in the family, which makes it a name of relief rather than mourning. If you have recently lost someone, choosing Fedude is a quiet way to mark the turn. It is technically gender-neutral, though the dude ending gives it a masculine pull.
- Origin: Ijaw
- Meaning: Death has ended
- Pronunciation: feh-DOO-day
Felagha
Felagha is an Ijaw name meaning death has not reached me, which reads less like bravado than a plain survival note. It is extremely rare, with few modern bearers anywhere. Your little Felagha will not be easily forgotten.
- Origin: Ijaw
- Meaning: Death has not reached me
- Pronunciation: feh-LAH-gah
Hadeon
Hadeon is Ukrainian for destroyer, and nothing destroys more thoroughly than death, which is how the name earns its place here. Most people will hear it as an inventive spelling of Hayden, meaning hay valley or hay hill, and you will know better. That gap between what it sounds like and what it means is the whole appeal.
- Origin: Ukrainian
- Meaning: Destroyer
- Pronunciation: hay-DEE-on
Hades
Hades was the ancient Greek god of the underworld, a son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and brother to Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera. He ruled the dead with his queen Persephone, but he was not normally a judge, and torturing the guilty was work left to the Furies (3). His name comes from the Greek aides, unseen. If you love boy names with dark, mythical ties, Hades belongs on your shortlist.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Unseen one
- Pronunciation: HAY-deez
- Popularity: Hades reached its best rank yet in 2025 at 2,901st, with 43 U.S. boys given the name, about 347% up on the previous decade.
Hapi
In Egyptian mythology, Hapi was one of the four sons of Horus, not to be confused with the Nile river god of the same name. He guarded the throne of Osiris in the underworld and looked after the lungs of the deceased. Everyone will hear happy, which is a strange and rather nice cover story for a name with this job description.
- Origin: Egyptian
- Meaning: Nile river
- Pronunciation: HAPPY
- Variations: Hapy
Hazarmaveth
Hazarmaveth is an Old Testament name built from the Hebrew hazar, dwelling, and maveth, death. It belonged to a descendant of Noah mentioned in Genesis. Dwelling of death is about as blunt as biblical naming gets, and the ancient sound matches it. This is a serious commitment to spell out for the rest of your child’s life.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Dwelling of death
- Pronunciation: HAY-ZAR-may-veth
Hecate
Hecate is the Greek goddess of crossroads, demons, witchcraft, and tombs. She searched for Persephone after Hades took her to the underworld, and ancient Greeks set pillars called Hecataea at crossroads and doorways to keep evil spirits out. Your little Hecate will be safe in this world and the next. The meaning, far off, is much quieter than her resume.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Far off
- Pronunciation: HEH-kuh-tee
- Popularity: Hecate has appeared in U.S. data only once, in 2022, at 16,223rd.
Hel
Hel is the Norse goddess of the underworld, and her name shares a root with the English word hell. It means to conceal or to cover, which is a fair description of what a grave does. Three letters, one enormous reputation. Hel could be perfect for your future hell-raiser.
- Origin: Old Norse
- Meaning: To conceal, to cover
- Pronunciation: HEL
Jerimoth
Jerimoth is a biblical name borne by eight different men in the Old Testament, meaning he that fears or rejects death. It points at something everyone recognizes, the plain human dread of the unknown. Jeri works as a familiar nickname if the full name feels like a lot.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: He that fears or rejects death
- Pronunciation: YUR-ee-moth
- Variations: Yerimoth
- Namesakes: Jerimoth Brown, an early settler of Rhode Island for whom Jerimoth Hill is named.
Jolon
Jolon means valley of the dead oaks, a reminder that nothing living escapes death, trees included. The image is a cursed valley emptied of life, which is bleaker than most entries manage. Your little one will stand out the way a green tree would in that forest.
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Valley of the dead oaks
- Pronunciation: JOWL-on
- Popularity: Jolon last appeared in U.S. data in 2013 at 10,164th, and its best year was 1977 at 5,463rd.
Kalma
Kalma is the Finnish goddess of death and decay, and her name means corpse stench. In Finnish myth she crossed the underworld on a cloud of corpse-scented smoke. Somehow the name itself came out soft and pretty, which is the joke at the center of it.
- Origin: Finnish
- Meaning: Corpse stench
- Pronunciation: KAHL-mah
Keket
In Ancient Egypt, Keket and her male counterpart Kek ruled the night and stood for obscurity and death. Her name simply means darkness. Perhaps your little Keket will not be afraid of the dark, or of anything the darkness brings. It is short, symmetrical, and unlike anything else on a preschool cubby.
- Origin: Egyptian
- Meaning: Darkness
- Pronunciation: KEH-kit
- Variations: Kek, Kuaket
Keres
In Greek mythology, the Keres were female death spirits and daughters of Nyx, the goddess of night. They were drawn to violent, bloody deaths, the kind suffered on a battlefield. Choosing Keres suggests a daughter who will not flinch at death or destruction. The meaning, death and doom, leaves nothing to interpret.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Death, doom
- Pronunciation: KEHR-is
Kritanta
Kritanta was another name for Yama, the Hindu god of death and justice. He carried a sword, a noose, and a mace to collect the souls of sinners, traitors, and wrongdoers. God of death is the meaning, and you do not want to cross a little guy named Kritanta.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: God of death
- Pronunciation: KREE-tan-tah
- Variations: Kritamta
Lefu
Lefu is the Sotho word for death or sickness, used by the Sotho people of South Africa. It is rarely chosen as a given name anywhere, which makes it genuinely original rather than merely unusual. Two syllables, easy to say, and no spelling arguments.
- Origin: Sotho
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: LEH-fuw
Letum
Letum is the Roman counterpart to Thanatos, the Greek personification of death, and the name means death, destruction, annihilation. In Roman myth the figure took both a man’s and a woman’s form, which makes this an excellent non-binary option for your little destroyer.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: Death, destruction, annihilation
- Pronunciation: LEH-toom
Leukadios
Leukadios joins the Greek leuk, light or bright, to kedos, care for others, grief, and mourning. The result means there will be light again after mourning, an unusually hopeful message for a name about death. It says you can find happiness in the wake of suffering, and your little Leukadios may be the one who helps you find it. Luke and Leo are both hiding inside it.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: There will be light again after mourning
- Pronunciation: lou-CAD-ee-os
- Variations: Leikadios, Leikados, Leukades, Leukados
Libitina
Libitina was the Roman goddess of funerals, death, and corpses, and her name became a synonym for death itself. Roman undertakers were called Libitinarii after her. Her name means to die and, oddly, to be pleasing. Do not be surprised if your little Libitina loves graveyards, morgues, and other spooky places.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: To die, to be pleasing
- Pronunciation: LEE-bee-tina
- Variations: Libentina, Lubentina
Lilith
In Judaic and Mesopotamian mythology, Lilith is Adam’s first wife and a spirit demon banished from Eden for refusing to obey him. Angels of God threatened to kill 100 of her children every day she stayed disobedient. Modern film and television keep casting her as a demon of death and destruction, which has done nothing to slow the name down. The meaning, of the night, is the calmest thing about her.
- Origin: Akkadian
- Meaning: Of the night
- Pronunciation: LIL-ith
- Popularity: Lilith is the second most popular name here. According to Social Security Administration data, it ranked 277th in 2025 with 1,111 U.S. girls named, close to its 2023 best of 232nd and up about 268% on the previous decade.
Lola
Lola is a diminutive of Dolores, a Spanish name from the Latin dolor, meaning pain or sorrow. It sounds cute and friendly and keeps its sadness well hidden, which is why it works for a girl born after the death of a loved one without announcing anything. It is also the most popular name on this list by a small margin.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Sorrow
- Pronunciation: LOH-luh
- Namesakes: Lola Montez, an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as the courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
- Popularity: Lola is the highest ranked name here, at 275th in 2025 with 1,132 U.S. girls named. It first charted in 1880, peaked at 130th in 1913, and has held steady over the past decade.
Louhi
Louhi was the goddess of death and disease in Finnish mythology, said to have given birth to the nine diseases, among them consumption, colic, gout, rickets, ulcer, scab, cancer, and plague. She cursed people with death and suffering as a matter of routine. The meaning of the name itself is unknown, which somehow suits her.
- Origin: Finnish
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: LO-hee
- Variations: Loviatar
Mallory
Mallory is an English surname from the Old French maloret, ill-omened, and it became a first name in the 1980s after a character on the sitcom Family Ties. It is the least obviously morbid entry here, a name most people hear as pretty and nothing else. That gap between its sound and its meaning is the reason it is on the list.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Unfortunate, ill-omened
- Pronunciation: MAL-uh-ree
- Variations: Mallary, Mallery, Malorie, Mallorie, Mallerie
- Namesakes: Mallory Lewis, an American writer, TV producer, and ventriloquist.
- Popularity: Mallory peaked at 83rd in 1986 and is easing back. According to Social Security Administration data, it ranked 372nd in 2025 with 825 U.S. girls named, down about 38% on the previous decade.
Manea
In Roman mythology, Manea was the goddess of the dead and the mother of ghosts, the undead, and every other night spirit worth avoiding. Her name means spirit, or to think. Choosing Manea gives your daughter a line to the spirit world, and a name that sounds exactly like the word mania.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: Spirit, to think
- Pronunciation: MANIA
- Variations: Mania
Manes
In Ancient Rome, the Manes were deities standing for the souls of dead loved ones, held in a kind of limbo where nobody had decided whether they were good or bad. Romans offered them blood sacrifices and often staged gladiatorial games at funerals in their honor. The name means to the spirits of the dead. If that is too much, you can always say your little one is named after a horse’s mane.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: To the spirits of the dead
- Pronunciation: ma-NEZ
Mara
In the Old Testament, Mara is the name Naomi chose for herself after her husband and son died, because it means bitter. It is a name about grief spoken out loud rather than swallowed. That makes it fitting for a girl born after a loss, and your little Mara may be the one who ends the sadness rather than carrying it.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Bitter
- Pronunciation: MAHR-ah
- Namesakes: Mara Santangelo, a retired Italian tennis player, and former Grand Slam champion.
- Popularity: Mara has charted in the U.S. since 1892. It ranked 589th in 2025 with 499 girls named, up about 44% on the previous decade.
Markandeya
Markandeya was a sage devoted to Shiva, the supreme god in Hindu tradition, and Yama, the god of death, could not end his life because of that devotion. Conqueror of death is the meaning, and it is earned rather than claimed. Mark makes the whole thing easy to swallow at school.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Conqueror of death
- Pronunciation: MAAR-kuhn-day-uh
Marzana
Marzana is the Baltic and Slavic goddess of death and new beginnings, associated with winter’s death and the rebirth of spring that follows it. Marzana is the usual form in Poland, Mora in Bulgaria, and Morena in Slovakia and Macedonia. It sounds fresh and current despite its ancient origins, and it is the rare death name that ends on a hopeful note. This is a Polish name most Americans have never heard.
- Origin: Polish
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: mar-ZAH-nah
- Variations: More, Marena, Mara, Morana, Morena, Mora
Maveth
Maveth is the Hebrew form of Mot, the ancient Canaanite god of death and the underworld. In Hebrew scripture, Maveth is an angel of death who punishes those who worship false idols. Your little Maveth could grow up with a strong moral compass and no tolerance for traitors, thieves, or evildoers. The meaning is simply death, with no decoration at all.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: MAW-veth
- Variations: Mot, Mavet, Muth, Maweth
Melwas
Melwas is an Old Welsh name meaning prince of death, or princely youth depending on who is reading it. In Arthurian legend, Melwas was the original name of Maleagant, the villain who abducted Queen Guinevere from King Arthur. It is a proper legend name that almost nobody uses.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Prince of death
- Pronunciation: MEL-wass
- Variations: Meloas, Mehaloas, Melians, Malvasius
Menahem
Menahem is Hebrew for comforter, someone who consoles, and it is sometimes chosen for a child born after an older sibling has died. The Bible complicates it: the King Menahem of Israel was known for oppression and cruelty, and comfort was not his line of work. The name has outlasted him. Nachum and Menny both shorten it easily.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Comforter
- Pronunciation: muh-NAH-kim
- Variations: Menachem
- Namesakes: Menahem Pressler, a German-born Israeli-American pianist and Holocaust survivor.
Merripen
Merripen is derived from the Romani meriben, death, or miripen, manner and fashion, so the name carries both readings at once. Merri or Pen make it approachable if the full form feels heavy.
- Origin: Romani
- Meaning: Death, manner
- Pronunciation: MEHR-ih-pen
Mictlantecuhtli
In Aztec mythology, Mictlantecuhtli was the god of the dead and ruler of Mictlan, the lowest level of the underworld. He was depicted as a blood-soaked skeleton wearing a necklace of human eyeballs. Lord of Mictlan is the meaning, and the name is as difficult to pronounce as it is to forget. It is a bold thing to hand a 21st-century boy.
- Origin: Aztec
- Meaning: Lord of Mictlan
- Pronunciation: muhkt-laan-tuh-KOOT-lee
Morana
In Slavic mythology, Morana was the goddess of winter’s death, of rebirth, and of dreams. The ancient Slavs believed her death at winter’s end let the spring goddess Kostroma return. Like the goddess, your little Morana could put an end to sadness and suffering. Its meaning, death and plague, is far darker than the name sounds.
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Death, plague
- Pronunciation: moh-RAH-nah
- Variations: Marzanna, Marena, Mara, Morena, Mora
Morella
Morella was invented by Edgar Allen Poe for his 1835 short story of the same name, about a woman who dies and transfers her spirit into her daughter. That makes it a fitting choice for a little girl who looks uncannily like her mother. It is spooky and elegant at once, which is a hard combination to find.
- Origin: Literary
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: moh-REL-ah
- Variations: Muriella
- Popularity: Morella last charted in the U.S. in 2015 at 18,303rd. Its best year was 1928 at 5,214th.
Morrigan
Morrigan comes from the Old Irish mor, demon or evil spirit, joined to rigain, queen. In Irish mythology she was the goddess of war and death who took the form of a crow, often shown washing the bloodstained clothes of warriors fated to die. She is one of the most striking figures in Celtic myth, and the name is a spooky alternative to the similar-sounding Morgan.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Demon queen, great queen
- Pronunciation: MOR-ih-gan
- Popularity: Morrigan ranked 2,742nd in 2025 with 63 U.S. girls named, near its 2023 best of 2,577th and up about 37% on the previous decade.
Mort
Mort is the plainest option among the boy names that mean death, derived from the French word for dead. It also works as a short form of Morton and Mortimer, so it can arrive quietly. Mort will not turn any heads, or break any necks.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Dead
- Pronunciation: MORT
- Variations: Morty
- Namesakes: Mort Walker, an American comic strip writer known for creating the newspaper comic strips Beetle Bailey in 1950 and Hi and Lois in 1954.
- Popularity: Mort is a mid-century name that has since disappeared. It ranked 2,779th at its best in 1932 and last charted in 1956 at 4,305th.
Morticia
Morticia was invented for the stern, aloof matriarch of the Addams Family, and she loves everything to do with death, doom, and darkness. Her name derives from the English mortician, a funeral director or undertaker, and traces back to the Latin mortis, meaning death. Tish is the nickname most families land on.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Undertaker
- Pronunciation: mawr-TISH-ah
- Popularity: Morticia is rare but growing. It ranked 7,772nd in 2025 with 14 U.S. girls named, roughly 133% up on the previous decade.
Mortimer
Mortimer is an English surname taken from a town in Normandy, meaning dead water or still water in Old French. There is always calm before the storm, and perhaps your Mortimer will be the one who brings it. Morty gives it a lighter everyday form.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Dead water
- Pronunciation: MOR-tih-mer
- Namesakes: Mortimer Zuckerman, a Canadian-American billionaire, magazine editor, and investor.
- Popularity: Mortimer was a real American name a century ago, ranking 582nd in 1914. It last charted in 2023 at 13,528th.
Mortis
Mortis is Latin for death and turns up today in rigor mortis, the stiffening that follows it, and as the grave keeper in the video game Brawl Stars. That mix of anatomy lesson and gaming reference is unusual company for a name. It is spooky and genuinely appealing, and it suits a boy who is morbidly curious about the world beyond.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: MOR-tiss
Mot
Mot is the Canaanite god of death and the underworld, and the mortal enemy of Baal, the god of rain. The Canaanites lived and died by rainfall, so taking the rain away was death in the most literal sense available to them. Three letters, one ancient grudge.
- Origin: Ugaritic
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: MOHT
- Variations: Mawet, Mavet
Naenia
Naenia was the Roman goddess of funerals, and her name means dirge, the song or poem performed at a funeral to carry grief. It sounds surprisingly modern for something this old, closer to Naomi or Nia than to anything in a museum. Your little Naenia could honor loved ones who departed before her time.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: Dirge, incantation
- Pronunciation: NEE-nia
Nastrond
In Norse mythology, Nastrond was the afterlife reserved for murderers, adulterers, and oath-breakers, described as a great hall built of snakes with rivers of venom running along the floor. Shore of death is the meaning, and the picture is worse than the words. Nobody is going to bother your little Nastrond.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Shore of death, corpse shore
- Pronunciation: NAS-trond
Nekane
Nekane is the Basque equivalent of Dolores, the Spanish name that was everywhere in America in the 1920s and 30s. Dolores is a bit old-fashioned now, while Nekane still sounds lively and current. Its meaning is sorrows, so perhaps your little Nekane’s bright spirit will take all of them away.
- Origin: Basque
- Meaning: Sorrows
- Pronunciation: neh-KA-neh
- Namesakes: Nekane Diez Tapia, a Spanish soccer player who plays for Athletic Bilbao.
Nephthys
Nephthys was the ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky and of mourning. After Seth killed Osiris, she helped Isis bring him back, which is why Egyptians painted her on tombs to protect the dead. Her name means lady of the house, a quiet title for someone with that job. It is one of the most unusual death names here and it makes a lasting impression.
- Origin: Egyptian
- Meaning: Lady of the house
- Pronunciation: NEF-this
Orcus
In Roman mythology, Orcus was the god of the underworld and a punisher of broken oaths, tormenting evildoers in the afterlife for eternity. Bringer of death is the meaning, though justice is closer to what he actually did. Your little Orcus could wield the same sword in this world and the next.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: Bringer of death
- Pronunciation: OR-kus
Osiris
Osiris comes from the Egyptian Wsjr, traced either to wsr, mighty, or jrt, eye. In Egyptian mythology he was the god of the deceased and the afterlife, killed by his jealous brother Seth and revived by his wife Isis. Death and return are both written into the story, which is more than most names on this list can say. It is also one of the few here that a lot of American parents are actually using.
- Origin: Egyptian
- Meaning: Mighty, powerful, eye
- Pronunciation: oh-SIGH-ris
- Popularity: Osiris ranked 1,077th in 2025 with 200 U.S. boys named, close to its 2020 best of 917th and about 214% up on the previous decade.
Pana
Pana is an Inuit goddess who cared for souls in the underworld until they were reborn as babies. Unlike the death gods busy with doom and decay, her whole job was the handoff back to life. Her name means snow knife, which is an unexpectedly sharp label for the gentlest figure here.
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Snow knife
- Pronunciation: PAH-nah
Persephone
The exact meaning of Persephone is unknown, though most scholars trace it to the Greek pertho, to destroy, with phone, murder. In myth she was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, kidnapped by Hades and allowed to live half the year above ground, which is where summer and spring come from. Half queen of the dead, half the reason anything grows.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Bringer of death, destroyer of murder
- Pronunciation: per-SEHF-ah-knee
- Variations: Persephoni
- Namesakes: Persephone Swales-Dawson, a British TV actress known for playing Nico Blake on Hollyoaks.
- Popularity: Persephone ranked 735th in 2025 with 372 U.S. girls named, near its 2022 best of 683rd and about 189% up on the previous decade.
Pluto
Pluto was another name for Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, and it is also a dwarf planet at the far edge of our solar system. Nobody knows whether we go below the earth or up among the stars after death, and this name quietly covers both. Its meaning, wealth, has nothing to do with either.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Wealth
- Pronunciation: PLOO-toh
- Popularity: Pluto reached its best rank yet in 2025 at 7,552nd, with 11 U.S. boys given the name.
Proserpina
Proserpina is the Roman equivalent of Persephone, the Greek goddess taken by Hades and made to live in the underworld. She is lovely and feminine on the ear and means bringer of death underneath. Your little Proserpina could put a bright spin on the darkest subject there is. Pina and Sera both work as short forms.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: Bringer of death, destroyer of murder
- Pronunciation: pro-SUR-pin-ah
- Variations: Proserpine
Pushmataha
Pushmataha was a Choctaw leader honored for his skill in war and diplomacy. The exact meaning of his name is unknown, though scholars agree it relates to death and ending, and one reading is a messenger of death, referencing how the sight of a warrior’s tomahawk or bow was a fatal sign in war or on a hunt. It is a name with a real historical figure standing behind it rather than a myth.
- Origin: Choctaw
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: push-mah-TAH-hah
- Variations: Pooshawattaha, Pooshamallaha, Poosha Matthaw
- Namesakes: Pushmataha, a Choctaw chief regarded as one of the greatest Choctaw leaders of the 19th-century.
Ran
In Norse mythology, Ran was the goddess and personification of the sea. She kept a great net for catching seafarers and dragging them down to the depths, which is why plundering and robbery ended up as her name’s meaning. Ran could be a spooky death-related name for ocean lovers.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Plundering, robbery
- Pronunciation: RAHN
- Popularity: Ran is rare in modern use. It last charted in 2024 at 13,779th, well off its 1965 peak of 3,477th.
Sephtis
Sephtis is an unusual Persian name for boys that points at the finality of death. There is one obstacle: it sounds close to septic and sepsis, which will put some people off before they hear the meaning. For everyone else, it is very rare and carries exactly the darkness they were looking for.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: Eternal death
- Pronunciation: SEF-tis
Shi
Shi is gender-neutral, which makes it a workable non-binary option for your little death bringer. It can also mean time, honest, history, or stone depending on the character behind it, so the death reading is only one of several. One syllable, no spelling debate, and a meaning you can explain or not.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: SHEE
- Namesakes: Shi Lang, a Chinese admiral who served under the Ming and Qing dynasties in the 17th-century.
- Popularity: Shi is scarce in U.S. records. It last charted in 2022 at 15,056th, and its best year was 1975 at 5,452nd.
Shinigami
In Japanese culture, the Shinigami are supernatural spirits who invite humans toward death. They can act as helpers or as monsters with bad intentions, and the stories rarely settle which. Death god is the meaning, about as literal as a name gets.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Death god
- Pronunciation: shuh-nuh-GAH-mee
Shiryo
In Japanese folklore, the Shiryo are spirits of the dead, vengeful ghosts who possess the living and cause suffering. Sometimes they try to kill people outright so those people will join them. There are few names spookier than Shiryo, and the meaning, dead spirit, does not soften it.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Dead spirit
- Pronunciation: shee-RYOH
Smierc
Smierc was the Polish grim reaper, who wore white robes rather than black and was usually pictured as a skeletal old woman, since the name is feminine in Polish. It simply means death. If the history does not scare people off, the pronunciation will.
- Origin: Polish
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: smee-AIRCH
Solikha
In old Sanskrit texts, the Solikha, or flower of death, grew atop a mountain of corpses. People believed the mountain granted wishes; what it actually did was reveal a person’s true intentions. Evil intentions brought a poisonous dew and instant death, while pure ones were shown the path to enlightenment. It is an elaborate story attached to a pretty name.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Flower of death
- Pronunciation: SO-lee-kah
- Namesakes: Solikha Khusniddinova, an Uzbekistan soccer player for the Turkish Women’s Football Super League.
- Popularity: Solikha is exceptionally rare in the U.S., last charting in 2024 at 17,366th.
Supay
In Inca mythology, Supay was the god of death and ruler of the underworld, commanding a host of demons who could harm humans at will. The Incans prayed to him mainly to be left alone. God of evil death is the meaning, and two syllables is all it takes.
- Origin: Inca
- Meaning: God of evil death
- Pronunciation: SOO-pie
Tamasvi
Tamasvi is a rare Sanskrit name meaning one with darkness inside, often chosen by followers of the Hindu religion. In Hinduism, darkness stands for moral decay, death, and suffering, so the name is more of a warning than a description. It would suit a sweet girl with a bit of a dark side. Tammy and Tami are already waiting.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: One with darkness inside
- Pronunciation: tuh-MAS-vee
Tartarus
In Greek mythology, Tartarus is a deep abyss built as a prison for the Titans, the pre-Olympian gods, and later a dungeon for wicked spirits. It is often personified as a primordial deity of death and darkness. A hellish place is the meaning, and it is one of the few names here that is a location first and a god second.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: A hellish place
- Pronunciation: TAR-tuh-rus
Tia
In Haida mythology, Tia is the goddess of peaceful death, the counterpart to Ta’xet, the god of violent death. That split is what makes her name workable: this is a death name with nothing painful in it. The meaning is unknown, and Tia sounds like an everyday name rather than anything spooky.
- Origin: Haida, English
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: tee-AH
- Namesakes: Tia Mowry, an American actress who first gained recognition for her role as Tia Landry in the sitcom Sister, Sister.
- Popularity: Tia peaked at 221st in 1982 and has been falling since. It ranked 1,980th in 2025 with 98 U.S. girls named, down about 47% on the previous decade.
Thanatos
Thanatos was the ancient Greek personification of death, the son of Nyx, goddess of night, and the brother of Hypnos, god of sleep. He came for humans and carried them to the underworld once the span the Fates had allotted them ran out (4). His name means death outright, with no metaphor in the way. Thanatos could be a mighty name for your little god of death.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Death
- Pronunciation: THA-nuh-tows
- Popularity: Thanatos has appeared in U.S. data only once, in 2018, at 10,630th.
Tomoe
Tomoe is used mainly in Japan and is technically gender-neutral, though it goes to girls far more often. Alongside death and earth, it can mean favor, grace, spiral, or picture. That range makes it a good pick if you want a death name that nobody has to know is one.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Death, earth
- Pronunciation: TOE-mo-ee
- Namesakes: Tomoe Gozen, a female warrior during the late Heian period of Japan.
- Popularity: Tomoe has not appeared in U.S. data since 1934, when it ranked 4,248th.
Tristan
Tristan comes from the Old French triste, sad, and may go back further to the Celtic name Drustan, meaning noise or tumult. In the Celtic legend of Tristan and Iseult, he is sent to bring Iseult to marry his uncle Mark, they drink a love potion by accident, and the forbidden romance ends in death. It is a familiar, everyday name that hides its meaning well.
- Origin: Celtic, French
- Meaning: Sad
- Pronunciation: TRISS-tin
- Variations: Tristen, Tristin
- Namesakes: Tristan Tzara, a Romanian-French poet and performance artist known as one of the central figures of the anti-establishment Dada movement.
- Popularity: Tristan is the steepest faller here. According to federal birth data, it ranked 309th in 2025 with 1,103 U.S. boys named, well off its 1996 peak of 68th and down about 49% on the previous decade.
Tristana
Tristana is the rarely used feminine form of Tristan, and it inherits the same meaning, sad. It suits a girl born after a sad occurrence, the death of a friend or a relative. Perhaps your little Tristana will be the one who takes other people’s sadness away.
- Origin: Celtic, French
- Meaning: Sad
- Pronunciation: tris-TAH-nah
- Popularity: Tristana last charted in the U.S. in 1987 at 13,156th. Its best year was 1971 at 6,592nd.
Tuoni
In Finnish mythology, Tuoni was the god of Tuonela, the underworld, and of darkness. His three children were divinities of suffering and misfortune, so the family business was fairly consistent. He is pictured as an old man with three fingers on each hand and a hat made out of darkness. Netherworld is the meaning, and no name here is easier to say for how strange it looks.
- Origin: Finnish
- Meaning: Netherworld
- Pronunciation: two-oni
Vanth
In Etruscan mythology, Vanth was a benevolent winged spirit who guided the souls of the dead to the underworld, carrying a torch to light the way and a scroll that revealed the fate of the deceased. Funerary art shows her as a young woman dressed as a huntress. The meaning of her name is unknown. One syllable, and a gentler job than almost anyone else on this list.
- Origin: Etruscan
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: VANTH
Vendetta
Vendetta is an Italian word from vindicta, vengeance, and it names a blood feud in which a murdered person’s family goes after the killer or the killer’s family. It is a genuinely pretty name attached to a genuinely violent idea, which some parents will find irresistible and others will find disqualifying. Etta softens it if you need it softened.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Vengeful
- Pronunciation: ven-DEH-tah
- Popularity: Vendetta has not charted in the U.S. since 1975, when it ranked 10,568th. Its best year was 1951 at 1,361st.
Voldemort
Voldemort was invented by J.K. Rowling for the villain of Harry Potter, and the name is built on the French vol de mort, flight or theft of death. It is about as evil as names come, and it arrives with a fully written backstory nobody in your child’s class will need explained.
- Origin: Literature, French
- Meaning: Flight of death
- Pronunciation: VOL-dah-mawrt
Yama
In the Hindu religion, Yama is the god of death and justice, shown with four arms, long fangs, and an angry expression, usually surrounded by flames. He lives in Naraka, the Hindu equivalent of hell, where he punishes wrongdoers. The name itself means twin, which is a mild label for a figure that severe.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Twin
- Pronunciation: YAH-muh
- Popularity: Yama ranked 7,169th in 2025 with 12 U.S. boys given the name, its best showing since 5,925th in 1991.
