Witch last names come with receipts. More than 200 people were accused of witchcraft in Salem in 1692, and 19 of them were hanged (1). Scotland’s court records are larger still, naming 3,837 accused between 1563 and 1736 (2).
Plenty of the surnames below sit in those records. Others arrive from folklore, from modern Wicca, or from fiction, and a few are simply spooky enough to earn a place. Every entry gives you origin, meaning, and style, and where the U.S. Social Security Administration has a record, we have added how the name is doing as a first name for American babies.
Read on for 100 witch last names, and see whether one of them is already hanging on a branch of your family tree.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Jackson, Bennett, Parker, Morgan and Martin.
100 Powerful Witch Surnames
Read on to discover 100 awesome witch last names fit for a mage!
Adie
Adie serves as both a surname and a given name for boys and girls, mostly in England and Scotland. The witchy pull comes from Lilias Adie, a Scottish woman accused of witchcraft and of dealing with the devil. Under questioning she refused to name anyone else, sparing other women the treatment she was getting. That stubborn decency makes Adie a fitting name for a good witch with a spine.
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: Son of the red earth
- Pronunciation: AY-dee
- Namesakes: Lilias Adie, a Scottish woman accused of practicing witchcraft.
- Popularity: Adie last appeared in the U.S. first-name data in 2014, at #11,954.
Alden
Alden grew out of the Old English given name Ealdawine, built from eald (old) and wine (friend). This classic surname that starts with A belongs to John Alden Jr., a sailor and merchant accused of witchcraft in Salem. He escaped from jail and later wrote a detailed account of what had been done to him. Few names here carry both the accusation and the survivor’s own version of events.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Old friend
- Pronunciation: AWL-dahn
- Variations: Alvin, Elwin, Elwyn
- Namesakes: John Alden Jr., a soldier and sailor accused of witchcraft after a visit to Salem, Massachusetts.
- Popularity: Alden works as a first name too, sitting at #598 in the U.S. in 2025.
Aradia
In Charles Leland’s book The Gospel of Witches, the American folklorist describes Aradia as a sorceress worshiped by pagan witches in Tuscany. She was sent to earth to teach the poor how to use witchcraft against the people who oppressed them. Some modern Wiccans still honor Aradia as the Queen of the Witches. As a surname it sounds less like a family and more like an inheritance.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Song of the hero
- Pronunciation: uh-RAY-dee-uh
- Variations: Arada, Araja
- Popularity: Aradia did best as a U.S. first name at #7,683 in 2023, and ranked #9,517 in 2025.
Barker
Barker is one of the historical witch last names, tied to a whole family accused during the 1692 trials in Andover, Massachusetts. Under pressure, members of that family said they had attended a meeting of 100 witches in Salem Village led by the devil. The name itself is ordinary, from the work of tanning hides. That plain trade origin sits oddly next to such a strange piece of history.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: To tan
- Pronunciation: BAHR-kahr
- Namesakes: Mary Barker, a 13-year-old accused of being a witch and imprisoned in Andover, Massachusetts.
- Popularity: Barker last appeared in the U.S. first-name data in 2023, at #12,469.
Bennett
Bennett is a medieval surname that grew out of the English given name Benedict, and its meaning is simply blessed. The witch in question is fictional: Bonnie Bennett, the powerful and warm-hearted witch of The Vampire Diaries, who spends most of the series protecting people at her own cost. It is also one of the friendlier names here, common enough that nobody blinks at it.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Blessed
- Pronunciation: BEHN-it
- Variations: Bennet, Benett, Benet
- Namesakes: Tony Bennett, an American singer of show tunes and jazz.
- Popularity: Bennett was the 86th most common surname in the U.S. in 2010. About one in 272 U.S. babies got the first name Bennett in 2025, a rank of #40.
Bien
Bien started as an occupational name for a beekeeper, or as a nickname for someone as busy as a bee. The witch history is much darker. Merga Bien, a German woman, was convicted at the Fulda witch trials and killed by fire. A soft, natural-sounding surname with a heavy story behind it.
- Origin: German, French
- Meaning: Bee, great
- Pronunciation: BIIN, BE-uhn
- Namesakes: Merga Bien, a German woman convicted of witchcraft during the Fulda witch trials (1603 to 1605).
Birgitta
Birgitta is one of the most ceremonial names in this collection, carried by Lasses Birgitta, an alleged Swedish witch of the 1500s who was said to enter a church courtyard to wake the dead. She was the first woman executed for sorcery in Sweden. In 2021 the Danish rock band Volbeat wrote a song in her honor. A fancy surname for a dark sorceress with a long memory.
- Origin: Scandinavian
- Meaning: The exalted one
- Pronunciation: bir-GI-ta
- Namesakes: Lasses Birgitta, an alleged Swedish witch and the first woman executed for sorcery in Sweden.
- Popularity: Birgitta last appeared in the U.S. first-name data in 1991, at #13,400.
Bishop
Bishop traces back to the Greek episkopos (overseer), a fine job description for a witch who runs the coven. In Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy, Diana Bishop is an academic who wants nothing to do with her witch heritage until she gives in and becomes one of the most powerful sorcerers alive, respectable on the surface and unusual underneath.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Overseer
- Pronunciation: BISH-ahp
- Namesakes: Joey Bishop, an American entertainer and talk show host listed as one of Comedy Central’s top 100 greatest comedians of all time.
- Popularity: Bishop was the 262nd most common surname in the U.S. in 2010. Bishop works as a first name too, sitting at #1,188 in the U.S. in 2025.
Black
This surname that begins with B arrives pre-loaded with nighttime, black cats, and everything else the season calls for. Mary Black, an enslaved woman in the household of Nathaniel Putnam, was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. In the Harry Potter books, Sirius Black is Harry’s wizard godfather, wrongly imprisoned and fiercely loyal. Dark powers, used well.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Black, pale
- Pronunciation: BLAK
- Variations: Blake
- Namesakes: Mary Black, an enslaved person in the household of Nathaniel Putnam accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials.
- Popularity: Black was ranked as the 174th surname in the U.S. in 2010.
Boleyn
Boleyn is one of the most famous names here, thanks to Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII. Plenty of people at court believed she was a witch dabbling in mystical practices, and that whisper, along with charges of treason and adultery, led to her beheading in 1536. She is remembered instead for her intelligence and her influence over an entire reformation.
- Origin: Norman, English, Flemish
- Meaning: Brave friend, foundation
- Pronunciation: bow-LIN
- Variations: Bullen, Baldwin
- Namesakes: Anne Boleyn, a Queen of England in the 1500s whose execution marked the start of the English Reformation.
Boyman
Boyman is an uncommon variation of Bowman, from the Old English boga (bow) and mann (man). Janet Boyman, a Scottish woman executed in 1572, was said to conjure spirits to heal illnesses. That was healing work right up until a court decided otherwise. The surname still carries an old-fashioned, protective ring to it today.
- Origin: English, Scottish
- Meaning: Archer
- Pronunciation: BOY-man
- Variations: Bowman
- Namesakes: Janet Boyman, a Scottish woman accused of witchcraft and executed in 1572.
Bradbury
Bradbury has a storybook sound to it, and the story fits. Mary Bradbury was tried and convicted as a witch in Salem in 1692, accused of turning into a blue boar and casting spells over ships. What saved her was not magic but friendship: enough neighbors testified on her behalf that she was never executed. A surname for the well-liked witch, the one the village quietly protects.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Manor house built with planks
- Pronunciation: BRAD-br-ee
- Variations: Bredbury
- Namesakes: Mary Bradbury, a woman tried and convicted as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692.
- Popularity: Bradbury first charted as a U.S. first name in 1949 and was last listed in 1949 at #3,747.
Budrioli
Budrioli is an unusual Italian surname, possibly from the Greek bothros or the Latin butrium (moat). Gentile Budrioli was a skilled healer who rose to become a counselor to Bologna’s ruler, Giovanni II Bentivoglio, in the late 1400s. That closeness to power did not protect her, and she was executed for witchcraft in 1498. Anyone in the Budrioli line can claim the healing touch and the nerve that came with it.
- Origin: Italian, Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Moat
- Pronunciation: BOO-ree-ole-lee
- Namesakes: Gentile Budrioli, an Italian astrologer and healer during the late 15th century.
Burroughs
Burroughs belonged to George Burroughs, the only minister executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Witnesses described him as confident, strong-willed, and physically powerful, and his supposed super-human strength was used as evidence against him. The meaning, hill dweller, is plain by comparison. It is a strong surname for a sorcerer who makes people nervous just by walking in.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Hill dweller
- Pronunciation: BUR-owz
- Namesakes: Reverend George Burroughs, a Puritan minister executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, during the witch trials.
Cabot
Cabot sounds like old money because it is: the Cabots were part of Boston’s elite. The witch connection is much more recent. Laurie Cabot, a self-identified witch, opened the Witch Shoppe in Salem in 1971 and later founded the Witches’ League for Public Awareness to push back on the stereotypes. Cabot suits a witch who moves comfortably in polite society and says exactly what she is.
- Origin: Norman, English
- Meaning: Head
- Pronunciation: KA-bot
- Namesakes: Laurie Cabot, an American Witchcraft high priestess who wrote several books on witches, magic, and spells.
- Popularity: Cabot first charted as a U.S. first name in 1944 and was last listed in 2024 at #11,163.
Carrier
Martha Carrier was among the first people accused during the Salem witch trials, named by the group of adolescents known as the Salem Girls. They claimed she led an army of 300 witches and used occult powers to curse anyone who crossed her. Martha denied every charge and refused to submit to the court, which cost her her life. Carriers come by their defiance honestly.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Cart wagon
- Pronunciation: care-REE-er
- Variations: Charrier, Coyer
- Namesakes: Martha Carrier, a Puritan accused and executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
Cleary
Cleary is a prominent Irish surname linked with early historians and poets, from a root meaning clerk. The witchcraft association comes from Bridget Cleary, killed by her husband in 1895 because he had convinced himself a fairy changeling had taken her place. She is sometimes called the last victim of Ireland’s witch trials, which says less about magic than about what people will believe.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Clerk
- Pronunciation: KLEER-ee
- Variations: Clery, Mac Cléirich, MacClery, McCleary, Ó Cléirigh, O’Clery
- Namesakes: Bridget Cleary, an Irish woman killed by her husband in 1895 because he believed a fairy changeling had replaced her.
- Popularity: As a first name Cleary has gone quiet, with no U.S. ranking since 2013 (#12,247) and a high of #12,247 back in 2013.
Corey
Corey comes from the Gaelic coire (in a cauldron, in a hollow), which is about as on-theme as an etymology gets. It doubles as the masculine form of the Greek Cora, the maiden name of Persephone, goddess of spring, destruction, and the dead. Giles Corey and his wife Martha were both accused during the Salem witch trials. Cauldrons, the underworld, and a real accusation: Corey collects the whole set.
- Origin: Gaelic, Greek
- Meaning: In a cauldron, in a hollow
- Pronunciation: KAWR-ee
- Variations: Korey, Kory
- Namesakes: Giles Corey, pressed to death with stones after refusing to enter a plea.
- Popularity: Corey is fading as a U.S. first name, down about 45% on the previous decade of births, though it still ranked #778 in 2025.
Crowley
Crowley is one of the loudest witch surnames here, thanks to the English occultist Aleister Crowley, who founded the religion of Thelema and installed himself as its prophet. The name itself is Irish, from a root meaning hardy hero. It goes to anyone drawn to the dark, the spooky, and the deeply strange. Few names square identity and self-invention quite this openly.
- Origin: Irish, English
- Meaning: Hardy hero
- Pronunciation: KRAU-lee
- Variations: Crawley, O’Crowley, McCrowley
- Namesakes: Aleister Crowley, the English occultist who founded the religion of Thelema.
- Popularity: As a first name, Crowley ranked #8,391 among U.S. babies in 2025, with 9 born that year.
Cunningham
Cunningham reads as powerful before you know anything about it, and the meaning, leader chief, backs that up. Scott Cunningham, the American writer and follower of Wicca, wrote widely on herbalism and magic and made the practice far easier to learn. A Cunningham witch tends to be good with a spell and better with words.
- Origin: Irish, Scottish
- Meaning: Leader chief
- Pronunciation: KUN-ing-ham
- Namesakes: Scott Cunningham, an author who wrote several books on Wicca, herbalism, and magic.
Curtens
Curtens is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Cruitin (son of Cruitin), once used as a nickname for hunchbacks. Helena Curtens was 14 when she was accused of witchcraft after describing a ghostly apparition she saw on a trip to Kevelaer, Germany. She was among the last people executed for sorcery in the country. A sad, unusual name with a child’s story at the center of it.
- Origin: Irish, English, French
- Meaning: Son of Cruitin, hunchback, short
- Pronunciation: KUR-tinz
- Variations: MacCurtin, McCurtin, Curtin, Curtain, Curtayne
- Namesakes: Helena Curtens, an alleged German witch whose case is one of the best known in Europe.
Delvaux
Delvaux is an elegant option among these witch last names, originally used for families from the towns called La Vaux in Belgium and France. Jean Delvaux, a monk who claimed a man in the woods turned him into a warlock at fifteen, is the case behind it, and the valley origin gives the whole name a hushed, faraway feel.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: From the valley
- Pronunciation: del-VOO
- Variations: Delval
- Namesakes: Jean Delvaux, a monk who claimed a man in the woods turned him into a warlock.
Device
Device is the odd one out here, derived from the Latin divis (divided). Several members of the Device family stood trial in the famous Pendle witch trials. Many of the Pendle witches were healers who worked with herbal remedies and charms. Device fits neatly among these “D” surname options for anyone drawn to that healing side of witchcraft.
- Origin: English, French, Latin
- Meaning: Divided
- Pronunciation: dih-VYSE
- Namesakes: Elizabeth Device, one of the accused tried in the 1612 Pendle witch trials.
Duncan
Duncan means brown battle, and the witch attached to it is fictional but memorable. In the Outlander books and series, Geillis Duncan starts with an interest in herbal healing and travels a long way into much darker practice. A future witch named Duncan gets to decide whether the name keeps that reputation.
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: Brown battle
- Pronunciation: DUNG-kahn
- Variations: Duncanson
- Namesakes: Tim Duncan, an American former pro basketball player regarded as the greatest power forward of all time.
- Popularity: Duncan ranked as the 212th most common U.S. surname in 2010. American parents have given Duncan as a first name 21,219 times since 1880, and it ranked #1,124 in 2025.
Dyer
Dyer began in medieval times as a name for people in the cloth-dyeing trade, from the Irish dubh (dark, black). Moll Dyer is the legend attached to it, a witch chased from her home on a freezing winter night and found days later frozen to a large stone. People in Leonardtown, Maryland, still say she walks the land looking for the men who ran her out. Few surnames come with their own haunting.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Black, cloth dyer
- Pronunciation: DIE-er
- Namesakes: John Dyer, a famous Australian soccer player who played in the Victorian Football League between 1931 and 1949.
- Popularity: As a first name, Dyer hasn’t shown up in U.S. birth data since 2021, when it ranked #12,652.
Early
Early is the English form of the Gaelic O Mochain, from moch (early, timely), and it doubles as a habitational name for people from the places called Earley in England. The witch here is Biddy Early, an Irish herbalist who healed people and animals and was accused of witchcraft by local priests. She was so well liked by her neighbors that she was released. Being popular has always been the best defense against a charge like that.
- Origin: Irish, English, German
- Meaning: Early, eagle clearing
- Pronunciation: UR-lee
- Variations: Earley, Ehrle
- Namesakes: Biddy Early, a traditional Irish herbalist accused of witchcraft in the 1800s.
- Popularity: As a first name, Early ranked #7,817 among U.S. babies in 2025, with 10 born that year.
Eastey
Eastey comes from Eastry in Kent, a parish and ancient Saxon village going back to the 9th century. Mary Eastey, a well-respected Puritan woman, was accused during the Salem witch trials and denied every charge. Before her execution she asked the judge not to take any more innocent lives, which is a remarkable thing to say from where she was standing. An Eastey inherits that steadiness.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Eastern district
- Pronunciation: EAST-ee
- Variations: Estrei
- Namesakes: Mary Eastey, a Puritan woman who was executed during the Salem witch trials.
Farrar
Farrar started as an occupational name for an iron smith, from the medieval Latin ferrum (iron). This “F” surname is well known in the witch community through Janet Farrar, a British author and teacher who has spent her career explaining Wicca and neopaganism across the U.S. and Europe. Her books are still some of the most widely read guides to modern witchcraft.
- Origin: English, French, Latin
- Meaning: Horseshoe
- Pronunciation: FER-rawr
- Variations: Ferrier, Farrow
- Namesakes: Janet Farrar, a British teacher and popular author on Wicca and Neopaganism.
- Popularity: Farrar hasn’t appeared in U.S. first-name rankings since 1977, when it sat at #10,100.
Faulkner
Faulkner was originally the name for a keeper of falcons, already a fairly witchy line of work. Abigail Faulkner was accused during the Salem witch trials after managing her husband’s estate drew resentment from her neighbors, and that kind of authority is exactly what the name suggests today.
- Origin: English, Scottish
- Meaning: Keeper of falcons
- Pronunciation: FAWK-nahr
- Variations: Falconer
- Namesakes: Abigail Faulkner, an American woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials in 1692.
- Popularity: Faulkner was the 952nd most common surname in the U.S. in 2010.
FitzGerald
Fitzgerald is a common name in Ireland, brought over in the wake of William the Conqueror, and it means son of Gerald. Gerald FitzGerald, the 11th Earl of Kildare, was said to be an alchemist with magical powers. A noble sorcerer is a strong claim for one family.
- Origin: Irish, French
- Meaning: Son of Gerald
- Pronunciation: fitz-JER-uld
- Namesakes: Gerald FitzGerald, the 11th Earl of Kildare and an alleged sorcerer.
- Popularity: Fitzgerald was the 430th most common surname in the U.S. in 2021. FitzGerald is gaining as a U.S. first name, up about 264% on the previous decade of births, and ranked #2,427 in 2025.
Flanagan
Flanagan is one of the spookiest options among these witch last names, common in Ireland and across the English-speaking world. It is an Anglicized form of O Flannagain, an Irish family name from flann (blood red). That meaning gives it a double life. It fits a witch working the darkest end of magic, and it fits a sorceress with dark red hair.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Blood red
- Pronunciation: flan-UH-gan
- Namesakes: Fionnula Flanagan, an Irish stage, television, and film actress who received the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
Flower
Flower is a pretty name on this list and hides one of the harsher stories, from the Middle English flour (flower, blossom). Joan, Margaret, and Philippa Flower, known as the Witches of Belvoir, were herbal healers accused of witchcraft after their former employers fell ill. Healing and blame have always run close together.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Flower, blossom
- Pronunciation: FLOW-er
- Namesakes: Chloe Flower, an American composer, writer, and classical pianist who studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
- Popularity: Flower works as a first name too, sitting at #10,370 in the U.S. in 2025.
Fortune
Fortune comes from the Latin fortuna (fortune, luck, chance) and started as a nickname for a gambler. Dion Fortune, the British occultist and novelist who co-founded the Fraternity of the Inner Light and wrote Psychic Self-Defense, left behind a name that anyone would assume knows something about what happens next.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Fortune, luck, chance
- Pronunciation: FAWR-choon
- Variations: Fortuin, Fortuyn
- Namesakes: Dion Fortune, a British occultist, magician, and novelist known for books Psychic Self-Defense (1930) and the Cosmic Doctrine (1998).
- Popularity: Fortune did best as a U.S. first name at #4,649 in 1922, and ranked #9,670 in 2025.
Foster
Foster is a variation of Forester, the surname first given to a forest keeper. Witches and woodland cottages go together, so the fit is obvious. Ann Foster, a 75-year-old widow, was accused during the Salem witch trials and confessed almost immediately, telling the court that 305 witches were operating in the area. It is a warm, ordinary name with a very strange confession attached.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Forest
- Pronunciation: FAHS-ter
- Namesakes: Ann Foster, a widow living in Andover, Massachusetts, accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
- Popularity: Foster is the 99th most common surname in the U.S., with 227,764 bearers in 2010. American parents have given Foster as a first name 13,122 times since 1880, and it ranked #901 in 2025.
Fowler
Fowler began as an occupational name for a birdcatcher, from the Old English fugol (bird). Rebecca Fowler was the only person executed for witchcraft in Maryland, accused by Francis Sandsbury, an indentured servant who worked the land she and her husband owned. One accusation from one employee was all it took.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Birdcatcher
- Pronunciation: FOW-lahr
- Namesakes: Rebecca Fowler, a woman executed for witchcraft in Maryland in the 17th-century.
- Popularity: Fowler was the 299th most common surname in the U.S. in 2010. About one in 166,667 U.S. babies got the first name Fowler in 2025, a rank of #7,339.
Gardner
Gardner is a nature-inspired option among these last names for witches. It comes from the Old French jardin (garden). Given how much of witchcraft runs on herbs and what you can grow yourself, the name is almost too appropriate. Gerald Gardner, the English Wiccan, founded the modern religion and brought it into public view in the early 1900s.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Gardener
- Pronunciation: GAHRD-nahr
- Variations: Gardener, Gardiner, Garner, Jardine
- Namesakes: Gerald Gardner, an English Wiccan who helped bring the religion to public attention in the early 1900s.
- Popularity: Gardner ranked as the 194th surname in the U.S. in 2010. Gardner is gaining as a U.S. first name, up about 44% on the previous decade of births, and ranked #5,094 in 2025.
Glover
Glover started as the name for a glove maker, from the Middle English glovere. Ann Glover was the last person executed for witchcraft in Boston, and the case had less to do with magic than with difference: she was Irish and Catholic in a Puritan town, and that alone set her neighbors against her.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Glover maker
- Pronunciation: GLUV-ahr
- Namesakes: Ann Glover, the last woman hanged in Boston for witchcraft.
- Popularity: Glover ranked as the 501st most common U.S. surname in 2010. Glover last appeared in the U.S. first-name data in 2014, at #12,709.
Good
Good is one of the gentlest of these witch last names that start with G, first used as a nickname for someone generous and kind. The history is anything but gentle. Dorothy Good was four years old when she was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. The name still belongs to the good witch, the one who uses magic to help.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Good, kind
- Pronunciation: GOOD
- Variations: Goode
- Namesakes: Dorothy Good, the young daughter of Sarah Good and William Good accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
- Popularity: Good was ranked as the 981st surname in the U.S. in 2010.
Gowdie
Gowdie is an ancient Scottish name from goldie (gold). Isobel Gowdie was accused of witchcraft in 1662 and gave confessions so detailed they are still read today, describing how she and her coven flew on magical horses and turned themselves into animals. Whatever the truth of it, she gave Scotland one of its most detailed witch confessions.
- Origin: Scottish, English
- Meaning: Gold
- Pronunciation: GOW-dee
- Variations: Goldie
- Namesakes: Isobel Gowdie, a Scottish woman who confessed she was a witch at Auldearn, Scotland.
Granger
Granger comes from the Old French grangier, from the Latin granum (grain), and means farm bailiff. The famous bearer is fictional, Hermione Granger, the cleverest character in the Harry Potter series and the reason her friends survive most of it, which makes Granger a name for whoever’s mind is the strongest thing they own.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Farm bailiff
- Pronunciation: GRAYN-jahr
- Variations: Garner, Garnier
- Namesakes: Stewart Granger, a British film actor known for his romantic leading roles from the 1940s to the early 1960s.
- Popularity: American parents have given Granger as a first name 2,147 times since 1912, and it ranked #1,636 in 2025.
Guilladot
Guilladot is an unusual French name with few modern bearers. Bertrand Guilladot, a French Roman Catholic priest, was accused of making a pact with the Devil in the 1700s and was among the last people executed during the Lyon witch trials.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: GILL-lay-det
- Namesakes: Bertrand Guilladot, a French Roman Catholic priest, accused of making a pact with the Devil in the 1700s.
Halliwell
Halliwell is built from the Old English halig (holy) and well (well, spring), which makes holy well a very literal meaning. In the American series Charmed, the Halliwell sisters are good witches who spend every episode protecting other people from evil. A charming surname for a witch with pure intentions and a busy schedule.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Holy well
- Pronunciation: HAL-ee-well
- Variations: Holliwell, Hollowell, Hallowell
- Namesakes: Geri Halliwell, best known as Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls.
Hausmannin
Hausmannin comes from the Middle High German hus (house) and man. During the Middle Ages it named the steward of a large house, castle, or tower. Walpurga Hausmannin, a German midwife, was executed for witchcraft, murder, and vampirism in the 1500s. The name sounds sturdy and domestic, and the history underneath it is anything but.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Man of the house
- Pronunciation: HOUSE-MAN-nin
- Variations: Haushalter
- Namesakes: Walpurga Hausmannin, a German woman executed for witchcraft, murder, and vampirism in the 1500s.
Henot
Henot is an uncommon surname beginning with H, with most bearers in Belgium and France. Katharina Henot was the first female postmaster in Germany, and she and her brother Hartger came into conflict with Count Leonhard II von Taxis over his plan for a central post office. City authorities accused them both of witchcraft, and Katharina was tried and burned at the stake in 1627. Cologne’s city council formally exonerated her centuries later.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: he-NOT
- Namesakes: Katharina Henot, an influential citizen in Cologne, Germany accused of harming others with magic in 1627.
Hibbins
Hibbins comes from the ancient Germanic hild (battle) and brand (sword), which is a lot of weaponry for one surname. Ann Hibbins was executed for witchcraft in Boston in 1656, decades before Salem, and Nathaniel Hawthorne later wrote her into The Scarlet Letter. History readers and literature readers both recognize this one.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Battle sword
- Pronunciation: HIB-inz
- Variations: Hibbons, Hibbens, Hibbin
- Namesakes: Ann Hibbins, the third woman executed for witchcraft in Boston in 1656.
Hoar
Hoar comes from the Middle English hor(e) (gray, white-haired), a fitting weathered sound for a name this old. Dorcas Hoar, a widow accused during the Salem witch trials and initially sentenced to death, confessed, and that confession saved her life.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: White-haired
- Pronunciation: HOR
- Variations: Hoare, Hore, Dore
- Namesakes: Dorcas Hoar, a woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
Horne
Horne first belonged to someone who played the horn or lived near a horn-shaped landmark. The witchcraft ties come from a mother and daughter accused by their neighbors. The daughter escaped; the mother, Janet Horne, was killed by fire, and her story later became Rona Munro’s play The Last Witch.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Horn
- Pronunciation: HAWRN
- Variations: Horn
- Namesakes: Janet Horne, the last person legally executed for witchcraft in the British Isles.
- Popularity: Horne was ranked 921st for U.S. surnames in 2010.
Jackson
Jackson began simply as the son of Jack. Shirley Jackson, the horror and mystery writer, was rumored to be a witch herself, a rumor she did little to discourage. Her 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House is still considered one of the best ghost stories ever written. Her name, thanks to that book, is one many readers already know.
- Origin: English, Scottish, Irish
- Meaning: Son of Jack
- Pronunciation: JAK-sahn
- Variations: Johansen, Janson
- Namesakes: Shirley Jackson, an American writer well known for her 1962 novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
- Popularity: Jackson was the 19th most common surname in the U.S. in 2010. Jackson is fading as a U.S. first name, down about 18% on the previous decade of births, though it still ranked #36 in 2025.
Kruckow
Kruckow is an uncommon surname used mostly in Denmark and Germany. Christenze Kruckow, a Danish noblewoman, was accused of witchcraft twice and eventually executed, the only member of the nobility put to death for sorcery in Denmark. Rank protected almost everyone else.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: KREW-kow
- Namesakes: Christenze Kruckow, a Danish noblewoman executed for witchcraft after being accused twice.
Kyteler
Kyteler comes from the Old Norse ketill (cauldron), the large pot every fictional witch is pictured stirring. Dame Alice Kyteler, a wealthy moneylender, became the first recorded witch in Ireland after three of her husbands died in suspicious circumstances, and her neighbors settled on poison and sorcery as the explanation.
- Origin: Old Norse
- Meaning: Cauldron
- Pronunciation: KIT-LER
- Variations: Kettle, Keyetler
- Namesakes: Alice Kyteler, the first recorded witch in Ireland.
Laveau
Laveau comes out of Brittany, France, and was first used for a family living in a valley. Marie Laveau, the Creole Voodoo priestess, herbalist, and midwife, was a fixture of 19th-century New Orleans, tending the sick, visiting prisoners, and teaching other women. She was loved in her community long before she became a legend. An elegant surname for a witch people actually come to for help.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Valley
- Pronunciation: lah-vo
- Variations: Laveaux
- Namesakes: Marie Laveau, a Creole Voodoo practitioner, herbalist, and midwife from Louisiana.
Leek
Leek is a habitational surname for people from the places called Leake, Leek, or Leak in England, most likely from the Old English lece or the Old Scandinavian loekr (brook). It may also be a Middle English nickname for someone who grew or sold leeks. The witch is Sybil Leek, the English astrologer and self-proclaimed psychic who was dubbed Britain’s most famous witch and wrote Diary of a Witch. She never once pretended to be anything else, which was rare for her time.
- Origin: English, Scandinavian
- Meaning: Brook, leek
- Pronunciation: LEEK
- Namesakes: Sybil Leek, an English astrologer and author of several books on witchcraft, including Diary of a Witch (1968) and The Complete Art of Witchcraft (1971).
Le Fay
Le Fay comes from the Middle English faie (fairy), and behind that the Latin fata (the Fates). Morgan Le Fay of the Arthurian legends is a sorceress, a healer, and a shape-shifter who is good in some tellings and dangerous in others. A surname that has never settled on one side leaves the choice to whoever carries it.
- Origin: English, French, Latin
- Meaning: The fairy, the Fates
- Pronunciation: luh-FAY
- Variations: Lefay
MacLeod
MacLeod is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic MacLeoid (son of Leod), from the Old Norse ljotr (ugly), which is a rough meaning for such a stately name. In Supernatural, Rowena MacLeod is an ambitious witch and the mother of Crowley. The real MacLeods include generations of Scottish clan chiefs. Either way the name arrives with authority already attached.
- Origin: Scottish, Old Norse
- Meaning: Son of Leod, ugly
- Pronunciation: mah-KLOWD
- Variations: McLeod, MacLeòid
- Namesakes: William Dubh MacLeod, the seventh Chief of the Scottish Clan MacLeod.
Mar
Mar is a short, appealing option among these surnames for witches. Its roots stretch across Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, France, Germany, Portugal, and Spain, and it was first given to people living by the sea. Violet Mar, a Scottish woman, was accused of using sorcery, witchcraft, and spirits to bring down Regent Morton, the ruler of Scotland. Political assassination by magic is a serious charge for a three-letter name.
- Origin: Latin, German
- Meaning: Sea, tender
- Pronunciation: MAHR
- Namesakes: Violet Mar, a Scottish woman accused of plotting the death of Regent Morton by witchcraft.
- Popularity: As a first name, Mar ranked #1,708 among U.S. babies in 2025, with 120 born that year.
Martin
Martin is a common surname around the world, and in France it is the most common of all, with approximately 314,502 bearers. Susannah Martin was accused during the Salem witch trials even though she was a devoted Christian who could recite scripture from memory, something witches supposedly could not do. The court found a way around that. John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote her into his poem The Witch’s Daughter.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: Of Mars, warlike
- Pronunciation: MAHR-tin
- Variations: Martel, Martell, Martins, Martinson(
- Namesakes: Susannah Martin, a woman executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
- Popularity: Martin is the 20th most common U.S. surname, with 702,625 bearers in 2010. As a first name, Martin ranked #335 among U.S. babies in 2025, with 1,009 born that year.
Matsdotter
Matsdotter belongs to Malin Matsdotter, an alleged Swedish witch accused in the late 1600s. She struggled to read the Holy Scripture at her trial, which the court took as evidence. Her own daughters testified against her, and she was executed in 1676. A cool, unusual name carrying one of the bleakest stories here.
- Origin: Swedish
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: MATZ-dotter
- Namesakes: Malin Matsdotter, an alleged Swedish witch burned for witchcraft.
Mills
Mills comes from the Middle English mille and was first given to someone who worked at or lived near a mill. The witch is Regina Mills of Once Upon a Time, who starts the series as the Evil Queen and ends it using the same magic to protect people instead. A plain, easy surname with a full redemption arc behind it.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Mill
- Pronunciation: MILZ
- Variations: Miller
- Namesakes: Sir John Mills, an English actor who has appeared in more than 120 films.
- Popularity: Mills was the 182nd most common surname in the U.S. as of 2021. American parents have given Mills as a first name 919 times since 1882, and it ranked #2,783 in 2025.
Monvoisin
Monvoisin is a fancy surname for witches, well suited to a sorceress with connections. Catherine Monvoisin, a French fortune teller and poisoner hired by aristocrats who wanted black magic done on their behalf, is proof enough: do not cross anyone named Monvoisin.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: mon-VOY-san
- Variations: Montvoisin
Morgan
Morgan joins the Welsh mor (sea) with cant (circle), so the meaning is sea circle and the name suits a witch who works near water. In the Arthurian legends, Morgan le Fay is a powerful enchantress and the sister of King Arthur. Between the etymology and the legend, Morgan claims the tides.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Sea circle
- Pronunciation: MAWR-gahn
- Namesakes: John Pierpont Morgan Sr., an American investment banker who dominated Wall Street during the Gilded Age.
- Popularity: Morgan is the 69th most common U.S. surname, with 286,280 bearers in 2010. Morgan is fading as a U.S. first name, down about 60% on the previous decade of births, though it still ranked #312 in 2025.
Newton
Newton is a famous option among these witch last names, tied to Florence Newton, known as the Witch of Youghal. She was said to have cursed a maidservant after being refused a piece of beef. Her trial became the most prominent witch case in 17th-century Ireland. The meaning, new town, could not be plainer.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: New town
- Pronunciation: NOO-tahn
- Namesakes: Sir Isaac Newton, an English scientist widely regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of all time.
- Popularity: Newton was the #443 most common surname in the U.S. in 2021. As a first name, Newton ranked #6,059 among U.S. babies in 2025, with 15 born that year.
Nightingale
Nightingale is built from the Old English niht (night) and galan (to sing), which makes night singer a rare case of a surname that is also a description. In the Good Witch series, Cassie Nightingale uses her magical touch to help the people around her. It is an enchanting, mystical name that just sounds like it belongs in a fairy tale.
- Origin: German, English
- Meaning: Night singer
- Pronunciation: NYE-tin-gayl
- Variations: Nachtigall
- Namesakes: Florence Nightingale, an English social reformer and founder of modern nursing.
Norton
Norton means north town, plain enough, and the witch attached to it is not plain at all. Rosaleen Norton, the Australian artist and occultist known as the Witch of Kings Cross, led her own coven and made no secret of it, so if your surname is Norton, the spirit world may already know your address.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: North town
- Pronunciation: NAWR-tahn
- Namesakes: Rosaleen Miriam Norton, a New Zealand-born Australian artist and occultist.
- Popularity: Norton was the 531st most common surname in the U.S. in 2021. Norton first charted as a U.S. first name in 1882 and was last listed in 2020 at #11,597.
Nottingham
Nottingham was first a habitational surname for people from Nottingham, England. John of Nottingham was a famous magician who used necromancy, or talking to the dead, in an attempt to kill King Edward II and his royal chamberlain Hugh Despenser the Younger. An assistant turned him in before he could carry it out. Few surnames come with a foiled royal assassination.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Homestead of Not’s people
- Pronunciation: NAH-tuhng-ham
- Namesakes: John of Nottingham, a famous 14th-century magician accused of plotting to kill Edward II of England.
Nurse
Nurse began as an occupational surname and is now simply hereditary, carried by people in every line of work, witches included. Rebecca Nurse was a well-respected woman in her community until she was accused of witchcraft and killed during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Her case made even her neighbors uneasy about what the court was doing.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Nurse, caregiver
- Pronunciation: NURS
- Variations: Norris
- Namesakes: Paul Nurse, a geneticist and cell biologist who helped explain how cells control their growth and division.
- Popularity: Nurse ranked as the 11,327th surname in the U.S. in 2021.
Nutter
Nutter comes either from the Middle English notere (scribe, clerk) or from nowt (ox). Alice Nutter was accused and executed for witchcraft during the Pendle witch hunt, and her story has been retold in novels and plays ever since, including William Ainsworth’s gothic novel The Lancashire Witches, where she is one of the main characters.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Scribe, person who tends oxen
- Pronunciation: NUT-er
- Namesakes: Tommy Nutter, a British tailor famous for reinventing the Savile Row suit in the 1960s.
Osborne
Osborne joins the Old English os (god) with beorn (warrior, man), so bear god is the meaning and the sound matches. Sarah Osborne was one of the first three women accused of witchcraft in Salem, putting the name at the very start of the story, and if you are an Osborne, the magic may already be in the bloodline.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Bear god
- Pronunciation: AHZ-bawrn
- Variations: Osbourne, Osborn
- Popularity: Osborne was the 502nd most common surname in the United States in 2021. As a first name, Osborne ranked #4,663 among U.S. babies in 2025, with 22 born that year.
Owens
Owens has Celtic roots, from either the Welsh ab Owain (son of Owen, noble son) or the Irish surname Mac Eoghain. In Practical Magic, the Owens sisters are witches raised by their eccentric aunts in a small town, and they spend the story pushing back against prejudice and a family curse while trying to find love anyway. It is one of the warmest witch families on this list.
- Origin: Welsh, Irish
- Meaning: Noble son, lamb, well-born
- Pronunciation: OH-wenz
- Variations: Owen, Owain
- Namesakes: Buck Owens, an American musician and band leader for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos.
- Popularity: Owens is the 140th most common surname in the United States. Owens works as a first name too, sitting at #7,086 in the U.S. in 2025.
Palles
Palles comes from the ancient Latin personal name Paulus (small). Anne Palles was the last woman legally executed for sorcery in Denmark, which makes this small, sweet-sounding surname the end of a very long chapter.
- Origin: Scottish, Latin
- Meaning: Small
- Pronunciation: PA-luhs
- Variations: Paulus
- Namesakes: Anne Palles, an alleged Danish witch accused in the mid-1600s.
Parker
Parker was first given to whoever looked after a park. Several women named Parker were victims of the Salem Witch Trials. Most notably Mary Parker, a 55-year-old widow, and Alice Parker, a fisherman’s wife, both accused of using sorcery against their neighbors. Two accusations, one surname, and no relation proven between them.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Keeper of the park
- Pronunciation: PAHR-kahr
- Namesakes: Alice Parker, a woman who was executed during the Salem Witch Trials.
- Popularity: Parker was the 56th most popular surname in the U.S. in 2021. About one in 491 U.S. babies got the first name Parker in 2025, a rank of #102.
Pauer
Pauer comes from the Middle High German bur, used for someone from a small dwelling, and it later became a status name for a peasant farmer. Maria Pauer was the last person executed for witchcraft in Austria. She was a maid in Muhldorf, Germany, who ran an errand for her employer to another home; after she left, the household reported supernatural events, and that was enough to have her charged with witchcraft and sorcery.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Peasant, neighbor
- Pronunciation: POW-er
- Namesakes: Maria Pauer, an alleged Austrian witch.
Penczak
Penczak is a mysterious choice among these witch last names, with little recorded about its origins. Christopher Penczak, the witch and author of the Temple of Witchcraft books, is the best-known bearer, widely read across the witchcraft and pagan community for his work on magic and healing.
- Origin: Polish
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: PEN-zack
- Namesakes: Christopher Penczak, a witch and author of the Temple of Witchcraft books.
Potter
Potter is a name most readers instantly recognize thanks to Harry Potter, the boy wizard who ends his story by offering himself up to save everyone else. The name itself is as ordinary as it gets, from the trade of making pots. That contrast is the whole point.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Potter
- Pronunciation: PAHT-ahr
- Namesakes: Beatrix Potter, an English writer, and illustrator best known for her children’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902).
- Popularity: Potter hasn’t cracked the U.S. first-name rankings since 2018, when it stood at #8,015.
Proctor
Proctor is an occupational surname starting with P, from the Middle English proktour (steward). John Proctor Jr. was accused of using sorcery during the Salem Witch Trials, and his real offense was being wealthy and successful enough to irritate his neighbors. The name has stood for wrongful accusation ever since.
- Origin: English, French, Latin
- Meaning: Steward
- Pronunciation: PROK-tor
- Namesakes: John Proctor Jr., a businessman falsely accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
- Popularity: Proctor is the 977th most common surname in the U.S. as of 2021. As a first name Proctor has gone quiet, with no U.S. ranking since 1962 (#4,489) and a high of #2,175 back in 1927.
Rasputin
Rasputin is the best-known surname that starts with R in the magical community, carried by Grigori Rasputin, the Russian mystic who became enormously influential at the court of Nicholas II. He had frequent visions and believed he could see the future. He was also a talented healer who often tended the sick. If your surname is Rasputin, the magic in your bloodline is old.
- Origin: Russian
- Meaning: Crossroads
- Pronunciation: ruh-SPYOO-tin
- Namesakes: Grigori Rasputin, a Russian mystic who befriended Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia.
Redd
Redd is a spooky surname for a witch, linked to the color of blood. Wilmot Redd was executed during the Salem witch trials, accused of bewitching several children. The doubled consonant gives it a sharper edge than plain Red, and it fits a witch working with dark sorcery.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Red
- Pronunciation: RED
- Variations: Red
- Namesakes: Wilmot Redd, a woman hanged for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
- Popularity: Redd was the 2,749th most common surname in the U.S. in 2021. American parents have given Redd as a first name 138 times since 2006, and it ranked #6,725 in 2025.
Reoch
Reoch comes from the Scottish Gaelic riabhach (brindled, grayish), first used as a nickname for someone with streaks of gray in their hair. Elspeth Reoch, an alleged Scottish witch, claimed magical and clairvoyant abilities and was accused under the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563. A quiet, unusual name for a talented sorceress.
- Origin: Scottish Gaelic
- Meaning: Grayish
- Pronunciation: RE-ach
- Namesakes: Elspeth Reoch, a Scottish witch accused of sorcery under the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563.
Repond
Repond belongs to Catherine Repond, one of the last women executed for witchcraft in Switzerland, and the reasoning behind her case is hard to believe. A local bailiff went hunting and shot a fox that got away. When he later noticed Catherine carrying injuries in the same places, he accused her of shapeshifting and sorcery. That was the whole of the evidence.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: reh-POHN
- Namesakes: Catherine Repond, an alleged Swiss witch.
Rosenberg
Rosenberg has German origins, from rose and berg (mountain). In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Willow Rosenberg is Buffy’s best friend and a witch whose power grows through the entire run of the show. A lovely surname for a witch as sweet as a rose and as immovable as a mountain.
- Origin: German, Swedish, Jewish
- Meaning: Rose mountain
- Pronunciation: ROW-sin-berg
- Namesakes: Arthur Rosenberg, a German Marxist historian and writer.
- Popularity: Rosenberg is the 1,339th most common surname in the U.S. since 2021.
Sampson
Sampson comes from the given name Samson, a Hebrew title borne by an Old Testament hero. Agnes Sampson was a Scottish healer and midwife who was accused of witchcraft after she repeated to King James VI what he had said to his wife on their wedding night, something she had no ordinary way of knowing. She was burned at the stake in 1591.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: Sun
- Pronunciation: SAMP-sahn
- Variations: Samson
- Namesakes: Agnes Sampson, a Scottish healer and alleged witch.
- Popularity: Sampson is the 886th most common surname in the U.S. since 2021. Sampson works as a first name too, sitting at #3,435 in the U.S. in 2025.
Sanders
Sanders means defender of the people, which is a good deal friendlier than most entries here. Alex Sanders, the English occultist and High Priest, formed the tradition of Alexandrian Wicca and was famous enough in the 1960s and 1970s to be nicknamed the King of Witches. The name still carries some of that showmanship.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Defender of the people
- Pronunciation: SAN-dahrz
- Variations: Alexander, Sanderson, Saunders
- Namesakes: Alex Sanders, an English occultist known for forming the tradition of Alexandrian Wicca.
- Popularity: Sanders is the 94th most common U.S. surname, with 230,374 bearers in 2010. Sanders did best as a U.S. first name at #1,051 in 1951, and ranked #6,086 in 2025.
Sefton
Sefton means town in the rushes and, in fiction, belongs to Amanda Sefton, the witch created by Marvel Comics, whose powers include shapeshifting, teleportation, and hypnosis, among others. Comic book fans will know this “S” surname right away.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Town in the rushes
- Pronunciation: SEHF-tahn
- Namesakes: Allan Roy Sefton, an Australian ornithologist and environmentalist.
- Popularity: Sefton dropped out of the U.S. first-name rankings after 2017, its last showing at #13,915.
Sherman
Sherman started as an occupational surname, a shear man who cut cloth. In The Conjuring, Bathsheba Sherman is the malevolent witch tormenting the family living in her old house, and the character is based on a famous Rhode Island haunting. Ordinary trade name, extremely unpleasant screen presence.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Shearer of woolen garments
- Pronunciation: SHUR-mahn
- Variations: Sharman, Shearman, Shurman
- Namesakes: Roger Sherman, an American statesman and Founding Father of the United States.
- Popularity: Sherman was the 469th most common surname in the U.S. in 2021. About one in 90,909 U.S. babies got the first name Sherman in 2025, a rank of #5,169.
Singer
Singer is a lovely surname for a witch with a gift for poetry and spell-writing, and its German meaning is simply poet. The dark side belongs to Maria Renata Singer, a Bavarian nun accused of witchcraft after several nuns in her convent were said to be possessed. A search of her room turned up poisons, ointments, and strange robes. She confessed to being a witch who had joined the convent to cause havoc among the sisters.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Poet
- Pronunciation: SING-er
- Namesakes: Maria Renata Singer, a Bavarian nun executed for heresy, witchcraft, and satanism.
- Popularity: Singer was the 1,366th most common surname in the U.S. in 2021.
Southeil
Ursula Southeil, better known as Mother Shipton, was a powerful prophetess in the 1500s. She is credited with foretelling the Great Plague of London, the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and even the internet. The surname means respect of the South, and it belongs to anyone who claims to see what is coming.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Respect of the South
- Pronunciation: SOUT-hi-ul
- Variations: Southill, Soothtell, Sontheil
- Namesakes: Ursula Southeil, an English soothsayer and prophetess.
Spellman
Spellman practically markets itself, though the meaning is entertainer rather than anything magical, from the Old English spilemann (entertainer, play-man). The Spellmans were the family of witches in Sabrina The Teenage Witch, which locked the name into witch pop culture for good. Charm and wit do most of the spellwork here.
- Origin: English, Irish, German
- Meaning: Entertainer
- Pronunciation: SPEL-man
- Variations: Spileman, Speleman, Spilemann
- Namesakes: Francis Joseph Spellman, an American religious official who served as the sixth Archbishop of New York.
- Popularity: Spellman was ranked the 4,650th surname in the U.S. in 2021.
Stephens
Stephens comes from the given name Stephen, a Greek name from stephanos (crown, wreath). Samantha Stephens of Bewitched is the witch attached to it, and her whole storyline is about giving up serious magical power for an ordinary mortal life. A great surname for a sorceress who would rather nobody knew.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Crown
- Pronunciation: STEE-vens, STEF-ens
- Popularity: Stephens was the 190th most common surname in the U.S. in 2021. Stephens first charted as a U.S. first name in 1913 and was last listed in 1992 at #6,616.
Tituba
The origins of Tituba are uncertain, possibly from a Yoruba word meaning to atone, or from the Spanish titubear (to stammer). The name is inseparable from Tituba, the enslaved woman who was the first to confess to witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. She said she had learned occult powers from her mistress in Barbados, who taught her how to ward off evil spirits. Her confession is where the panic began.
- Origin: Yoruba, Spanish
- Meaning: To atone, to stammer
- Pronunciation: TI-choo-buh
- Namesakes: Tituba, a Barbadian enslaved woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
Toothaker
Toothaker comes from the German Todtenacker, a word for a burying ground or churchyard, which makes field of the dead a literal meaning rather than a dramatic one. Roger Toothaker was a farmer and folk-healer who specialized in detecting and punishing witches, right up until the accusations turned on him during the Salem witch trials. He died in jail.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Field of the dead
- Pronunciation: TOOTH-aker
- Namesakes: Roger Toothaker, a farmer and folk-healer accused during the Salem witch trials.
Valiente
Valiente is the Spanish word for brave, first given as a nickname for a courageous person. Doreen Valiente, the English author, poet, and Wiccan, is often called the Mother of Modern Witchcraft for how much of the modern practice she wrote. The name promises nerve, and hers earned it.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Brave
- Pronunciation: val-ee-EN-tay
- Namesakes: Doreen Valiente, an English author, poet, and Wiccan.
- Popularity: Valiente first charted as a U.S. first name in 2019 and was last listed in 2021 at #13,930.
Velázquez
Velázquez comes from the given name Velasco, a medieval Spanish title possibly from a Basque word meaning crow. In True Blood, Jesus Velázquez is a brujo, a powerful sorcerer of Mexican descent. A beautiful surname for a witch with Spanish ancestry.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Crow
- Pronunciation: beh-LAS-kehs
- Variations: Vásquez, Vázquez, Velasco, Velásquez
- Namesakes: Regina Velasquez, a Filipina singer and actress considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine pop culture.
- Popularity: Velázquez was the 530th most common surname in the U.S. in 2021.
Wardwell
Wardwell contains the word ward, as in warding off evil spirits, which is a useful thing to have in your surname. Samuel Wardwell was a fortune teller living near Andover, Massachusetts, and he and his wife Sarah were accused of witchcraft and executed. A sad name for witches everywhere.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Bend stream
- Pronunciation: WORD-wel
- Variations: Wardle
- Namesakes: Samuel Wardwell, a man accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
Waterhouse
Waterhouse was first a locational name for a house beside a lake, river, or ocean. Agnes Waterhouse, known as Mother Waterhouse, was accused of bewitching a man named William Fynne, and she admitted to being a witch and to keeping a cat as her familiar. She was among the first women executed for witchcraft in England.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: A house by water
- Pronunciation: WAW-ter-hows
- Namesakes: Agnes Waterhouse, one of the first women executed for witchcraft in England.
Weasley
Weasley is one of the best witch surnames for Harry Potter fans, belonging to Harry’s best friend Ron and the rest of his large, loud, generous family. J.K. Rowling invented it, possibly from the word weasel and the Old English leah (woodland, clearing). Perfect for a witch or wizard with red hair.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Weasel clearing
- Pronunciation: WHEEZE-lee
Wildblood
Wildblood came out of medieval England as a nickname for a spirited or hot-headed person, from the Middle English wilde (wild) and blod (blood). It is one of the strangest surnames on this list and reads as a warning label all by itself, the kind of name that announces exactly what you are getting.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Wild blood
- Pronunciation: WYLD-blud
Wildes
Wildes is the free-spirited option among these last names for witches, first a nickname for someone wild or carefree. Sarah Wildes was wrongly convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Her husband belonged to the Goud family, who were feuding with the Putmans, some of the primary accusers at Salem. The charge had more to do with that quarrel than with anything Sarah did.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: High-spirited
- Pronunciation: WILD-z
- Variations: Wilde, Whilde, Wylde, Wyldes, Weald, Weild, Weld, Welds, Wyeld, Wield
- Namesakes: Sarah Wildes, a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
Willard
Willard comes from the Old German willo (will, desire) and hart (hard, firm, brave). John Willard was a constable in Salem who refused to arrest more innocent women for witchcraft, and he was arrested and executed for that refusal. If Willard is your surname, bravery and a strong sense of justice may run in the family.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Desire to be brave
- Pronunciation: WIL-ahrd
- Variations: Willihard
- Namesakes: John Willard, one of the people executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
- Popularity: Willard works as a first name too, sitting at #2,760 in the U.S. in 2025.
Young
Young is a sprightly surname for a young witch with her whole life ahead of her. Issobell Young was a farmer’s wife accused by a stable boy of shapeshifting into an owl and belonging to a coven in the 1600s. She was found guilty and burned at the stake in Edinburgh.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Young
- Pronunciation: YUNG
- Namesakes: Issobell Young, a woman executed for witchcraft at Edinburgh Castle in 1629.
- Popularity: Young was the 32nd most common U.S. surname as of 2010, with 484,447 bearers. As a first name Young has gone quiet, with no U.S. ranking since 2022 (#12,286) and a high of #1,263 back in 1917.
Zdunk
Zdunk is an unusual Polish surname with few known bearers. Barbara Zdunk, a Polish maid with a fondness for magic, was accused of burning down the German town of Rossel and is considered the last woman executed for witchcraft in Europe.
- Origin: Polish
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: ZEE-dunk
- Variations: Zdunek
- Namesakes: Barbara Zdunk, a Polish alleged arsonist accused of witchcraft.
Zippel
Zippel is a rare variation of the German surname Zipfel, meaning peak, with few known bearers. Anna Zippel was accused during Sweden’s witch mania, also called The Great Noise. She and her sister Brita are considered the most famous witches in Swedish history, which is a heavy legacy for such an unusual name.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Peak
- Pronunciation: ZIP-pel
- Variations: Zipfel
- Namesakes: Anna Zippel, an alleged Swedish witch accused during the Katarina witch trials.
