Baby names are one of the things a health crisis cannot tamper with. Babies will be born no matter what, and they need names. Given that it's almost fall, aka spooky season, we feel like this may inspire some parents-to-be who are looking to be on theme for naming their future child. We've covered hipster names, but there's nothing more appropriate for fall and the Halloween season than "goth" or goth-inspired names, so that's exactly the theme we went for with this name list. They're fun but also quirky.
There are names that just sound obviously gothic, like Driscilla. But we found a bunch of other names with a gothic spin we took from gothic texts, movies, or names of characters that give off that vibe. Even Tim Burton made the name list (Burton) because he is the king of making goth movies in particular. Take a look at the names below and appreciate their dark appeal.
RAVEN
Thanks to Edgar Allen Poe and his inclusion of ravens in his dark tales, the bird is often associated with goth-like connotations. Although pre-Poe its dark feathers lent themselves to that vibe anyway. Raven makes a great feminine name.
MAUVE
Mauve is a color that makes a really smooth-sounding name, in our opinion. It also happens to be one of the gorgeous colors of pink and purple mixed together in sunsets, sunrises, and most importantly twighlights, making it a mysterious and beautiful baby name.
ELVIRA
Elvira is one of the dark and spooky characters in the same titled film. And if that isn't enough to convince that it's a goth-style name than the subtitle of the film was "Mistress of the Dark." Essentially, Elvira was an empowered goth queen … even though Baby Name Wizard says the name means "amicable, friendly."
WINTER
Winter is a season, but what comes with it can have both happy and gothic connotations. In this context, we think of a cold, blistery winter night in the woods, which makes us get major goth or witchy vibes. It makes a great gender neutral name for a baby.
CLEOPATRA
Cleopatra is one of the most famous female historical figures. She was a ruler in Egypt and was said, By History.com, to have been a factor in her siblings' deaths. Eep. She's famously associated with a snake likely due to her no-nonsense attitude. While it's never ranked as a popular name, the short version "Cleo" is a cute but still uncommon nickname.
SABRINA
The name Sabrina is often associated with Sabrina the Teenage Witch series, which recently was rebooted on Netflix as a bit darker version than the Melissa Joan Hart sitcom. Sabrina definitely gives off dark and gothic vibes which is fitting as its origins are certainly creepy.
JULIET
Juliet isn't an inherently dark character at all in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the tale of two star-crossed lovers. But the devastating — tragic — ending the two characters have make hers a depressing tale. Spoiler: They both die. Perfect goth fodder.
ABSINTHE
Absinthe comes up in gothic literature and films all the time. It's just one of those spooky and gothic alcoholic drinks that the apothecaries love to use. The myth is that it causes hallucinations but apparently that's not true. It can also be served with fire, which makes it especially creepy/cool.
EDGAR
Edgar Allen Poe is the king of goth. He was a depressing guy, but we all give him credit for being able to turn that darkness into beauty. Yes, goth can be beautiful. Edgar or even Poe could make great gothic baby boy names.
EBONY
Ebony is another word for black or darkness, and the name comes from the wood of the ebony tree, which is a dark black-brown. Anything dark gives off a gothic vibe and there's nothing more dark than eerie woods as seen in the image above.
MORTICIA
Morticia or even Mortimer are two perfectly good gothic names. Morticia can be a play off a mortician who works with dead bodies, as well as for Morticia Addams, the matriach of The Addams Family, the most gothic pop culture family out there.
WEDNESDAY
Speaking of the Addams family, we just love the name Wednesday for the gothic list. Wednesday was the name of the Addams' daughter, who was the princess of goth and spook (after her mother, the queen, of course.)
ASH
Ash is a gothic-style name that has that spook-tastic vibe but can also pass as non-gothic in the world. Ash can be a perfect unisex name and can also serve as the shortened version of a longer name, like Ashley, so the baby can choose in the future if they want to stick to their gothic roots.
DOLORES
Dolores is a name of Spanish origin that means "sorrows" and "aches" and is derived from "Maria de los Dolores" (Mary of the Sorrows), another name for the Virgin Mary. The name has an Old World flair to it without it being totally off-the-wall unheard of, which is perfect for a modern, gothic family.
HOLMES
Sherlock Holmes was technically a beacon of goodness and light as a detective in a crime-riddled and dreary Britain. But his name can be associated with the gruesomeness of the crimes he would work to solve with his assistant, Watson, which is also a great gothic name.
GLENARVON
Glenavron is the name of a gothic book written by Lady Caroline Lamb about the author taking revenge on her former lover, Lord Byron (pictured here) for breaking off their relationship. In the book their names are actually Lady Calantha and Lord Glenarvon. All great gothic names.
UDOLPHO
The goth name Udolpho was inspired by the gothic novel (go figure) The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (which we also thinks make a great gothic baby name.) According to Britannica, is is "the story of the orphaned Emily St. Aubert, who is subjected to cruelties by her guardians, threatened with the loss of her fortune, and imprisoned in a number of castles but finally freed and united with her lover."
LUCIAN
Lucian is derived from "Lucifer" which is the human name for whom many call "the devil." As far as characters go, Satan is as gothic as gothic can get. It actually means "light bearer" because he actually started out as part of God's angel crew. But then he fell from heaven. The name stuck, though.
BURTON
Burton is inspired by the famous filmmaker and director Tim Burton who is most known for his spooky, gothic animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas starring the two lovers Jack and Sally. Those names work, too, but we thought Burton fit the vibe better.
LAMIA
Lamia could be an amazing spooky baby girl name. It means "ghoul" or "vampire" in Greek and Latin, respectively. It also is said to be a demon in Greek mythology. Sounds pretty goth to us.
