People shunning the idea of choosing a name that means “death” is understandable considering the fears and trepidations surrounding this unpleasant word. However, a lot of names with this dark meaning belong to powerful and striking characters from religious scripture, mythology, and history.
Apart from the religious or historical inspiration, you may also go for a name with this meaning to pay tribute to or honor a loved one who has departed from this world.
So if you want to set yourself apart from the norm and names that are too basic or inspired by sugar, spice, and everything nice, dare to be different and go ahead, give your little one these edgy and intense names meaning “death”.
Sections
Boy Names That Mean Death
1. Clay
Clay is a name of German and English origins, and it either means “one who is subject to death” or “mortal”.
2. Azrael
One of the most notable biblical and Quranic names, Azrael is described as the “angel of death” in both Christianity and Islam. He has been described as a gigantic angel with 4000 wings who separates the souls from the bodies.
3. Dearil
Of both Scottish and German origin, the name Dearil means “call of death”, “death” and also “red-haired”.
4. Thanatos
Marvel fan anyone? Avengers’ mighty villain Thanos was derived from the name Thanatos which means “death” and “oblivion”. Greek Mythology depicts this figure as the “God of death”, who takes people to Hades after they die.
5. Lefu
Lefu is a Christian name of African origin and by definition, it is supposed to mean “death” or “sickness”.
6. Nastrond
Of Old Norse origin, the name Nastrong means “shore of death” or “corpse shore”. According to Norse mythology, Nastrond has been described as the petrifying afterlife for people culpable for murder and adultery.
7. Ernesh
Ernesh is a name of Indian origin and it has several meanings including “battle to death” and “determined”.
8. Sephtis
Stemming from Persian roots, the dreary name Sephtis means “eternal death”. The pronunciation of this name is ‘Sef-tis’.
9. Archemoros
According to Greek mythology, this name was given to Prince Opheltes of Nemea after his death. The prince’s father, King Lycurgus was warned that his son should not step on the ground before he can walk. Left unwatched by his nurses, Opheltes was bitten by a snake and succumbed to the wound on the spot. He was later named Archemoros meaning “forerunner of death”.
10. Kalabithi
Originating from India, Kalabithi is a Hindu name meaning “of whom death is afraid”.
11. Mort
This gothic name comes from French origin and is springing from the French word Mort meaning “death”.
12. Ajal
This is an Arabic Muslim name that means “time or hour of death”. According to the Holy book of Muslims, the Quran, your “Ajal” is the appointed time of your inevitable death.
13. Athanasius
A rare name, Athanasius if of Greek origin and it means “immortal” and also “death”.
14. Baladan
Baladan is a biblical name of Israeli origin that means “son of death”.
15. Hazarmaveth
Another biblical name and one of the descendants of Noah, is Hazamaveth meaning “dwelling of death”. This name is an amalgamation of two Hebrew words; ‘Hazar’ and Maveth”, Hazar meaning “dwelling” and the latter meaning “death”.
16. Mrithun
Pronounced ‘Mree-thun’, this name is of Indian origin and means “lord of death”.
17. Ankou
This eerie name comes from the Breton and Cornish languages and means “death” or “servant of death”. According to Breton legend, Ankou has been depicted as a skeleton or Ghost riding a coach at night gathering souls of the dead. Talk about creepy!
18. Mabuz
Of Scottish origin, the name Mabuz means “ruler of death castle”.
19. Methuselah
In the bible, Methuselah is introduced as Noah’s grandfather and his name has been used in phrases to elucidate longevity as he lived for 969 years. This biblical name is of Hebrew origin and has several meanings including “death of sword”, “His death shall bring” and “man of the javelin”.
20. Yamajit
Yamajit is another name for one of the most notable Gods in Hinduism, Lord Shiva. This name is pronounced ‘Yaama-jeet’ and means “conqueror of death”.
21. Supay
Stemming from Inca, the name Supay means “God of evil death”. This mythological figure has been depicted as the ruler of the underworld or the ‘Ukhu Pacha’, and had power over an army of demons.
22. Tomoe
Pronounced like ‘Toe-mo-ee’, this Japanese name is believed to mean “death” or “earth”.
23. Letum
Yet another mythological name, Letum is a Roman name meaning “destruction” and “death”.
24. Kalaraja
Kalaraja is a Hindu name and in Sanskrit, it means “lord of death”.
25. Ahimoth
Ahimoth is a Christian name of Israeli origin and means “brother of death”. This name is a blend of two Hebrew words; ‘Ahi’ meaning “brother” and ‘Mot’ meaning “death”.
26. Morte
Morte originates from the French/Gothic origin and is more commonly heard as a surname. The word ‘Morte’ literally means “dead” in French.
27. Anubis
According to Egyptian mythology, Anubis has popularly been described as the “God of the dead” or the “God of death”. Much like Thanatos, Anubis also takes souls to the underworld. You would notice this figure in a lot of Egyptian art and artifacts as a man with a head of a jackal.
28. Kalakuta
A Hindu name of Sanskrit origin, Kalakuta is defined as “potion of death”.
29. Melwas
Melwas is of Old Welsh origin and means “prince of death”.
30. Voldemort
Although “he who should not be named” is fictional, it has to be one of the most famous names associated with death. Voldemort is the dreaded character from J.K Rowling’s “Harry Potter”, and his name means “flight of death”.
31. Markandeya
Markandeya is a Hindi name meaning “conquers over death”.
32. Tuwile
Of African origin, Tuwile is a Kenyan name meaning “death is invincible”.
33. Shiryo
According to Japanese legend, Shiryo has been described as the souls of the dead or spirits that possess and harm humans. The literal meaning of this name is “dead spirit”.
34. Kalayavan
Kalayavan is a Hindu name meaning “as horrible as death”.
35. Jeremoth
Jeremoth is a Hebrew male name symbolic of the fear of death as it precisely means “he who fears death”.
36. Mritunjay
‘Mree-tune-jay’ is a Hindu male name and in Sanskrit, this means “victory over death”.
37. Shinigami
In Japanese, this name means “death God”. As per Japanese folklore, Shinigami are evil spirits that incite people to strive for death.
38. Azmaveth
This male name is also the name of a town in the Holy Bible and holds the meaning “death is strong”. Azmaveth is formed from a mix of two Hebrew words ‘Azaz’ and ‘Mot’, Azaz meaning “to be strong” and the latter meaning “death”.
39. Mot
Mot comes from the Ugaritic origin and it means “death”. In Semitic mythology, this name was held by the Ugaritic god of death.
40. Javaraya
This name is specifically common amongst a tribe in the Indian state of Karnataka, and it means “God of death”.
41. Meremoth
Meremoth is a biblical name of Israeli origin that means “myrrh of death” or “bitterness”.
42. Kaliya
Kaliya is of Indian origin and means “time of death”. As per Hindu mythology, this name was held by the snake that was defeated by Lord Krishna.
43. Orcus
Orcus comes from Roman mythology and it means “bringer of death”. Orcus was an evil god of the underworld.
44. Admatha
The name Admatha is from the Book of Esther and it means “cloud of death”. According to “The Scroll” he was one of the princes of Arabia.
45. Fedude
From the Ijaw tribe of Nigeria, the name Fedude means “death has ended”.
46. Maveth
Maveth is derived from the Hebrew word ‘Mot’ meaning “death”. According to Hebrew legend, Maveth has also been described as the angel of death.
Girl Names That Mean Death
1. Chiwa
From the African tribe of Bantu, the name Chiwa is given to females and it means “death”.
2. Adaliah
Adaliah is an Israeli name that has several meanings but one meaning that is particularly symbolic of death is “one who draws death”.
3. Clotho
Clotho is amongst the names from Greek mythology that are representative of “death”, as it means “spinner of life and death”. According to myth, Clotho had the ability to give and take life.
4. Omisha
‘O-mee-shah’ is a Hindu girl name meaning “Goddess of death and birth”.
5. Marzana
The name Marzana by definition means “death, corpse, and hallucination”. As per Slavic mythology, Marzana was the goddess of death and new beginnings.
6. Morana
Another form of Marzana, Morana by definition means “death” or “plague”.
7. Achlys
According to Greek Mythology, Achlys was a demon who brought misery and sadness. Achlys means “death mist”.
8. Solikha
Pronounced ‘So-lee-khaa’, this name means “flower of death”. According to Sanskrit literature, Solikha was the flower placed on top of a mountain of corpses. Legend has it that the flower bared people’s intentions, if someone had evil intentions it would secrete a toxic dew which would kill that person on the spot hence the “flower of death”.
9. Felagha
Felagha comes from the Ijaw tribe of Nigeria and in Izon languages this name means “death has not reached me”.
10. Morticia
This name comes from the Roman word ‘mortician’ derived from ‘mort’ meaning “death”. Morticia came into being in 1938 in Charles Addams’s comic strip “The Addams family”.
11. Tia
Of Haida origin, the name Tia is for girls and it means “Goddess of peaceful death”.
12. Asaka
This female name is a mishmash of three Japanese words ‘As’ meaning “death, next world”, ‘A’ meaning “bear” and ‘ka’ meaning “beautiful”. The name Asaka means “beautiful death”.
13. Bashemath
The Bible introduces Bashemath as the wife of Esau, the Son of Isaac. This Hebrew name means “confusion of death”.
14. Shi
Of Japanese origin, Shi is a female name meaning “death”. The word “shi” means ‘ a state of being dead’ in Japanese.
15. Mara
Of Indian origin, the name Mara means “death” in Sanskrit.
16. Keres
Greek mythology describes Keres as death spirits who were drawn to brutal deaths. The name Keres means “death or doom”.
17. Thana
The female equivalent of Thanatos, Thana means “death” in Greek.
18. Morella
This name comes from Edgar Allen Poe’s horror piece “Morella” and means “death”. Morella is also the name of a walled city in Castellon, Spain.
19. Angerona
Roman mythology describes Angerona as the “Roman Goddess of death and silence”.
20. Dabria
Dabria is a Christian name meaning “angel of death”.
21. Tanda
Of Native American origin, the name Tanda is used for girls and it means “seer of life and death”.
22. Libitina
According to myth, Libitina was the Roman goddess of death, funerals, and corpses. This name also means “to die”.
23. Shivani
Shivani is a popular Indian name amongst Hindu girls and it means “life and death”.
24. Nephthys
This powerful mythological name comes from the Egyptian goddess of “death and mourning”.
25. Merripen
This name is derived from ‘Meriben’ from the Indo-Aryan tribe of Romani. Meriben translated means “death”.
26. Smierc
One of the spookiest names associated with death is Smierc. According to Polish myth, Smierc was a soul reaper but she wore white robes instead of black.
27. Persephoni
This name originated from ancient Greek and means “bringer of death”.
28. Bacia
Bacia is a Ugandan name meaning “family death ruined the home”.
29. Freyja
Freyja is a Scandinavian name meaning “lady of death”.
30. Louhi
This name originates from Finnish mythology and is another name for the “death Goddess” Loviatar.
31. Ernaline
Ernaline is a Norwegian name having multiple meanings including “battle to the death”, “serious” and “capable”.
32. Llamatecuhtli
Llamatecuhtli is an Aztec name for girls meaning “fertility or death goddess”.
33. Valdis
Of Old Norse origin, the name Valdis means “goddess” and also “the dead”.
34. Erishkigal
Of Sumerian origin, this female name means “goddess of death and the underworld”.
