Evil Names
A great evil name does half your storytelling for you. Some carry genuinely dark meanings (Mallory is “ill-fated,” Malvolio “ill will”), some borrow the weight of myth and scripture, and some just sound wrong in the best way: hard consonants, hisses and heavy, falling endings.
Below are 90+ evil names in six groups, from names with real sinister meanings and ancient monsters to famous literary villains and original names for your novel, game or campaign. Want more? Try our villain names, demon names and dark names, or look up names that mean death.
Names that mean evil, darkness or doom
Every name here has a real meaning tied to darkness, bitterness, strife or death. Several are also everyday given names, so they work for subtle villains. More in names that mean night.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Mallory | Old French, “unlucky, ill-fated” | Unisex |
| Malvolio | Italian, “ill will” (Shakespeare’s <em>Twelfth Night</em>) | Boy |
| Dolores | Spanish, “sorrows” | Girl |
| Mara | Hebrew, “bitter”; also the nightmare spirit of Norse folklore | Girl |
| Nox | Latin, “night” | Unisex |
| Nyx | Greek goddess of night | Girl |
| Erebus | Greek, primordial “darkness” | Boy |
| Umbra | Latin, “shadow” | Unisex |
| Tenebris | From Latin <em>tenebrae</em>, “darkness” | Unisex |
| Thanatos | Greek personification of death | Boy |
| Morana | Slavic goddess of winter and death | Girl |
| Kalma | Finnish goddess of death and decay | Girl |
| Mortimer | Norman, “still (dead) water” | Boy |
| Moros | Greek, “doom” | Boy |
| Eris | Greek goddess of strife and discord | Girl |
| Ate | Greek goddess of ruin and folly | Girl |
| Achlys | Greek, “mist of death” | Girl |
| Keres | Greek spirits of violent death | Unisex |
Evil names from mythology and legend
Tricksters, monsters and gods of chaos from world mythology. These carry built-in menace for anyone who knows the stories.
| Name | Who they are | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| Loki | Norse trickster who brings about Ragnarök | Norse |
| Hel | Ruler of the Norse realm of the dead | Norse |
| Fenrir | Monstrous wolf fated to kill Odin | Norse |
| Surtr | Fire giant who burns the world at Ragnarök | Norse |
| Set | Egyptian god of storms and chaos; murderer of Osiris | Egyptian |
| Apophis | Serpent of chaos (Apep) who battles Ra each night | Egyptian |
| Ahriman | Destructive spirit opposing Ahura Mazda | Zoroastrian |
| Typhon | Most fearsome monster in Greek myth | Greek |
| Medusa | Gorgon whose gaze turned people to stone | Greek |
| Lamia | Child-devouring monster of Greek legend | Greek |
| Circe | Enchantress who turned men into swine | Greek |
| Mordred | Arthur’s traitorous son or nephew | Arthurian |
| Morgan le Fay | Sorceress and Arthur’s rival | Arthurian |
| Grendel | Monster slain by Beowulf | Anglo-Saxon |
| Baba Yaga | Forest witch of Slavic folklore | Slavic |
| Koschei | “The Deathless,” who hid his soul in a needle | Slavic |
Demonic and fallen angel names
Names from Jewish and Christian scripture and later tradition, listed with their sources. For more, see fallen angel names.
| Name | Meaning / role | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lucifer | Latin, “light-bringer”; later identified with Satan | Christian tradition |
| Belial | Hebrew, “worthless” | Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls |
| Beelzebub | “Lord of the flies,” from Baal-zebub (2 Kings 1) | Hebrew Bible |
| Asmodeus | Demon of lust in the Book of Tobit | Jewish tradition |
| Mammon | Aramaic, “wealth,” personified as greed | Gospels (Matthew 6:24) |
| Abaddon | Hebrew, “destruction”; angel of the abyss | Revelation 9:11 |
| Azazel | Scapegoat figure of Leviticus 16; fallen angel in Enoch | Hebrew Bible, Book of Enoch |
| Mephistopheles | Demon who bargains with Faust | German legend |
| Leviathan | Primordial sea serpent | Job 41, Psalms |
| Moloch | Canaanite deity condemned in Leviticus | Hebrew Bible |
| Lilith | Night demon figure; Adam’s first wife in medieval legend | Jewish folklore |
| Samael | Angel of death and accuser in Talmudic lore | Jewish tradition |
Famous villain names from books and film
Recognizable names that instantly signal a bad guy. Great for pets with attitude, too.
| Name | Where it’s from | Evil style |
|---|---|---|
| Iago | Manipulator in Shakespeare’s <em>Othello</em> | Scheming, two-faced |
| Moriarty | Sherlock Holmes’s arch-enemy | Genius criminal |
| Sauron | Dark Lord of Tolkien’s Middle-earth | Ultimate evil |
| Morgoth | Sauron’s master; Sindarin, “black foe” | Primordial darkness |
| Voldemort | From French, roughly “flight of death” | Iconic modern villain |
| Dracula | Romanian, “son of the dragon” | Gothic horror |
| Hyde | Jekyll’s monstrous alter ego | Hidden evil |
| Uriah Heep | Creepy clerk in <em>David Copperfield</em> | Oily flatterer |
| Cruella | Pun on “cruel”; <em>101 Dalmatians</em> | Glamorous villainess |
| Maleficent | Latin <em>maleficus</em>, “evil-doing” | Dark fairy |
| Ursula | Latin, “little bear”; <em>The Little Mermaid</em> sea witch | Theatrical villainess |
| Jafar | Arabic, “stream”; <em>Aladdin</em> sorcerer | Power-hungry vizier |
| Ratched | Nurse in <em>One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest</em> | Cold authority |
| Pennywise | Stephen King’s clown in <em>It</em> | Pure nightmare |
| Olaf | Count Olaf, <em>A Series of Unfortunate Events</em> | Comic-sinister |
| Lecter | Hannibal Lecter of <em>The Silence of the Lambs</em> | Refined menace |
Original evil character names
Invented names that sound sinister without borrowing a famous villain. Free for any story, game or gamer name.
| Name | Sound | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Malakar | Hard, regal | A dark sorcerer-king |
| Vorthane | Cold | A ruthless general |
| Draxis | Sharp X | A cult leader |
| Morvain | Brooding | A fallen knight |
| Skarlath | Scarred sound | A warlord |
| Nythera | Silky | A seductive witch |
| Zareth | Hissing | A necromancer |
| Veyra | Short, icy | An assassin |
| Grimwald | Old, heavy | A tyrant lord |
| Kaelthorn | Thorny | A corrupted ranger |
| Obsidia | From obsidian | A dark queen |
| Sablethorn | Elegant menace | A noble schemer |
| Viperine | Snake-like | A poisoner |
| Thornelle | Pretty but sharp | A villainess |
| Ebonrath | Dark, wrathful | A demon lord |
| Hexley | Hex + gentle ending | A cursed trickster |
| Vexmoor | Vex + moor | A haunted-manor owner |
| Seraphex | Angelic turned wrong | A fallen angel |
| Nocturne | Musical, nocturnal | A vampire |
| Carrion | Eerie, blunt | A plague bringer |
Evil-sounding last names
Pair any first name above with one of these. Most are real English surnames with a gothic ring.
| Surname | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Blackwood | Real English surname; instantly gothic |
| Graves | Real surname from “grave” (a steward), but it sounds like a cemetery |
| Thorne | Real English surname; sharp and cold |
| Nightshade | The poisonous plant |
| Ravenscroft | Real English place-surname with ominous ravens |
| Vane | Real surname; sounds like “vain” |
| Grimshaw | English, possibly “grove haunted by a specter” |
| Crowhurst | Real English place-name with crows |
| Ashgrave | Original: ash and grave |
| Hollowell | Real surname that sounds hollow |
| Mortmain | Legal term, “dead hand” |
| Blackthorn | A spiny shrub of dark folklore |
How to choose a good evil name
- Use harsh or hissing sounds. K, X, Z, V and S sounds (Draxis, Zareth, Vexmoor) feel threatening; soft L and M sounds feel friendlier.
- Hide meaning in plain sight. A villain called Mallory or Dolores seems ordinary until someone looks up the name.
- Match evil to the character. A scheming courtier suits Iago-style elegance; a warlord needs something blunt like Skarlath.
- Don’t overdo it. A name that screams “evil” gives away a twist. For a hidden villain, pick a normal name with a dark meaning.
- Use Latin roots. Mal- (bad), mort- (death) and umbra (shadow) are easy building blocks; see Latin names.
Frequently asked questions
What name means evil?
Few given names literally mean “evil,” but several come close: Mallory means “ill-fated,” Malvolio “ill will,” Maleficent comes from Latin for “evil-doing,” and Mara means “bitter.”
What is the most evil name in mythology?
Candidates include Ahriman, the destructive spirit of Zoroastrianism, Apophis, the Egyptian serpent of chaos, and Typhon, the monster even Zeus feared.
What are good evil girl names?
Nyx, Morana, Nythera, Obsidia and Mara all sound dark and powerful; Lilith and Morgan le Fay carry centuries of legend.
What makes a name sound evil?
Hard or hissing consonants (K, X, Z, V, S), dark vowel sounds (o, u) and roots linked to death or darkness, such as mor-, mal- and umbra.
Is it okay to give a baby an evil-sounding name?
Many dark-meaning names, like Mallory, Dolores and Mortimer, are ordinary names worn happily by millions. Just avoid names tied mainly to a villain or demon.