Ghost Names
Ghosts have been haunting stories since Pliny the Younger described a chained phantom in an Athenian house nearly 2,000 years ago, and every culture has its own words and names for the restless dead. This page gathers more than 90 ghost names: famous specters from film, books and games, real legends like La Llorona and Resurrection Mary, the folklore terms for different kinds of spirits, names that mean “soul” or “spirit,” plus cute names for a white cat or Halloween costume and ready-made ghost characters for your next story.
Building a whole haunted cast? Pair these with our dark names, vampire names and witchy names, or look at names that mean death.
Famous ghosts from film, books, TV and games
The ghosts everyone knows — ideal for costumes, pet names and group themes.
| Ghost | Appears in | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Casper | <em>Casper the Friendly Ghost</em> | The friendliest ghost you know |
| Slimer | <em>Ghostbusters</em> | Green, gluttonous and slimy |
| Beetlejuice | <em>Beetlejuice</em> | Say it three times — or don’t |
| Moaning Myrtle | Harry Potter | Haunts a girls’ bathroom at Hogwarts |
| Nearly Headless Nick | Harry Potter | Gryffindor’s ghost, 45 axe blows short |
| Peeves | Harry Potter | The Hogwarts poltergeist |
| The Grey Lady | Harry Potter | Ravenclaw’s ghost, Helena Ravenclaw |
| The Bloody Baron | Harry Potter | Slytherin’s silent, chained ghost |
| Jacob Marley | <em>A Christmas Carol</em> | Scrooge’s partner, bound in chains |
| Ghost of Christmas Past | <em>A Christmas Carol</em> | The first of the three spirits |
| Sir Simon | <em>The Canterville Ghost</em> | Oscar Wilde’s hapless haunter |
| Emily | <em>Corpse Bride</em> | Tim Burton’s jilted bride |
| Zero | <em>The Nightmare Before Christmas</em> | Jack Skellington’s ghost dog |
| Samara | <em>The Ring</em> | The girl from the well |
| Blinky | Pac-Man | The red ghost; Pinky, Inky and Clyde complete the set |
| King Boo | Super Mario | Leader of the shy Boos |
| Danny Phantom | <em>Danny Phantom</em> | Half-human, half-ghost hero |
| Sam Wheat | <em>Ghost</em> (1990) | Patrick Swayze’s devoted spirit |
| Captain Gregg | <em>The Ghost and Mrs. Muir</em> | The salty sea captain ghost |
Legendary ghosts from real folklore
Stories told as true for generations — each tied to a real place or tradition.
| Ghost | Where | The legend |
|---|---|---|
| La Llorona | Mexico and the Southwest US | The weeping woman searching rivers for her children |
| Bloody Mary | English-speaking folklore | Summoned in a mirror by chanting her name |
| Resurrection Mary | Chicago, Illinois | A hitchhiking girl in a white dress |
| The Bell Witch | Adams, Tennessee | The 1817 haunting of the Bell family |
| The Brown Lady | Raynham Hall, England | Subject of a famous 1936 ghost photograph |
| The Grey Man | Pawleys Island, South Carolina | Appears to warn of hurricanes |
| The Flying Dutchman | The high seas | A ghost ship doomed never to make port |
| Lady Lovibond | Goodwin Sands, England | A ghost schooner said to reappear every 50 years |
| The Greenbrier Ghost | West Virginia | A ghost whose testimony was cited in an 1897 murder trial |
| Okiku | Himeji, Japan | The ghost who counts plates in a well |
| Oiwa | Edo, Japan | The vengeful wife of <em>Yotsuya Kaidan</em> |
| The White Lady | Across Europe | Pale female ghost of castles and roads |
| The Headless Horseman | Sleepy Hollow, New York | Washington Irving’s Hessian rider |
| Anne Boleyn | Tower of London | The executed queen said to walk the Tower |
| The Lantern Man | East Anglian fens, England | A will-o’-the-wisp spirit that lures walkers |
Words for ghosts and spirits around the world
Every culture has its own vocabulary for the dead. These make striking names for a spectral character — or a very pale pet.
| Word | What it means | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Banshee | “Woman of the fairy mound,” who wails before a death | Irish (bean sídhe) |
| Poltergeist | “Noisy ghost” that moves objects | German |
| Wraith | A ghost or ghostly double | Scots |
| Specter | An apparition, from Latin spectrum “appearance” | Latin |
| Phantom | From Greek phantasma, “apparition” | Greek |
| Revenant | “One who returns” from the dead | French |
| Shade | A spirit of the underworld | Greek / Roman |
| Wisp | Short for will-o’-the-wisp, a ghostly marsh light | English |
| Apparition | Something that appears | Latin |
| Spook | Ghost | Dutch |
| Eidolon | “Image, phantom” | Greek |
| Yūrei | “Faint spirit,” the classic Japanese ghost | Japanese |
| Onryō | A vengeful ghost | Japanese |
| Gui | Ghost (鬼) | Chinese |
| Preta | A “hungry ghost” doomed by greed | Sanskrit (Buddhist and Hindu) |
| Bhoot | Ghost of a restless person | Hindi / Bengali |
| Duppy | Spirit of the dead | Jamaican |
| Draugr | The walking dead who guard burial mounds | Old Norse |
| Haint | Ghost — hence “haint blue” porch ceilings | Southern US |
| Fetch | A ghostly double seen before a death | Irish |
| Doppelgänger | “Double-goer,” a ghostly twin | German |
| Lemures | The restless, malevolent dead | Roman |
| Manes | Honored spirits of ancestors | Roman |
| Hantu | Ghost or spirit | Malay / Indonesian |
Names that mean soul or spirit
Real given names and words with ghostly meanings — subtle enough for a character, or even a baby. More in names that mean shadow.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Psyche | Soul, breath | Greek |
| Anima | Soul, breath of life | Latin |
| Atma | Soul, self | Sanskrit |
| Ruhi | Of the spirit, spiritual | Arabic / Persian |
| Neshama | Soul | Hebrew |
| Pneuma | Breath, spirit | Greek |
| Geist | Ghost, spirit | German |
| Nephele | Cloud; a cloud-nymph in Greek myth | Greek |
Cute ghost names for pets, kids and costumes
Friendly, not frightening — great for a white kitten, a toddler’s Halloween costume or a plush ghost. See our white cat names for more pale-pet ideas.
| Name | Vibe | Great for |
|---|---|---|
| Peekaboo | Playful | A cat that hides and pounces |
| Sheets | Classic costume | A bedsheet ghost costume |
| Marshmallow | Soft, sweet | A fluffy white pet |
| Spooky | Silly-scary | Any Halloween pet |
| Misty | Wispy | A grey or silver cat |
| Ghostie | Adorable | A toddler’s costume |
| Boo-Boo | Babyish | A tiny kitten |
| Pillow | Cuddly | A lazy white dog |
| Vapor | Cool | A fast, elusive cat |
| Echo | Haunting | A vocal pet |
| Flicker | Candlelit | A skittish pet |
| Whisper | Quiet | A shy rescue |
| Moonbeam | Glowing | A white or cream pet |
| Boo Radley | <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em>’s mysterious neighbor | A shy pet who warms up slowly |
Ghost character names for stories and games
Ready-made haunters with a hint of backstory. Most follow Victorian and colonial naming habits, since that’s the era most ghost stories draw on — see Victorian names for more.
| Name | Style | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Lady Evangeline Marsh | Tragic aristocrat | Manor-house haunting |
| Old Silas Crane | Grim caretaker | Graveyard ghost |
| Little Abigail | Eerie child | Nursery or attic ghost |
| The Weeping Bride | Heartbroken | Chapel or wedding-venue haunting |
| Captain Josiah Blackwell | Salt-stained | Lighthouse or shipwreck ghost |
| Widow Hester Graves | Bitter | Village with a secret |
| Master Tobias | Mischievous | Poltergeist in a schoolhouse |
| Sister Agnes | Stern | Abandoned convent |
| The Drowned Boy | Chilling | Lake or millpond haunting |
| The Organist | Musical | Church that plays itself at midnight |
| Miss Clementine Hale | Genteel | Tea-room or boarding-house ghost |
| Colonel Ambrose Pike | Military | Battlefield ghost |
| The Grey Governess | Cold, watchful | Children’s wing of a mansion |
How to choose a ghost name
- Decide how scary it should be. Peekaboo and Marshmallow are sweet; Onryō and Revenant are genuinely unsettling.
- Give a story ghost a title. “The Weeping Bride” or “The Organist” tells readers what the ghost does before they meet it.
- Match the era of the haunting. A Victorian ghost needs a Victorian name — Hester, Silas, Ambrose — not a modern one.
- Use folklore respectfully. Terms like preta or duppy come from living traditions; research the belief before borrowing it for fiction.
- For group costumes, pick a set. Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde or the four Hogwarts house ghosts work well together — and our monster names can round out the party.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous ghost name?
Casper the Friendly Ghost is probably the best-known fictional ghost. Among legends, La Llorona, Bloody Mary and the Headless Horseman are the most famous.
What are some cool words for ghosts?
Wraith, specter, phantom, revenant, shade, banshee, poltergeist and apparition are all English words for different kinds of ghosts.
What is a Japanese ghost called?
A Japanese ghost is generally called a yūrei; a vengeful ghost is an onryō. Famous examples include Okiku and Oiwa.
What name means spirit?
Psyche (Greek) and Anima (Latin) both mean “soul” or “breath,” Pneuma is Greek for “spirit,” and Geist is the German word for ghost or spirit.
What is a good ghost name for a white cat?
Casper, Marshmallow, Peekaboo, Misty, Moonbeam and Boo are favorite ghostly names for white or pale cats.