Names That Mean Night
Night names have a quiet, mysterious pull. The most famous is Arabic Layla, “night,” a name that has inspired poetry for more than a thousand years. Sanskrit gives us Nisha, Rajani and Yamini; Persian has Yalda, the longest night of the year; Greek and Latin offer the goddesses Nyx and Nox.
Below are 90 names meaning night, midnight, evening and twilight, along with the gods of night and names drawn from the night sky. For more after-dark inspiration, try names that mean moon, names that mean star or names that mean shadow, and for a gothic edge, our dark names.
Girl names that mean night
Most “night” names are feminine. Layla and its variants lead in popularity; the Sanskrit names are widely used in India. More in our Arabic girl names and Indian girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Layla | Night | Arabic |
| Leila | Night; popular Persian and Arabic spelling | Arabic, Persian |
| Leyla | Night | Turkish, Azerbaijani |
| Lailah | Night; in Jewish folklore, the angel who watches over conception | Hebrew |
| Layali | Nights | Arabic |
| Sahira | Wakeful, one who stays up through the night | Arabic |
| Nisha | Night | Sanskrit |
| Nishi | Night | Sanskrit |
| Rajani | Night | Sanskrit |
| Yamini | Night | Sanskrit |
| Vibhavari | Starlit night | Sanskrit |
| Nishita | Midnight; also “sharp, eager” | Sanskrit |
| Rajnigandha | Tuberose; literally “night fragrance” | Hindi |
| Nishigandha | Tuberose, “night fragrance” | Marathi |
| Yalda | The longest night of the year, celebrated at the winter solstice | Persian |
| Shabnam | Dew; literally “night moisture” | Persian |
| Shabboo | A night-scented flower (hoary stock) | Persian |
| Sayo | Night (小夜, “little night”) | Japanese |
| Sayoko | Child of the night (小夜子) | Japanese |
Boy and unisex names that mean night
Night names for boys often point to the moon, “lord of the night,” or to night-time watchfulness.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Samir | Companion in evening conversation | Arabic |
| Sahir | Wakeful, watchful through the night | Arabic |
| Nishith | Midnight | Sanskrit |
| Nishant | End of night, dawn | Sanskrit |
| Nishikant | Beloved of the night: the moon | Sanskrit |
| Rajanikant | Lord of the night: the moon | Sanskrit |
| Rajnish | Lord of the night: the moon | Sanskrit |
| Nishakar | Maker of night: the moon | Sanskrit |
| Náttfari | Night traveler; an early Viking settler of Iceland | Old Norse |
| Yoru | Night (夜); rare as a given name | Japanese |
| Noctis | Of the night; made famous by <em>Final Fantasy XV</em> | Latin |
| Midnight | The middle of the night | English |
| Nocturne | A dreamy piece of music inspired by the night | French |
| Nightingale | “Night singer,” the songbird that sings after dark | English |
| Eclipse | When the moon or earth blocks the light | English |
Names meaning evening, dusk and twilight
Not quite night, these names capture the soft hour when the sun goes down.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Vesper | Evening; the evening star | Latin |
| Hesper | Evening | Greek |
| Hesperus | The evening star (the planet Venus) | Greek |
| Hesperia | Land of the evening; ancient Greek name for Italy | Greek |
| Sera | Evening | Italian |
| Samar | Evening conversation, night talk | Arabic |
| Sandhya | Twilight, dusk | Sanskrit |
| Godhuli | Dusk; “cow-dust hour” when cattle come home | Bengali |
| Shafaq | Twilight glow after sunset | Arabic |
| Twyla | Likely from “twilight” | English |
| Twilight | The fading light after sunset | English |
| Dusk | The darkest stage of twilight | English |
| Eventide | Evening (poetic) | English |
Gods, goddesses and spirits of the night
Every mythology has a ruler of the dark hours. For more deity names, see Greek god names, Norse god names and goddess names.
| Name | Who they are | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| Nyx | Primordial goddess of the night | Greek |
| Nox | Roman goddess and personification of night | Roman |
| Nótt | Personified Night, mother of Dagr (Day) | Norse |
| Ratri | Goddess of the night in the Rigveda | Hindu |
| Erebus | Primordial god of darkness, brother of Nyx | Greek |
| Hypnos | God of sleep, son of Nyx | Greek |
| Morpheus | God of dreams | Greek |
| Hecate | Goddess of magic, crossroads and the night | Greek |
| Nyctimene | Princess turned into an owl by Athena | Greek |
| Nycteus | “Nightly”; a legendary ruler in Boeotia | Greek |
| Lilith | Night spirit of Jewish folklore; name often linked to <em>layla</em> | Hebrew, Mesopotamian |
| Tsukuyomi | Moon god who rules the night | Japanese (Shinto) |
| Kuk | God of primordial darkness | Egyptian |
| Hine-nui-te-pō | “Great woman of the night,” goddess of the underworld | Māori |
| Pō | The primordial night from which the world emerged | Hawaiian |
Night-sky names: moon, moonlight and stars
These names mean moon, moonlight or star — the lights of the night. Find more in our star names and Persian girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Luna | Moon | Latin |
| Selene | Moon; the Greek moon goddess | Greek |
| Mahina | Moon | Hawaiian |
| Qamar | Moon | Arabic |
| Hilal | Crescent moon | Arabic, Turkish |
| Chandra | Moon | Sanskrit |
| Shashi | Moon | Sanskrit |
| Raka | Night of the full moon | Sanskrit |
| Purnima | Full moon night | Sanskrit |
| Chandni | Moonlight | Hindi |
| Jyotsna | Moonlight | Sanskrit |
| Kaumudi | Moonlight | Sanskrit |
| Mahtab | Moonlight | Persian |
| Stella | Star | Latin |
| Estelle | Star | French |
| Estrella | Star | Spanish |
| Astra | Star | Latin, Greek |
| Nova | New; a star that suddenly brightens | Latin |
| Najma | Star | Arabic |
| Yıldız | Star | Turkish |
| Tara | Star | Sanskrit |
| Hoshi | Star | Japanese |
| Hoku | Star | Hawaiian |
| Soraya | The Pleiades star cluster | Persian |
| Sirius | The brightest star in the night sky | Greek |
| Orion | The hunter constellation | Greek |
| Lyra | Constellation of the lyre | Greek |
| Vega | Bright star in Lyra; Arabic “swooping (eagle)” | Arabic |
| Altair | The flying eagle star | Arabic |
| Andromeda | Constellation of the chained princess | Greek |
| Cassiopeia | Constellation of the vain queen | Greek |
Tips for choosing a night name
- Pick a mood. Layla and Nisha are soft and romantic; Nyx, Erebus and Noctis feel darker and more dramatic.
- Check the story. Lilith carries centuries of demon lore, and Hecate is linked with witchcraft — perfect for some families, not for others.
- Balance with a bright middle name. A night first name pairs beautifully with one from names that mean light or names that mean sun.
- Think about twins. Night-and-day pairs like Layla & Sol or Nyx & Hemera make striking twin names.
- For pets, Midnight, Nyx and Vesper are wonderful for dark-coated animals — see black cat names.
Frequently asked questions
What name means night?
Layla (Arabic), Leila, Leyla, Lailah (Hebrew), Nisha, Rajani and Yamini (Sanskrit), Sayo (Japanese) and Nyx or Nox (the Greek and Roman goddesses of night) all mean night.
What girl name means night?
Layla, Leila, Nisha, Yamini, Rajani, Layali, Yalda and Sayo are girl names meaning night. Vesper and Sandhya mean evening and twilight.
What boy name means night?
Boy names connected to night include Samir (“evening companion”), Nishith (“midnight”), Rajnish (“lord of the night”), Náttfari (“night traveler”) and Noctis (“of the night”).
Does Layla really mean night?
Yes. Layla comes from the Arabic word layl or layla, meaning night, and was made famous by the classic love story of Layla and Majnun.
Who is the goddess of night?
In Greek mythology it is Nyx, in Roman mythology Nox, in Norse mythology Nótt and in the Rigveda Ratri.