Boo-tiful Names
Expecting a baby in October? Why not name them after the reason for the season—Halloween! While we aren't surprised that there was an influx of Wednesdays following the release of the Netflix series, we're looking for names that are a little less out there. Read on for inspo from horror movies, novels, and mythology...if you dare!
1. Bram
While Dracula is a little unwieldy for a name, you can still pay homage to history's favorite vampire with this name. Bram Stoker wrote Dracula in 1897. His name is short for Abraham, meaning father of many.
2. Carmilla
25 years before Dracula, there was already an iconic vampire on the literary scene. The titular character in the novel Carmilla is a beguiling and powerful young woman eventually revealed to be a vampire. This name is derived from Hebrew, meaning "garden".
3. Salem
Whether it's the site of the Salem Witch Trials or the fictional town filled with vampires, Salem has to be one of the spookiest names around! Ironically, given the name's horror association, Salem is derived from the Arabic word for peace. This is a great gender-neutral name.
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4. Rhiannon
Inspired by Welsh mythology, Stevie Nicks wrote one of the best songs of her career. While the Rhiannon of the Mabinogian is no witch, the character and name are irrecoverably tied with the Fleetwood Mac song for a name that's spooky by association. Rhiannon means "great queen" in Welsh.
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5. Raven
Another great gender-neutral pick, these pitch-black birds are spooky without being scary. While this name is mostly associated with girls today, we don't think there's anything particularly feminine about crows. Just don't be surprised when little Raven keeps you up all night rapping at your chamber door.
6. Lilith
While we're trying to keep these names reasonable (no Maleficents or Morticias), we couldn't resist including Lilith. In Jewish folklore, she was Adam's first wife, banished for disobedience; in Assyrian legend, she's a powerful demon. This name means "night" and has been adopted as symbol of female liberation.
7. Damien
A few of these names are tongue-in-cheek, as we hope your child will be far better behaved than some of their spooky namesakes. Case in point, Damien from The Omen is literally the son of Satan. Damien means "to name" in Greek.
8. Rosemary
Another name with demonic connections, this time on the other side! In Rosemary's Baby, Rosemary Woodhouse fears that there might be something...off with her pregnancy. When she gives birth, it turns out that the father is not her husband, but Satan himself!
9. Victor
We definitely don't recommend naming your child Frank, short for Frankenstein, but if you still want some of that macabre sensibility, the Monster's maker is right there. Victor is as straightforward as names come, meaning "winner" in Latin. Some will argue that Victor Frankenstein is the novel's true monster.
10. Clarice
Clarice derives from an Italian word meaning "clear and bright". In the Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling is a young FBI agent sent to interview the cannibalistic Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Clarice is regularly ranked among the greatest movie protagonists of all time.
11. Jack
Jack Skellington (even though we'd die on the hill that Nightmare Before Christmas isn't a Halloween movie), and Jack Torrence aren't the most famous Jacks in the horror world. We're talking about jack-o-lanterns! Jack means "God is gracious" and was originally a nickname for John.
12. Lenore
Lenore is a hauntingly beautiful name best known in Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven". Lenore is a form of the old German name Aenor, which means something like "famous wealth". In the poem, Lenore is the narrator's lost love, who he is mourning when the raven appears.
13. Freddy
Scarred, claw-handed Freddy Krueger is one of the most iconic horror villains of the 1980s—and that's saying something since the decade also introduced us to Jason Voorhees, Pinhead, and Chucky! In contrast to this name's most famous bearer, Freddy, or Frederick means "peaceful ruler".
14. Mina
Contrary to what Francis Ford Coppola put on screen, Wilhelmina Harker is not a reincarnation of Dracula's soulmate. Rather, Mina has a telepathic connection with Dracula, and her intelligence and practicality are integral to taking down the vampire. Wilhelmina means "willing to protect".
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15. Casper
Not all ghosts are scary, just ask Casper the Friendly Ghost! Casper was first introduced in a 1945 cartoon, though millennials likely remember him from the 1995 film Casper. Casper means "treasurer" in Aramaic, and is traditionally given to one of the Three Wise Men.
16. Sabrina
While Sabrina was a relatively rare name until the 20th century, it soared in popularity with the release of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This spooky spin-off of Archie Comics debuted in 1962. Sabrina is an alternate name for the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain.
17. Poe
We've mentioned Poe in passing a few times now, but there's no better way to salute one of America's spookiest short story writers from beyond the grave. Somewhat ironically for a man who wrote a famous story about a raven, Poe derives its meaning from another, less spooky bird: the peacock!
18. Dolores
"Halloween" probably isn't the first thing you think of when you hear this name, nonetheless, it's a wonderful pick. Dolores means "sorrows" in Spanish and is used in reference to Mary, known as Our Lady Of Sorrows. Potential nicknames include Dolly and Lola.
19. Corbin
Want a nature-inspired name with a bit of eerie flair? Corbin is an old French name that means "raven". Ravens, crows, and rooks all belong to the family Corvidae.
20. Tabitha
Most popular in the early '80s, Tabitha is a retro name with spooky flair on the down-low. The daughter of Samantha Stephens in Bewitched, Tabitha had magical powers and a short-lived spinoff of her own. This name means "gazelle" in Hebrew.
