Most parents want to give their little one a name that calls to mind all the good things in life, so it seems a bit counterintuitive to choose a name that references a monster. As scary and ghoulish as this approach may sound, though, there are actually a host of beautiful names with this not-so-beautiful meaning.
We’ll start with Jezebeth. With a meaning like “demon of the falsehoods,” you’d better hope that someone with this moniker will be good at telling what’s real from what’s fake. Interestingly, the name is Latin in origin, where its meaning takes on a much more positive twist of “just.”
Then there’s Mara, which is an infamous wraith that skulks about in Scandinavian children’s nightmares. Talk about moonlighting! However, there’s no denying how lovely the name itself sounds, and Americans agree; this name has been in the top 1,000 baby names since the 1990s.
Of course, boys can get in on the fun here, too. Samael sounds much like its more popular cousin Samuel, but carries a much grimmer meaning–one that means Grim Reaper, in fact. In Jewish myth, Samael is the fallen angel of death, also described as the “Prince of Darkness” and chief of the “Dragons of Evil.” Interestingly, though, he still possesses a capacity for kindness, given he was once among other angels as a heavenly host.
We hope you aren’t too spooked out by these names, as we have a whole, long list of other monster-inspired names below. Read on to learn more about them–if you dare!
Aegir
Meaning: A water giant, of a sea monster
Origin: Norse
Gender: Boy
Argus
Meaning: A Monster
Origin: Danish
Gender: Boy
Cath
Meaning: A monster
Origin: Arthurian Legend
Gender: Boy
Cetus
Meaning: Sea monster
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Chapalu
Meaning: A monster
Origin: Arthurian Legend
Gender: Boy
Chimera
Meaning: The monster killed by Bellerophon
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Cylla
Meaning: Monster of Sea
Origin: English
Gender: Unisex
Echidna
Meaning: Mythical monster.
Origin: Egyptian
Gender: Girl
Fenris
Meaning: A mythical monster
Origin: Norse
Gender: Boy
Geryon
Meaning: Monster killed by Hercules
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Jezebeth
Meaning: Demon of the falsehoods
Origin: Latin
Gender: Girl
Knucker
Meaning: Water monster
Origin: English
Gender: Boy
Lilith
Meaning: Night Monster
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Girl
Makaran
Meaning: A sea monster from the myths
Origin: Tamil
Gender: Boy
Mara
Meaning: Bitter
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Girl
Nessie
Meaning: Loch Ness monster
Origin: Scottish
Gender: Girl
Samael
Meaning: Prince of Darkness
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Boy
Scylla
Meaning: A sea Monster
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
