Names That Mean Dark
Across 4 pages
of 4
Maury
Diminutive of Maurice
"dark skinned"
Old-man name, soft as a fraying gray cashmere cardigan, that would be even cuter for a girl.
O'donovan
Irish, 'son of the dark one"
Donovan is on the rise, so why not this sequel?
Ciaran
Irish
"little black-haired one"
Extremely popular in Ireland, Ciaran is also well used in England and is beginning to be adopted by parents in the U.S., though usually via the more American-friendly Kieran spelling. The Irish…
Duncan
Scottish
"dark warrior"
Duncan is jaunty, confident, and open, a Scottish royal name that's brimming with friendly charm and makes it into our golden circle of names that are neither too popular nor too strange. Popularity…
Kiernan
Irish
"little dark one"
Although this surname name is closely related to the more common Irish name Kieran, Kiernan is also a well used family name, tied to thirty-three ancient chieftains. It has on a few occasions been…
Blakesley
English place-name and surname
"dark wolf's wood or clearing"
Blakesley is the name of a village in England, also sometimes found as a surname along with Blakely and Blakeley, turned into a first name for their daughter by reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter.…
Blakeley
English surname
"dark wood or clearing"
Blakeley is one of the many -ley ending surnames that is being adopted as a first name, updating the 80s darlings Blake and Ashley.
Kiernan
Irish
"little dark one"
Kiernan Shipka, aka Sally Draper on Mad Men , brings this Irish surname into the girls' column. And, like Kieran and Tierney and Tiernan, it's one of the perfectly unisex baby names . Only 14 girls…
Perran
Cornish
"little dark one"
Also spelled as Piran, this Cornish saint's name is thought to have derived from the Irish Ciaran. Borne by a 5th-century monk who founded a monastery, it also appears as a place name in Cornwall, as…
Esmeray
Turkish
"dark moon"
Lovers of Esme and Ayla might also like this beautiful Turkish name, with its mysterious, moonstruck meaning. The last syllable sounds like "rye", rather than with ray. A notable bearer was Esmeray…
Nimbus
Latin nature name
"dark cloud"
Nimbus is a word from nature for a type of cloud that has occasionally -- very occasionally -- been used for a human. But it's evocative and upbeat and certainly makes an intriguing and stylish…
Nimbus
Latin nature name
"dark cloud"
Nimbus is a new nature name that works for either gender and manages to be both familiar and unique. An evocative and daring nature name for the future.
Yami
Japanese
"dark"
Featured in several anime series, including Black Clover and To Love-Ru .
Mory
French
"dark skinned, mulberry"
A French nickname and surname deriving from Maurice, or possibly from the French word for mulberry tree, mûrier .
Achlys
Greek
"dark mists"
The personified spirit of death mists, the clouding of the eyes preceding death —Achlys also may have been a goddess of deadly poisons.
Dugald
Variation of Dougal, Scottish
"dark stranger"
A Scottish variant of Dougal, Dugald is also a Harry Potter name. In fact, there are not one but two characters name Dugald in the Harry Potter books. Dugald McPhail is a former Minister of Magic and…
Nila
Indian, Tamil, Hindi
"dark blue; moon"
A sweet, simple Sanskrit name which would work in many languages and has an sparkling, colorful meaning. Fitting in besides Nina, Mila and Nola, Nila was one of the fastest rising names for girls in…
Nemrû
Kurmanji Kurdish
"Mount Nemrut; grim, dark"
Nemrû is a name of Kurmanji Kurdish origin, referencing Mount Nemrut in Southeast Turkey.
Blakey
English surname and place name
"white or dark"
Variant of Blake, borne by the great jazz drummer Art Blakey.
Piran
Cornish
"little dark one"
It may be a longshot – especially since it was given to less than 5 boys in the US in 2021 – but Piran could conceivably be a future Kieran, which is shaping up to being the next Kevin. Piran is the…