Names That Mean Death

The name of the powerful king of fairies in Irish folklore, Finvarra is often presented as a benevolent figure, bringing successful harvests and offering up earthly rewards for humans. In some versions of the legends, he is also the ruler of the dead. 
 
Combining the elements finn and barr, the name means "fair top", likely referring to a pleasant spot at the top of a hill. As such, the name is related to Finbar and Fionnbharr, which are made up of the same elements, and perhaps more surprisingly, to sixties favorite, Barry.

Finvarra

In Irish mythology, Fionnabhair (Old Irish Findabair or Finnabair) is the daughter of Queen Medb of Connacht and Ailill, whose beauty is exploited by her mother to persuade a long line of warriors to face the legendary hero Cú Chulainn in single-combat. All are defeated and killed, a bloody battle ensues, and Fionnabhair drops dead of shame when she discovers that she has inadvertently been the cause of all the death and destruction. 
Fionnabhair is most likely derived from Old Irish fionn "white" + síabar "spectre", making it a cognate of the Old Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, which is the root of Arthurian Guinevere. It may also derive from Old Irish find "white, fair" and abair "brow; eyelash". 
Variants include Fionavar (used in the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay), Finnavear, Fennor/Fennore (found in several Irish place names), Finora/Fenora and Fionnúir.

Fionnabhair

Gediminas is derived from the Lithuanian elements gedauti, meaning "grieve," and minėti, "to celebrate" or "to mention." The most famous bearer of the name is Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1316–1341. Many consider him the true founder of Lithuania, and baby boys are often named in his honor.

Gediminas

With word names, almost anything goes. But maybe not Ghost, unless you're naming a white dog.

Ghost

In Greek mythology, Hecate is associated with witchcraft and magic. The name may mean "willpower" or "far-reaching". 

She was often associated with the moon and with storms, making this name a good alternative to more familiar names like Selena, Luna and Tempest. Hecate debuted in the US charts for the first time in 2022.

Hecate

Queen Hecuba was the legendary queen of King Priam of Troy, mother of Hector, Paris, Cassandra and others. Euripedes' tragedy Hecuba depicts Hecuba's grief over the death of her daughter Polyxena, and the revenge she takes for the murder of her youngest son Polydorus.

Hecuba

Hel, sometimes called Hela, is the Norse goddess of death and the underworld.

A beautiful ancient Welsh name, the meaning of which is not entirely clear. It has been linked to the Welsh for salty, hallt or halenaidd. The "th" sound at the end is pronounced like the first sound of "then" (rather than "thin").

 According to Welsh literature and legend, Heledd was an 8th century princess of Powys who was plunged into depsair by the defeat and death of her father and brothers in battle against the Mercians. She chose to call herself Heledd ("pool or pit of salt") to express her grief and hopelessness.

Heledd

Hypnos is the personification of sleep in Greek mythology.

Hypnos

This unisex name ranks among the most popular girl names in Norway, though it has a number of different roots.
 
On one hand, it can be derived from the Danish ibenholt meaning "ebony", making it a color name. On the other, it can be a feminine form of Ib, a Danish short form of the Biblical Jacob. 
 
As a masculine name, it is usually considered a Frisian variation of Ivo, a nature name meaning "yew wood". This meaning could be applied generally, since it could still derive from the Germanic root iwa, meaning "yew".

Iben

This unusual (to the American ear) unisex name is used throughout Scandinavia and Germany. It can be a Frisian and German variation of Ivo, derived from the elementiwa element, meaning "yew". It is also related to the Danish word ibenholt which means "ebony".

Iobhar

This mini-member of the Ivo-Yves family of names is unlikely to appeal to English speakers, as it sounds like "ew".

Angliziced form of the Cornish name Ia. According to legend, the Cornish saint Ia was an Irish princess who sailed across the sea to Cornwall on a leaf. She was martyred and buried at the spot where the church of St Ives (called Porth Ia - "St Ia’s cove" - in Cornish) now stands. Ive may be an anglicized form of her name or a variant of the masculine Ivo or Yves, "yew".

Smooth and sleek one-syllable name, sometimes suggested for Sagittarius boys. 

Ives

The name of the hero of Nathan Englander's The Ministry of Special Cases is also the name of the prayer Jews say for the dead, so be aware that this could definitely be seen as an offensive choice to avoid.

Kaddish

Kalliroi is a modern Greek form of the Classical name Callirrhoe, who in mythology was an ocean nymph who accompanied Persephone to the underworld. If you're looking for unusual <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/641/names-that-mean-ocean">names with ocean meanings</a>, this should be on your list. Kalliroi Parren was responsible for (almost single-handedly) launching the Greek feminist movement when she founded the Women’s Journal in 1887. She advocated strongly for educational and employment equality.

Kalliroi

The Kellogg surname — these days associated with cereal and the Northwestern University business school — has rather grotesque origins. It is derived from the Middle English word kellen, meaning "to kill" or "to slaughter," and hog, "pig." Thus, it was an occupational name for a pork butcher.

Kellogg

In Greek mythology, the Keres were female death spirits; goddesses who personified violent deaths and were drawn to bloody deaths on battlefields.

Keres

Kore is the original Greek form of the modern Cora, a name that's heading straight for the top of the charts in the English-speaking world. Kore was an alternate name for Persephone, goddess of the underworld. Spelling the name Kore may tip it toward the short form Kory or Korey.

Kore

Names that mean death might seem sinister, but many modern parents are reconsidering names with dark backstories. Some of today's most stylish names, including Lilith, Persephone, and Azriel, are related to death.

 include Shivani, Kali, Lola, and Thana. In addition to Azriel, other 

 include Osiris, Winslow, Ewan, and Mortimer.

, such as Itachi, Yomi, Yuta, and Akuji, are often used in manga and anime as a nod to a character's past or future.

, such as ravens and yew trees, names of biblical characters with death-related stories, and names of gods and goddesses of death and the underworld, including Freya, Eurydice, Shiva, and Valkyrie.

Names that mean death, including Japanese names that mean death like Itachi and Yomi, with meaning, origin, and popularity (Page 7)