I actually like the name Raven. It's not bad. It's simple, it's unisex, and it's plenty Goth. However, it is possibly the most stereotypical Goth name out there, so it's not particularly imaginative. Sometimes it works, like with Teen Titans' Raven, and sometimes it doesn't, like Vampire Kisses' Raven (her name just underscores how painfully stereotypical she is, and it's somehow her given name, even though her hippy parents didn't know she'd turn out Goth and she's rebellious and all). If you really like Raven, by all means, use it. I'm not saying you shouldn't. But it is kind of the "average Joe" of Goth names, and it can be hard to get away with if you're using it as a name for a fictional character. If you want to find a cool Goth name for yourself or for a character, you have a lot of other options! (When in doubt, mythology.) Here's my collection of spooky names, their meanings, and origins:
Abaddon: From Greek, means "destruction" or "demon of the pit."
Acheron: The River of Woe in the Greek underworld.
Achlys: Greek primordial goddess of poison, misery, and sadness, personification of the death-mist.
Adonis: Means "lord" (as in Adonai). In Greek mythology, the most beautiful youth in the world, loved by both Persephone and Aphrodite. Died tragically.
Adrian/Adrienne: English, from Latin; means "from Hadria" (the Adriatic Sea). I've heard sources saying it means "dark one," but I haven't been able to confirm this. It's still a really cool, kind of gothy name. (Also the real name of Alucard from Castlevania.)
Alastor: Greek, means "avenging spirit."
Alcmene: (Female) Means "might of the moon," Heracles' mother in mythology.
Alecto: One of the Erinyes (Furies), the goddesses of vengeance. Means "unceasing."
Altair: The brightest star in the constellation Aquila (the Eagle), from Arabic, meaning "the bird."
Amaranth: (Female) Greek; a mythical purple flower that never fades, a symbol of immortality.
Amethyst: A dark purple crystal, associated with wine and preventing drunkenness.
Andromeda: Greek, means "thinks like a man," the name of a princess in mythology, a constellation, and a galaxy.
Anubis: Jackal-headed Egyptian god of death and embalming.
Arcana: From Latin "hidden, secret" (literally "to shut in a chest"), refers to secrets or mysteries. Also refers to the groups of cards in a tarot deck (the major and minor arcana).
Arianrhod: Means "silver wheel," Welsh goddess of the moon, stars, and the flow of time.
Artemis/Diana: Greco-Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon, and virginity
Asmodeus: Means "wrath-demon," a Goetic demon appearing in a number of texts, representing luxury, sensuality, and lust. (Also Asmodai)
Asphodel: A white flower planted on graves, said to grow in the Greek underworld, and therefore heavily connected with death.
Astaroth: (Unisex) A demon in the Ars Goetia (from the Lesser Key of Solomon), described as a male demon and a Duke of Hell, but the name likely comes from the Phoenician goddess Astarte (or Ashtoreth), who is a version of Ishtar (Babylonian) and Inanna (Sumerian).
Astor: A French and German name from Occitan, meaning "goshawk." A goshawk is a bird of prey. I've read on naming sites that this name was originally a derogatory term for young men with hawk-like, predatory characteristics, but I haven't found anything to confirm this.
Astra/Asteria: From Greek, "star." In Greek mythology, Asteria was a Titaness of astrology and prophecy, the mother of Hecate. An aster is also a star-shaped flower.
Atropos: The last of the Moirai (Fates), who cuts the thread at the end of life.
Autumn: The darkening part of the year, when everything is dying, and Halloween happens.
Azrael: The name of the Angel of Death, means "whom god helps." (Also Asriel)
Azazel: A Watcher's name, means "scapegoat." Taught humanity the arts of weaponry and cosmetics. Commonly associated with demons and evil.
Baphomet: A goat-headed, winged deity associated with Satanism; obscure etymology.
Bastet: Egyptian goddess of cats.
Belial: A Hebrew name meaning "worthless," a name of the devil or a demon.
Belladonna: Also called "deadly nightshade," an extremely poisonous plant that causes hallucinations and death.
Bellona: Roman goddess of war
Bezaliel: Means "shadow of God," a Watcher's name.
Blodeuwedd: Pronounced "bluh-DIE-weth," means "flower-face." A Welsh goddess who was turned into an owl.
Bram/Brom: Technically short for Abraham ("father of a multitude"), the author of Dracula, Abraham "Bram" Stoker.
Bran: Welsh, "raven." The name of Bran the Blessed, a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology.
Branwen: (Female) Welsh, means "white raven" or "fair raven."
Breksta: Lithuanian goddess of night, dreams, and twilight.
Calypso: Greek, "she who conceals." The nymph who kept Odysseus imprisoned on her island.
Carmilla: A lesbian vampire from the gothic novel of the same name, predating Dracula. The name seems to have been invented by the author.
Ceridwen: Welsh enchantress or goddess who stirs the cauldron of poetic inspiration.
Cernunnos: Celtic forest god depicted as having a stag's antlers.
Chiroptera: Literally means "hand wing," the order of bats in taxonomy.
Circe: Means "circle." In Greek mythology, a sorceress who turned Odysseus' men into pigs (and later helped them).
Cora: From the Greek name Kore, meaning "maiden." A name for Persephone. (Also, Coraline.)
Corvus/Corax: Corvus corax is the scientific name of the common raven.
Crimson: Dark, rich red, the color of wine or blood. One of the Gothiest colors that isn't black. It's very easy for this to sound banal or cringey, especially if it's a character's given name, so use with caution. Scarlet works, too, if you want something easier to use as a given name.
Damian: From Greek, means "to tame," tends to be associated with demons or vampires, a bit cliche at this point.
Dantalion: A Goetic demon, the name is particularly cool.
Desdemona: A tragic character in Othello, comes from Greek and means "ill-fated." Can be shortened to "Mona."
Devana: Slavic version of Artemis/Diana, goddess of the hunt.
Dorian: The corrupt, depraved, nearly immortal and astonishingly beautiful protagonist from The Picture of Dorian Gray. (Turns out Oscar Wilde invented the name; it did not exist before the book was written.)
Dracul: Romanian, "devil" or "dragon." What really needs to be said?
Ebony: A very dark wood.
Echo: In Greek mythology, a nymph who was cursed so she would only repeat the names of others; died while pining after Narcissus.
Edgar: Anglo-Saxon, "rich spear." The name of the one and only Edgar Allen Poe (also, my cat).
Elatha: An Irish god, described as the "beautiful Miltonic prince of darkness with golden hair." Not sure what the source for that is, but cool!
Elvira: Spanish, means "foreign true," a stereotypical Goth name (and the name of the Mistress of the Dark!). Actually, I first ran across the name in reference to a vengeful ghost called Elvira Blood in New England folk legend.
Endora: Comes from the Witch of Endor, a Biblical sorceress.
Endymion: In Greek mythology, a handsome shepherd whom Selene fell in love with. Zeus granted him eternal sleep so he would never age. Means "to dive, to enter."
Erebus: Greek primordial god and personification of darkness.
Esmeralda: Spanish name meaning "emerald." (Also, the heroine in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.)
Ethelinda: Anglo-Saxon, means "little serpent."
Eurynomos: Greek chthonic spirit of corpses.
Eventide: It could work as a name.
Fenrir: A wolf demon in Norse mythology, the son of Loki.
Finvarra: Irish, King of the Fairies (and sometimes King of the Dead), a benevolent entity that ensures a good harvest and abundance.
Gabriel: The angel. Means "warrior of god."
Gehenna: A Hebrew name for Tartarus or Hell.
Golgotha: From Hebrew, "skull," the place where Jesus was crucified.
Hades: The Lord of the Underworld in Greek mythology (also the name of the Underworld itself).
Hawthorn: A type of shrub steeped in folklore, associated with fairies and with Beltane (1st May).
Hecate: Greek goddess of witchcraft, magic, the occult, the moon, necromancy, the Underworld, and the crossroads. Means "worker from far off."
Hellebore: A type of evergreen flower, some species of which are poisonous. Believed to summon demons, also believed to cure madness.
Hemlock: A plant used to poison people.
Herne: "the Hunter," a ghost that haunts Windsor Forest (sometimes identified with The Horned God).
Hesperos/ia: The evening star.
Hypnos: The Greek god of sleep.
Iblis: Satan in Islamic lore.
Idris: Welsh, "ardent (passionate, fiery) lord."
Igor: Russian, "bow-warrior." Became famous as the name of Frankenstein's hunchbacked assistant, even though he doesn't exist in the book and his name in the original Universal film was Fritz.
Ingram: Swedish name meaning "Ing's raven."
Iolanthe: Greek, means "violet flower."
Iseult/Isolde/Isolt: A tragic lover in Arthurian legend.
Jasmine: A type of flower, in this case referring to Cestrum nocturnum, or night-blooming jasmine.
Kali: Hindu goddess of destruction, name means "the black one."
Kiara/n: Gaelic, means "little black one."
Kimaris: A Goetic demon
Kokabiel: Means "angel of the stars," a Watcher.
Lacrimae: Latin word for tears.
Lamia: A female demon in Greek folklore who devours children. The name of the witch in the film version of Stardust.
Lenore: A variant of Eleanor (also a good name), means "foreign," the lost love of the protagonist of "The Raven," also has her own poem.
Leshii: A Russian god of hunting, similar to Veles
Lethe: River of Forgetfulness in the Greek Underworld.
Leviathan: From Hebrew, "twisted in folds," a Biblical sea monster. Sometimes associated with Midgard's Serpent.
Libitina: A Roman goddess of corpses, funerals, and the dead.
Ligeia: Greek, the name of a Siren, also the subject of a Poe story of the same name.
Lilah: Comes from the Arabic Leila, meaning "night."
Lilith: Means "of the night" or "screech owl." In Hebrew mythology, Adam's first wife and the Queen of Demons. She refused to submit to Adam, so she left Eden and began screwing around with demons. Often considered a succubus or vampire, or a champion of feminism. A lilim is also a succubus or incubus.
Loki: Trickster god in Norse mythology with ambiguous morals.
Lorelei: German, means "murmuring rock," the name of a German Siren.
Lucius/Lucifer/Lucien: All mean "light" or "light-bringer," a name associated with Satan.
Lucy: From Dracula, also could be a shortening/feminization of Lucifer. (Still means "light.")
Luna: The Roman personification of the moon.
Lycoris: A Greek word that means "twilight," the name of an Asian red flower, associated with death and the underworld (much like Asphodel).
Maeve: Comes from Gaelic, means "the intoxicating one." Associated with the Fairy Queen Mab.
Makaria: Greek goddess of blessed death, a daughter of Hades and Persephone.
Mania: Etruscan/Roman goddess of the undead, ghosts, and underworld spirits, goddess of madness. Also a modern medical term referring to a specific mental illness.
Mara: A name steeped in darkness, referring to a nightmare spirit (nightmare), a (benevolent) goddess of death in Latvian mythology, a (male) demon in Buddhist mythology, and a Sanskrit word meaning "death."
Medea: In Greek mythology, the sorceress who helped Jason, but then went on a murderous rampage when he left her. Considered to be a priestess (or, rarely, daughter) of Hecate.
Megaera: One of the Erinyes (Furies), the goddesses of vengeance. Means "grudge."
Melanie: Greek, "black" or "dark."
Melantha: Greek, "dark flower."
Melinda/Mindy: English, "black serpent."
Melinoe: Greek goddess of ghosts, nightmares, and madness, a daughter of Hades and Persephone.
Mephistopheles: The name of the devil in the Faust legend, could be from Hebrew and mean "disperser of lies," or from Greek and mean "does not love the light."
Merle: (Unisex) from French, "blackbird."
Mina: From Dracula. Short for Wilhelmina, a German name meaning "will-helmet."
Morana/Marzanna: Slavic goddess of winter and death.
Morgan/Morgana: From Welsh, means "sea-circle," the name of Morgan le Fay, a sorceress in Arthurian Legend (who may be good or evil, depending on your interpretation).
Morpheus: The Greek god of dreams, the main protagonist of Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics. (Also, The Matrix.)
Morrigan: An Irish goddess of death, battle, and ravens, name means "great queen."
Morwenna: A Welsh name meaning "maiden." ("Morwanneg" is the name of the witch in Stardust.)
Nephthys: Means "lady of the temple," the Egyptian goddess of the dead, mate of Seth and mother of Anubis.
Nergal: Mesopotamian god of death, war, and destruction.
Nightshade: A family of plants including tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants, but also the notorious deadly nightshade.
Nisha/nt: A Hindi name meaning "night."
Nocturne: Self-explanatory. Refers to a night prayer, a musical composition evoking night, or a night scene in art.
Nyx: A Greek primordial goddess and personification of the Night. (also Nox)
Oberon: From French, means "elf-ruler," the name of the Fairy King in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Referred to in one scene as the "king of shadows").
Obsidian: A shiny black volcanic stone.
Onyx: A type of banded stone, most famously black. (The word comes from the Greek for "fingernail.")
Ophelia: A tragic character in Hamlet, which probably comes from Greek and means "help."
Orcus: A Latin word for Hell, and a Roman god who punished the dead (possibly an epithet of Hades/Pluto).
Orion: A hunter in Greek mythology, and the famous constellation.
Orlok: The name of the ugly-looking vampire from Nosferatu.
Orpheus: Greek name, possibly comes from the word orphe, "darkness." The name of a demigod with an impossibly beautiful singing voice who attempted to rescue his love from the underworld, failed, and then died tragically.
Pan: Greek goat-horned god of nature, herds, and lust, induces "panic."
Pandora: Name means "all-gifted." In Greek mythology, the name of the first woman, who opened a box that unleashed evil upon the world.
Pandemonium: The capital city of Hell in Paradise Lost, name literally means "all demons."
Persephone: Greek Queen of the Underworld, wife of Hades, and goddess of springtime. You probably know her story. Her name might mean "thrasher of grain" (which would make sense for an agricultural goddess), but could also mean "slayer."
Phaenon: Means "shining" in Greek, refers to the planet Saturn (which has long been associated with darkness in mythology, being the furthest planet from the sun that is observable with the naked eye).
Pluto: Hades' Roman name, also the ninth planet, or what was the ninth planet.
Ransley: An English name meaning "raven's meadow."
Ravenna: Self-explanatory, also an Italian city.
Renwick: Scottish surname meaning "raven settlement."
Sable: A word referring to the color black.
Salome: From Hebrew shalom, "peace." The daughter of Herod and Herodias, unnamed in the Bible, who requested the head of John the Baptist and danced the Dance of the Seven Veils.
Samael: Means "venom of God," a vicious angel of death, the mate of Lilith. He is not technically a fallen angel, but a servant of God who does the dirty work.
Sekhmet: Egyptian goddess of war and destruction, with the head of a lioness. Her name means "power" or "might." Her epithets included "Mistress of Dread," "Lady of Slaughter," and "She Who Mauls." Ra had to stop her from killing people by getting her drunk on beer that was dyed to look like blood.
Selene: Greek personification of the moon. (Includes "Selena" and variants.")
Senka: Basque name meaning "shadow."
Seren: (Unisex) Welsh name meaning "star."
Seth: A name of Set or Sutekh, the Egyptian god of evil, chaos, and storms. He killed his brother Osiris and cut his body into pieces, and then was defeated by Horus. His head is that of an animal that looks kind of like an aardvark but is not an actual existing creature (at least not anymore). He was associated with the color red and the desert. His name possibly means "one who dazzles."
Shadow: Super straightforward.
Silas: From Greek, means "from the forest." In The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, it's the name of a [spoiler] vampire.
Silver: The color of the moon, and it looks nice with black.
Sinistra: Technically, it's Latin for "left," but it obviously has "sinister" connotations.
Skiá: Greek word for "shadow" or "shade."
Skotos: Ancient Greek word for "darkness," especially the darkness of death or the netherworld, or obscurity.
Skuld: The last of the Norns (Fates), representing death. Means "debt."
Sombra: The Spanish word for "shadow."
Somnus: Roman name for Hypnos, sleep.
Spyridon: Greek name referring to wicker baskets, which implies wealth. Could also be connected to the Latin spiritus, which means breath or spirit. Usually shortened to Spyro.
Stella: The Latin word for "star."
Styx: The River of Hate in the Greek Underworld, the most famous of its rivers. The souls of the dead are ferried across it by Charon, and the gods (foolishly, if you ask me, seeing as they always regret it) swear on the Styx to make unbreakable oaths. The word "Stygian" means "of the River Styx" and refers to something very dark or abyssal.
Summanus: Roman god of nocturnal thunder.
Sylvia/Sylvana: Latin, "from the forest."
Tartarus: The deepest hell-pit of the Greek Underworld, where evildoers are punished.
Tempest: A wild storm, from the Latin for "time."
Thanatos: The Greek personification of Death.
Tiamat: Babylonian primordial dragon goddess.
Tisiphone: One of the Erinyes (Furies), the goddesses of vengeance. Means "murder-retribution."
Tristan: Welsh, "riot, tumult." (Although it sounds like the Latin tristis, which means "sad.") The name of Isolt's lover in Arthurian Legend, and the name of the protagonist in Stardust.
Valerian: Roman, means "strength" or "valiant," also the name of an herb.
Vega: (Unisex) Latin from Arabic, means "falling" or "swooping," a star in the constellation Lyra. It is one of the brightest stars in the entire sky.
Veles: Slavic horned god of cattle, forests, magic, and the underworld.
Veliona: Slavic goddess of death
Velvet: A fabric that most goths love to wear.
Vervain: An herb (verbena), meaning "sacred bough," considered a magical or holy herb in multiple cultures.
Vesperus: (or just Vesper), a Roman name meaning "evening." (Vespera for a girl)
Vespertilio: A genus of bats.
Victor: The first of the trio of gothy male "V" names, means "conqueror," as in "victory." Frankenstein's first name. (Victoria also works for a girl.)
Vincent: The second of the trio of gothy male "V" names, also meaning "conquering," from Latin.
Vivian: The Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend. From French, means "lively." (Another name for the Lady is Nimue, which is Welsh and may be related to the Greek word for "memory." She sealed Merlin in a tree.)
Vlad: The third of the trio of gothy male "V" names, the name of Vlad Tepes or "Vlad the Impaler," the real-life Romanian prince who inspired Count Dracula. It's Slavic and means "ruler."
Willow: A beautiful and mournful-looking tree.
Yvaine: Scottish, means "evening star," the name of the star in Stardust.
Zagreus: The name of a chthonic Greek god who was potentially a son of Hades and Persephone or Zeus and Persephone, considered in Orphic lore to be Dionysus before he was dismembered and reincarnated.
Yeah, I really, really like mythology. A lot. Mythology is the best source for names, especially obscure names. I think there's enough gods and demons in the above list to satisfy anyone, though I didn't include all of them. If you want to avoid mythological names or choose something a bit more discreet, any elegant, traditional, or Victorian names would probably work for you or your characters:
Theodore (gift of God)
Nicholas (victor of the people)
Lily or Lilian (the flower, which is associated with purity; Lily could also be a shortening of Lilith)
Elizabeth (God is my oath)
Emily (as in Brontë; "rival")
Brendon (prince)
Abigail (father rejoices)
Edith (rich battle)
Edmund (protector of prosperity)
Frederick (peaceful ruler)
Isabella (same as Elizabeth)
Mary (as in Shelley; "rebelliousness")
Arthur (as in King, also Arthur Holmwood in Dracula, means "bear")
Henry ("estate ruler," also Lord Henry Watton in Dorian Gray)
George (Lord Byron's name, "farmer")
Hugo (heart, mind, or spirit)
Oscar (as in Wilde, "god's spear")
William (will-helmet)
Gertrude (spear-strength, Hamlet's mother)
Charlotte (as in Brontë)
Jane (as in Eyre)
Rose or Rosemary (a flower and an herb
Katherine (pure)
Gwendolyn (white bow)
...and similar. Giving a character any of these names will give it a gothic flare.
Once you have your name, you can start playing around with surnames and epithets. Spooky-sounding surnames like Moonblood, Blackthorne, Nightmist, Runewood, Grimstone, Ravenmoor, Shadowhawk... play around with prefixes and suffixes. Then you can add epithets, like Lord/Lady of the Night, or the Sorcerer/ess, the Enchanter/ess, Raven's Bane, Ghostseer, Star Slayer, Count of Malice, the Prince of Darkness, or whatever.
I hope this list is useful! I put a lot of work into it.
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