Gothic Dog Names

Dogs don't have to be cute and fluffy creatures... they can also be as dark as your soul. Choose one of these gothic dog names for the ultimate alternative pup.

Tap the arrow to see the meaning of each name, and the heart to save a name to your shortlist.

• Akasha

  Meaning: Sanskrit for 'sky
• Alaric

  Meaning: From the Gothic name Alareiks, which meant "ruler of all", derived from the Germanic element ala "all" combined with ric "ruler". This was the name of a king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in the 5th century.
• Anima

  Meaning: (Jungian psychology) the inner self (not the external persona) that is in touch with the unconscious
• Ash

  Meaning: Success
• Aurora

  Meaning: The goddess of dawn in greco-roman mythology
• Baba Yaga

  Meaning:
• Banshee

  Meaning: An Irish spirit.
• Baron

  Meaning: Noble Man
• Bastet

  Meaning: From Egyptian bꜣstjt, a variant of Bast. This form of the name, was given to her after the similar goddess Sekhmet (protector of Upper Egypt) became more important.
• Beetlejuice

  Meaning:
• Bella

  Meaning: Beautiful; short for Isabella.
• Bellatrix

  Meaning: Originally it meant 'female warrior' in Latin, but it's had a pop culture revival thanks to the character Bellatrix Lestrange in the 'Harry Potter' series.
• Binx

  Meaning:
• Blair

  Meaning: Battlefield Or Plain
• Blaze

  Meaning: Bright and shiny.
• Bones

  Meaning: A name for a badass but cute dog.
• Bram

  Meaning: Short form of Abraham. This name was borne by Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author who wrote Dracula.
• Brom

  Meaning:
• Buffy

  Meaning: From buffy the vampire slayer television series.
• Burton

  Meaning: From the fortress
• Carbon

  Meaning: An element in carbon dioxide.
• Circe

  Meaning: Latinized form of Greek Κίρκη (Kirke), possibly from κίρκος (kirkos) meaning "hawk". In Greek mythology Circe was a sorceress who changed Odysseus's crew into hogs, as told in Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus forced her to change them back, then stayed with her for a year before continuing his voyage.
• Coraline

  Meaning: Created by the French composer Adolphe Adam for one of the main characters in his opera Le toréador (1849). He probably based it on the name Coralie. It was also used by the author Neil Gaiman for the young heroine in his novel Coraline (2002). Gaiman has stated that in this case the name began as a typo of Caroline.
• Crystal

  Meaning: Earth Mineral Or Brilliant Glass
• Cyclops

  Meaning: One-eyed giants in greek mythology
• Damien

  Meaning: French form of Damian.
• Dante

  Meaning: Steadfast
• Dauntless

  Meaning: invulnerable to fear or intimidation
• Demon

  Meaning: Ancient Greek name derived from δῆμος (demos) meaning "the people".
• Dexter

  Meaning: Right-handed, skilled
• Diablo

  Meaning:
• Dracula

  Meaning: comprises tropical American species usually placed in genus Masdevallia: diminutive plants having bizarre and often sinister-looking flowers with pendulous scapes and motile lips
• Draven

  Meaning: From a surname (of unknown meaning) that was used in the movie The Crow (1994).
• Duke

  Meaning: Leader, commander, governor of a province
• Ebony

  Meaning: Dark Black-wooded Tree
• Edgar

  Meaning: Rich Spear
• Eerie

  Meaning: inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening
• Elvira

  Meaning: Foreign And True
• Essence

  Meaning: From the English word essence, which means either "odour, scent" or else "fundamental quality". Ultimately it derives from Latin esse "to be".
• Eyre

  Meaning: a shallow salt lake in south central Australia about 35 feet below sea level; the largest lake in the country and the lowest point on the continent
• Fang

  Meaning: Beautiful
• Fay

  Meaning: English for beautiful
• Frankenstein

  Meaning: From the surname Frankenstein, used by Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel of the same name for the scientist Victor Frankenstein. The monster that Frankenstein created, which has no name in the novel, is sometimes called Frankenstein in modern speech, as if it were his given name.
• Freya

  Meaning: A goddess of love in norse mythology
• Fury

  Meaning: state of violent mental agitation
• Gargoyle

  Meaning: an ornament consisting of a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal
• Graphite

  Meaning: used as a lubricant and as a moderator in nuclear reactors
• Gremlin

  Meaning: (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
• Grey

  Meaning: Grey-haired
• Hades

  Meaning: Bunny
• Haven

  Meaning: Safe Place
• Hawk

  Meaning: Short for Stephen Hawking.
• Hecate

  Meaning: From the Greek Ἑκάτη (Hekate), possibly derived from ἑκάς (hekas) meaning "far off". In Greek mythology Hecate was a goddess associated with witchcraft, crossroads, tombs, demons and the underworld.
• Hex

  Meaning: an evil spell
• Hocus

  Meaning:
• Huntress

  Meaning: A woman who hunts in mythology
• Igor

  Meaning: Russian form of Yngvarr (see Ingvar). The Varangians brought it to Russia in the 10th century. It was borne by two grand princes of Kiev. Famous bearers include Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), a Russian composer whose most famous work is The Rite of Spring, and Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), the Russian-American designer of the first successful helicopter.
• Imp

  Meaning: one who is playfully mischievous
• Jekyll

  Meaning:
• Jet

  Meaning: To move or travel rapidly, especially if jet-propelled.
• Jezebel

  Meaning: Unexalted
• Kali

  Meaning: Energetic
• Kumo

  Meaning:
• Lennon

  Meaning: Dear One
• Lilith

  Meaning: A pop culture name that now refers to a strong, sassy girl.

• Loki

  Meaning: The sneaky and trickster god in Norse mythology.
• Lovecraft

  Meaning:
• Lucifer

  Meaning: Means "bringing light", derived from Latin lux "light" and ferre "to bring". In Latin this name originally referred to the morning star, Venus, but later became associated with the chief angel who rebelled against God's rule in heaven (see Isaiah 14:12). In later literature, such as the Divine Comedy (1321) by Dante and Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton, Lucifer became associated with Satan himself.
• Luna

  Meaning: The divine embodiment of the moon in greek mythology
• Maeve

  Meaning: Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. Her fight against Ulster and the hero Cúchulainn is told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
• Malficent

  Meaning:
• Malfoy

  Meaning:
• Medusa

  Meaning: The most famous of the monster figures known as gorgons in greek mythology
• Midnight

  Meaning: 12:00 AM
• Morgana

  Meaning: Feminine form of Morgan 1.
• Morticia

  Meaning:
• Mysteria

  Meaning:
• Mythia

  Meaning:
• Nosferatu

  Meaning:
• Nova

  Meaning: New; a star that suddenly releases a huge burst of energy, temporarily becoming extraordinarily bright.
• Odyssey

  Meaning: a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the journey of Odysseus after the fall of Troy
• Ogre

  Meaning: a cruel wicked and inhuman person
• Onyx

  Meaning: Black Gemstone
• Pandora

  Meaning: The first woman in greek mythology
• Phoenix

  Meaning: A long-lived bird in greek mythology.
• Pixie

  Meaning: Fairy
• Poe

  Meaning: United States writer and poet (1809-1849)
• Poltergeist

  Meaning: a ghost that announces its presence with rapping and the creation of disorder
• Puck

  Meaning: a vulcanized rubber disk 3 inches in diameter that is used instead of a ball in ice hockey
• Rainn

  Meaning:
• Rebel

  Meaning: Rebellious.
• Reign

  Meaning: From the English word reign, derived from Latin regnum "royal power".
• Reznor

  Meaning:
• Rochester

  Meaning: a city in western New York; a center of the photographic equipment industry
• Sabrina

  Meaning: Latinized form of Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque Comus (1634). It was popularized as a given name by Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair (1953) and the movie adaptation that followed it the next year.
• Salem

  Meaning: Peace
• Scamp

  Meaning: one who is playfully mischievous
• Scarface

  Meaning: United States gangster who terrorized Chicago during prohibition until arrested for tax evasion (1899-1947)
• Selene

  Meaning: The goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology
• Selkie

  Meaning:
• Shelley

  Meaning: From The Sloping Field
• Siren

  Meaning: Hybrid girl.
• Slayer

  Meaning: someone who causes the death of a person or animal
• Slither

  Meaning: to pass or move unobtrusively or smoothly
• Smokey

  Meaning:
• Sorceress

  Meaning: a woman sorcerer
• Sparrow

  Meaning: From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.
• Starr

  Meaning: Variant of Star.
• Stella

  Meaning: Star
• Storm

  Meaning: To deliver a violent attack or assault. barrage.
• Styx

  Meaning: (Greek mythology) a river in Hades across which Charon carried dead souls
• Sylph

  Meaning: an elemental being believed to inhabit the air
• Thorn

  Meaning: a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf
• Trinity

  Meaning: Strong.
• Troll

  Meaning: angling by drawing a baited line through the water
• Twilight

  Meaning: Dusk
• Vader

  Meaning: Father
• Vamp

  Meaning: provide (a shoe) with a new vamp
• Velvet

  Meaning: Soft Fabric
• Vlad

  Meaning: Prince of Wallachia.
• Warlock

  Meaning: One who uses magic
• Widow

  Meaning: Destitute, bereft
• Willow

  Meaning: From The Willow Grove
• Winchester

  Meaning: a city in southern England; administrative center of Hampshire
• Winifred

  Meaning: Peaceful friend
• Winter

  Meaning: The Season
• Witch

  Meaning: a female sorcerer or magician
• Zelda

  Meaning: Battle maid

Love horror movies and Halloween? Or just want to scare the life out of your neighbours? These spooky dog names could be right up your (dark) alley!

Gothic culture has had a profound impact on art, music, fashion and architecture for decades, and has gone through multiple revivals. It represents the darker aspects of life, focusing boldly on magic, terror and gloom.

While these aren’t traits we commonly associate with dogs, giving your dog a gothic name shows a powerful, non-conformist personality, and also gives your pup a touch of humorous irony. You already know if you’re a fan of gothic culture, or consider yourself to be a goth – and if that’s the case, you’ll be naturally drawn to some of these unconventional but striking gothic dog names.

For male dogs, we love the simplicity and natural touch of the name Thorn. As much as we adore our furry friends, they can often be a thorn in our side, especially as puppies – and what better way to make fun of that than with this spiky dog name!

Another gorgeous name for boys is Onyx. This refers to the black gemstone, which already represents rarity and beauty, and we simply love the way it sounds. It would be a great option for black Labs and Border Collies, among other dark-coloured breeds. If you’re into pop culture, Dexter also ticks all the boxes. The popular television series is full of gothic symbols, like blood, torture chambers and mysterious disappearances.

For females, Zelda is a lovable choice for all kinds of reasons. Not only does it inspire thoughts of the famous Nintendo princess, but it also comes from the feminine name Griselda, which may originally have meant "dark battle”. This name isn’t limited to black dogs either.

For dogs on the smaller side, we think Pixie is adorably cute while paying homage to gothic magic. And for something less common, we love Selene. This refers to the Greek goddess of the moon, so it’s as dark or glittering as you want it to be.