When you close your eyes, things get dark, but you can still distinguish the bright side. With eyes open, you can always admire our top names that mean dark and find a distinguished pick for your baby.
Darkness is, indeed, misunderstood; some strikingly colorful and startling jewels beautifully shine amid darkness - consider how often people mine gold from the dark abyss; after all, where there is plenty of light, there are many shadows.
We wouldn’t be able to appreciate the luminous crack of dawn without witnessing pitch-black darkness.
Furthermore, our ancestral fear of nature, as depicted in ancient mythological creatures and later witches, is primarily a dark phenomenon, reflecting the mysterious entities stalking at night or the unseen realm of the spirits. The color dark has intrigued humans for thousands of years.
In Taoism, Yin is the dark, receptive, feminine principle associated with the moon, tranquility, and receptiveness.
As a distinct color, dark resembles the infinite and immeasurable and exudes elegance and sophistication.
No wonder names like “Ebony” and “Sterling” are undeniably charming! Our list of the top names that mean dark goes a long way in conveying its alluring simplicity.
In this article:
Below are some unique baby names that mean dark:
Boy names that mean dark:
Adham: Of Arabic origin, meaning "black."
Adrian: Of Latin origin, meaning "dark one."
Bellinor: Of French origin, meaning "beautiful and dark person."
Blake: Of Old English origin, can mean "black" or "pale."
Chhaya/Chaya: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "shadow."
Colburn: Of English origin, meaning "dark brook."
Cole: Of English origin, meaning "swarthy, black coal."
Collyer: Of Old English, meaning "dark."
Darcy: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark."
Darnell: Of English origin, meaning "hidden nook."
Devlin: Of Irish origin, meaning "unlucky."
Donovan: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark."
Douglas: Of Scottish origin, meaning "dark river."
Doyle: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark stranger."
Dublin: Of Gaelic origin, meaning "black pool."
Duff: Of Gaelic origin, meaning "dark."
Duncan: Of Scottish origin, meaning "dark warrior."
Dunstan: Of English origin, meaning "dark stone."
Farran: Of English origin, meaning "iron-grey."
Gethin: Of Welsh origin, meaning "dark."
Hadrian: Of Latin origin, meaning "dark."
Kala: Of Hawaiian origin, meaning "black."
Kek: Of Egyptian origin, Kek is a god of darkness.
Kerrin: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark."
Kieran/Ciarán: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark-haired."
Krishna: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "black."
Maurice: Of Latin origin, meaning "dark-skinned."
Maurizio: Of Italian origin, meaning "dark-skinned."
Melan: Of Greek origin, meaning "dark."
Nerian: Of Spanish origin, meaning "dark."
Otieno: Of Luo origin, meaning "born at night."
Rajani: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "night."
Raven
Sauda: Of Swahili origin, meaning "dark complexion."
Shyam: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "dark."
Skelter: Old Norse, meaning "shadow."
Sullivan: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark-eyed."
Tamas: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "darkness."
Teerth: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "dark."
Topher: Of Greek origin, meaning "dark-skinned."
Tynan: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark."
Vesper: Of Latin origin, meaning "evening."
Wolfgang: Of German origin. While not a traditionally dark-related name, it evokes a compelling image of wolves foraging for prey at night
Zorro: Of Spanish origin, meaning "fox."
Girl names that mean dark:
Adriane: The feminine form of Adrian, meaning "dark one."
Amaya: Of Basque origin, meaning "night rain."
Annika: Of Hebrew origin, meaning "darkness."
Brenna: Of Gaelic origin, meaning "dark-haired."
Bruna: Of Italian origin, meaning "brown."
Celestia: Of Latin origin, meaning "heavenly."
Charna: Of Yiddish origin, meaning "dark."
Ciara/Kiera: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark-haired."
Cierra: Of Spanish origin, meaning "black."
Delaney: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark defiance."
Duff: Of Gaelic origin, meaning "dark."
Duvessa: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark beauty."
Ebony
Fala: Of Native American origin, meaning "crow."
Isra: Of Arabic origin, meaning "nocturnal journey."
Kali: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "black."
Laylah: Of Arabic origin, meaning "night" and "dark beauty."
Leila/Layla/Lila: Of Arabic origin, meaning "night."
Lilith: Of Assyrian origin, meaning "night monster."
Lisha: Of Arabic origin, meaning "darkness before midnight."
Maura: Of Latin origin, meaning "dark-skinned."
Melaina/Melania: Of Greek origin, meaning "dark."
Mystique: Of English origin, meaning "air of mystery," capturing the mystery surrounding the dark night.
Nerissa: Of Italian origin, meaning "black-haired."
Nisha: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "night."
Nox: A gender-neutral name of Latin origin, meaning "night."
Nyx: Of Greek origin, meaning "night."
Rajani: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "night."
Sable: Of Slavic origin, meaning "black."
Selena: Of Greek origin, Selena is the Greek moon goddess.
Sidra: Of Arabic origin, meaning "like a star."
Sorcha: Of Gaelic origin, meaning "dark."
Sybil: Of Greek origin, meaning 'prophetess,' specifically one who delivers ominous news and portents.
Twyla: Of English origin, meaning "twilight."
Vespera: Of Latin origin, meaning "evening."
Zillah: Of Hebrew origin, meaning "shadow."
If you're a person that loves gothic names, we've got you covered!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What name means dark one?
It would be hard to look into our darkly permeating, illustrious list of gem-like names that mean dark if it weren’t for your little superstar.
That said, here are some beautiful names meaning dark one:
Boy names meaning dark:
Kieran/Ciarán: Of Irish origin, meaning "little dark one."
Donovan: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark" or "brown-haired chieftain."
Duncan: Of Scottish origin, meaning "dark warrior."
Dunstan: Of English origin, meaning "dark stone."
Kerrin: Of Irish origin, similar to Kieran, meaning "dark."
Girl names meaning dark:
Ciara/Kiera: Of Irish origin, a female variant of Ciarán/Kieran, meaning "dark-haired" or "dark."
Darcy: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark."
Melaina: Of Greek origin, meaning "dark, black."
Tynan: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark-haired."
Bruna: Of Italian origin, meaning "brown" or "dark-haired."
What names mean shadow or darkness?
Mantled with the alluring mystique of the idyllic night sky, here is a star-studded list of names that mean darkness, while being inspired by the deepest shades of dark:
Names with dark meanings:
Names for boys:
Adrian/Adrien: Of Latin origin, derived from "Hadrianus," meaning "dark one."
Chhaya/Chaya: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "shadow."
Skelter: An Old Norse word for "shadow" or "shade."
Tamas: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "darkness."
Names for girls:
Duvessa: Of Irish origin, meaning "dark beauty."
Leila/Layla/Lila: Of Arabic origin, meaning "night."
Zillah: Of Hebrew origin, meaning "shadow."
Scotia: Of Latin origin, meaning "darkness."
What is the Greek name for darkness?
The Greek name for “darkness” is “Erebus.” In Greek mythology, Erebus is the personification of darkness, referring to the deep darkness of the Underworld, the Underworld itself, or the realm through which souls are transported to Hades.
In Modern Greek, the word “erebos” means darkness.
What name means moonchild?
Although the name “Amaris” is used in various languages, it means “child of the moon” in Spanish contexts. In Igbo, an African language, "Amarachi" means "God's grace" or "grace of God." “Amaris” also means “given by God” in ancient Hebrew.
Final thoughts
Within the vast landscape of the world of baby names, names that mean dark hold a unique place. We hope our list has guided you smoothly through their beautiful and mysterious meanings!
