Creature names

Demon Name Generator

Demon names for D&D, horror, dark fantasy and anime OCs, with the real demons of the Goetia, scripture and folklore set apart from names invented for fiction.

Ink and watercolor illustration: a horned demon with ember-red skin stands dramatically, one clawed hand wreathed in harmless flame and a spaded tail curled behind
A horned demon with ember-red skin stands dramatically, one clawed hand wreathed in harmless flame and a spaded tail curled behind

A few words is plenty: who they are, where they're from, how the name should sound.

A few to start with

  • MalakarothBringer of Darkness
  • LilithQueen of Demons
  • ShadowmawEater of Souls
  • MephistraCorrupter of Hearts
  • AzazelFallen Angel
  • SuccubriaSeducer of Dreams
About Demon names

Understanding Demon names

Many famous demon names began as something else. Beelzebub comes from Baal-zebub, 'lord of the flies,' the god of Ekron in 2 Kings, a name many scholars read as a Hebrew pun on Baal-zebul, 'Baal the prince.' Asmodeus, the demon who kills seven bridegrooms in the Book of Tobit, most likely descends from the Persian aeshma-daeva, a demon of wrath. Belial is a Hebrew word for worthlessness that later writers turned into a prince of darkness.

The other big source is the Ars Goetia, the first book of the 17th-century grimoire The Lesser Key of Solomon, which lists 72 spirits with ranks and powers. Its names have a sound you can copy: Marbas, Malphas, Halphas, Stolas and Andras all end in -as; Paimon and Dantalion end in -on. In our list, Astaroth, Belial, Lilith and Azazel come from real texts; Shadowmaw and Malakaroth are invented for fiction.

A short guide

How to come up with a Demon name

Copy the grimoire sound

Goetic names run two to four syllables, stressed early, with Latin or Greek endings: Bael, Vassago, Marbas, Furfur, Glasya-Labolas, Andromalius. To invent one, take a hard opening (Mal-, Bar-, Vor-, Zep-), add a vowel, and close with -as, -on, -or or -ius: Varpas, Vorthon, Morbanius. Check your coinage against the 72 Goetic names so you don't land on Zepar or Vapula by accident, and so readers who know the list can tell your demon is your own.

Give them a rank, not a surname

Demons in the old texts don't have last names. They have titles and legions. The Goetia ranks its spirits as kings, dukes, princes, marquises, presidents, earls and knights: King Bael, Duke Astaroth, Prince Stolas, Marquis Marchosias, President Marbas, Earl Furfur, Knight Furcas. 'Varpas, Marquis of Thirty Legions' sounds like it was copied from a grimoire, which is the point. For a demon last name in a modern story, use a title or a domain instead: Varpas of the Ninth Gate.

Match the name to the tradition

'Demon' covers very different traditions, and the names should match the one you're using. Demon Slayer's demons have one Japanese name plus a rank, like Upper Moon Three, Akaza. Rakshasa names such as Ravana and Shurpanakha come from the Ramayana, a sacred text of a living religion, so use them with care. D&D separates chaotic demons of the Abyss (Orcus, Demogorgon, Graz'zt) from lawful devils of the Nine Hells (Asmodeus, Mephistopheles), and players notice when you swap them.

Female demon names

The old demonologies are mostly male. Gremory, the 56th Goetic spirit, is one of the few who appears as a woman, riding a camel with a duchess's crown tied at her waist. Writers of female demons draw on Lilith, from Mesopotamian lilitu spirits and Jewish legend; Lamia, a child-eating figure of Greek myth; and the succubus. Invented names can follow those shapes: Lilivane, Gremaris, Lamarith. Hecate and Ereshkigal in our list are goddesses, not demons; they suit underworld royalty better than imps.

Famous names

Real demon names and where they come from

Demons from grimoires, scripture, legend and modern fiction, with their sources, so you know which names are canonical and which were invented.

  • BaelThe first spirit of the Ars Goetia, a king ruling in the east who appears with the heads of a toad, a man and a cat. The name traces back to the Canaanite god Baal.
  • PaimonA Goetic king who arrives on a dromedary, preceded by trumpets and other musicians. The 2018 horror film Hereditary built its plot around him. A model for writing a demon's entrance.
  • AsmodeusThe demon of the Book of Tobit, driven off with the help of the angel Raphael. D&D later made Asmodeus the ruler of the Nine Hells, so the name now spans scripture and tabletop.
  • LilithRooted in Mesopotamian lilitu spirits and a single word in Isaiah 34:14. The medieval Alphabet of Ben Sira made her Adam's first wife, the version most modern fiction uses.
  • BeelzebubFrom Baal-zebub, 'lord of the flies.' The Gospels call Beelzebul the prince of demons, and Milton's Paradise Lost makes Beelzebub second only to Satan.
  • MephistophelesThe devil of the Faust legend, first printed in the German Faustbuch of 1587. He is not biblical: a long, invented demon name can still feel ancient.
  • AkazaUpper Moon Three in Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer. The Twelve Kizuki pair one name with a numbered rank, a simple structure worth copying for any demon hierarchy.
  • Graz'ztThe Dark Prince, a demon lord of the Abyss in Dungeons & Dragons. The apostrophe and crunched consonants signal 'not human' immediately, and the name is entirely invented.
Names and meanings

Popular Demon names

Popular Demon names
NameMeaningGender
MalakarothBringer of DarknessMale
LilithQueen of DemonsFemale
ShadowmawEater of SoulsMale
MephistraCorrupter of HeartsFemale
AzazelFallen AngelMale
NyarlathotepCrawling ChaosMale
SuccubriaSeducer of DreamsFemale
BelialLord of LiesMale
VorgrathBearer of PlagueMale
HecateGoddess of WitchcraftFemale
DaemoniusTormentor of SoulsMale
LamiaDevourer of ChildrenFemale
NephralakHarbinger of DespairMale
EreshkigalQueen of the UnderworldFemale
BaalzorLord of ChaosMale
MorlithDoombringerMale
LilimDaughter of LilithFemale
VetisTempter of MortalsMale
MorgulBearer of ShadowsMale
AstarothGrand Duke of HellMale

64 more Demon names and meanings

Male Demon names

Male Demon names
NameMeaning
KharvexA blunt, martial name suggesting a demon of conquest.
OrruzanAn old-sounding name for a keeper of forbidden gates.
DrazhielSuggests a silver-tongued tempter with a celestial past.
VaskorA compact name with the feel of a relentless hunter.
ThamrekEvokes a patient demon who bargains in secrets.
UldraxisA ceremonious name for an ancient, many-eyed power.
KelmorSuggests a quiet collector of debts and favors.
RuvakarA heavy, resonant name suited to a warlord.
ZorvethHints at a cold strategist who turns allies against one another.
MavrakA rough-edged name for a demon of ash and ruin.
OthryxSuggests an alien intelligence hidden beneath a familiar face.
BelzuranA stately name for a ruler of a crumbling court.
CindravelEvokes a fire-scarred wanderer who leaves embers behind.
YorvaneA measured name for a demon who speaks in prophecies.
GrathulSuggests a massive guardian bound to a buried shrine.
NerezanA courtly name for a master of disguised identities.
VuldrekHas the hard sound of a breaker of oaths.
AkrivanSuggests a scholar who studies the weak points of souls.
DrelkothA grim name for a demon of famine and want.
SarnyxA clipped name that implies swift, precise violence.
KovrathEvokes a proud commander with a taste for spectacle.
TazhulA strange, spare name for a dream-haunting presence.
OrmekhSuggests an earthbound demon sealed beneath a city.
RaskovarA grand name for a collector of conquered banners.
IvrathenHints at a watchful demon who records every broken promise.
DumekarA sturdy name for a smith of cursed weapons.
ZelkarnSuggests a cunning ambusher who thrives in ruined places.
OvrandelA stately name for a wandering emissary of the underworld.
KezrulA sharp name for a demon who delights in riddles.
BravethEvokes a proud spirit who refuses to kneel.

Female Demon names

Female Demon names
NameMeaning
VaeluneA moonlit name suggesting a beguiling, secretive presence.
SytharaHints at a graceful demon who trades in memories.
MirevraSuggests a bog-dwelling spirit with a patient voice.
KessyraA bright, cutting name for a clever deceiver.
OdrissaEvokes a stern judge of infernal disputes.
VeyrathaA ceremonial name for a demon of storms and upheaval.
NimzaraSuggests a playful trickster with dangerous curiosity.
ThessuneA soft name for a voice heard in sleepless hours.
RavessaHints at a proud exile seeking a lost throne.
ZelmiraeAn elaborate name suited to a keeper of enchanted mirrors.
CaldriaSuggests a fiery presence with a controlled temper.
IstravaA resolute name for a demon who guards old roads.
VornessaEvokes a veiled noblewoman who collects secrets.
AzhmeraA flowing name for a demon of fevered visions.
DruselleSuggests a stern strategist with a taste for bargains.
MelqiraHints at a healer whose remedies carry a price.
YssavelleA courtly name for a demon who thrives on flattery.
KorvanyaEvokes a raven-associated sentinel of a haunted pass.
UlvessaSuggests a fierce shapeshifter with a wolfish bearing.
NerethineA measured name for a keeper of drowned things.
FyralithA crystalline name suggesting beauty edged with danger.
SorevynHints at a restless demon who steals moments from time.
DamarisqA mysterious name for a master of false appearances.
VelkashaSuggests a commanding presence among rival demon houses.
RhexaliaEvokes a bold rebel who mocks infernal hierarchy.
OssyraA spare name for a quiet presence among the dead.
TavressaHints at a traveling demon who leaves strange gifts.
ElnovarA poised name for a demon with shifting loyalties.
ZarqessaSuggests a brilliant schemer who turns envy to advantage.
MorthielleA mournful name for a spirit bound to a ruined chapel.

Unisex Demon names

Unisex Demon names
NameMeaning
AshenA quiet, gender-neutral name suggesting survival after ruin.
VeyrA brief, enigmatic name suited to a masked stranger.
NoxenSuggests a night-roaming demon with no fixed allegiance.
RivenA gender-neutral name hinting at a divided nature.

Demon last names

Demon last names
NameMeaning
AshveinA lineage said to endure where fires have burned out.
GrimwardA house sworn to guard a sealed threshold.
VowbreakerAn epithet earned by shattering a binding pact.
of the Hollow CrownA title for an heir to a vanished infernal court.
BlackmereA family associated with dark waters and drowned secrets.
CinderwakeAn epithet for one who leaves ruin in their path.
ThornmantleA clan name suggesting a guarded, painful reputation.
the UnwelcomedA title for an exile denied entry by every court.
DuskwroughtA lineage believed to have risen from perpetual twilight.
of Nine LocksA title for a jailer or keeper of forbidden things.
Red LedgerAn epithet for a careful collector of debts.
GravesiltA family name tied to old burial grounds.
the UnblinkingA title suggesting tireless watchfulness.
FellglassA clan known for omens glimpsed in dark mirrors.
HollowtongueAn epithet for a persuasive speaker who conceals the truth.
of the Iron ChoirA title marking service to a severe infernal order.
MourncoilA lineage associated with grief that never loosens its hold.
the SaltedAn epithet for a demon banished beyond the old boundary.
NightveinA family name suggesting a bond with darkness.
Last EmberA title for the final survivor of a fallen house.
Good to know

Demon names: frequently asked questions

What are good female demon names?

Real female figures include Lilith, Lamia and Gremory, the Goetic duke who appears as a woman. Naamah is a demon of seduction in Kabbalistic tradition. Fiction adds Daki, Upper Moon Six in Demon Slayer, and Malcanthet, Queen of the Succubi in D&D. Invented names in our list, like Mephistra and Succubria, feminize familiar demon words. Select Female in the generator for more, or build your own: Lilivane, Gremaris, Lamarith.

What are good male demon names?

From the Goetia: Bael, Paimon, Stolas, Marbas, Andras, Astaroth. From scripture and legend: Asmodeus, Belial, Azazel, Beelzebub, Mammon. From fiction: Orcus and Graz'zt in D&D, Akaza and Kokushibo in Demon Slayer. Invented names in our list, like Malakaroth and Vorgrath, take the hard consonants and -oth or -ath endings of real names. Select Male in the generator for more, each with a meaning.

Are these real demon names, and what do they mean?

Some are. Belial means 'worthlessness' in Hebrew. Azazel appears in the scapegoat ritual of Leviticus 16 and as a leader of the fallen Watchers in 1 Enoch. Astaroth is a demonized form of Astarte, a goddess of the ancient Near East. Bael, Vassago and the other 72 Goetic spirits come from The Lesser Key of Solomon. Names like Shadowmaw, Nephralak and Daemonius are invented, and their listed meanings are written for fiction.

How do I name a demon OC or a Demon Slayer-style demon?

In Demon Slayer, demons have one Japanese name, and the strongest add a rank under Muzan Kibutsuji: Upper Moon Three, Akaza; Lower Moon Five, Rui. For your OC, choose a short Japanese name and a rank, and keep the human name they had before turning as a secret to reveal later. For a Western-style demon OC, use the Goetic pattern: a two- or three-syllable name ending in -as, -on or -ius, plus a title.

Do demons have last names or titles?

Titles, almost always. The Goetia gives each spirit a noble rank and a number of legions: Duke Astaroth, Prince Stolas, Marquis Marchosias. D&D's demon lords carry domains: Demogorgon, Prince of Demons; Orcus, Demon Prince of Undeath; Yeenoghu, Lord of Gnolls. To give your demon a last name, make it a title or a place: Varpas of the Ninth Gate, Lamarith the Unwed, Vorgrath Who Rots the Wheat.

What are good demon hunter names?

Demon hunters usually get grim, practical names, the opposite of the ornate names they hunt. Illidan Stormrage, the night elf demon hunter of World of Warcraft, pairs an Elvish given name with a weather surname. Supernatural's Sam and Dean Winchester are named like ordinary men. Try a short given name and a hard surname: Mara Ashgrave, Tobias Vane, Kell Ironmark. Contrast with the demon makes both names stronger.

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