Names That Mean Death

Ukrainian goddess known to be a temptress spirit. The Mavka is a long-haired figure said to lure men to their deaths

This unisex name ranks among the most popular girl names in Norway, though it has a number of different roots.

York is one of those names that's always been around but has never gone anywhere. There are records of baby Yorks born in 1880, yet since then it has never been given to more than 20 children in a single year. York has only ever charted as a girl name twice: in 2018, when it was given to five baby girls, and in 2020 to six girls.

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

Manius is one of the lesser-used Roman forenames, far less popular than Lucius, Marcus et al, both in ancient times and today. Its meaning is actually uncertain: another possible origin is from manes, deities of the underworld.

When ordering a baby name, hold the mayo.

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.

One mythological name not used for modern babies, Thanatos is the Greek personification of peaceful death.

Valkyrja is the Old Norse word from which "valkyrie" is derived. In Norse mythology, a valkyrja (or valkyrie) would choose the men who would die in combat. The valkyries (who were always female) would bring the men they had chosen to Odin in Valhalla — the hall of the slain — where they would prepare for the battles of Rangarök.

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

The sacred giant tree Yggdrasil or Yggdrasill in Norse mythology is a world tree which supports all else in the universe, including the many different realms. It is said that Odin once hanged himself from the tree as a sacrifice to gain wisdom, which may be where the name comes from – traditionally, gallows were known as the "dead man's horse".

Hypnos is the personification of sleep in Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, Tartarus rules over the depths of the underworld. Probably not the best role model for a little boy.

A Ukrainian spirit of mining — usually good, but occasionally wicked. Legends have different stories of the origin of Shubin, some citing him as the ghost of a dead miner, others a mining master from the 19th century who had a gift for predicting collapses.

In Yoruba mythology from Nigeria, Yewa is a goddess of virginity and death, said to reside in a graveyard.

Allani, also known as Allatu, was a Hurrian goddess of the underworld worshipped in the Middle East historically. Allani was associated with the determination of fate.

Yes, Yew is a tree name, but it's similarity to "you" makes it a potentially problematic choice as a first name.