200+ Mysterious Names That Mean Night: Celestial, Dark, and Enchanting

Night has inspired poets, musicians, and parents for centuries. If you love its quiet mystery, this collection of names that mean night will give you plenty of ideas. From ancient goddesses to modern favorites, every name carries a story worth exploring.

Browse by style, culture, or meaning, and find a name that feels like moonlight and stars. Whether you are naming a baby, a character, or a pet, your match may be waiting here.

The Benefits of Choosing Names That Mean Night

• Rich symbolism: Night stands for rest, dreams, mystery, and quiet reflection, so these names carry a calm, poetic mood.
• Strong storytelling: Many night names come from myths, poems, and sacred texts, giving your choice a story to tell.
• Personal expression: A night-themed name can reflect a love of stars, the moon, music, or late-evening calm.
• Cultural connection: Cultures around the world have their own words for night, which lets you honor a heritage or a language you admire.
• Creative flexibility: These names suit babies, fictional characters, gaming profiles, pen names, and pets.
• Memorable sound: Many night names are short, soft, and distinctive, which makes them easy to remember.

Each Letter Analysis of the Word “Night”

These associations are symbolic and creative, not factual or scientifically proven.

• N – Nurture: Night gives the world time to rest and recover.
• I – Imagination: Dreams and stargazing invite creative thinking.
• G – Glow: The moon and stars shine brightest in the dark.
• H – Hope: Every night carries the promise of a new dawn.
• T – Tranquility: The hush of night brings a sense of calm.

Explore our collection of Names That Mean Moon for mystical, magical, and ethereal names inspired by lunar beauty, celestial wonder, and the enchanting glow of moonlight.

Creative Names That Mean Night

1. Nocturne

• Meaning: Night-inspired piece of music
• Pronunciation: NOK-turn
• Origin: French, from Latin nocturnus
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Composers like John Field and Chopin made nocturnes famous.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

2. Midnight

• Meaning: Middle of the night
• Pronunciation: MID-nite
• Origin: English
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Many traditions treat midnight as the day’s turning point.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 12 (symbolic)

3. Nightshade

• Meaning: Plant family known for dark berries and night folklore
• Pronunciation: NITE-shade
• Origin: English; exact naming origin is uncertain
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Appears in herbal history and folklore.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

4. Noctua

• Meaning: Night owl
• Pronunciation: nok-TOO-ah
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: The little owl, Athene noctua, symbolized Athena in ancient Greece.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

5. Nighthawk

• Meaning: Bird that hunts at dusk and night
• Pronunciation: NITE-hawk
• Origin: English
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Names a North American bird known for evening flight.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

6. Nightfall

• Meaning: Arrival of night
• Pronunciation: NITE-fall
• Origin: English
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: A long-standing poetic word for dusk turning to dark.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

Cute Girl Names That Mean Night

1. Leila

• Meaning: Night; dark beauty
• Pronunciation: LAY-lah
• Origin: Arabic and Persian
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Heroine of the classic love story Layla and Majnun.
• Popularity: Familiar worldwide
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

2. Nisha

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NEE-shah
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Nisha is a classical Sanskrit word for night.
• Popularity: Familiar in India
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

3. Yamini

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: YAH-mee-nee
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Bharatanatyam dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy made the name well known.
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

4. Rajani

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: RAH-jah-nee
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: A classical Sanskrit word for night found in Indian poetry.
• Popularity: Familiar in India
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

5. Lilah

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: LEE-lah
• Origin: Hebrew, a variant of Laila
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Modern spelling of the Hebrew word for night.
• Popularity: Increasingly familiar
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

6. Nishi

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NEE-shee
• Origin: Sanskrit (also a separate Japanese word meaning “west”)
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: A Sanskrit poetic term for night.
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

Best Boy Names That Mean Night

1. Nishit

• Meaning: Midnight
• Pronunciation: NEE-shit
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Sanskrit nishitha means midnight, a time marked in some Hindu observances.
• Popularity: Used occasionally in India
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

2. Rajnish

• Meaning: Lord of the night (the moon)
• Pronunciation: RAJ-neesh
• Origin: Sanskrit and Hindi
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Spiritual teacher Osho was once known as Rajneesh.
• Popularity: Familiar in India
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

3. Nishikant

• Meaning: Beloved of the night; the moon
• Pronunciation: NEE-shee-kunt
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: A Sanskrit compound that poetically links the moon with night.
• Popularity: Uncommon
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

4. Noctis

• Meaning: Of the night
• Pronunciation: NOK-tiss
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Form of nox that appears in classical Latin phrases.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

5. Shyam

• Meaning: Dark, like the night sky
• Pronunciation: SHYAHM
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: A well-known epithet of Krishna, described as dark-hued.
• Popularity: Familiar in India
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

6. Tariq

• Meaning: Night visitor; morning star
• Pronunciation: TAH-rik
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Tariq ibn Ziyad led the Muslim army into Iberia in 711.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

Cool Baby Names That Mean Night

1. Nyx

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NIX
• Origin: Greek
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Primordial goddess of night in Greek myth.
• Popularity: Rare but rising
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

2. Dusk

• Meaning: Twilight before night
• Pronunciation: DUSK
• Origin: English
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Poets use dusk as the doorway to night.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

3. Eventide

• Meaning: Evening leading into night
• Pronunciation: EE-ven-tide
• Origin: English
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Famous as the tune name for the hymn “Abide with Me.”
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

4. Gloaming

• Meaning: Twilight, just before night
• Pronunciation: GLOH-ming
• Origin: Scots and English
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: A beloved word in Scottish songs and poetry.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

5. Noir

• Meaning: Black; the mood of night
• Pronunciation: NWAHR
• Origin: French
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: French critics coined “film noir” for dark, nighttime-style crime movies.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

6. Onyx

• Meaning: Black gemstone that evokes night
• Pronunciation: ON-iks
• Origin: Greek, via Latin
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Ancient Romans carved onyx into cameos and seals.
• Popularity: Used occasionally, rising
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

Last Names That Mean Night

1. Nightingale

• Meaning: Bird that sings at night
• Pronunciation: NYE-ting-gale
• Origin: English
• Gender: Surname (any gender)
• Historical Significance: Florence Nightingale founded modern nursing.
• Popularity: Familiar surname
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

2. Nachtigal

• Meaning: Nightingale
• Pronunciation: NAKH-tee-gahl
• Origin: German
• Gender: Surname (any gender)
• Historical Significance: German explorer Gustav Nachtigal traveled widely across Africa.
• Popularity: Uncommon
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

3. Minuit

• Meaning: Midnight
• Pronunciation: mee-NWEE
• Origin: French
• Gender: Surname (any gender)
• Historical Significance: Peter Minuit led the Dutch colony of New Netherland in the 1620s.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 12 (symbolic)

4. Mezzanotte

• Meaning: Midnight
• Pronunciation: met-sah-NOT-tay
• Origin: Italian; reason for the surname’s origin is uncertain
• Gender: Surname (any gender)
• Historical Significance: Likely began as a nickname linked to the word for midnight.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

5. Mitternacht

• Meaning: Midnight
• Pronunciation: MIT-er-nakht
• Origin: German
• Gender: Surname (any gender)
• Historical Significance: Built from German words for “middle” and “night.”
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

6. Nachtsheim

• Meaning: Probably “night” plus “home”; origin debated
• Pronunciation: NAKHTS-hime
• Origin: German
• Gender: Surname (any gender)
• Historical Significance: Likely a place-based name; exact origin is uncertain.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

Mythical Names That Mean Night

1. Nótt

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NOTT
• Origin: Old Norse
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Norse personification of night who rides a horse across the sky.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

2. Ratri

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: RAH-tree
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Honored as night personified in a hymn from the Rigveda.
• Popularity: Rare outside India
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

3. Kalaratri

• Meaning: Dark night
• Pronunciation: KAH-lah-RAH-tree
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: A form of the goddess Durga worshipped during Navaratri.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

4. Tsukuyomi

• Meaning: Moon-reading; Shinto moon and night deity
• Pronunciation: tsoo-koo-YOH-mee
• Origin: Japanese
• Gender: Male (traditionally)
• Historical Significance: Appears in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki as Amaterasu’s brother.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

5. Noctiluca

• Meaning: Shining by night
• Pronunciation: nok-tee-LOO-kah
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: An epithet of the Roman moon goddess, as in “Diana Noctiluca.”
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

6. Máni

• Meaning: Moon
• Pronunciation: MAH-nee
• Origin: Old Norse
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Norse moon figure who guides the moon across the night sky.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

Arabic Origin Names That Mean Night

1. Layla

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: LAY-lah
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Heroine of the famous tale of Layla and Majnun.
• Popularity: Familiar worldwide
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

2. Layali

• Meaning: Nights
• Pronunciation: lah-YAH-lee
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Plural of layl, common in Arabic poetry and songs.
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

3. Duja

• Meaning: Darkness of the night
• Pronunciation: DOO-jah
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: A classical Arabic word for the dark of night.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

4. Saja

• Meaning: Calm, still night
• Pronunciation: SAH-jah
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: The related verb appears in Quran 93:2, describing a calm night.
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

5. Sahar

• Meaning: Late night just before dawn
• Pronunciation: SAH-har
• Origin: Arabic (a Hebrew word with a different meaning also exists)
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: The pre-dawn hours hold special meaning in Ramadan.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

6. Qamar

• Meaning: Moon, light of the night sky
• Pronunciation: KAH-mar
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Quran chapter 54 is named Al-Qamar.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

Scottish Origin Names That Mean Night

These Gaelic names mean “dark” or “night,” which fits the mood of the keyword.

1. Dougal

• Meaning: Dark stranger
• Pronunciation: DOO-gul
• Origin: Scottish Gaelic Dùghall
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Originally a name for dark-haired foreigners, such as Vikings.
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

2. Duff

• Meaning: Dark, black
• Pronunciation: DUFF
• Origin: Scottish Gaelic dubh
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Borne by early Scottish kings and later clan names.
• Popularity: Uncommon
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

3. Keir

• Meaning: Dark, dusky
• Pronunciation: KEER
• Origin: Scottish Gaelic ciar; origin sometimes debated
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Used as both a Scottish surname and given name.
• Popularity: Familiar in Scotland
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

4. Dorcha

• Meaning: Dark
• Pronunciation: DOR-uh-kha
• Origin: Gaelic
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: A Gaelic word for dark, mostly used poetically.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

5. Gealach

• Meaning: Moon
• Pronunciation: GYAL-ukh
• Origin: Scottish Gaelic
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: The moon features in Gaelic songs and folklore.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

6. Oidhche

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: OY-chuh (approximate)
• Origin: Scottish Gaelic
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Everyday Gaelic word for night, as in “oidhche mhath,” good night.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

Irish Origin Names That Mean Night

These Irish names mean “dark,” which suits the night theme.

1. Ciara

• Meaning: Dark one
• Pronunciation: KEER-ah
• Origin: Irish
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Linked to Irish saints and spread worldwide in the 20th century.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

2. Ciarán

• Meaning: Little dark one
• Pronunciation: KEER-awn
• Origin: Irish
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Saint Ciarán founded the monastery of Clonmacnoise around 544.
• Popularity: Familiar in Ireland
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

3. Duane

• Meaning: Little dark one
• Pronunciation: DWAYN
• Origin: Irish Dubhán
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Anglicized form of an old Irish name and surname.
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

4. Doyle

• Meaning: Dark foreigner
• Pronunciation: DOYL
• Origin: Irish Ó Dubhghaill
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: A common Irish surname, also used as a given name.
• Popularity: Familiar surname
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

5. Dowling

• Meaning: Dark; from a “dark challenger” ancestor
• Pronunciation: DOW-ling
• Origin: Irish
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: An old Irish surname with Gaelic roots.
• Popularity: Uncommon
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

6. Kerry

• Meaning: Descendants of Ciar, “the dark one”
• Pronunciation: KEH-ree
• Origin: Irish, from Ciarraí
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Names County Kerry, taken from an ancient tribe.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

Hebrew Origin Names That Mean Night

1. Lailah

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: LAY-lah
• Origin: Hebrew
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: In Jewish folklore, Lailah is an angel of night.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

2. Lilith

• Meaning: Night-linked figure; origin debated
• Pronunciation: LIL-ith
• Origin: Mesopotamian roots, later Hebrew folklore
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Mentioned ambiguously in Isaiah 34:14; later folklore linked her to night.
• Popularity: Uncommon
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

3. Layil

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: LAH-yil
• Origin: Biblical Hebrew
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: The Genesis creation story uses this word for night.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

4. Levana

• Meaning: Moon, light of the night sky
• Pronunciation: leh-VAH-nah
• Origin: Hebrew
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: The Kiddush Levana prayer blesses the new moon.
• Popularity: Familiar in Israel
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

5. Ashmoret

• Meaning: Night watch
• Pronunciation: ash-MOR-et
• Origin: Hebrew
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Biblical Psalms mention the “watches of the night.”
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

6. Leil

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: LAYL
• Origin: Hebrew
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Appears in phrases like “Leil Shabbat,” meaning Sabbath night.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

Polish Origin Names That Mean Night

Few Polish given names mean “night” directly, so this list includes surnames and words tied to night.

1. Mroczek

• Meaning: From mrok, gloom or twilight
• Pronunciation: MROH-chek
• Origin: Polish
• Gender: Surname (mostly male)
• Historical Significance: Polish surname built from a word for dusk and shadow.
• Popularity: Familiar surname
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

2. Słowik

• Meaning: Nightingale
• Pronunciation: SWOH-veek
• Origin: Polish
• Gender: Surname (any gender)
• Historical Significance: The nightingale is a classic poetic bird of the night.
• Popularity: Familiar surname
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

3. Sowa

• Meaning: Owl
• Pronunciation: SOH-vah
• Origin: Polish
• Gender: Surname (any gender)
• Historical Significance: Owls are famous night hunters.
• Popularity: Familiar surname
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

4. Nokturn

• Meaning: Nocturne
• Pronunciation: NOK-toorn
• Origin: Polish
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Chopin’s nocturnes link Polish music with night imagery.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

5. Zmrok

• Meaning: Dusk
• Pronunciation: ZMROK
• Origin: Polish
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: A poetic word for fading light; mostly not a given name.
• Popularity: Very rare
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

6. Ciemny

• Meaning: Dark
• Pronunciation: CHEM-nee
• Origin: Polish
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Used as a descriptive nickname in older Polish naming.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

Italian Origin Names That Mean Night

1. Notte

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NOT-teh
• Origin: Italian
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Michelangelo’s sculpture La Notte adorns the Medici Chapel.
• Popularity: Very rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

2. Notturno

• Meaning: Nocturne, nocturnal
• Pronunciation: noht-TOOR-noh
• Origin: Italian
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: The Italian term behind the musical nocturne.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

3. Notturna

• Meaning: Nocturnal (feminine)
• Pronunciation: noht-TOOR-nah
• Origin: Italian
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Used poetically in Italian for things belonging to the night.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

4. Sera

• Meaning: Evening
• Pronunciation: SEH-rah
• Origin: Italian
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Appears in the greeting buonasera, used as night approaches.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

5. Vespero

• Meaning: Evening star
• Pronunciation: VEH-speh-roh
• Origin: Italian, from Latin vesper
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Italian form of a Latin term for the evening star.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

6. Stella

• Meaning: Star, jewel of the night sky
• Pronunciation: STEL-lah
• Origin: Italian, from Latin
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Used in Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnets Astrophel and Stella.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

Native American Names That Mean Night

Native American cultures have many distinct languages, so each name below lists its specific origin.

1. Hanhepi

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: HAHN-heh-pee
• Origin: Lakota
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: The Lakota word for night, also part of their word for moon.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

2. Hanwi

• Meaning: Night sun; the moon
• Pronunciation: HAHN-wee
• Origin: Lakota
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Names the moon in Lakota tradition.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

3. Yoalli

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: yoh-AH-lee
• Origin: Nahuatl
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Night held a major place in Aztec religion and mythology.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

4. Killa

• Meaning: Moon
• Pronunciation: KEE-yah
• Origin: Quechua
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Mama Killa was the Inca moon goddess.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

5. Chaska

• Meaning: Star, dawn and evening star
• Pronunciation: CHAS-kah
• Origin: Quechua (Dakota Chaske has a different meaning)
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Linked to Venus in Inca belief.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

6. Tipiskaw

• Meaning: It is night
• Pronunciation: tih-pis-KOW (approximate)
• Origin: Plains Cree
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: A Cree word for night; rarely used as a given name.
• Popularity: Very rare
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

Greek Origin Names That Mean Night

The goddess Nyx is a good starting point; the Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on Nyx explains her role in Greek mythology.

1. Nykteus

• Meaning: Of the night
• Pronunciation: NIK-tyoos
• Origin: Greek
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: A mythical king of Thebes and father of Antiope.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

2. Nyctimene

• Meaning: Linked to night; commonly tied to nyx
• Pronunciation: nik-TIM-eh-nee
• Origin: Greek
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: In Ovid’s tale, she became an owl that avoids daylight.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

3. Asteria

• Meaning: Starry
• Pronunciation: as-TEER-ee-ah
• Origin: Greek
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Titaness of falling stars and night oracles.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

4. Hecate

• Meaning: Uncertain; linked to night, magic, and crossroads
• Pronunciation: HEK-uh-tee
• Origin: Greek; meaning debated
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Greek goddess tied to night, witchcraft, and thresholds.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

5. Erebus

• Meaning: Darkness
• Pronunciation: ER-eh-bus
• Origin: Greek
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Primordial god of darkness in Hesiod’s Theogony.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

6. Selene

• Meaning: Moon
• Pronunciation: seh-LEE-nee
• Origin: Greek
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Moon goddess who drove her chariot across the night sky.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

European Names That Mean Night

1. Noite

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NOY-tee
• Origin: Portuguese
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Everyday Portuguese word for night, appearing in many song and book titles.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

2. Seren

• Meaning: Star
• Pronunciation: SEH-ren
• Origin: Welsh
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Welsh word for star, now a popular modern name.
• Popularity: Familiar in Wales
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

3. Ilargi

• Meaning: Moon
• Pronunciation: ee-LAR-gee
• Origin: Basque
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: The Basque word for moon, found in Basque folklore.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

4. Zoryana

• Meaning: Starry, bright as a star
• Pronunciation: zor-YAH-nah
• Origin: Ukrainian
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Built on Slavic zorya, linked to stars and light.
• Popularity: Familiar in Ukraine
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

5. Nacht

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NAKHT
• Origin: German
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Part of the carol “Stille Nacht,” composed in 1818.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

6. Natt

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NAHT
• Origin: Swedish and Norwegian
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Descends from the Old Norse word nótt.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

Spiritual Names That Mean Night

1. Isra

• Meaning: Night journey
• Pronunciation: IZ-rah
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Quran chapter 17 recounts the Prophet Muhammad’s night journey.
• Popularity: Familiar in Muslim communities
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

2. Qadr

• Meaning: Power, decree (as in Night of Power)
• Pronunciation: KAH-dr
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Laylat al-Qadr is a sacred night in Islam.
• Popularity: Rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

3. Raina

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: RAY-nah
• Origin: Hindi; the name has other unrelated meanings elsewhere
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Appears as a word for night in older Hindi poetry.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

4. Isha

• Meaning: Night prayer; evening
• Pronunciation: EE-shah
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Names one of the five daily Muslim prayers, offered after dusk.
• Popularity: Familiar in South Asia
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

5. Miraj

• Meaning: Ascent
• Pronunciation: mee-RAHJ
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Marks the ascension that followed the Prophet’s Night Journey.
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

6. Sari

• Meaning: Night traveler
• Pronunciation: SAH-ree
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Male (sometimes unisex)
• Historical Significance: Linked to the Arabic root for traveling at night.
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

Japanese Origin Names That Mean Night

Meanings of Japanese names depend on the kanji used. Meanings below assume the kanji noted.

1. Sayo

• Meaning: Little night (小夜)
• Pronunciation: SAH-yoh
• Origin: Japanese
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: The kanji 小夜 appears in classical poetry, such as Sayo no Nakayama.
• Popularity: Familiar in Japan
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

2. Sayoko

• Meaning: Child of the little night (小夜子)
• Pronunciation: sah-YOH-koh
• Origin: Japanese
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: A traditional feminine name format using the -ko ending, meaning “child.”
• Popularity: Used occasionally
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

3. Tsukiyo

• Meaning: Moonlit night (月夜)
• Pronunciation: tsoo-kee-YOH
• Origin: Japanese
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Moonlit nights are a classic image in Japanese poetry.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

4. Yozora

• Meaning: Night sky (夜空)
• Pronunciation: yoh-ZOH-rah
• Origin: Japanese
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: A common poetic word, occasionally used as a modern name.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

5. Seiya

• Meaning: Starry night (星夜)
• Pronunciation: SAY-yah
• Origin: Japanese
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Can be written with other kanji too; also a famous anime character name.
• Popularity: Familiar in Japan
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

6. Yami

• Meaning: Darkness (闇)
• Pronunciation: YAH-mee
• Origin: Japanese
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: A common word in Japanese literature for darkness.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

Unisex Names That Mean Night

1. Yoru

• Meaning: Night (夜)
• Pronunciation: YOH-roo
• Origin: Japanese
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: The standard Japanese word for night, used in many poems.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

2. Vesper

• Meaning: Evening, evening star
• Pronunciation: VES-per
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Vespers is the traditional evening church service.
• Popularity: Increasingly familiar
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

3. Nuit

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NWEE
• Origin: French
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Alfred de Musset wrote the poem cycle Les Nuits in the 1830s.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

4. Layl

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: LAYL
• Origin: Arabic
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Quran chapter 92 is titled Al-Layl, “The Night.”
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

5. Shab

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: SHAHB
• Origin: Persian
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Shab-e Yalda celebrates the longest night of the year in Persian tradition.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

6. Raat

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: RAHT
• Origin: Hindi
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: An everyday Hindi word for night.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

African Names That Mean Night

Africa has thousands of languages, so each word below names its specific language. Most are everyday words used only rarely as given names.

1. Usiku

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: oo-SEE-koo
• Origin: Swahili
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: The standard Swahili word for night.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

2. Ubusuku

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: oo-boo-SOO-koo
• Origin: Zulu and Xhosa
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Common word in southern African languages and songs.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

3. Anadwo

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: ah-NAH-jwo
• Origin: Akan (Ghana)
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: The Akan word for night; Akan names more often follow birth-day traditions.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

4. Habeen

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: hah-BEEN
• Origin: Somali
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Somali poetry often features night imagery.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

5. Lelit

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: leh-LEET
• Origin: Amharic (Ethiopia)
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: A literary word for night in Amharic.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

6. Halkan

• Meaning: Night, tonight
• Pronunciation: HAL-kahn
• Origin: Oromo (Ethiopia and Kenya)
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Common everyday word in Afaan Oromo.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

Egyptian Names That Mean Night

These names come from ancient Egyptian deities linked to the night sky, darkness, and the moon.

1. Nut

• Meaning: Sky
• Pronunciation: NOOT
• Origin: Ancient Egyptian
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Sky goddess whose star-covered body arches over the night.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

2. Khonsu

• Meaning: Traveler
• Pronunciation: KHON-soo
• Origin: Ancient Egyptian
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Moon god who journeys across the night sky.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

3. Nephthys

• Meaning: Lady of the house
• Pronunciation: NEF-this
• Origin: Greek form of an Egyptian name
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Goddess associated with dusk, mourning, and protection of the dead.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

4. Kauket

• Meaning: Darkness
• Pronunciation: KOW-ket
• Origin: Ancient Egyptian
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Goddess of primordial darkness in Egyptian creation myths.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

5. Kek

• Meaning: Darkness
• Pronunciation: KEK
• Origin: Ancient Egyptian
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Male counterpart of Kauket, a god of primordial darkness.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 8 (symbolic)

6. Iah

• Meaning: Moon
• Pronunciation: EE-ah
• Origin: Ancient Egyptian
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Ancient Egyptian moon god, later blended with Thoth and Khonsu.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 3 (symbolic)

Roman Names That Mean Night

1. Nox

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NOKS
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Roman goddess of night, equal to the Greek Nyx.
• Popularity: Rare but rising
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

2. Nocturnus

• Meaning: Of the night
• Pronunciation: nok-TUR-nus
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Source of the English word “nocturnal.”
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

3. Nocturna

• Meaning: Of the night (feminine)
• Pronunciation: nok-TUR-nah
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Feminine Latin form, used poetically.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 6 (symbolic)

4. Somnus

• Meaning: Sleep
• Pronunciation: SOM-nus
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Roman god of sleep, son of Nox.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

5. Tenebrae

• Meaning: Darkness
• Pronunciation: TEN-eh-bry
• Origin: Latin
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Names a Holy Week service held in near-darkness.
• Popularity: Rare; mostly a word
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

6. Hesperus

• Meaning: Evening star
• Pronunciation: HES-per-us
• Origin: Latin, from Greek
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Roman name for Venus at dusk, as in Longfellow’s “The Wreck of the Hesperus.”
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

Spanish Origin Names That Mean Night

1. Medianoche

• Meaning: Midnight
• Pronunciation: meh-dyah-NO-cheh
• Origin: Spanish
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Everyday word for midnight, occasionally used creatively.
• Popularity: Very rare as a name
• Lucky Number: 4 (symbolic)

2. Noche

• Meaning: Night
• Pronunciation: NO-cheh
• Origin: Spanish
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Appears in traditions such as Nochebuena, Christmas Eve.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 7 (symbolic)

3. Luna

• Meaning: Moon
• Pronunciation: LOO-nah
• Origin: Spanish, from Latin
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Named for the Roman moon goddess.
• Popularity: Familiar and rising
• Lucky Number: 2 (symbolic)

4. Estrella

• Meaning: Star
• Pronunciation: es-TREH-yah
• Origin: Spanish, from Latin stella
• Gender: Female
• Historical Significance: Widely used across the Spanish-speaking world.
• Popularity: Familiar
• Lucky Number: 1 (symbolic)

5. Lucero

• Meaning: Bright star, morning or evening star
• Pronunciation: loo-SEH-roh
• Origin: Spanish
• Gender: Unisex
• Historical Significance: Traditionally linked to Venus shining at dusk and dawn.
• Popularity: Familiar in Mexico
• Lucky Number: 5 (symbolic)

6. Sereno

• Meaning: Night watchman; calm night air
• Pronunciation: seh-REH-noh
• Origin: Spanish
• Gender: Male
• Historical Significance: Spanish cities once employed serenos to guard streets at night.
• Popularity: Rare
• Lucky Number: 9 (symbolic)

Conclusion

Night offers a rich world of names, from ancient goddesses like Nyx to soft modern favorites like Layla and Luna. Choosing a name that means night can add symbolism, story, and a touch of mystery to a baby, a character, or a creative project. Browse the list, say the names aloud, and pick the one that fits your style, your heritage, and the meaning you value most.