40 Hauntingly Beautiful Halloween Names Perfect For Your October Baby

This name has creepy vibes all over it. On the less nightmare-inducing side, “Annabel Lee” is a tragic poem by Edgar Allan Poe about an ill-fated romance. On the absolutely terrifying side, there’s Annabelle — a horror movie franchise about a demonic doll. Ironically, this French name means “loving.”

Although Asteria isn’t an outright Halloween name, its celestial roots make it feel appropriately dark and moody — of Greek origin, it means “star.”

This cute name for either your little boy or girl. Meaning “protection,” the name might remind you of characters from Hocus Pocus or Stranger Things.

This gender-neutral name is inspired by the adorable and smart black cat from Hocus Pocus and means “God’s gift” and “fairy elf,” which perfectly describes your magical little one.

Another gender-neutral option, Blair means “dweller on the plain.” Which is well and good, but the real appeal for fans of all things eerie is obviously the iconic 1999 “found footage” film The Blair Witch Project.

Whereas the word name Blade feels a bit too aggressive, Bladen feels cool and broody — much like the character Blade from the movie of the same name.

Your little girl is strong and vibrant, and is ready to take on the world (as soon as she’s able to walk), so why not name her after one of the best badass female heroes in TV and movie history — Buffy the Vampire Slayer? From English origin, the name means “God is my oath.”

Who doesn’t love the friendliest ghost? Not only is it a great choice for a happy baby, but Casper is the English variant of the name Caspar, meaning “wealthy man,” which can only be a great omen for his future.

Sure, Carrie is a scary movie, but the titular character has strong AF powers and the name means “free,” which are great omens for your little girl. Or, if you prefer something a bit more unique, you could pack a double-Halloween punch by choosing the name Carrigan — the villain from Casper — and just using Carrie as a nickname.

Fan of Twilight? Then why wouldn’t you want to name your baby boy after the most charming, moodiest, and romantic vampire of all time, Edward Cullen? This Irish name means “holly tree.”

Damien is the main character of the scariest movie out there, The Omen, who is the devil incarnate. OK, that’s creepy as hell, but it’s also a classical name that means “to tame” or “subdue,” if that makes you feel any better.

While this name means “right-handed,” it’s almost certainly most associated with the dark character Dexter played by Michael C. Hall on the Showtime series by the same name.

Still on the vampire train, but this time from the popular TV show, The Vampire Diaries, Elena was the popular girl who becomes a vampire and loves that fang life (while also romancing other vampires, naturally). It’s not all dark, though, since Elena also means “sun ray, shining light.”

How can such a cute name be associated with such a scary character as Freddy Kreuger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series? But Freddy still remains a timeless and popular Halloween figure — and, hey, the name also means “peaceful ruler,” which lessens the scary level.

This name of French origin, which means “oath” or “pledge,” first hit the Top 1000 names chart in 1989 — the year Stephen King’s Pet Semetary came out in theaters with the super-creepy kid Gage in it.

A perfect choice for those who loved Nicole Kidman’s character in Practical Magic — the epitome of the sexy, rebellious witch. An English name, it means “child of the gods,” which gives it that extra magical vibe.

Not only does this name come with a badass built-in nickname (Griff), but it’s also full of Halloween vibes. In mythology, it’s a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. While there are no griffins in Harry Potter, there is a hippogriff — a magical creature with the front legs, wings, and head of an eagle and the backend of a horse. Plus, “griffin” sounds like “Gryffindor.” As for the name itself, it means “strong lord.”

This gender-neutral name doesn’t have any obvious ties to Halloween, but it just sort of has that sound to it, doesn’t it? Of English origin, it means “rock hill.”

This name is derived from the gemstone jet, a dark black mineraloid, giving it a mystical vibe. And, c’mon, black is the official color of Halloween, so....

Sure, this is the name of an overly romantic character in Harry Potter. But it landed on this list because of a different movie, Practical Magic. To quote Sally Owens, “There are some things I know for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can.”

A cute feminine name that means “moon,” the big glowing rock in the sky that remains a mystical backdrop for Halloween movies and decorations, and also refers to Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series.

The name Marnie means “of the sea,” which is vibey in and of itself. But ‘90s kids will always think of Marnie as the beloved main character of the Halloweentown series.

Speaking of beloved characters, you can’t very well have a list of mystical, magical, and spooky names without including everyone’s favorite little witch: Matilda! This German name means “battle-mighty.”

A French name, Mavis means “songbird.” However, it’s also one of the best animated characters to come along in a while: the daughter of Dracula in Hotel Transylvania.

Hey, why should January, April, May, June, August, and December get all the love? This gender-neutral month name is unique and interesting.

Your telltale heart may be pulling you toward a name with deep, dark literary roots — Poe, after the iconic Edgar Allan Poe. (It’s also a solid choice if you love Star Wars since it’s the name of Oscar Isaac’s character in the new movies.) Of English origin, the name means “peacock.”

If you love Poe but the name is a little too on the nose for you, Raven — which calls to mind one of his most notable works — could be another option. Inspired by the bird, this name feels extra mystical.

If you’ve ever watched The Exorcist, you undoubtedly remember this name. In the horror novel turned film, Regan MacNeil is a 12-year-old girl who becomes possessed. Outside of that creepiness, though, it’s a cool gender-neutral name of Irish origin that means “little king.”

In Roman mythology, Remus was one-half of a set of twins famously raised by a she-wolf. And this name has another wolf connection, too — in Harry Potter, it’s the first name of the werewolf-slash-teacher Professor Lupin.

On the surface, you can’t get much sweeter than this name. Of Latin origin, it means “dew of the sea” or the herb rosemary. But one screening of the 1968 psychological horror movie Rosemary’s Baby will give you a different perspective on this charming moniker.

This Germanic gender-neutral name means “secret,” which already lends it a lot of cool cred. It feels Halloween-esque, though, if you consider runes are also divinatory symbols etched on small pieces of stone.

Sally Owens, played by Sandra Bullock, was the responsible older sister in Practical Magic who later met her one true love — who happened to be the cop who was investigating her for murder. Proving love (and magic) conquers all, and since Sally means “princess,” well, whatever she wants, your little girl will get.

If you find this name bewitching, well, that tracks. In addition to being a river goddess in Celtic mythology, Sabrina is the name of the beguiling young witch made popular in shows like Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (the latter far darker than the first).

No Halloween name list would be complete without the name Salem, the location of the biggest witch hunt in history, as well as the name of the black cat in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It’s a traditional name for your little girl and boy, and maybe ironically means “peaceful, safe, and complete.”

Samara is a beautiful name, for sure — of Hebrew origin, it means “under God’s rule” or “companion in night conversation.” However, it also calls to mind the vengeful girl spirit in the Ring movies.

You can’t get much more classic Halloween movie-watching than Halloweentown, and Silas Sinister is a warlock in the beloved film. This name of Latin origin means “wood, forest.”

Although this girl’s name has an innocent-sounding meaning — “lily” — it’s popularly associated with the character Sookie Stackhouse in HBO’s vampire series True Blood.

For starters, this name means “conqueror,” and who wouldn’t love that? But also, it’s the first name of Dr. Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel — aka the scientist who brings the monster to life.

Something tells us this day-of-the-week name is going to see a spike in popularity very soon, thanks to Tim Burton’s Addams Family Netflix spinoff by that very name. Fun fact? Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint chose the moniker in 2020 for his daughter.

You can look at this name through two Halloween-y lenses. It’s the name of the title character from the classic Nintendo game Legend of Zelda, which remains a popular costume/cosplay. It’s also the name of one of Sabrina’s aunts in Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.