Are you looking for a suitably mysterious name for your pooch that expresses your love of all things gothic, mysterious, or just plain weird? Then you’re in luck! We’ve trawled through the depths of mythology, folklore, legend, and popular culture to conjure a long list of deliciously dark demon dog names for you to choose from.
Choosing the right name for your dog can be a tricky thing. It has to be something that fits, something you feel comfortable with. You might want to capture an aspect of your dog’s personality or perhaps allude to their color, size, or a character quirk.
Your furry friend doesn’t necessarily have to be an evil dog to have a cool name from this list. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you are an evil person either, you just have an interest in folklore and mythology, or you want to be different, and, in our opinion, that makes you rather special (and a little bit cool). You might be one of those people who doesn’t look out of place at Halloween, even though you haven’t dressed up. If so, this is going to be your kind of article!
So, let’s draw back the veil that separates our world from the surreal realm of demon dog names and enter if you dare…
Names For Demon Dogs From English Folklore
The black dog features in myth and legend across the globe, but nowhere as prolifically as in English folklore. In fact, sightings continue to this day (although some are believed to be escaped big cats), adding to the mystery and keeping the tales alive.
The black dog has long been regarded as an omen, usually of some calamity or misfortune that would befall anyone who spotted it. They are very large (often described as being the size of a horse) and have red eyes. Names vary by region, but they strike terror in the hearts of mortal folk wherever they are spotted.
Bram Stoker included this trope in his classic horror tale, Dracula, describing how the infamous vampire came ashore at Whitby as an immense hound, the only survivor of the ill-fated Demeter.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also played with this theme to good effect in his haunting classic, The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Now, we’re far too enlightened and sophisticated to believe that black dogs are harbingers of doom, but we do love those spooky tales. So, how about some demon dog names associated with a hellhound from English folklore?
Black Shuck
This name is derived from the Old English scucca, meaning devil. Black Shuck, also known as Old Shuck, haunted the eastern side of England, around Norfolk, Suffolk, and parts of Lincolnshire and Essex.
The first written record of this Hellhound goes back as far as 1127, soon after Abbot Henry of Poitou arrived at Peterborough Abbey. Witnesses described an ungodly wild hunt making its way through the nearby deer park:
“The huntsmen were black, huge and hideous, and rode on black horses and on black he-goats, and their hounds were jet black with eyes like saucers and horrible. This was seen in the very deer park of the town of Peterborough and in all the woods that stretch from that same town to Stamford, and in the night, the monks heard them sounding and winding their horns.”
Scary stuff. If that wasn’t enough, in 1577, Old Shuck terrorized two village churches, one in Bungay and another twelve miles away in Blythburgh, where it killed a total of four people in front of terrified witnesses inside the churches.
Similar stories abound in other regions over the centuries, although locals know the devil dog by different names, such as:
• Barghest
• Swooning Shadow
• Hairy Jack
• Gytrash (pronounced guy-trash)
• Shagfoal
• Grim
• Padfoot
• Freybug
• Skriker (or Shrieker)
• Striker
• Moddey Dhoo (from the Isle of Man, the original spelling is Mauthe Dhoog)
However, England doesn’t have a monopoly on supernatural dogs of a dark hue, and you’ll find others around the world, such as Cadejo in Central America, the Perro Negro (Spanish for black dog), and Nahual, Huay Chivo, Huay Pek from Mexico.
Hundreds of other examples just call these ‘the black dog of….’ and state the place where the haunting happened, which doesn’t help us with demon dog names at all!
England’s close neighbors in Wales have their own Celtic version of the black dog legends in Cŵn Annwn and Gwyllgi.
We guessed that you might need a hand with the pronunciation of these two, so here goes:
The first is best said Koon-Annun, with the ‘un’ at the end spoken as a short ‘oon,’ while the second name takes a bit of tongue-twisting to get it right. Unless you’re a native Welsh speaker, the best you can hope for is something like Gwylshgi.
Demon Dog Names From Fiction
As we’ve seen, some authors are inspired by legend and folklore, including gigantic, scary, or evil dogs in their work. Some use familiar names, while others invent their own.
We’ve mentioned Grim and Padfoot above, and Harry Potter fans may recognize these from the popular book and movie series by J.K. Rowling. The author also includes Cerberus*, the three-headed Hellhound that guards the gates to Hades. Both of these make great names for your pooch.
(*In J.K. Rowling’s work, this colossal guard dog is called Fluffy for comic effect!)
Let’s look at some other demon dog names from the world of books, film, and TV.
• Carcharoth – a werewolf from Lord of the Rings.
• Cujo – the eponymous dog from Stephen King’s beastly thriller.
• Maugrim – a wolf, captain of the White Witch’s secret police in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
• Warg – a type of wolf from Lord of the Rings.
• Kazak – from the Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut.
• Fenrir/Fenris – son of Loki and Angerboda, from the epic Old English poem, Beowulf.
• Fang – Hagrid’s dog in the Harry Potter series
• Nanook – the Husky/Malamute dog from the cult vampire movie The Lost Boys.
• Thorn – another dog from Lost Boys, this time a white German Shepherd.
• Ghost – Jon Snow’s DireWolf in Game of Thrones.
• Argos – loyal hound of Odysseus from Homer’s Odyssey.
Admittedly, not all of these dogs have gone to the dark side, as such, but they all have an air of macabre mystery about them!
What they also have in common, as with the previous section, is that they are all dogs of some kind. In the following sections, we’ll broaden our scope to include all kinds of weird and wonderful names that might suit your twisted tastes.
Female Demon Dog Names
Is your female dog a badass? How about a demon dog name taken from Egyptian or Greek mythology?
It doesn’t matter if she’s a Great Dane or a Chihuahua, these names are seriously wicked, in more ways than one!
• Lilith – depicted in Sumerian and Akkadian mythology, as well as the Christian tradition and even Jewish folklore, she is one feisty female. She’s sometimes said to be Adam’s first wife before Eve came along. In other tales, she is the first witch, representing the dark side of the feminine. Her name is thought to translate as Night Monster, ideal for your bewitching fur baby!
• Medusa – not a demon, but definitely not a girl to mess with. Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters. She is a tragic figure (check out how she became a monster!) as she was once beautiful but ended up with the ultimate bad-hair day. If the venomous snakes that took the place of her hair weren’t enough to send you scurrying away, you’d be turned to stone if you looked into those glaring eyes.
• Rusalka – we delve into Slavic folklore for this one. This is a female entity associated with water. Across all of Europe, wells, rivers, and lakes were thought to have water spirits. Some rivers (like the Seine) even take their names from the god/goddess/genius loci that dwell there. The Rusalka was often malicious toward humans, using her looks or her sweet voice to lure unsuspecting young men to their doom in the murky depths.
• Nixie – staying with Europe and water spirits, you can find various spellings of Nixie or Nixe all referring to wily mermaids who performed a similar role to the Rusalka.
• Nimue – pronounced Nim-oo-ay, this name appears in Arthurian tales in many different forms, including Vivien or Niniane! Nimue’s role changes in different tales, sometimes as the Lady of the Lake, sometimes as Merlin’s nemesis.
• Hecate – also spelled Hekate (and pronounced Heck-at-ay), she is the Greek goddess of magic, witchcraft, the moon, necromancy, and ghosts, so she’s not someone you want to upset.
• Pandora – the first woman in Greek mythology, we have Pandora to blame for all the ills in the earth, all because she couldn’t resist opening that stupid box!
Aurora – the Roman goddess of dawn. She isn’t demonic in any way, but it’s a cool name!
• Artemis – Greek goddess of the moon (which she presumably shares with Hekate), the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, and chastity. In the Roman pantheon, she is known as Diana.
• Athena – Greek virgin goddess of war and wisdom, but also, somehow, of peace and handicrafts!
• Nyx – the female personification of night and daughter of Chaos. Even Zeus himself didn’t mess with this one.
• Echo – a tragic nymph of Greek myth, whose only crime was talking too much. Zeus employed her to chat to Hera while he had affairs. Hera found out and cursed her so that she could only repeat what other people said. Eventually, she faded to nothing except her voice.
There are many more great names for girl dogs, but these captured our imagination in particular. We’ll see if we can squeeze some more in later on.
Cool Demon Names For Dogs
Check out any other lists of demon dog names, and you’ll find that many are blatant copy and paste efforts from other websites with no effort to give any details about the names themselves. Where possible, we’ve offered some background information so you know the meaning behind your furry pal’s name!
However, if we did this with all of them, this article would stretch to hundreds of pages, and you’d soon lose interest, along with the will to live. So, we’re going to give you a simple list of cool demon dog names with a snippet of information about each one.
Also, many of these sites list hundreds of names that simply aren’t practical.
For example, imagine that your dog decides to make a run for it at the dog park. You yell out its name and hear it echoing back as all eyes turn to look at you...Classyalabolas! Come here!
Or even, Mephistopheles, sit and stay!
It’s never going to work, is it?
Even some of the names in our list might have to be shortened, but you’re smart enough to have figured that out yourself!
Anyway, here’s our pick of the coolest demon dog names:
• Asmodeus – Judaism and Islamism, a king of Hell.
• Chaos – or Khaos, from Greek mythology, the first primordial goddess.
• Cyclops – one-eyed giants from Greek/Roman mythology.
• Diablo – Spanish for devil, the personification of evil.
• Elvira – a Spanish name of German gothic origin, the most famous of which is Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, a cult figure of comedy-horror.
• Hades – as mentioned earlier, god of the dead and king of the underworld in Greek mythology.
• Osiris – Egyptian god of the dead, resurrection, the afterlife, vegetation, life, fertility, and agriculture! Sounds like a busy guy.
• Isis – sister and wife/consort of Osiris. That’s just how Egyptian gods roll!
• Reaper – otherwise known as the Grim Reaper, Death himself, the collector of souls.
• Azrael – often connected with the Reaper, as he is the angel that separates the body from the soul.
• Satan – everyone knows this is the ultimate bad guy from Christian, Judaic, and Islamic demonology, but he has a complex and fascinating history and has only really become infamous in recent times.
• Opeth – ancient Egyptian festival and Swedish progressive death metal band!
• Anubis – Egyptian jackal-headed god of the dead.
• Vulcan – Roman god of metalwork, fire, the desert, and volcanoes. See also the pointy-eared extraterrestrials from the popular sci-fi series, “Star Trek.”
• Baccus – Roman god of wine, agriculture, and fertility. He was said to induce a state of frenzy and ecstasy that encouraged creativity.
• Mars – Roman god of war.
• Suso and Kaschperl – we stuck these two together as they are both hellhounds belonging to Mephistopheles. Although he first appears as a black Poodle, his name doesn’t lend itself to our aims here, as we pointed out earlier. But his two dogs, as depicted in Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, are much more suitable.
Demon Dog Names From Around The World
We’ve traveled quite extensively already in our quest, but there are many places we’ve missed along the way. We can’t look at them all, but let’s pick out some of the best and most unusual demon dog names from around the world.
Norse mythology
In Norse mythology, Garm (or Garmr) is a hellhound, a bloodstained guardian of Hell’s gates.
Other great Norse names include:
• Thor – god of thunder, lightning, and storms in general, as well as trees, strength, protecting mankind, fertility, sacred groves, and hallowing (making things holy). Talk about multi-tasking!
• Baldur – started out as a good guy but lost the plot when his mother, Freya, gave him the ‘gift’ of invulnerability and the other gods used him for target practice for their amusement, knowing they couldn’t hurt him! He soon became a cruel and sadistic monster.
• Heimdall – a god of keen eyesight and hearing, Heimdall (pronounced HAMEdoll) watches over the Bifrost bridge, gateway to the nine realms. He is one of the many sons of Odin and has nine mothers. Go figure!
• Sindri and Brok – dwarf brothers who forged Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir.
• Valkyrie – meaning ‘chooser of the slain,’ the Valkyrie were maidens that swooped onto the battlefields in chariots to take away the fallen warriors and transport them to the feasting halls of Valhalla.
• Freya – also spelled Freyja, this is one of the most revered Norse goddesses, connected with fortune-telling, war, fertility, sex, love, gold, and beauty, but not necessarily in that order. It kind of sums up Viking culture pretty well, though.
• Ragnarok – Scandinavian mythology talks of a time when the giants, demons, and gods will fight their last battle, which will trigger a series of catastrophic events, resulting in the death of the gods. This will bring about the end of the world. What a cheerful thought.
Japanese mythology
An Inugami might look like a normal dog, but its true form is that of a shrunken, mummified dog’s head. Inugami are a bit like a witch’s familiar, created by powerful sorcerers and used to possess the unwary and bend them to their will.
Here are some more great Japanese names:
• Takeshi – fierce warrior.
• Tatsuo/Tatsuya – dragon (or, imperial hero).
• Mitsuo – shining hero.
• Enenra – a monster made of darkness and smoke!
• Tenko – an elderly spirit of a fox.
• Tengu – a wise demon.
• Tanuki – shapeshifting Japanese raccoon dog.
• Raiju – a dog-like creature that falls to earth in lightning bolts.
• Onibi – a soul-sucking demonic flame.
• Okami – a judgemental wolf spirit: it either kills you or saves your life depending on how well you’ve lived it!
• Issie – a water monster, similar to the camera-shy beast in Loch Ness.
Finnish Mythology
Finnish culture isn’t well known for some reason, but it’s just as rich in legend and folklore as any other, with a host of imps, goblins, fairies, and other fantastical creatures.
Let’s look at a few that might help us with demon dog names:
• Peikko – a scary creature that can change its size to become a giant, turn invisible at will, transform into a rocky landscape and sleep for a hundred years, and even give small kids holes in their teeth! He’s been used as a means of getting Finnish children to behave themselves for many years.
• Näkki – like the Rusalka and the Nixie, this malevolent creature lurks in the water, luring unwary children in by appearing jolly and friendly before dragging them to a watery doom.
• Kalma – Finnish god of death.
• Lempo – Finnish god of evil.
• Tuoni – Finnish god of the underworld.
• Surma – a Finnish demon that guards the gates to the underworld.
Hinduism
The Hindu religion is vividly colorful, filled with rich imagery and symbolism. They also have too many gods and demons to count!
We’ll select a few of the more interesting ones that could make great pet names.
• Ravana – a king of demons with ten heads and twenty hands.
• Kali – a powerful demon, not to be confused with the Hindu goddess Kali, pronounced Kaalee.
• Bhuta – a bad soul of a human that died tragically by execution or suicide.
• Vetala – a type of vampire demon.
• Koka and Vikoka – twin demons that start wars and spur people toward evildoing.
We could go on and on, as there are thousands of brilliant demon dog names out there! However, there’s more than enough here to get you started.
Choosing A Good Dog Name
Whether you have a Pit Bull or a Shih Tzu, most of these names will suit all dog breeds.
However, it’s wise to choose your dog’s name carefully. As brilliant as some of these names are, it’s a good idea to give it some thought before rushing into it.
We’ve already highlighted the problem with long names, such as Mephistopheles. While it’s great fun and looks good on documents, it’s a bit of a mouthful, and your pooch might struggle to comprehend it when it’s strung together with a command.
Dogs don’t understand that this is their name. Yes, they’re smart, but it’s more of a signal that something is going to happen or that something is expected of them. They hear a familiar sound, like Pandora, for example, and they associate this with several possibilities. Maybe it’s time for dinner, a walk, or a treat? Perhaps this word is followed by a command, so your loyal friend will be all ears, waiting to see what you’re going to say next.
Ideally, the name should be no more than two or three syllables. It should sound crisp and clear, not easily confused with command words like stay or sit.
Some experts say that names ending in a vowel work best, so sort through our list to see which ones might work.
If you have more than one pet, always try to pick names that are clearly different and won’t sound the same. And once you have settled on a name, try not to change it as you’ll just confuse your dog.
Finally, there are dog experts who say that you should never give your dog a name that has negative associations. Perhaps those linked to evil omens, curses, death, and all things macabre? We’ll take a guess that they won’t like our long list of demon dog names, then!
In the end, it’s entirely up to you. This is your dog, and if you’re happy with it then go ahead and call your precious pooch Lilith, Hecate, Fenris, or Diablo.
And if any ‘experts’ do bug you about it, tell them to take it up with your Hellhound…