36 Witchy Baby Names For Your Magical One

Perhaps the OG witch, Hecate is the Greek goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon, ghosts, and necromancy. No one really knows what the name itself means, but it’s possible it comes from the Ancient Egyptian word for “magic.”

A figure from Arthurian legend, Morgana also goes by the names Morgan, Morgain, Morgante, and Morguein, but her epithet is pretty much always the same: Le Fay aka “the fairy.” Trained by Merlin, she was a powerful sorceress and the half-sister of Arthur. Whether she’s good or evil depends on which legend you’re reading. This Welsh name means “sea-born.”

Marvel fans can’t get enough of Agatha Harkness, Wanda Maximoff’s nemesis, and with good reason: she’s a powerful witch and a complicated character. The name Agatha means “honorable” in Greek.

This invented name of Jadis comes from C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. It is, in fact, the name of the titular witch in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, though it is not revealed until later books. Until then, she is only referred to as “The White Witch.”

Get it? Like Witch hazel? Incidentally, witch hazel is prized for its ability to heal various ailments, and Hazel has some great nature vibes, which also goes along with witches.

A priestess/princess in Sparta, Cassandra had the ability to predict the future... but, unfortunately, thanks to a curse from Apollo, no one ever believed her. The name Cassandra means “shining upon man” in Greek.

This is a deep cut in terms of witch lore, but it’s a good one. Françoise-Athénaïs (pronounced ah-ten-EESE) de Rochechouart de Mortemart (called Athénaïs) was the Marquise of Montespan and a mistress of Louis XIV. Though she was influential in court for well over a decade, her downfall came during “The Affair of the Poisons,” a series of assassinations that claimed the lives of 36 courtiers in Versailles. It is said Athénïs took part in witchcraft and black masses to win the king’s favor. Her name means “of Athena.”

Would this list be complete without one of the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus included? Sure you could go with Sarah (“princess” in Hebrew) or Mary (“beloved” in Hebrew), but Winifred (“blessed and peaceful” in Welsh) is the witchiest. Plus you get the adorable nickname of Winnie.

This is a witchy name two-fer: Endora is most famously the name of Samantha’s mother in Bewitched, known for her trickery and fabulous kaftans. But the name Endora itself has a hexcellent origin: in the Bible, King Saul consults with the Witch of Endor to summon the spirit of the prophet Samuel. (Upon being summoned, Samuel scolds Saul for, among other things, consorting with witches.) Endora therefore means “of Endor.”

One of the many names of the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend, Nyneve (nye-NEEV)is an enchantress best known for giving Arthur Excalibur, his magic sword. She is also known as Nimue (Irish, pronounced NEEM-way), Ninianne, Vivienne, and Elaine (French), Niviana (Spanish) and more. The name means “lady of the lake.”

Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches is a book written in 1899 by American folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland and documents the beliefs and rituals of pagan witches in Tuscany, though most historians question the academic veracity of the text. Nevertheless, the book was hugely influential in the development of neopagan traditions, including Wicca. Aradia is a figure associated with the goddess Diana and is hailed by some as the “queen of the Witches.” The meaning of the name is unclear.

Disney has given us a lot of witches of the years, but few can even come close to the splendor of Ursula the sea witch. Despite her associations with the ocean, the name itself comes from Italy and means “little she-bear.”

Freya is the Norse goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr, a particular type of magic for seeing into and controlling the future. The name means “lady” in Old Norse.

While not strictly speaking a witch, the Oracle of Delphi was known to be among the most revered in Ancient Greece, predicting the future for the most famous, powerful heroes of the age. This name is a French variation and means “woman of Delphi.”

The Wicked Witch of the East is most famous for having a house fall on her in Munchkinland, but in 2013 she got the name Evanora in the movie Oz the Great and Powerful, where she was played by Rachel Weisz. Other names given to the WWotE over the years in various adaptions include Gingema, Evvamene, Rebecca, Diana, Zinna, and Malvonia.

Musical theater fans will know this one right away, but it is the name given to the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked. The name itself is an homage to Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum — L.F.B. became Elphaba.

This Latin name of Bellatrix means “warrior woman” and is perhaps most famous for belonging to Harry Potter villain and chief Death Eater Bellatrix LeStrange. But you could definitely call her Bella or Trixie if you want a fun witchy nickname.

While not strictly speaking a witch, Wednesday Addams certainly dabbles in the dark arts, much like her mother, Morticia... though Morticia probably isn’t a name likely to catch on among babies. Wednesday has a chance though: it’s cute with a cute nickname (Wenny) and means “Odin’s Day.”

A sorceress in Greek mythology most famous for shacking up with Odysseus and turning men she didn’t like into pigs (they probably had it coming), Circe was the daughter of the Titan Helios and the sea nymph Perse. She is a minor goddess in her own right and her name means “bird” or “hawk.”

This simple French name of Faye means “fairy.” Through most of European history, fairies and witches go hand in hand as they are both known to work their magic to trick and trap humans to be their servants.

Marie Laveau was a community leader in early 19th century New Orleans, where she was known as a Voodoo practioner, healer, herbalist, and hairdresser. Laveau is a French name from the Brittany region meaning “of the valley.”

Sabrina the Teenage Witch started as a comic in the 1960s, became a sitcom character in the 1990s, and got a gritty reboot in 2018... and she’s been an icon through it all. The name Sabrina is a Latinized version of the name of the river Severn in Britain and Wales.

Broom-Hilda is a silly, rough-around-the-edges (and through-and-through) comic-strip witch from the 1970s. Though, honestly, Hilda in and of itself feels like a witchy name, no? This Norse name means “battle.”

Sybil Leek was a 20th century English witch, astrologer, occultist, and proclaimed psychic. She was once dubbed “Britain’s most famous witch.” She was well-named given her reputation: a “sybil” in Ancient Greece was a title for a prophetess, which is what the name means.

In addition to being the name of Ravenclaw resident Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter series, Luna, which means “moon” in Latin, is in and of itself a pretty solidly witchy name.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a campy, goth character played by Cassandra Peterson. The German name means “truth” and gives you the darling nickname of Elvie.

Whether your baby is destined to be a nature child or a fan of Buffy’s BFF, Willow is a beautiful witchy name. Willow trees are associated with protection, flexibility, new beginnings, and mourning.

Isobel Gowdie was a Scottish woman who confessed to witchcraft in the late 1600s — apparently without being tortured — claiming to have met with the king and queen of the fairies among other things. The name comes from Hebrew and means “God’s promise.”

Love Game of Thrones? Same, and one character who captured our imaginations (and the devotion of Stannis Baratheon) is Melisandra of Asshai, the Red Woman, who could summon dark powers to achieve her goals.

This name of Rowena has uncertain origins. It could be German and mean “fame and happiness.” It could be Welsh and mean “white haired.” Technically, the witchy associations with this name come from Harry Potter as Rowena Ravenclaw is one of the founders of Hogwarts. But, honestly, this name just has a generally witchy vibe regardless if you ask us.

As we’ve established, fairies and witches have gone hand in hand for a while so Alvina, which means “elf friend” in Old English, definitely works if you’re looking for a witch baby name.

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a favorite movie from Hayao Miyazaki and follows a teenager named Kiki as she embarks on her own to learn what it means to be a witch. Japanese naming conventions mean Kiki can have a whole lot of different meanings depending on which characters you use to spell it, but one that frequently comes up is “joy.”

Witches are known to have familiars, animal helpers who do their bidding, and while it can be anything, a raven is a common choice. (Hey: it was good enough for Maleficent.) And as far as bird names go, Raven is an excellent choice: these animals are well known for their intelligence.

The Wheel of Time series is beloved by fantasy fans around the world and certainly has no dearth of magic practitioners, but we especially love Moiraine, one of the Aes Sedai, an order of powerful magic users.

Let’s be honest: when you started thinking of witchy baby names, Hermione was already at the top of your list, but you were worried it would be too weird or dorky to use. It’s not. The beautiful, Greek origin name means “of Hermes.” Also Hermione is hands-down the best character in Harry Potter.

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In the classic 1991 children’s story The Witches’ Supermarket, a little girl named Helen dresses as a witch and heads out on Halloween with her dog Martha, only to find themselves in an actual supermarket where only witches and cats are allowed. Chaos enuses, of course, but the story ends sweetly and the name Helen has always made me think of witches. Luckily, the baby name Helen also means “torch, light” which is also very magical.