100+ Pagan or Witch Names and Their Meanings

Looking for the perfect pagan or witch name? Check out our list of 100+ magical names drawn from the occult realms. Whether for yourself, an animal familiar, or a fictional character, enjoy reading these delightfully witchy nicknames.

Christian names have usually honored biblical figures and saints, but pagans prefer to name themselves after nature, folklore, and the gods of antiquity. Many names come from old stories and are charged with mythical power. Some of the names on this list didn’t start out magically, but became so in modern times through association with famous witches. (Admittedly, this is a Eurocentric list, as my own background is in classical literature and western magic. If you are the bearer of a witch name from a different tradition, I’d love to hear about it!)

Many witch names are unisex and others can be adapted to any gender. Creating compound names is one way Pagans pay homage to sacred objects, spirits, and concepts (e.g. Raven Moonflower or Amethyst Dragonfyre). Try mixing and matching these first names with your favorite nouns and adjectives to create your own craft name.

Adelinda – A Germanic name meaning “noble serpent”. A variation is Delinda.

Aine – “charisma”. Queen of the fairies in Celtic lore.

Airlia – “ethereal.”

Aislinn – “Dream or Vision”. Irish female given name.

Alcina – A Greek sorceress. Title character of an opera by Handel.

Alita – “Winged One”.

Althea – “Healer”.

Alvin/Alvina – “Elf”. Many “Al-” names refer to elves, including Alfred/Alfreda (“Elven Council”) and Albert (“Light Elf” or “Elven Ruler”).

Ambrosia/Ambrosius – “Food of the gods”.

Amethyst – Beautiful purple stone known to the ancients to bring sobriety, wisdom and protection, especially to travelers.

Angela – “Divine Messenger.”

Aoelus – “wind”.

Aradia – Legendary Italian witch, one of the main characters in Charles Godfrey Leland’s 1899 work Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches.

Ariadne – “Most Holy”. Mythical figure associated with labyrinths and labyrinths.

Ariel – A Biblical name meaning ‘Lion of God’. A little mermaid in Disney. In Shakespeare, a shapeshifting spirit who helps the magician Prospero. Also the name of the famous cycle of poems by Sylvia Plath.

Artemis – Greek virgin goddess of the moon and wild animals.

Arwen – An elf princess in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Arwen comes from Welsh and means “good” or “fair”. A masculine form is Arwyn.

Asteria – “Starlike”. Variations include Aster, Astrid, and Astra.

Aura – “wind”, in Greek. In metaphysics, the word refers to the energy field that surrounds the body.

Avalon – Legendary final resting place of King Arthur. Also the setting for a series of fantasy novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Awen – “inspiration.” Symbol of the fountain of creativity and bardic arts.

Bran – Means “raven” in several Celtic languages. A great historical name with links to Welsh mythology and Arthurian legend.

Breena – “fairy place”. Variations: Brinna or Briana.

Brigid – Celtic goddess of smiths, healing and poetry. Loved in Ireland and around the world, variations on her name include Bridget, Brighid and Bride.

Calypso – “Hidden”. A nymph that Odysseus held captive for many years.

Cassandra – Unfortunate fortune teller of Troy. Cassandra aroused the displeasure of Apollo, who cursed her so her prophecies would never be believed.

Cedar – An ancient tree associated with wisdom and protection.

Celeste – “Heavenly.”

Cerridwen – “Righteous as the poem.” May also derive from the Celtic word for “cauldron”. A powerful sorceress of Welsh legend, identified with the Wiccan mother goddess.

Charon – A boatswain on the River Styx, Charon brings souls to the underworld. The modern Greek equivalent is Haros.

Chimera – “Dream, phantasm.”

Circe – Greek demigod or witch known for her knowledge of herbs and potions.

Corvus – Latin for “raven” or “crow”. An educated alternative to becoming another raven.

Crystal – A name that became popular in the 1980s and 90s. (Witches love crystals!)

Delphine – “Woman from Delphi”. The oracles of Delphi were priestesses of Apollo.

Devin – “music poet”. A Gaelic boy’s name, now unisex.

Diana – Roman name for the moon goddess known in European lore as the “queen of witches”.

Draco – “Dragon.” A famous bearer is Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series.

Eartha – “Earthly”. From Old English.

Endora – The magical mother-in-law in the TV sitcom Bewitched. Her name comes from the biblical witch of Endor who advised King Saul.

Eris – Greek goddess of chaos. Patron goddess of the Discordian magical tradition.

Erzulie – A spirit (or spirit family) in Vodou. It has many forms and rules about love, beauty, health and sexual passion.

Fabula – “legend”.

Faye – “fairy”. From Old English/Old French. Also Fay, Fae, Faeryn, Fayette.

Fiamma- “flame”. This Italian word has the same connotations as “flame” in English, meaning either a (literal) fire or a (figurative) lover.

Foster – “Forest Warden”. From Old English.

Freya – “Noble Lady”. One of the most revered of the Norse deities.

Gaia – The personification of the earth and one of the Greek primordial gods.

Glinda – “Fair” or “Good”. The Good Witch of the South in the Oz novels by L. Frank Baum.

Gwydion – Master magician and trickster of Welsh lore. His name means “born from trees”. Famous bearers include the American witch and bard Gwydion Pendderwen (1946-1982).

Hazel – “hazel tree”. Hazel twigs are the traditional material for dowsing rods.

Hecate – Goddess of witchcraft dwelling at the crossroads. Her name can mean either “power” or “far-reaching”. The Greek spelling is Hekate.

Hermione – “messenger”. A female given name derived from Hermes. Popularized as a witch name through the Harry Potter series, but also suitable for a hermetic magician.

Herne – “Horned”. The lord of wild things identified with the pagan Horned God.

Holly – This cheerful girl’s name is shared with one of the sacred trees of Celtic lore. A male or surname version is Hollis.

Isis – Powerful Egyptian goddess of magic and healing.

Jasmine – A delicate and aromatic flower known for its mystical and aphrodisiac properties. The name is of Arabic origin.

Jinx – “trick” or “curse”.

Lamia – The Lamia is a child-eating snake or monster in Greek mythology. She was once a Libyan queen but was cursed by Hera for her dating with Zeus.

Larissa – A Greek sea nymph, also the name of an ancient city in Thessaly.

Leo – “lion”. Also a zodiac sign.

Ligeia – “shrill” or “whistle”. The name of one of the Greek sirens revived by Edgar Allan Poe in his short story of the same name.

Lilith – according to Hebrew mythology, Adam’s first wife. Lilith is associated with various night demons and flying goddesses.

Lorelei – Freshwater Mermaid of the Rhine. The Lorelei is a seductress who delights in the destruction of fishermen.

Lucia – A Latin name meaning “light”. The male form is Lucius.

Lucifer – A provocative name associated with the Christian devil. Lucifer means “bringer of light”.

Luna – “moon.” Luna Lovegood is a supporting character in the Harry Potter series.

Maeve – “Intoxicating.” An Irish warrior queen. Also related to Queen Mab, the fairy ruler of British folklore. Variations include Mab, Meave, Maeven.

Marisol – Lovely Spanish name meaning ‘sea and sun’.

Medea – A Greek witch, subject of a play by Euripides and a later opera. Medea was of divine descent and used sorcery to defeat her enemies.

Melusine – A water spirit from French medieval folklore. Also written as Melusina.

Merlin – Legendary wizard of ancient Britain.

Minerva – Roman name for the goddess of wisdom. A well-known wearer is Minerva McGonagall, the headmistress of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series.

Miranda – “A miracle.” This name first appeared in Shakespeare The storm.

Morgan – Morgan le Fay is a (typically) opposing character in Arthurian legends. Variations include Morgaine or Morgana. A similar-sounding name belongs to the Celtic warrior goddess Morrighan.

Morpheus – “shaper”. Greek god of sleep and dreams.

Nerissa – “Of the sea”. From Shakespeare.

Neve – “Bright.” An Anglicized version of the Irish name Niamh.

Nissa – A Scandinavian name for a brownie, sprite, or friendly elf.

Oberon – “Elven Ruler”. A Fairy King in Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Famous bearers are Oberon Zell (b. 1942).

Ondine – “mermaid or “water spirit”.

Orion – A prominent constellation named after the hunter of Greek mythology. A notable Orion is author Orion Foxwood.

Heath – “land dwellers”. The simplest pagan name there is.

Petra – “stone”.

Peregrine – “Traveller, foreigner, pilgrim”.

Phoenix – Mythical bird that would cremate itself every 500 years (by most accounts) and then rise from the ashes.

Puck – A mischievous forest spirit in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Origin of the adjective “puckish”.

Pythia – One of the traditional titles of the Oracle of Delphi. The Pythia was originally a snake monster defeated by Apollo.

Raven – One of the most commonly used pagan/witch names, in various spellings and combinations. Ravens are associated with death, cunning and secret knowledge.

Rhiannon – Welsh goddess associated with horses. Made famous as a witch name by the Fleetwood Mac song “Rhiannon”.

Rosemary – “dew of the sea”. The name refers to the small blue flowers that appear on rosemary bushes.

Rowan – “Redhead.” A Celtic unisex name shared with the mystical Rowan tree.

Rowena – A Germanic name, possibly derived from the words for “glory”…