Common Names You Didn’t Know Had Dark Origins

It’s safe to say that the baby naming process is one of the most stressful moments of your entire pregnancy experience.

You spend hours scouring through dozens of baby name books, and still can’t seem to find the right one. While the process can be excruciating, it’s important to take your time picking out a name because if not, your child could end up being named after a demon. Yes— a demon.

Here, we uncovered that there are some dark meanings behind some of the most common names:

Origins. These days, we might hear a name we like and automatically consider it as a name for our future child without thinking twice about the meaning behind it. The truth is, most names come from somewhere, and can have a very specific meaning. Oftentimes, their origins are even known to be somewhat dark.

Seth. This name is pretty common amongst males, and while it might sound pretty harmless, it actually comes from the Egyptian name Set— which also happens to be the name of a Greek god who murdered his brother Osiris. Yikes!

Samuel/Samael. Another common male name, this name is often times used to describe the Grim Reaper. According to Mom Junction: “Samael, better known as the Grim Reaper, is a fallen angel. He is the chief seducer, accuser, and destroyer. Samael is also called the chief of the Dragons of Evil and Prince of Darkness. Samael is both kind and cruel and was once a heavenly host.”

Evil. Often times he is confused for Satan, and some think he was actually the snake who persuaded Eve to eat the apple from the forbidden tree. Samuel has been depicted as an anthropomorphic goat, which seems kind of terrifying if we’re being honest.

Mara. This name is quite common amongst girls, but the name Mara is actually used to describe the female demon who gives children nightmares. This demon is also often associated with death and desire.

Bitter. “It means ‘bitter’ in Hebrew. Plus, Mara is a demon in Buddhism that personified evil. She tried to seduce Gautama Buddha with the vision of beautiful women who is said to be her daughter,” reports Mom Junction.

Lilith. A shorter version of this name could be Lily, which is also a common name amongst girls. According to Mom Junction, the name translates to “of the night” in Hebrew, and is also the name of a Mesopotamian storm demon.

Myth. “According to Hebrew myth, Lilith is the Mesopotamian storm demon and is responsible for diseases and death. According to Semitic culture, Adam’s first wife was Lilith. But she disobeyed and left him. Lilith is also a term for ‘screech owl’,” reports Mom Junction.

Mallory. Unfortunately, this name translates into French as “the unfortunate or unlucky one.” While it’s origin isn’t exactly evil, it can have an evil or negative connotation to it. However, it’s one of the most common names used for baby girls, so it’s negative connotation is clearly not deterring people from naming their kids this.

Origin. In German, the name Mallory also means “war counselor,” reports Bustle. The name comes from France however, and comes from the surname Maloret. According to Baby Gaga, the name Mallory can also be unisex.

Tristan. This is another common boy name, and in Latin, directly translates to “full of sorrows.”

Research. So there you have it. Before you decide on a name for your new baby, you may want to sit down and find out what kind of meaning there is behind it.

Via RebelCircus