Fewer names mean 'night' than you might expect, so this list also takes in names meaning 'evening' and 'darkness'. The best known is Layla, Arabic for night, and its many spellings: Leila, Laila and Leyla. Alongside them are Nyx and Nox, the Greek and Latin goddesses of night, Sanskrit Nisha and Yamini, and Irish names from ciar, 'black, dark', such as Kieran and Ciara. Every meaning is checked against a cited source, mostly Behind the Name and Wiktionary, and England and Wales ranks come from the ONS.
Night has its share of myths. Lyla, Lilah and Lila are sometimes forms of Leila and sometimes not, Lilith's link to night is an old folk etymology, and Delilah has nothing to do with it. We've marked these uncertain.
By Rich · 13 November 2026 · 58 names · 32 with their real rank in England and Wales · every meaning checked against the sources below
Checked The meaning is recorded in the sources below.
Word name A modern name made from a real word.
Disputed The meaning is disputed or popular but unproven.
Girl names that mean 'night', 'evening' or 'darkness' (27)
“black, or pale”Old English, via a surnameDisputed[32]
Old English blæc meant black and blac meant pale, and the surname could be either
#144 in 2025 (boys)↓ from #105 in 2010
“from Arcy, a town in France”Norman French, via a surnameDisputed[33]
often listed as 'dark'; it means 'from Arcy'
#140 in 2025 (girls)↓ from #115 in 2010
No names match. Try a different letter or origin.
Layla and her spellings
Layla is Arabic for night, and it reaches England and Wales in several spellings: Layla (the most common), Leila (the usual Persian form, made familiar in English by Byron), Laila and Leyla (Turkish). They're all the same name. Lyla, Lilah and Lila are harder: each can be a form of Leila, but each also has another source, so we've marked them uncertain.
Dark names from Ireland and Scotland
Irish ciar ('black') and dub ('dark') are behind a whole set of names. From ciar come Ciar, Ciara, Kiera and Keira for girls and Ciarán and Kieran for boys; from dub come Dougal ('dark stranger'), Duff and Dubhán.
Evening names
If 'night' feels too dark, evening names are gentler. Vesper and Hesperos are the Latin and Greek names for the evening star, Ilta is Finnish for evening, and Samar and Samir are Arabic names about talking together in the evening. Odhiambo, from Luo in Kenya, is given to a child born in the evening.
Names That Mean 'Moon': Over 60 real names that mean 'moon', 'moonlight' or 'full moon', from Luna and Selene to Qamar and Mahina, each meaning checked against a cited source.
Names That Mean 'Star': Over 60 real names that mean 'star', from Stella, Estelle and Seren to Najm and Tara, with sourced meanings and the 'star' names that are myths.
Names That Mean 'Light': Over 70 real names that mean 'light', 'lamp' or 'brightness', from Lucy and Nur to Uriel and Kiran, with every meaning checked against a cited source.
What Is Onomastics? The Study of Names (Naming Library): Onomastics is the study of names. What anthroponymy and toponymy cover, and how scholars trace what a name meant from its earliest spellings.
Roman Names: Praenomen, Nomen and Cognomen (Naming Library): How Roman names worked: praenomen, nomen and cognomen, how women, freed slaves and adopted sons were named, and why Cicero means chickpea.
Frequently Asked Questions
+What name means 'night'?
Layla (and Leila, Laila, Leyla) means 'night' in Arabic. Nyx is Greek and Nox Latin for night, Nisha and Yamini mean 'night' in Sanskrit, and Tuta means 'night' in Quechua.
+What names mean 'night' or 'darkness'?
For darkness: Melanie ('black, dark'), Kieran and Ciarán ('little dark one'), Ciara and Keira, Dougal ('dark stranger'), Krishna ('black, dark') and Erebus ('nether darkness'). For night: Layla, Nyx, Nox and Nisha.
+What name means 'night' in Arabic?
Layla, which is also written Leila, Laila and Leyla. Asra means 'travel at night', and Samar 'evening conversation'.