The word “gothic” probably makes you think of black clothing and dramatic makeup, however, these romantic baby names popularized by celebrity parents will stop those stereotypes.
Gothic-derived names are noble, traditional, and aren’t that unusual — think of Kylie Jenner naming her children Stormi and Wolf — and there are many from which to choose. But what does “goth” actually mean? According to Cambridge University Press, the goths were a nomadic group of people whose opposition to the Roman Empire led to its downfall and the start of the medieval period in Europe. The term gothic also applies to medieval architecture and also a genre of fiction described as “macabre” or “mysterious,” per Merriam Webster.
So which celebrity parents have chosen gothic names for their kids? Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith named their daughter Willow while Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East chose the name Jett for their son. Other parents picked gothic middle names like Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen who call their daughter Briar Rose, and Nicole Richie and Joel Madden’s son is Sparrow James Midnight. Harry Potter star Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome also share daughter Wednesday, which makes us guess that the couple had Wednesday Addams of The Addams Family in mind.
Gothic names have so much potential and the following celebrity parents can guide you in your selection (Or, for some brighter options, here’s a list of names that mean “light“). No matter what you call your child, your naming journey will be anything but boring!
Sparrow James Midnight
In 2009, Joel Madden and Nicole Richie named their second child Sparrow James Midnight, a name that oozes gothic style. As Pamela Redmond of Nameberry told US Weekly, names inspired by birds have “spiritual symbolism: they’re seen as light, one with the sky and nature and in a more uplifting, positive way than other animals, like a fox, which is more macho.”
Of the name “Midnight,” Redmond added that it “might be the kind of name you would expect somebody trying to make it as a punk rocker to give themselves.”
Richie and Madden also have a daughter, born in 2008, named Harlow. According to the Good Charlotte musician, he’s a Jean Harlow fan and Richie likes model Shalom Harlow.
Lyra Antarctica
Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn have a daughter named Lyra Antarctica, “a name that was unique, so that she would be the only one,” the singer told Good Morning America in 2021. The couple chose the middle name because it’s “the most amazing place on earth” and their last vacation spot before Seaborn got pregnant.
Lyra means “lyrical” and represents the medieval stringed instrument. It’s also a perfect name for such a musical family!
Jett
Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East share son Jett, who has a unisex goth name that means jet black, due to the gemstone’s color. Jett, who was born in 2021, has a sister named Drew who is one year his senior.
Wednesday
Harry Potter star Rupert Grint and his partner Georgia Groome chose the name Wednesday for their daughter who was born in 2020. The most famous Wednesday, of course, is Wednesday Addams from the 1960s television show The Addams Family. According to the New York Times, creator Charles Addams was inspired by the nursery rhyme “Monday’s Child” with the lyrics, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.”
Stormi & Wolf
Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott chose mysterious names for their children, daughter Stormi, born in 2018, and son Wolf, born in 2022.
Stormy obviously describes a windy storm, although the parents chose a different spelling, and Wolf reminds us of a werewolf.
Willow
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith chose the name Willow for their second child and little sister to Jaden Smith and Trey Smith (Will’s son from a previous relationship). Willow means “slender” and “graceful” and is associated with willow trees.
Briar Rose
Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson love Disney movies so naming their daughter Briar Rose after Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty makes sense to us!
The girl’s name is gothic in more ways than one: Of course, Rose is related to the flower and according to Nameberry, there is “evidence to suggest it was a Norman variation of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis, meaning ‘famous type.'” While Aurora is the “Roman goddess of the dawn.”
Onyx
In 2016, Alanis Morissette and husband Souleye gave their daughter Onyx a beautiful goth-inspired name that means “black jemstone.” Her siblings are Winter, born in 2019, and Ever, born in 2010.
Esmeralda
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling named their first daughter Esmeralda after one of their favorite literary characters in an 1831 French gothic novel. “We both love the Esmeralda character from the Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of NotreDame and just think it’s a beautiful name,” Mendes told Violet Grey. “Her middle name is Amada, which was my grandmother’s name. It means ‘beloved’ in Spanish.”
The couple loved her middle name so much that they gave it to their second child. In 2016, Mendes gave birth to daughter Amada.
Ophelia
Foo Fighters musician Dave Grohl and his wife Jordyn Blum’s younger daughter is named Ophelia, whose name means “serpentine” and “help.” Ophelia is also the name of the female character in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, famous for its ghostly theme.
Ophelia, born in 2014, has two siblings: Harper Willow, born in 2009, and Violet Maye, born in 2006.
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