90 Awesome Names That Mean Night

The dichotomy between day and night has long inspired poets and spiritualists, particularly the darkness of the night. As a result, many cultures have created night-based names over the years. The following list will include just about every name that means night.

Boys Names That Mean Night

Throughout history, boys’ names often had more aggressive or “masculine” undertones due to their role as hunters and protectors. On that note, let’s look at some of the most popular boys’ names that mean night.

Aayaan

Aayan is a Persian name that means “long night.” It is often given to people born during the winter because they may have been born during one of the long nights typical during this season.

Byakuya

This Japanese name is very modern and comes from a character from the manga and anime “Bleach.” As a result, this name (which means “white night” or “arctic night”) has jumped in popularity recently.

Caweys

Coming from the Somali language, Caweys means “night” and is one of the most popular names in this region. It connects heavily to various Somali religions and is often used as the name for a firstborn.

Evaipomana

The Polynesian people of the island nation of Tonga use this name to mean “walk in thundering night.” That gives it a compelling and meaningful definition.

Fukui

Fukui is a Japanese name with many deep names due to the unique combination of kanji. For example, it can mean “indignation, resentment,” “manure, dung,” and “night soil.”

Ichik Hunba

Derived from Manipuri or the Meitei language, Ichik Hunba means “night-time deep silence” and is a very poetic name within this culture. It is often given to younger boys expected to be more creative.

Kyōya

Kyoya is a Japanese name with multiple meanings, including “respectful, polite,” “capital city,” “ginger,” and even “night.” However, many people in Japan choose the “night” meaning.

Naito

Naito is a Japanese name with multiple meanings, including “summer,” “apple tree,” “night,” and “dream.” The last two definitions connect it heavily with the night.

Náttfari

As an Old Norse name that means “one who goes out at night,” this name was also used for seafarers and was a popular warrior name.

Náttmörður

A rarely used modern Icelandic name, this name combines the phrase “natt” (night) and moror (“marten”) to give it a reasonably complex definition.

Nikopolitianos

A Late Roman and Greek name, this name derives from a Latin term that means “a citizen of Nicropolis.” However, it also means “night” or “someone who dwells at night.”

Niktopolion

An archaic Russian derivative of the previous name, it is closely connected with night and means “roaming at night,” which could refer to monsters or other creatures that live at night.

Nish

A name that comes from multiple Indian languages, particularly in the Hindu tradition, Nish means “night.” It is used heavily throughout various Hindu religious texts.

Noctis

Noctis means “of the night” in Latin and was popularized in the Final Fantasy XIII game, as a character shares this name in the game.

Not

Though not regularly sued outside of the Romansch region, it is a truncated form of Giunot or Notal and means “night.”

Nóttolfr

A popular Old Norse name that combines “natt” and “ulfr” to create a name that means “night wolf.” This potent combination gives it its heavy popularity.

Nishant

This Indian name also comes from Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi cultures. In addition, it’s drawn from the Sanskrit language and means “night’s end” or “dawn.”.

Click here to find more names that mean Dawn!

Nycteus

This name is a Latinized form of a Greek word that means “night.” It also refers to the king of Thebes from Greek mythology.

Nyktimos

Nyktimos comes from the Greek noun for “night” and is also a name for the Greek goddess Nyx, though it is used primarily as a male variation.

Oduor

Luo names often refer to the time a person was born, such as Oduor, which means “one who was born in the middle of the night.”

Okon

In the Efik language, Okon means “born at night” and is commonly used for people born at midnight or later.

Orpheus

Orpheus is drawn from Greek mythology and refers to the poet and musician who ventures to Hades to retrieve his wife, Eurydice. His name means “the darkness of night.”

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Otieno

This beautiful Eastern African name comes from the Luo language, one of over a dozen languages spoken by the Luo people on the continent. It means “born at night.”

Rajnish

In Hindi, Rajnish means “lord of the night” and is based on two Sanskrit words, rajani (night) and isha (lord, ruler). It is often the name given to the moon in Hindu texts, particularly myths and religious texts.

Ryouya

Like many Japanese names, Ryouya has a complex meaning that includes kanji for “refreshing,” “clear,” “help,” and “night.”

Related post: Names that mean Sleep

Samer

Derived from Arabic, Filipino, Maguindanao, and Maranao, this name means “to talk at night” and is used as an alternative name to Samir.

Seung-man

Seung-man is a Korean name that means “to inherit at night,” with the “man” character giving the night connotation.

Şevger

The Kurdish language includes many “night” names, including Seyger. It means “night-walker” and is commonly used in mythology.

Shanye

Shayne is a Chinese name that means “flash night” by combining shan (“flash”) and ye (“night, evening”) and is commonly used to refer to lightning.

Related post: Names that mean Lightning

Sipiskomaapi

This name means “night boy” in Siksika and is usually used to refer to a firstborn son born late at night.

Taa’évȧho’nehe

This Cheyenne name means “night wolf,” with variations like Taa’évanáhkohe meaning “night bear” and Taa’éveameōhtse meaning “walks at night.”

Related post: Names that mean Wolf

Girls’ Names That Mean Night

Female names are often heavily connected to mythology, literature, and other unique cultural elements. This section will highlight multiple female names that mean night and discuss their in-depth history.

Aiwan

Aiwan is a Chinese name with multiple meanings, including “love” and “friendly,” as well as “night, evening.”

Asra

This Arabic name means “travel at night” and is heavily related to Isra.

Atiena

Atiena is a popular Swahili name that means “guardian of the night” and is often used in various cultures throughout this region.

Bingxi

This Chinese name has many meanings, including “mountain stream, creek,” as well as “night tides” and “clearly evident.”

Bixiao

A variation on the last name, Bixiao means “night, evening, dark” but also “dawn and daybreak” in some contexts.

Chakuriya

Though rare in modern times, Chakuriya was once a trendy name. It means “chestnut,” “night,” and even “shop.”

Chausiki

This still popular Swahili name means “born at night” and is commonly used for a girl born later in the day, as is standard in many African languages.

Chausiku

Chausiku is a Swahili name that means “born at night,” though there are also masculine names with the same meaning.

Chiya

Chiya is a popular Japanese name that means “thousand” and “night,” which gives it a unique meaning in multiple contexts.

Chiyaki

Deriving from the same kanji as Chiya, Chiyaki also adds “ki,” which means princess. As a result, this name means “night princess.”

Chiyako

Chiyako draws from the same “night” and “thousand” kanji as the previous two names but also adds “child” or “young one” to its meaning.

Related post: Names that mean Pure

Chiyami

Like the previous three names, Chiyami means “thousand” and “ night” but also adds the kanji “mi,” which means “beautiful.”

Grimanesa

A rare Spanish name that means “forced to spend the night,” refers to the first colonial alcalde of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Himeyo

Himeyo is a Japanese name that combines terms that mean “day, sun, Japan” with words for “female, woman,” as well as “princess” and “night.”

Hinayu

Another Japanese name that combines complex kanji that mean “summer,” as well as “night” and “evening.”

Hine-nui-te-pō

Based on Polynesian mythology (specifically the Maori goddess of night and death), this name means “great woman of the night.”

Hiyo

Hiyo is a Japanese name that means “light” and “night,” which gives it a uniquely conflicted name in many contexts.

Layla

Layla means “night” in Arabic and has been used in multiple poems and literature, including in the popular song “Layla.”

Lilith

Lilith means “night” and was Adam’s first wife in some Biblical tales, though she is also part of Assyrian mythology.

Miyako

Miyako is a Japanese name that combines kanji, which means “beautiful,” as well as “night” and “child.”

Nyx

Nyx refers to the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos, who married Erebos.

Ratree

This name from Thailand refers to various popular night-blooming jasmine and means “night” in Thai.

Tsukiyo

A Japanese name that means “moon” and “night” or “moonlit night” when combined.

Tungigul

This Uzbek name means “night” and “rose, flower” and is popularly used today.

Tuta

Derived from the indigenous American language of Quechua, Tuta means “night” and is still popularly used in Native tribes.

Xewali

Though rare outside areas that speak Assamese, this name means “night-flowering jasmine.”

Xiaoxiao

A Chinese name that combines two similar kanji to mean “night rain.”

Xinxi

Another Chinese name that uses the “xi” kanji, this name means both “sunlight” and “night.”

Xinye

From the Chinese xin and ye, this name means “night, dark” and “glorious, bright.”

Yaeka

This reasonably complex Japanese name means “beautiful night” and often refers to flowers.

Unisex Names That Mean Night

Unisex names have been used since the earliest days of culture. The following names are drawn worldwide and feature rarely used and more modern options:

Akiya: Akiya has many meanings, including “night.”
Ari: This name, from Maori, Tahitian, and the Cook Islands Maori, means “the eleventh night.”
Chiejina: In Igbo, this name means “let the night not come” and is a common prayer word.
Hoku: Hoku is a Hawaiian name that means “night of the full moon.”
Nightingale: A rare English term that refers to either Florence Nightingale or the bird.
Nje: Nje means “night” in Dungan, a now rarely spoken language.
Nox: Nox is the Roman god of night derived from the Greek Nyx.
Pomare: This Tahitian name means “night cough” and was the name of four kings.
Pytuna: Derived from the Tupi-Guarani language, Pytuna means “night.”
Qiaoxi: This complex Chinese name means “night tides” and “mountain stream.”
Ran’ya: A Japanese name that means “night, evening” and “orchid.”
Ren’ya: This name means “night, evening” and “lotus,” which refers to a night-growing flower.
Sakuya: Sakyua also means “night blossom,” particularly as a female name.
Seiya: This name has grown in popularity after the release of the Sailor Moon anime and means “night.”
Shio: Another Japanese name that means “night” and also “Japanese cherry birch.”
Shizuya: A popular Japanese name that means “quiet night.” as well as “wrong, evil.”
Tsukiya: This Japanese name means “moon” and “night.”
Tsuruya: A popular male name, Tsuruya means “night” and can be used with females too.
Tsuya: A variation of the last name, Tsuya means “moon” and “night.”
West: Though derived from the English word for the west, this name also means “evening” and “night.”
Xiaoye: A complex Chinese name that means “dawn, daybreak,” and “small.”
Yahiro: This popular Japanese name means “night” and “plentiful.”
Yasumi: Yasumi is a Japanese name that means “peaceful” and “night,” among many other definitions.
Yeshen: This Chinese name means “night spirits.”
Yö: Yo is a rare, modern Finnish name that means “night.”
Yoru: Though rarely used in modern Japan, this name (meaning “night”) is prevalent in Japanese history.
Yoruichi: This Japanese name means “night” and “one.”
Yuriya: Yuriya means “night,” “lily,” and “tie, bind, contract.”
Yuye: A common Chinese name that means “precious night stone.”

Wrap Up – Names that mean Night

We hope our list of names that mean night has given you starry options for name ideas!

Resource:

We use Behind the Name to research name meanings, history, and popularity.