Names that Mean Scapegoat

Names that mean scapegoat are pretty rare. A scapegoat is defined as “a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency.” This actually comes from the Bible, where a scapegoat is a goat sent into the wilderness after the Jewish chief priest had symbolically laid the sins of the people upon it –Leviticus 16

Here are some names to get you started. 

Names That Mean Scapegoat

Azazel

Azazel means scapegoat in Hebrew. It comes from this section of the Torah: 

And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for Azazel. – Leviticus 16:8

The term means “the entire removal,” or “the sender away (of sins).”

The scapegoat was a way of casting out all sins for the community onto one being. Or in this case, one goat.

Averter

An averter stops something from happening. Similarly, a scapegoat averts a larger group from punishment, harm, or consequences. 

Catharsis

Choosing and sacrificing a scapegoat can be a form of societal catharsis 

Dosmoche 

The Festival of the Scapegoat is celebrated in India

Exile

A scapegoat may be exiled from their community.

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Fall Guy

A person who is deliberately and falsely blamed in order to deflect blame from someone else.

Folk Devil

In folklore or media, a person or group of people are often blamed for crimes or problems as a type of scapegoat. This person or group of people is called a folk devil.

Joe Soap

In British rhyming slang, Joe Soap means “scapegoat.” Joe refers to an ordinary person. And soap is a rhyme for dope. 

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Katharma

Human who was cast out as a scapegoat in ancient Greece. This word means    “offscouring, outcast, pariah”

Ostracize

A modern scapegoat is often cut out of their community 

Outcast

An outcast is a socially untouchable or stigmatized person.

You may also want to check out an awesome list of names that mean secret.

Pariah 

The word pariah actually comes from the Tamil language of southeast Asia. The parai is a large drum used to announce the king’s announcements to the public. People who performed this drumming job were in a low caste of society, and thus it became a derisive term.

Patsy

A patsy is a person who is taken advantage of and often blamed for something or cheated.

Peripsima

Human who was cast out as a scapegoat in ancient Greece. It translates to “refuse, filth, offscouring.”

Pharmakos

Ancient Greek exile or sacrifice of a human scapegoat. It means “medicine” or “charm.”

Prügeljunge

The German term for “whipping boy.”

Purge

A purge is a forceful removal of people who are deemed to be undesirable. 

Sacrifice

The practice of offering possessions, the lives of animals, or the lives of humans to deities in a form of worship. The original practice of scapegoating was a form of animal sacrifice. 

Seir

Seir means rough or hairy in Hebrew but can also be used to mean scapegoat

Souffre-douleur

French term that is the equivalent to “punching bag,” “scapegoat,” or “whipping boy.” It literally means “suffered pain.”

Whipping boy

Historically, if a young prince or king was to be punished, a close friend called the whipping boy would receive the punishment instead. Scholars actually aren’t sure if whipping boys were actually used or not!

Places and Things Named Scapegoat

• Scapegoat Wilderness and Scapegoat Mountain – an area and mountain in Montana 
• There are numerous songs and albums named Scapegoat from dozens of artists
• The SS-14 Scapegoat was a Soviet ballistic missile
• A Scapegoat tree is a type of search tree used in computer science

Wrap Up- Names That mean scapegoat

Have ideas for more names that mean scapegoat? Please share them in the comments, this was a tricky article to research!