The best vampire names sound old, dark and elegant, like Carmilla, Lilith, Vladimir or Lucian. Many borrow from history, old European languages or classic gothic stories, and a lot of them come with a title such as Count, Lady or Lord.
Below you’ll find the famous vampires that started it all, female and male vampire names with their real meanings, more name ideas, surnames, and a simple formula to create your own. It works for stories, games like Dungeons & Dragons, Halloween characters and usernames.
- Classic vampire names: Dracula, Carmilla, Lord Ruthven, Varney
- Female names with dark meanings: Lilith (“of the night”), Nyx (“night”), Morana (“death”)
- Male names with strong meanings: Vladimir (“to rule”), Alaric (“ruler of all”), Lucian (“light”)
- Easy formula: Title + first name + old surname, like Countess Seraphina Mortimer
- Full list: 540 more vampire names in tables, sorted by style
Famous vampires from classic stories
Modern vampire names still echo four early stories, all now in the public domain. We checked each name against the original texts on Project Gutenberg.
| Vampire | Story | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Ruthven | The Vampyre by John Polidori | 1819 |
| Sir Francis Varney | Varney the Vampyre, usually credited to James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Preskett Prest | Serial from 1845 |
| Carmilla (also Millarca and Mircalla, Countess Karnstein) | Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu | 1872 |
| Count Dracula | Dracula by Bram Stoker | 1897 |
Carmilla’s three names are a clever trick. In Le Fanu’s story she always uses a name made from exactly the same letters as her real one, Mircalla, and the narrator says: “Carmilla did this; so did Millarca.” It is a great idea to borrow: hide a character’s true name inside an anagram.
From modern books and TV, the vampire names people often look up are Edward Cullen from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, and the brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore from L. J. Smith’s The Vampire Diaries. For more stories to inspire you, see our list of the best vampire movies of all time.
Female vampire names with meanings
| Name | Origin and meaning |
|---|---|
| Lilith | From Akkadian lilitu, “of the night”; a night demon in ancient myth |
| Nyx | Greek for “night”; the Greek goddess of the night |
| Selene | Greek for “moon”; a Greek moon goddess |
| Morana | Possibly from Old Slavic morŭ, “death, plague”; a Slavic goddess of winter and death |
| Seraphina | From seraphim, Hebrew for “fiery ones” |
| Lenore | Short form of Eleanor; the lost love in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” (1845) |
| Raven | From the bird, Old English hræfn |
| Drusilla | Feminine form of the Roman family name Drusus |
| Elvira | Spanish form of a Visigothic name of uncertain meaning |
| Carmilla | The vampire countess from Le Fanu’s 1872 story |
More female vampire name ideas: Vespera, Isolde, Evangeline, Ravenna, Ophelia, Belladonna, Valentina, Celestine, Morwenna, Nocturna, Ysolde, Sabine, Odessa, Marisol, Calista, Lucrezia, Esmeralda, Vivienne, Annika, Severine.
Male vampire names with meanings
| Name | Origin and meaning |
|---|---|
| Vladimir | Old Slavic, from words meaning “to rule” and “great, famous” |
| Alaric | Gothic, “ruler of all”; a Visigoth king who sacked Rome in the 5th century |
| Lucian | From the Roman name Lucianus, from Lucius, linked to Latin lux, “light” |
| Damien | From Greek damazo, “to tame” |
| Sebastian | Latin, “from Sebaste”, from Greek sebastos, “venerable” |
| Mortimer | From a Norman place name meaning “dead water, still water” |
| Orpheus | Perhaps from Greek orphne, “the darkness of night”; the musician who went to the underworld |
| Ruthven | Lord Ruthven, Polidori’s vampire from 1819 |
More male vampire name ideas: Cassius, Lazarus, Silas, Thorne, Valerian, Caspian, Dorian, Malachai, Remus, Corvin, Ambrose, Lucius, Aurelian, Draven, Evander, Leopold, Cyprian, Magnus, Bastian, Octavian.
Vampire surnames and titles
A strong surname makes a vampire sound ancient and noble. Pair one with a title for a full name.
- Surnames: Blackwood, Ashcroft, Mortimer, Ravencroft, Thornfield, Draven, Vasile, Karnstein, Bathory-Vale, Nightingale, Grimwald, Vexley, Holloway, Crowe, Blackmere, Sinclair, Montague, Wolfsbane, Duskmere, Ebonwood
- Titles: Count, Countess, Lord, Lady, Baron, Baroness, Duke, Duchess, Prince, Princess, Sir, Madame
540 vampire names list
Here are 540 more vampire names, sorted by style. Each row gives a female name, a male name and a last name, so you can mix and match across the row or the whole table. These are name ideas, so no meanings are listed here. Check the tables above for the names with real, verified meanings.
Gothic and Victorian vampire names
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Isadora | Bartholomew | Ashworth |
| Evangeline | Edmund | Blackwood |
| Ophelia | Ambrose | Holloway |
| Lenore | Percival | Pembroke |
| Rosalind | Thaddeus | Ravencroft |
| Annabel | Algernon | Thornfield |
| Victoria | Cornelius | Whitlock |
| Cordelia | Desmond | Hargrove |
| Eleanor | Ignatius | Wickham |
| Beatrix | Montgomery | Grimshaw |
| Henrietta | Nathaniel | Ashby |
| Clementine | Reginald | Fairfax |
| Josephine | Sebastian | Harrowgate |
| Adelaide | Silas | Kingsley |
| Theodora | Tobias | Lockwood |
| Imogen | Victor | Marlowe |
| Philippa | Edgar | Montague |
| Winifred | Mortimer | Sinclair |
| Arabella | Barnabas | Thorne |
| Georgiana | Augustus | Wexford |
Royal and Roman-style vampire names
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Aurelia | Aurelius | Valcourt |
| Cassia | Cassius | Montclair |
| Livia | Lucius | Delacroix |
| Octavia | Octavian | Beaumont |
| Valentina | Valerian | Castellane |
| Lucretia | Maximus | Devereux |
| Flavia | Hadrian | Dumont |
| Cornelia | Marcellus | Lacroix |
| Severina | Severus | Marchetti |
| Antonia | Tiberius | Rochefort |
| Claudia | Cyprian | Saint-Clair |
| Junia | Aurelian | Vaillancourt |
| Marcella | Caius | Belmonte |
| Portia | Decimus | Corvino |
| Sabina | Florian | Desmarais |
| Tullia | Quintus | Falcone |
| Valeria | Remus | Lombardi |
| Domitia | Septimus | Moreau |
| Aemilia | Titus | Ravelli |
| Lucilla | Gaius | Vittori |
Eastern European vampire names
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Anastasia | Bogdan | Draganov |
| Katarina | Casimir | Vasile |
| Ludmila | Dimitri | Petrescu |
| Mila | Dragomir | Volkov |
| Nadia | Kazimir | Moravec |
| Natalya | Lazar | Krasinski |
| Oksana | Mikhail | Dragulescu |
| Svetlana | Miroslav | Novak |
| Tatiana | Radomir | Radu |
| Vesna | Stanislav | Sokolov |
| Zora | Vadim | Varga |
| Milena | Viktor | Zelenko |
| Bogdana | Vlad | Belinsky |
| Danica | Yaroslav | Lazarescu |
| Dragana | Zoran | Orlov |
| Irina | Andrei | Kovac |
| Jelena | Bohdan | Malinov |
| Lyuba | Matej | Dobrev |
| Vera | Vladislav | Ionescu |
| Yelena | Ivo | Vukovic |
Night, moon and shadow names
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Nyx | Draven | Nightingale |
| Luna | Noctis | Duskmere |
| Selene | Corvus | Moonshadow |
| Vespera | Dusk | Darkholme |
| Nocturna | Shade | Nightfall |
| Celeste | Onyx | Shadowmere |
| Stella | Obsidian | Blackmoor |
| Estelle | Sable | Starling |
| Lunara | Ebon | Eventide |
| Midnight | Nox | Moonwhisper |
| Starla | Vesper | Gloomwood |
| Noelle | Orion | Duskwood |
| Eclipsa | Erebus | Nightwood |
| Umbra | Kage | Shadowfen |
| Nebula | Thane | Darkwater |
| Astra | Umbriel | Umbravale |
| Aurora | Nocturne | Noctwood |
| Seraphine | Gloam | Nightbane |
| Duskia | Shadow | Vesperwood |
| Sombra | Abyss | Moonbane |
Dark nature names: poison flowers, crows and thorns
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Belladonna | Thorn | Wolfsbane |
| Nightshade | Ash | Crowe |
| Ivy | Bramble | Thornbury |
| Hemlock | Hawthorn | Hemlocke |
| Briar | Wolfe | Ravenwood |
| Thistle | Crow | Blackthorn |
| Rose | Rook | Briarwood |
| Violet | Flint | Ashgrove |
| Dahlia | Cypress | Rookwood |
| Azalea | Yew | Fernsby |
| Hyacinth | Alder | Oakhart |
| Oleander | Talon | Mossgrave |
| Foxglove | Fang | Wildwood |
| Wisteria | Jasper | Thistlewood |
| Rowan | Heath | Ivydale |
| Willow | Fenwick | Rosewood |
| Hazel | Corbin | Vinegrave |
| Magnolia | Grey | Grimthorn |
| Juniper | Stone | Fangwood |
| Aconita | Raven | Crowhurst |
Short and modern vampire names
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Ava | Kai | Black |
| Mia | Jax | Cross |
| Zara | Zane | Fox |
| Kat | Ryder | Hart |
| Liv | Cole | Hunt |
| Nova | Dex | Knight |
| Jade | Rex | Lane |
| Ruby | Axel | Locke |
| Scarlet | Blaze | Pike |
| Sky | Cade | Quinn |
| Vee | Jett | Reeve |
| Roxy | Knox | Shaw |
| Lux | Nash | Vale |
| Tess | Rhys | Ward |
| Indie | Rune | West |
| Kira | Saxon | Wilde |
| Rae | Slade | Wren |
| Zoe | Vance | Graves |
| Mae | Wade | Steele |
| Elle | Zed | Frost |
Romantic European vampire names
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Esmeralda | Alessandro | de Valois |
| Lucia | Armand | del Fuego |
| Marisol | Dante | Bellamy |
| Paloma | Emilio | Delgado |
| Carmen | Fabrizio | Castillo |
| Inès | Gaspard | Montoya |
| Giulia | Javier | Navarro |
| Serafina | Leandro | Rossi |
| Bianca | Lorenzo | Romano |
| Celestina | Luciano | Bellini |
| Dolores | Mateo | Fontaine |
| Francesca | Raphael | Girard |
| Gabriella | Santiago | Laurent |
| Isabella | Severin | Mercier |
| Marguerite | Thierry | Renard |
| Mireille | Valentin | Vasquez |
| Odile | Vicente | Vidal |
| Rosalia | Benedetto | Morales |
| Sylvie | Cesare | Bonnaire |
| Vivienne | Dorian | Duval |
Names from old myths and legends
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Persephone | Hades | Mourne |
| Hecate | Thanatos | Ashgrave |
| Medusa | Charon | Coldwell |
| Circe | Anubis | Grimm |
| Morrigan | Osiris | Hollowell |
| Hel | Set | Mortlake |
| Freya | Loki | Bleakmoor |
| Nephthys | Odin | Cryptwell |
| Eris | Fenrir | Dreadmore |
| Nemesis | Kronos | Gravesend |
| Calypso | Ares | Hellstrom |
| Pandora | Hypnos | Mournwood |
| Echo | Morpheus | Pallmore |
| Ariadne | Perseus | Shroud |
| Andromeda | Hermes | Sorrowby |
| Lamia | Atlas | Wraithwood |
| Empusa | Typhon | Bonechurch |
| Theia | Balor | Deadmarsh |
| Rhea | Arawn | Ghostley |
| Melinoe | Cernunnos | Gloomhurst |
Blood-red and invented vampire names
| Female | Male | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Vexa | Malachai | Bloodworth |
| Morwenna | Lazarus | Sanguine |
| Sanguina | Caspian | Crimsonvale |
| Cruora | Evander | Redgrave |
| Draculina | Leopold | Scarletmoor |
| Vampyra | Magnus | Draculescu |
| Nocturnelle | Bastian | Fangmore |
| Sylvaine | Varian | Bloodmoor |
| Zephyrine | Zarek | Crimson |
| Elvyra | Lucan | Garnet |
| Ravenna | Sorin | Rubyvale |
| Isolde | Vexor | Carmine |
| Ysolde | Thalric | Vermillion |
| Velvet | Morvain | Cardinal |
| Sabine | Gideon | Rosenblood |
| Odessa | Lysander | Sangrey |
| Severine | Dracul | Redthorn |
| Annika | Vladimer | Bloodstone |
| Calista | Ezekiel | Wineward |
| Lucrezia | Ignis | Vexley |
How to create your own vampire name
- Pick a title. Count or Countess sounds classic. Lord or Lady sounds softer.
- Choose an old first name. Latin, Greek or Slavic names feel ancient, like Lucian or Morana.
- Add a dark surname. Words for night, crows, thorns or old houses work well: Ravencroft, Blackwood, Thornfield.
- Hide a secret. Like Carmilla, make an anagram of the character’s real name to use in disguise.
- Say it out loud. If it rolls off the tongue and sounds a little cold, you have it.
Examples: Countess Seraphina Mortimer, Lord Alaric Blackwood, Lady Lenore Ravencroft, Count Lucian Thornfield.
Tips for choosing a vampire name
- Match the setting. A medieval vampire suits Vladimir or Alaric. A modern one might go by a short name like Raven or Silas.
- Avoid famous copies if you are writing your own story. “Dracula” will always feel borrowed.
- Check the meaning of any real name before using it, so it fits your character.
- Keep usernames short. For gaming or social media, one strong name like Nyx or Draven works better than a full title.
Need more ideas? Try our Fantasy Name Generator, Demon Name Generator or Dragon Name Generator. Building a fantasy party? See our list of bard names too.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good female vampire name?
Lilith, Carmilla, Nyx, Seraphina and Morana are strong choices. Lilith comes from an ancient word meaning “of the night”, and Nyx is Greek for “night”.
What is a good male vampire name?
Vladimir, Alaric, Lucian, Damien and Sebastian all suit a vampire. Vladimir and Alaric both carry meanings linked to ruling.
Who was the first famous vampire in fiction?
Lord Ruthven, from John Polidori’s The Vampyre (1819), is one of the earliest. Carmilla (1872) and Count Dracula (1897) came later.
What does Carmilla mean?
Carmilla is an anagram. In Sheridan Le Fanu’s story, the vampire’s real name is Mircalla, Countess Karnstein, and she uses names made from the same letters, Carmilla and Millarca.
What are good vampire last names?
Dark, old-sounding surnames work best, like Blackwood, Ravencroft, Mortimer, Thornfield or Draven. Mortimer even comes from a place name meaning “dead water”.
What are the vampire names in The Vampire Diaries?
The main vampires are the brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore, from the books by L. J. Smith and the TV series based on them.
