Names That Mean Cursed

Few real given names mean cursed. The closest are Ara (Greek, the spirit of curses), Maledicta (Latin, cursed), Mallory (Old French, unlucky), Desdemona (Greek, ill-fated) and Atë (Greek, ruin). Many writers and gamers also use words like Anathema, Hex and Doom for characters in stories.

Real Names with Dark Meanings

These are genuine names, in use today, whose roots mean unlucky or sorrowful.

• Mallory: Old French, “unfortunate” or “unlucky”
• Desdemona: Greek, “ill-fated”
• Dolores: Spanish, “sorrows”
• Mara: Hebrew, “bitter”
• Calamity: English, “disaster”
• Nemesis: Greek, “retribution”

Girl Names

• Ara: Greek goddess and spirit of curses
• Maledicta: Latin, “cursed”
• Mallory: “unlucky”
• Desdemona: “ill-fated”
• Atë: Greek goddess of ruin and rash folly
• Alecto: one of the Furies, “unceasing”
• Megaera: one of the Furies, “grudging”
• Tisiphone: one of the Furies, “avenger of murder”
• Cassandra: Trojan prophetess cursed never to be believed
• Dolores: “sorrows”

Boy Names

• Maledictus: Latin, “cursed”
• Damnatus: Latin, “condemned”
• Moros: Greek spirit of doom
• Fafnir: Norse dragon, a man transformed by a cursed hoard
• Cain: biblical figure marked and cursed after the first murder
• Midas: king cursed with the golden touch
• Tantalus: Greek king condemned to eternal hunger and thirst
• Oedipus: Greek prince of a doomed house
• Bane: Old English, “ruin” or “slayer”

Unisex Names

• Mallory
• Ara
• Hex
• Jinx
• Doom
• Bane
• Anathema: “accursed thing”
• Calamity

Greek Names

Greek mythology has the richest set of curse and doom figures.

The Furies, called the Erinyes, were the goddesses who carried out curses on those who broke sacred oaths or shed family blood.

Latin Names

• Maledictus: “cursed”
• Maledicta: feminine form
• Damnatus: “condemned”
• Infaustus: “unlucky” or “ill-omened”
• Maleficus: “evildoer”

Hebrew and Arabic

In Hebrew, arur means cursed and klala means curse. Cain, the first murderer in biblical tradition, is the best known cursed figure.

In Arabic and Urdu, laanat means curse and malun means cursed. Manhoos means inauspicious. These are words, not names.

Islamic tradition encourages choosing names with good meanings, and the Prophet is reported to have changed names that carried negative meanings. For a real child in a Pakistani family, a name meaning cursed would likely be avoided.

Sanskrit and Hindi

• Shaap or Shapa: “curse”
• Shapit: “cursed”
• Abhishapta: “accursed”
• Durvasa: a sage in Hindu epics famous for his curses
• Ahalya: cursed to become stone in the Ramayana
• Karna: cursed to forget his weapon skills in the Mahabharata

Japanese Names

Japanese has strong words for curses, though they are rarely used as given names.

• Noroi: “curse”
• Tatari: “divine curse” or “retribution”
• Onryo: “vengeful spirit”
• Yami: “darkness”
• Kage: “shadow”

Irish and Norse

• Mallacht: Irish, “curse”
• Mallachd: Scottish Gaelic, “curse”
• Fafnir: Norse, turned into a dragon by greed
• Andvari: Norse dwarf who cursed his ring and gold

Cursed Mythological Figures

These characters suffered famous curses.

• Cassandra: given true prophecies that no one believes
• Echo: condemned to only repeat the words of others
• Midas: everything he touched turned to gold
• Tantalus: punished with eternal hunger
• Sisyphus: doomed to roll a boulder uphill forever
• Oedipus: his family suffered a prophecy of doom
• Arachne: turned into a spider
• Lycaon: turned into a wolf
• Medusa: turned into a monster

Literary Names

• Dorian: from The Picture of Dorian Gray, a man with a cursed portrait
• Cassandra
• Oedipus
• Desdemona: the ill-fated heroine of Othello

Word Names

• Hex
• Jinx
• Doom
• Bane
• Woe
• Ruin
• Anathema
• Calamity

Fantasy and Gaming Tips

If you need a name for a cursed character, blend a real root with a dark sound.

1. Use Latin roots. Maledict, Damnat and Infaust sound ancient and ominous.
2. Borrow Greek spirits. Moros, Oizys and Achlys fit tragic villains.
3. Add a title. “The Accursed,” “Maledict” or “Bane of Kings” adds weight.
4. Mix languages carefully. Verify meanings to avoid accidental jokes.
5. Pick a tragic story. Cassandra and Tantalus show how a curse shapes a character.

Short Names

• Ara
• Atë
• Hex
• Bane
• Doom
• Moros
• Mara

How to Choose

1. Decide the purpose. A character, a pen name and a real child need different levels of caution.
2. Check the origin. Many online lists add random names, so confirm each meaning.
3. Think of the child. A real child will carry the name for life, so Mallory or Desdemona may be safer than a literal curse.
4. Consider culture. Some communities treat negative names as unlucky.
5. Say it aloud. Test the full name for sound and spelling.

FAQs

What name means cursed?

Maledicta and Maledictus mean cursed in Latin. Ara is the Greek spirit of curses, and Mallory means unlucky in Old French.

Is Mallory really a name that means unlucky?

Yes. Mallory comes from Old French and means unfortunate or unlucky. It is a popular, modern name today.

What is a girl name that means cursed?

Ara, Maledicta, Atë and Desdemona are options. Desdemona means ill-fated, and Atë is the Greek goddess of ruin.

What is a boy name that means cursed?

Maledictus and Damnatus are Latin choices. Fafnir, Midas and Tantalus are mythological figures famous for their curses.

What Greek names are linked to curses?

Ara, Atë, Nemesis, Moros and the three Furies Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone. The Furies were the goddesses who carried out curses.

What is a unique name that means cursed?

Infaustus from Latin, Oizys from Greek and Abhishapta from Sanskrit are uncommon. Each means unlucky, miserable or accursed.