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75 Dark Academia Names for Girls and Boys That Invoke Ivy League Gothic

Do you love secret societies, classic literature, and Gothic architecture? If so, these baby names might be for you!
75 Dark Academia Names
Updated: August 23, 2022

Do you love secret societies, classic literature, and Gothic architecture? Are Harry Potter and Dead Poet’s Society some of your favorite movies? The dark academia aesthetic finds its inspiration in ivy league schools and Victorian style, and it’s growing in popularity.

The dark academic style is experiencing a renaissance on social media. Images of antique globes, decadent bookstores, and writing in coffee shops are popping up on Tumblr and TikTok. 

If you find yourself drawn to the preppy New England look with a touch of goth, dark academia may be a subgenre for you to draw inspiration from. (And If you love the old upper-class boarding school style but are not as into the gothic side of things, check out light academia instead).

If you are expecting, why not draw your baby name inspiration from the dark academia subculture? You know that feeling you get from a character who touches your heart? How special would it be to be reminded of that feeling whenever you say your child’s name?

Related: 50 Dark But Beautiful Names for Baby Girls 

Check out our list of dark academia names for girls and boys. These names invoke ivy league gothic vibes and range from common classic names to unique modern variations.

Dark Academia Names for Girls 

Dark Academia Names for Girls

Dark academia names for girls are inspired by ancient greek and roman myths and the natural world. Others are drawn from classic and modern literature.

  1. Alexandria - Greek, defending men
  2. Alisa - Germanic, noble
  3. Anemone - Greek, wind; the flower
  4. Aurelia - Latin, golden
  5. Beatrix - Latin, voyager 
  6. Camilla - Etruscan, unknown meaning; Roman Mythology, a maiden turned warrior; Literature, a protagonist in Donna Tartt’s The Secret History
  7. Celeste - Latin, heavenly
  8. Circe - Greek, hawk; Roman Mythology, a sorceress in the Odyssey who turned Odysseus's crew into swine
  9. Clothilde - Germanic, famed battle
  10. Coraline - opera, the main character in Adolphe Adam’s Le toréador; the main character in Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline.
  11. Dahlia - English, the flower
  12. Diana - Indo-European, divine; Roman Mythology, goddess of the moon, the hunt, forests, and childbirth
  13. Drusilla - Ancient Roman, strong
  14. Eden - Hebrew, pleasure, delight
  15. Eleanor - Old French, the other Aenor
  16. Flora - Latin, flower; Roman Mythology, goddess of flowers and spring
  17. Guinevere - Welsh, white phantom
  18. Hermione - Greek Mythology, daughter of Kind Menelaus and Helen; Literature, a protagonist at Hogwarts in Harry Potter
  19. Ivy - English, the plant
  20. Isadora - Greek, gift of Isis
  21. Lavender - English, the flower
  22. Luna - Latin, moon; Roman Mythology, goddess of the moon
  23. Margot - Greek, pearl
  24. Myrtle - Greek, evergreen shrub
  25. Octavia - eighth; history, wife of Mark Anthony and sister of Augustus
  26. Odette - Germanic, wealth; ballet, princess transformed into a swan in Swan Lake
  27. Ophelia - Greek, help; Shakespeare, Hamlet’s lover
  28. Pilar - Spanish, pillar
  29. Robin - English, the bird
  30. Rowena - Germanic, joy and fame
  31. Violet - Latin, purple
  32. Willow - English, the tree

Dark Academia Names for Boys 

Dark Academia Names for Boys

Dark academia names for boys find their inspiration in Greek heroes and gods, literary figures, and vintage-sounding names.

  1. Ambrose - Greek, immortal
  2. Archibald - Germanic, genuine, bold
  3. Aspen - English, the tree
  4. Atlas - Greek, enduring; Greek Mythology, a titan condemned to carry the world on his shoulders
  5. Augustus - Latin, exalted, venerable; history, the first emperor of Rome
  6. Brock - Old English, badger
  7. Caspian - Literature, a main character in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia
  8. Dorian - Literature, the main character in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray
  9. Edmund - Old English, rich protection; Literature, a main character in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia
  10. Emerson - Old English, son of Emery
  11. Francis - Latin, Frenchman
  12. Gale - Old English, jovial
  13. George - Greek, farmer
  14. Henry - Germanic, home ruler
  15. Jack - Greek, Yahweh is gracious
  16. James - Greek, supplanter
  17. Jasper - Hebrew, treasurer
  18. Julian - Greek, downy-bearded
  19. Lucien - Ancient Roman, light
  20. Nathan - Hebrew, he gave
  21. Ollivander - Literature, a wand shop owner in the Harry Potter series
  22. Percy - Old Norman, the town of Perci
  23. Peter - Greek, stone
  24. Remus - Roman Mythology, one of the twin brothers who founded Rome
  25. Rowan - Old Irish, red
  26. Theodore - Greek, gift of God
  27. Tobias - Hebrew, Yahweh is good
  28. Victor - Latin, victory
  29. Vincent -Latin, to conquer
  30. Virgil - Literature, writer of the Aeneid
  31. Warren - English, animal enclosure

Gender-Neutral Dark Academia Names 

Gender-neutral names are rising in popularity. Drawn from the dark academia aesthetic, these names are perfect for either boys or girls.

  1. Avery -Germanic, elf ruler
  2. Blair - Scottish, field
  3. Briar - English - the thorny plant
  4. Brooklyn - Dutch, broken land
  5. Darcy - Norman French, from Arcy
  6. Fern - English, the plant
  7. Haven - Old English, safe place
  8. Mallory - Norman French, unfortunate
  9. Mavis - Old French, a songbird 
  10. Peyton - English, fighting man’s estate 
  11. Quinn - Old Irish, reason
  12. Rory - Irish, red king

Although it’s hard to say what will be “cool” in the future, it’s possible that your child will grow to love and appreciate their dark academic name one day when you explain its significance. 

For more baby names and inspiration, check out our Baby Name Center.

Considering one of these names? Pin it to save it for later:

 

Elisa Cinelli

About Elisa

Elisa is a well-known parenting writer who is passionate about providing research-based… Read more

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