Names That Mean Night

Mysterious and calming, night names carry the hush of the evening, the glow of the stars and the deep quiet of the dark. The night has always been a time of rest, dreams and wonder, and the names that honour it share that soothing, enchanted quality. Many mean “night” outright — the Arabic Layla and Leila, the Sanskrit Nisha and Rajni. Others belong to the goddesses of the night themselves, from the Greek Nyx to the Roman Nox and the Hindu night-goddess Ratri, or simply mean dark, shadowed and evening (Ciara, Twyla, “twilight”). A few name a child born after dark, like the Luo name Otieno. Night names feel serene and a little magical, and range from the soft and popular (Layla) to the mythic (Nyx, Lilith). Here are real baby names that mean night, dark or evening, each with its genuine meaning and origin.