Demon Names: 90 Dark & Infernal Ideas for Fantasy and D&D

A demon's name should feel wrong in the best way — harsh, ancient, and a little dangerous to say out loud. The great demon names sound like they were scratched into stone in a language humans weren't meant to read: thick with hard consonants, hissing S's, growling R's, and that grand infernal weight that says "I have been collecting souls since before your gods were born." Where an angel's name soars, a demon's name drags — down, into smoke and shadow.

The trick is menace plus age. Demons are old, proud, and hungry, and they love a grandiose title. A petty imp might get something short and nasty, but a true demon lord wants a name that sounds like it should be carved above the gates of a burning city.

Below are 90 demon names — dark and infernal, from mighty demon lords to lesser fiends and she-demons — plus title ideas and a quick how-to. Whether you're summoning a world-ending archfiend, a scheming deal-maker, or a swarm of lesser horrors, there's a suitably sinister name here. Don't read them aloud three times. Tips at the end.

Demon lord names (grand & terrible)

For archfiends, demon princes, and the kind of being whose true name shouldn't be spoken — big, ancient, and dripping with infernal authority:

Malphas, Abaddon, and Asmodaeus carry that real grimoire weight (they echo names from genuine demonology, which is why they feel so authentically infernal). Abaddon literally means "destruction" — about as on-brand as a demon lord can get.

Female demon (she-demon) names

Seductive, deadly, and ancient — these fit succubus-style temptresses, demon queens, and she-fiends who are far more dangerous than they look:

Lilith is the queen here — the ancient mother-of-demons of folklore — and Lamia and Naamah carry the same old, mythic dread. Allura and Carnessa lean into the seductive-but-lethal succubus angle, where the danger is wrapped in charm.

Lesser demon & imp names (nasty little fiends)

Not every demon is a world-ender. Imps, lesser fiends, and summoned horrors get shorter, sharper, nastier names — quick and vicious:

Grix, Skarn, Vurk, Nix, Crule, Gnash, Vexil, Skritch, Maug, Zann, Crawl, Hisser, Grindle, Snarl, Vryk, Pox, Crege, Mavlik, Snik, Gorr.

Grix, Skarn, and Gnash are perfect little-fiend names — sharp, ugly, and quick to say (which suits things that move in swarms). These are great for the imp bound to a warlock, the lesser demon doing a lord's dirty work, or the horror your party fights on the way to the real boss.

Infernal titles & epithets

Demons love a grandiose title almost as much as a name. Stack one on for instant menace:

the Devourer, the Unspoken, Lord of Ash, the Soul-Eater, the Pit-Born, the Whispering Flame, Prince of Lies, the Hollow King, the Bringer of Ruin, the Crimson Hunger, Keeper of Broken Oaths, the Wormtongue, the Faceless, Master of the Burning Throne, the Thousand-Eyed.

A title transforms a name into a legend: Malphas, Prince of Lies. Abaddon, the Bringer of Ruin. Demons are obsessed with status and dread, so a fitting epithet — especially one hinting at how they trick or destroy mortals — does a lot of storytelling in just a few words.

How to name your demon

Menace, age, and a little grandeur:

• Hard, harsh sounds. Growling R's, hissing S's, hard K/G/X/Z — Vorgath, Skarn, Xaphan, Grix. The name should feel rough in the mouth.
• Borrow from demonology. Names like Malphas, Abaddon, Asmodeus, and Lilith come from real grimoires and folklore, which is exactly why they ring so authentically infernal.
• Scale the name to the demon. A world-ending archfiend gets a grand, multi-syllable name (Asmodaeus, Belphemor); a lesser imp gets something short and nasty (Grix, Nix, Gnash).
• Add an "-oth," "-eus," or "-as" ending for that ancient demon-lord ring: Zaroth, Mortheus, Malphas.
• Crown it with a title. "the Devourer," "Prince of Lies," "Lord of Ash" — demons adore dread-soaked epithets, and they make any name sound legendary.

A great demon name should feel genuinely uncomfortable to say — like the syllables themselves are sharp, and saying it out loud might attract attention you don't want. If a name makes you instinctively not want to repeat it three times in a dark room, you've nailed the infernal vibe.

Match the demon to its sin or domain

Here's a classic trick that makes demons feel like part of a real infernal hierarchy: tie the demon to a sin, vice, or domain, and let the name and title reflect it. Demons in most mythologies aren't just generically evil — they specialize. One rules over deceit and broken oaths, another over plague and decay, another over lust, war, greed, or despair. Deciding your demon's "portfolio" instantly sharpens both name and character. A demon of lies and bargains suits something smooth and seductive (Valefor, Velnara, "Prince of Lies") — the kind that destroys you with a contract, not a sword. A demon of war and slaughter wants something brutal and pounding (Vorgath, Baphmet, "the Bringer of Ruin"). A demon of decay and death leans grim and rotten (Mortheus, Mortessa, "Lord of Ash, the Soul-Eater").

This approach pays off in storytelling, too. A demon that embodies a specific sin gives your heroes a thematic enemy — the demon of pride can only be beaten by humility, the demon of lies undone by a single truth. It turns a "big scary monster" into something mythic and meaningful. So before you finalize the name, ask what your demon wants and what it represents. Then pick syllables and a title that drip with that particular flavor of evil, and your demon will feel less like a stat block and more like a force that's been corrupting mortals since the dawn of time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are good demon names for D&D?

Great demon names include Malphas, Abaddon, Asmodaeus, and Vorgath for demon lords, Lilith, Naamah, and Nyxara for she-demons, and short nasty ones like Grix, Skarn, and Gnash for lesser fiends. Add an infernal title like "the Devourer" for extra menace.

What are good demon lord names?

Demon lord names should sound grand and terrible: Malphas, Abaddon, Asmodaeus, Belphemor, Xaphan, and Vorgath. Many echo real demonology (Malphas, Abaddon, Asmodeus), which is why they feel so authentically infernal. Crown them with a title like "Prince of Lies."

What are good female demon names?

Female (she-demon) names include Lilith, Naamah, Lamia, Nyxara, Allura, and Carnessa — seductive, ancient, and deadly. Lilith (the mythic mother of demons) is the standout, while Allura and Carnessa suit succubus-style temptresses whose danger hides behind charm.

What are good names for lesser demons or imps?

Lesser demons and imps get short, sharp, nasty names: Grix, Skarn, Vurk, Nix, Gnash, Skritch, and Maug. Quick and ugly to say, they suit the small fiends that swarm, serve a demon lord, or get bound to a warlock.

How do I make up a demon name?

Use harsh sounds — growling R's, hissing S's, hard K/G/X/Z — and borrow the feel of real demonology (Malphas, Abaddon). Scale the name to the demon's power (grand for lords, short for imps), try endings like "-oth," "-eus," or "-as," and crown it with a dread-soaked title.

Why do demon names sound the way they do?

Many fantasy demon names draw on real grimoires and folklore — Goetic spirits like Malphas, Valefor, and Asmodeus, plus figures like Lilith and Abaddon. Those ancient, harsh, consonant-heavy sounds are what give demon names their authentic, unsettling infernal quality.

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Go name your demon

Lordly Malphas, ancient Lilith, brutal Vorgath, or a nasty little imp named Grix — there's a suitably infernal name here for your demon, dark and old and just dangerous enough to make you check the shadows.

👉 Open the free Fantasy Name Builder to conjure one by vibe — lordly, lesser, or seductive, in a click, no signup. ⚔️

Which one you didn't want to say out loud? That's your demon. Now don't summon it.