Names Categorized "night" - Behind the Name

Asra f Arabic
Means "travel at night" in Arabic. It is related to Isra.

Atieno f Eastern African, Luo
Feminine form of Otieno.

Awilix f Mayan Mythology
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a place name Awilizapan, or possibly from a Q'eqchi' Maya word meaning "swallow (bird)". This was the name of the K'iche' Maya goddess of the moon, night and death.

Chausiku f Eastern African, Swahili
Means "born at night" in Swahili.

Isra f Arabic
Means "nocturnal journey", derived from Arabic سرى (sara) meaning "to travel at night".

Laïla f Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic ليلى (see Layla) chiefly used in Northern Africa (using French-influenced orthography).

Layla f Arabic, English
Means "night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.

Lilita f Latvian
Latvian form of Lilith.

Lilith f Semitic Mythology, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Derived from Akkadian lilitu meaning "of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.

Mahsa f Persian
Means "like the moon" in Persian.

Miyako f Japanese
From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", 夜 (ya) meaning "night" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji as well.

Neela f Tamil, Indian, Hindi
Alternate transcription of Tamil நீலா or Hindi नीला (see Nila).

Neelam f & m Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi नीलम (see Nilam).

Neelima f Indian, Marathi, Hindi, Telugu
Alternate transcription of Marathi/Hindi नीलिमा or Telugu నీలిమ (see Nilima).

Nila f Tamil, Indian, Hindi
Means "dark blue" in Sanskrit.

Nilam f & m Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means "dark blue, sapphire" in Sanskrit.

Nilima f Indian, Marathi, Hindi, Telugu
Means "dark blue" in Sanskrit.

Nisha f Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Nepali
Means "night" in Sanskrit.

Nox f Roman Mythology
Means "night" in Latin. Nox is the Roman goddess of the night, the equivalent of the Greek goddess Nyx.

Nyx f Greek Mythology
Means "night" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos and the wife of Erebos.

Otieno m Eastern African, Luo
Means "born at night" in Luo.

Pomare m & f Tahitian
Means "night cough", from Tahitian po "night" and mare "cough". This name was borne by four kings and a queen of Tahiti. The first king adopted the name after his child died of a cough in the night.

Shalim m Semitic Mythology
From the Semitic root shalam meaning "peace". This was the name of an Ugaritic god associated with the evening.

Summanus m Roman Mythology
Means "before the morning", derived from Latin sub "under, before" and mane "morning". Summanus was the Roman god of the night sky and night lightning, a nocturnal counterpart to Jupiter.

Tezcatlipoca m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "smoking mirror" in Nahuatl, derived from tezcatl "mirror" and pōctli "smoke". In Aztec and other Mesoamerican mythology he was one of the chief gods, associated with the night sky, winds, war, and the north. Like his rival Quetzalcoatl, he was a creator god.

Twila f English
Meaning unknown. Perhaps based on the English word twilight, or maybe from a Cajun pronunciation of French étoile "star". It came into use as an American given name in the late 19th century.

Twyla f English
Variant of Twila.

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