Confession upfront. I started this list thinking I’d be writing 200 spooky names and a Casper section. By the time I came up for air I had the entire Pac-Man family tree, the deep Disney Haunted Mansion canon, the Swedish band Ghost’s full ghoul roster, every Japanese yurei category, and a slightly worrying amount of opinion about which Hitchhiking Ghost is actually the coolest (Gus, by the way, the one with the ball and chain). So if you came here for ghost names, you got the right list.
Quick answer if you’re skimming: good ghost names usually fall into three buckets. Soft and cute names like Boo, Whisp, or Casper. Cold and atmospheric names like Phantom, Wraith, or Specter. And famous-ghost callbacks like Slimer, Pinky, or Beetlejuice. Pick whichever bucket fits the ghost in your head.
Below: 400+ names sorted into 22 categories. The cute ones up top, the scary ones in the middle, and a deep cultural section near the bottom (Japanese ghost types, folklore figures, names that mean “ghost” in 12+ languages). Plus the full Pac-Man roster, the Disney Haunted Mansion crew, and a name builder if scrolling is exhausting you. Skip to whichever section fits.
Quick Ghost Vocabulary
A bit of paranormal terminology before you start naming. Surprisingly fun.
- Apparition: a ghost that appears visually
- Poltergeist: a “noisy ghost” that moves objects
- Wraith: traditionally a ghost seen just before someone’s death
- Specter / Spectre: a visible disembodied spirit
- Phantom: a fleeting, almost-not-there spirit
- Shade: a quieter, gentler ghost (Greek mythology)
- Banshee: an Irish female spirit who wails before a death
- Revenant: a ghost that comes back with purpose, often vengeance
- Yurei: Japanese for ghost (literally “faint spirit”)
- Doppelgänger: a ghostly double of a living person
That whole list is also a list of good ghost names. Most of these double as actual character names. Use any of them.
How to Pick the Right Ghost Name
Three rules.
- Match the vibe. A friendly cartoon ghost called Whisp is delightful. A friendly cartoon ghost called Vengeance is a different story (a fun one, just different).
- Say it five times. Two syllables wins. Three is okay. Four starts to feel theatrical.
- Lean into the lore. The most memorable ghost names are pulled from real folklore or pop culture. Casper has a story. Spooky McSpookface does not.
That’s the whole framework. Onto the names.
Cute Ghost Names
The friendly-cartoon list. Cute ghost names that lean soft, bouncy, and wholesome. Perfect for kids, Halloween costumes, plushies, picture books, or nice TikTok ghosts.
- Boo: the universal classic
- Whisp: gentle and floating
- Casper: the OG friendly ghost
- Spooky: descriptive but warm
- Misty: soft and gray
- Shadow: gentle dark
- Hazel: warm
- Cinder: ash-soft
- Pebble: small and round
- Mochi: soft Japanese
- Marshmallow: white and squishy
- Bubbles: bouncy
- Cotton: cloud-soft
- Cloud: floating
- Wisp: barely-there
- Ember: warm flicker
- Smudge: gentle gray
- Twinkle: bright and small
- Glimmer: soft shine
- Snicker: silly cute
- Pip: small and quick
- Sprite: tiny spirit
- Fae: fairy energy
- Pippin: bouncy
- Sugar: sweet
- Nibbles: tiny chewer
- Nimbus: cloud
- Halo: glowing
- Echo: soft repeat
- Lumi: short for Luminous
- Moony: dreamy
- Sparkle: descriptive
Scary and Creepy Ghost Names
For the horror lane. Scary ghost names that lean cold, unsettling, and atmospheric. Use these for villains, horror stories, dark fantasy characters, or Halloween haunts.
- Wraith: traditional and terrifying
- Phantom: classic creepy
- Specter: visible spirit
- Shade: dark and quiet
- Revenant: came back wrong
- Marrow: bone-deep
- Hollow: empty inside
- Bane: doom-named
- Vex: maddening
- Shroud: covered death
- Crypt: tomb energy
- Reaper: heavy
- Dread: literal
- Grim: dark
- Gloom: heavy
- Ravage: ruined
- Sorrow: mournful
- Malice: bad-intent
- Wretch: pitiful and terrifying
- Vermin: deeply unkind
- Bleak: cold
- Husk: empty shell
- Decay: literal
- Ash: burned out
- Carrion: dead matter
- Hex: cursed
- Gnash: teeth-grinding
- Loom: ominous
Funny and Pun Ghost Names
The grin-makers. The bar for ghost puns is honestly low and that’s a feature, not a bug.
- Boo Radley: To Kill a Mockingbird crossover
- Boo-Yah: enthusiastic
- Sir Boo-A-Lot: knighted ridiculousness
- Boo Berry: cereal mascot
- Spook-tacular: descriptive
- Casper the Unfriendly: subverted
- Phantom Menace: Star Wars pun
- Spookachu: Pokémon crossover
- Boo-llen: as in pollen, but sneezier
- Boo-rito: Mexican spirit
- Ghost Malone: viral pet meme, also great
- Sir Spooks: dignified haunter
- Booperino: Italian
- Spectre Stallone: action ghost
- Boo York: New Yawk ghost
- Ghost Adams: medical ghost
- Beethovghost: musical ghost
- Spooky McSpookface: the obvious bit
- Whoopi Ghoul-dberg: name pun
- Bruce Spookington: vampire-adjacent
- Spook Skywalker: Star Wars again
- Boo-da: enlightened ghost
- Pasta Boo-zola: pasta pun
- The Ghost-est with the Most-est: Beetlejuice nod
- Polter-Heist: criminal poltergeist
- Boo-tiful: descriptive
- Boomerang: comes back
- Boo-cifer: mild horror
- Howl Spirit: descriptive
Friendly Ghost Names
For the wholesome ones. Friendly ghost names for picture books, kid-friendly stories, or just any ghost who absolutely refuses to be scary.
- Casper: the gold standard
- Whisp: gentle
- Buddy: friendly
- Sunny: warm-feeling
- Cheer: literal
- Beam: bright
- Smiles: descriptive
- Wishbone: lucky
- Hopper: bouncy
- Halo: glowing
- Nimbus: cloud-soft
- Snicker: silly cute
- Pip: small and warm
- Bubbles: bouncy
- Cotton: soft
- Glow: light
- Twinkle: bright
- Lumi: light
- Sprout: growing energy
- Penny: warm copper
Ghost Names for Girls (Female Ghost Names)
The pretty-eerie list. Female ghost names that lean haunted, vintage, or quietly powerful.
- Lenore: Edgar Allan Poe
- Annabelle: classic horror
- Constance: Disney’s Haunted Mansion bride
- Ophelia: Shakespeare’s drowned ghost
- Catherine: Wuthering Heights
- Mary: Bloody Mary, Resurrection Mary
- Bellatrix: stars and witches
- Selene: Greek moon goddess
- Lilith: ancient legend
- Morrigan: Celtic war goddess
- Hecate: Greek goddess of magic
- Yvaine: starlight
- Lucille: classic eerie
- Amelia: vintage
- Eleanor: Haunting of Hill House
- Beatrice: Beetlejuice connection
- Vespera: evening
- Calliope: Greek muse
- Seraphina: angelic
- Persephone: Greek goddess of the underworld
- Esmeralda: gemstone
- Wraitha: feminine wraith
- Phantasma: feminine phantom
- Drusilla: vampire-adjacent classic
- Elvira: gothic icon
- Morticia: Addams Family
- Wednesday: Addams Family
- Carmilla: classic vampire ghost
- Sadako: The Ring
- Kayako: The Grudge
Ghost Names for Boys (Male Ghost Names)
The classic-haunted list. Male ghost names with vintage edges and dark mythology.
- Edgar: Poe-named
- Vincent: Vincent Price
- Gomez: Addams Family
- Beetlejuice: the demon ghost himself
- Ezra: a Hitchhiking Ghost
- Phineas: a Hitchhiking Ghost
- Gus: a Hitchhiking Ghost
- Slimer: Ghostbusters classic
- Vigo: Ghostbusters II
- Dorian: Wilde
- Ichabod: Sleepy Hollow
- Caspian: Narnia + spirit feel
- Damien: classic horror
- Lucian: light-named
- Soren: northern stark
- Ronan: Irish, “little seal”
- Atlas: heavy mythological
- Nyx: Greek night
- Erebus: Greek darkness
- Hades: underworld
- Crimson: bloody
- Sterling: silver-grey
- Wendell: vintage
- Barnabus: gothic vintage
- Prospero: The Tempest
- Hamlet: Shakespeare’s haunted prince
- Marley: Jacob Marley, Christmas Carol
- Jasper: gemstone
- Caelum: Latin for sky
- Reaper: direct
Pac-Man Ghost Names (The Full Roster)
Here’s a section nobody else does properly. Pac-Man ghost names is one of the highest-volume ghost-name searches on the internet, and most articles stop at “Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde.” There’s a lot more canon than that.
The Original Four (Pac-Man, 1980)
- Blinky (red): the chaser, always pursues Pac-Man directly
- Pinky (pink): the ambusher, tries to cut Pac-Man off
- Inky (cyan): the unpredictable one, calculates based on Blinky’s position
- Clyde (orange): the random one, alternates between chasing and fleeing
In Japan, the original names translate to “Akabei” (Red), “Pinky,” “Aosuke” (Blue helper), and “Guzuta” (Slowpoke). All four are also called by their personalities:Shadow, Speedy, Bashful, and Pokey.
Ms. Pac-Man (1982)
- Sue (orange, replacing Clyde)
Pac-Man Plus and Variations
- Funky, Spunky, Pretz, Yum-Yum, Fanny: lesser-known canonical ghosts who appeared in Pac-Man Plus, Jr. Pac-Man, and Pac-Mania
Pac-Land and Modern Pac-Man Series
- Tim, Stinky, Crybaby, Specter, Squirt: from later Pac-Man games and Pac-Man World
If you’re naming a pet, a character, or a gaming handle and want a deep-cut Pac-Man reference, Aosuke is the best one. Almost nobody knows it.