400+ Ghost Names: Cute, Creepy, Pac-Man, Disney & More

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.

1. 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).
2. Say it five times. Two syllables wins. Three is okay. Four starts to feel theatrical.
3. 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.

Disney Haunted Mansion Ghost Names

The other goldmine. The Haunted Mansion has a full canonical roster of named ghosts that almost nobody outside Disney superfans knows. Use these.

The Hitchhiking Ghosts

• Phineas: the short, traveling salesman ghost with the bag
• Ezra: the tall, skeletal ghost in the top hat
• Gus: the short ghost with the ball and chain. Best one. Fight me.

Other Named Mansion Ghosts

• Madame Leota: the disembodied head in the crystal ball
• Constance Hatchaway: the bride who beheaded her husbands
• Master Gracey: the original mansion’s master
• The Hatbox Ghost: the mansion’s most mysterious figure
• The Ghost Host: the narrating ghost who hangs himself in the stretching room
• The Caretaker and his dog: in the graveyard scene
• Cousin Algernon, Uncle Theodore, Phineas P. Pock, Rollo Rumkin, Ned Nub: the Singing Busts from the graveyard
• Pickwick: the Stretching Portrait Ghost (the one losing his tightrope grip)

Pet Cemetery Ghosts

• Beauregard: the dog
• Old Flybait: the frog
• Bully: the bull
• Captain Culpepper Clyne: the sea captain

Ghostbusters Ghost Names

• Slimer: the green floating ghost (originally called “the green ghost,” renamed by fans)
• Stay Puft: the marshmallow man
• Vigo the Carpathian: villain of Ghostbusters II
• Vinz Clortho: the Keymaster
• Zuul: the Gatekeeper
• The Library Ghost: appears in the opening
• The Scoleri Brothers: Ghostbusters II’s electric chair ghosts
• Muncher: from Ghostbusters: Afterlife
• The Possessor: from Frozen Empire

The Casper Universe

• Casper: the friendly one
• The Ghostly Trio: Casper’s uncles
• Stretch: the tall mean one
• Stinkie: the smelly one
• Fatso: the round one
• Wendy: the Good Little Witch (Casper’s friend)
• Hot Stuff: the Little Devil (also Casper’s friend)
• Spooky: Casper’s tougher cousin
• Poil: Spooky’s girlfriend

The Ghost Band (Sweden) Member Names

For Ghost fans (the Swedish heavy metal band, not the Patrick Swayze movie). Their entire band concept is built around named ghosts. Devoted fanbase, lots of search volume.

• Papa Emeritus I, II, III, IV: the consecutive frontmen
• Cardinal Copia: the lead before Papa IV
• Papa Nihil: the band’s saxophone-playing patriarch
• The Nameless Ghouls: the masked instrumentalists, named by element: Aether, Aurora, Cirrus, Cumulus, Dewdrop, Earth, Fire, Mist, Mountain, Phantom, Rain, Sodo, Swiss, Water, Sister Imperator (the band’s matriarch character)

These are also legitimately great ghost names if you’re naming a story character, a pet, or a gaming handle.

Famous Real-World Ghosts (Folklore and Hauntings)

The actual lore. Famous ghosts from history, folklore, and legend. Each one has a story.

• The Bell Witch: a haunting from Adams, Tennessee in the early 1800s
• La Llorona: the Weeping Woman of Mexican legend
• Resurrection Mary: a hitchhiking ghost on the Chicago road outside Resurrection Cemetery
• Anne Boleyn: said to haunt the Tower of London where she was executed
• The Queen Mary’s Ghost: many spirits aboard the retired ocean liner in Long Beach
• The Bunny Man: Virginia legend, ghost in a rabbit suit
• Bloody Mary: the mirror-summoned spirit
• The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall: photographed in 1936, one of the most famous ghost photos
• The Greenbrier Ghost: the only American ghost whose testimony helped convict her murderer
• The Flying Dutchman: ghost ship of legend
• The Hitchhiking Ghost of Highway 365: roadside Texas legend
• Aoyama Tessen and Oiwa: the most famous Japanese vengeful ghosts (yurei) in Yotsuya Kaidan
• Kuchisake-onna: Japan’s slit-mouthed woman urban legend

Japanese Ghost Names and Categories

Japanese folklore has the deepest ghost taxonomy in the world. Each category below is a type, and the type names also work as character names.

• Yurei: literally “faint spirit,” the standard ghost
• Onryo: a vengeful ghost (Sadako and Kayako are onryo)
• Goryo: the vengeful ghost of an aristocrat
• Funayurei: ghosts of those who died at sea
• Zashiki-warashi: a child ghost said to bring good fortune to homes that host them
• Hitodama: floating soul-fires in graveyards
• Ubume: the ghost of a woman who died in childbirth
• Yokai: not strictly ghosts, but supernatural beings overlapping with the category
• Obake: shapeshifting spirits
• Kuchisake-onna: the slit-mouthed woman
• Hone-onna: skeleton woman
• Ohaguro-bettari: faceless ghost
• Sadako, Kayako, Toshio: famous fictional onryo

Movie and TV Ghosts

• Beetlejuice: the demon ghost
• Sam and Molly: from Ghost (1990)
• Malcolm Crowe: Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense
• Adelaide and Adam Maitland: the haunted couple from Beetlejuice
• Eleanor Vance, Theodora, Olivia Crain: The Haunting of Hill House
• Hamlet’s Father: the OG literary ghost
• Jacob Marley, Ghost of Christmas Past/Present/Future: A Christmas Carol
• Sadako Yamamura: The Ring
• Kayako Saeki, Toshio Saeki: The Grudge
• Annabelle: the cursed doll ghost
• The Bride in Crimson Peak
• Edith Cushing: also Crimson Peak
• Nearly Headless Nick, Moaning Myrtle, The Fat Friar, The Bloody Baron, The Grey Lady: Hogwarts ghosts
• Peeves: technically a poltergeist, also Hogwarts

Game Ghost Names

• Boo, King Boo: Mario series
• Polterpup: Luigi’s Mansion (the friendliest game ghost ever)
• Phasmophobia entities: Banshee, Demon, Goryo, Hantu, Jinn, Mare, Myling, Obake, Oni, Onryo, Phantom, Poltergeist, Raiju, Revenant, Shade, Spirit, The Mimic, The Twins, Wraith, Yokai, Yurei
• Ghost (Destiny): the floating AI companion (and the entire Reddit thread of named Ghosts)
• Pyramid Head: Silent Hill (technically a manifested ghost-entity)
• The White Lady: many games
• Vaati: Zelda
• Geist: many games

Ghost Pokémon Names

• Gengar: the most famous
• Haunter: Gengar’s pre-evolution
• Gastly: the smallest of the line
• Mismagius: the witch ghost
• Banette: the abandoned-doll ghost
• Cofagrigus: the sarcophagus
• Yamask: the haunted mask
• Phantump, Trevenant: tree ghosts
• Dhelmise: the haunted anchor
• Mimikyu: pretends to be a Pikachu
• Marshadow: a shadow Pokémon
• Polteageist: a haunted teapot. Yes, really.

Names That Mean Ghost (in 12+ Languages)

If you want a name that literally translates to “ghost” or “spirit,” here’s a global tour.

• Yurei: Japanese
• Phantom / Phantasma: Greek origin
• Spectre / Spirit: Latin origin
• Wraith: Scottish English
• Banshee: Irish (literally “woman of the fairy mound”)
• Fantasma: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
• Geist / Gespenst: German
• Ruh / Hayalet: Turkish
• Aparecido: Portuguese for “the appeared one”
• Espirito: Portuguese for “spirit”
• Volkhva: Slavic spirit
• Domovoi: Slavic household spirit
• Bhoot: Hindi/Urdu for ghost
• Pret: Sanskrit for hungry ghost
• Gui: Mandarin Chinese for ghost
• Dybbuk: Yiddish/Hebrew for a clinging spirit
• Ka: ancient Egyptian for the spiritual essence
• Nat: Burmese spirit
• Asibikaashi: Anishinaabe spider spirit (gentler, protective)

Ghost Usernames and Gamertags

If you want a ghost username for a game, social handle, or gamer tag, the rules differ from naming a character. Handles need to stand out.

• GhostMode
• PhantomPlayer
• Wraith404
• HauntDaddy
• CasperKilla
• NotALiveStream
• Boo_Itself
• GhostInTheRoute
• VanishedAgain
• GhostMalone
• Spookity
• HollowTriton
• WhispRunner
• NoFlesh
• EctoPunk
• SpectreVibes
• Shaderly
• PolterPro
• GhostlyChill

Ghost Name Builder

Stuck? Here’s a framework instead of another list. Pick one from each column.

Trait or texture + Sound or feel + Optional suffix

• Trait/texture: Whisp, Mist, Pale, Hollow, Velvet, Ash, Onyx, Frost, Wisp, Echo
• Sound/feel: -shade, -veil, -spire, -hollow, -fall, -wraith, -loom, -glow, -breath, -drift
• Optional suffix: -ling, -ette, -ius, -an, -ana

Examples it makes: Whispshade, Mistveil, Palespire, Hollowfall, Velvetwraith, Ashloom, Onyxglow, Frostbreath, Wispdrift, Echoette.

The point isn’t to use those literally. The point is mashing real words together usually produces something better than scrolling lists for the eighteenth time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good ghost name?

The best ghost names match the personality. For cute and friendly: Boo, Whisp, Casper. For scary and atmospheric: Wraith, Phantom, Specter. For famous callbacks: Slimer, Beetlejuice, Pinky.

What are friendly ghost names?

Top friendly ghost names: Casper, Whisp, Boo, Buddy, Sunny, Glow, Lumi, Halo, and Disney’s Polterpup.

What are the names of ghosts?

Famous ghosts include the Pac-Man crew (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde), Disney’s Hitchhiking Ghosts (Ezra, Phineas, Gus), Ghostbusters’ Slimer and Vigo, plus folklore figures like La Llorona and the Bell Witch.

What’s a cool word for ghost?

Strong synonyms: Phantom, Wraith, Specter, Shade, Apparition, Revenant, Banshee, Yurei, Geist, Fantasma. Most of these double as actual character names.

What are scary ghost names?

For horror: Wraith, Revenant, Hollow, Marrow, Bane, Sorrow, Husk, Decay, Sadako, and Kayako.

What are some famous ghost characters?

Top famous ghosts in pop culture: Casper, Slimer, Beetlejuice, Sam from Ghost, Sadako from The Ring, Polterpup, Boo from Mario, Nearly Headless Nick from Harry Potter, and the Pac-Man ghosts.

What’s a good name for a friendly cartoon ghost?

For a cartoon: Casper is the gold standard, but Boo, Whisp, Pip, Twinkle, Halo, Glow, and Buddy all work. Polterpup from Luigi’s Mansion is also a strong reference.

Are there names that mean ghost in other languages?

Yes. Yurei (Japanese), Fantasma (Spanish/Italian), Geist (German), Phantasma (Greek), Banshee (Irish), Bhoot (Hindi), Gui (Chinese), Dybbuk (Yiddish), and Ruh (Turkish) all mean ghost or spirit.

Final Thoughts

If there’s one rule for picking from a list this long: pick the name with the story you actually like. Casper has a story. Madame Leota has a story. Aosuke (the Japanese name for Inky) has a story. The throwaway pun-names are funny for a week and then gone.

The ones that stick are the ones with weight behind them.

Whatever you land on, somewhere in these 400+ ghost name ideas there’s the right one. Read the list, sleep on it, and go with whichever one is still in your head the next morning. That’s almost always the keeper.

Read Next: 300+ Gender Neutral Names: Unisex Baby Names with Meanings