300+ Names That Mean Trickster, Thief, or Mischief (Meanings)

Quick honest version up front. “Names that mean trickster,” “names that mean thief,” and “names that mean mischief” are usually the same search even when the words differ. People are looking for a name with a clever, sneaky, or chaotic energy, for a baby, for a story character, for a D&D rogue, or just because the word “Loki” doesn’t quite fit. So this guide covers all three clusters in one place, with real meanings, real origins, and real depth.

If you want one quick answer: good trickster names usually fall into three buckets. Mythological tricksters like Loki, Hermes, and Eris. Modern names with sneaky/sly meanings like Reynard (the fox), Apate (Greek for deceit), and Sly. And famous fictional thieves and pranksters like Robin (Hood), Carmen (Sandiego), or Lupin.

Below: 300+ names sorted into 14 categories, including dedicated sections for thief names, deceiver/liar names, manipulation and disguise names, mischief names, last names that mean trickster, and a deeper-than-usual mythology section. Plus a curated Top 10 list at the start if you don’t want to read the whole thing.

Top 10 Best Names That Mean Trickster

If you only read one section, this is it. The ten most usable, recognizable, and rich-with-story names from the full list below.

Loki, Norse trickster god. Universally recognized post-Marvel.
Reynard, Medieval European folklore fox; literally “strong counsel” but synonymous with cunning.
Hermes, Greek god of thieves, messengers, and travelers.
Maui, Polynesian demigod-trickster, hero of the Moana film.
Anansi, West African and Caribbean spider-trickster of countless folktales.
Eris, Greek goddess of strife and discord.
Puck, Shakespeare’s mischievous fairy from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Apate, Greek goddess of deceit, fraud, and trickery.
Kitsune, Japanese fox-spirit shapeshifter.
Briar, English, “thorny patch,” softer trickster pick with edge.

These ten names are the highest-leverage starting point. The rest of the article goes deeper.

Boy Names That Mean Trickster, Thief, or Mischief

Each name with its origin and meaning so you actually know what you’re choosing.

Loki, Norse, name of the trickster god
Hermes, Greek god of thieves and messengers
Mercury, Roman counterpart to Hermes
Reynard, Medieval French/European, “strong counsel”; the trickster fox of folklore
Maui, Polynesian demigod-trickster
Anansi, Akan (West African), spider-trickster of folktales
Coyote, Native American trickster spirit (used across many tribes’ mythologies)
Prometheus, Greek Titan who tricked Zeus to give fire to humans
Pan, Greek god of the wild, often mischievous
Lugh, Irish, “shining one”; Celtic trickster-warrior god
Robin, English, “bright fame”; calls back to Robin Hood
Fox, English; the universal trickster animal
Puck, Old English, “mischievous spirit”; Shakespeare’s fairy
Till, German, after Till Eulenspiegel, medieval prankster
Bugs, English nickname-style, after Bugs Bunny
Finn, Irish, “fair-haired”; after Finn MacCool
Jack, English; of beanstalk and giant-tricking fame
Houdini, After Harry Houdini, master of escape and illusion
Autolycus, Greek, “the wolf itself“; grandfather of Odysseus, master thief
Dolos, Greek, spirit of trickery and guile
Aladdin, Arabic, “nobility of faith”; the famous folk hero who steals before redemption
Arsène, French, after Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of French fiction
Flynn, Irish, “son of the red-haired one”; after Flynn Rider
Lando, After Lando Calrissian, charming scoundrel
Lupin, French/Latin, “wolf-like”; also the famous fictional thief
Locke, English, “fortified place”; carries trickster vibes through The Lies of Locke Lamora
Sly, English, direct; “cunning”
Wily, English, direct; “crafty, sly”
Dodge, English, “to evade”; nickname/first-name option
Ezel, Hebrew, “noble cloud”; carries trickster connotations from biblical context
Gambit, English/French, “opening move”; the Marvel character is the obvious reference
Keoki, Hawaiian form of George; trickster-coded in some Hawaiian folklore
Maki, Japanese, “true rope”; phonetically trickster-sounding
Roguen, Modern English variant on “rogue”
Slade, English, “valley”; sounds sharp, fits the genre
Vex, Latin, “to plague” or “torment”; a darker pick
Jasper, Persian, “treasurer”; carries hidden-treasure connotations

Girl Names That Mean Trickster, Thief, or Mischief

Eris, Greek, “strife”; goddess of discord
Apate, Greek, “deceit”; goddess of fraud and trickery
Laverna, Roman, goddess of thieves and frauds
Lila, Sanskrit, “play” or “divine play”; concept of cosmic mischief
Vixen, English, “female fox”
Esmeralda, Spanish, “emerald”; the cunning protagonist of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Kitsune, Japanese, “fox”; the shapeshifting fox-spirit
Pandora, Greek, “all-gifted”; the original myth of opening forbidden things
Morgana, Welsh, “sea-circle”; Arthurian sorceress and trickster
Nimue, Welsh, the Lady of the Lake who tricked Merlin
Scheherazade, Persian, “city-born”; the storyteller-trickster of One Thousand and One Nights
Carmen, Latin, “song”; the elusive Carmen Sandiego
Trixie, English, diminutive of Beatrix; literally “trickster”
Pippi, Swedish; after Pippi Longstocking
Saga, Norse, “story” or “seeing one”; goddess associated with storytelling and cleverness
Echo, Greek, “sound”; the mountain nymph who tricked Hera
Faye, English, “fairy”; mischievous magical being
Briar, English, “thorny patch”; thorny-rose mischief energy
Morgaine, Variant of Morgana
Akko, Japanese, “bright child”; trickster-coded in anime culture
Calypso, Greek, “to conceal”; the nymph who hid Odysseus
Sycorax, Shakespeare’s witch in The Tempest
Ursula, Latin, “little bear”; the Disney villain trickster
Wednesday, English; gothic-trickster popularized by Addams Family
Imogen, Celtic, “maiden”; carries clever-fox connotations
Ondine, French, “wave”; the water spirit who tricks mortals
Phaedra, Greek, “bright”; the figure of mythological deception
Selene, Greek, “moon”; quiet huntress with trickster overlap
Atalanta, Greek hunter-heroine famous for trickery in races
Maeve, Irish, “intoxicating”; the cunning queen of Connacht in Irish myth
Astra, Greek, “star”; with a witchy-trickster overlay in modern fiction
Hex, English, “curse”; bold and unusual
Romi, Hebrew, “exalted”; phonetic mischief charm
Ravenna, Latin, “raven-like”; trickster-bird connection
Selma, Norse, “divine helmet”; trickster-coded in some folklore

Unisex Names That Mean Trickster

Raven, English, the trickster bird across multiple cultures
Rebel, English, direct
Ruse, French, “to dodge”; literally “trick”
Sly, English, direct
Sage, Latin, “wise one”; clever but understated
Phoenix, Greek; mythical firebird
Nix, Germanic, water spirit known for trickery
Jester, English, “court fool”; smartest person in the room
Faye, English, “fairy”
Echo, Greek
Devlin, Irish, “fierce”; sounds devilish
Ash, English/Norse; ash tree is associated with trickery in Norse myth
Ariel, Hebrew, “lion of God”; the trickster sprite in The Tempest
Quinn, Irish, “wisdom”
Rowan, Gaelic, the rowan tree associated with witchcraft
Wren, English, the small clever bird
Magpie, English; the bird associated with stealing shiny things
Cipher, Greek/Arabic, “zero” or “secret code”
Hex, English, “curse”
Indigo, Greek, the deep blue color, night-coded

Names That Mean Thief, Robber & Bandit

This is the cluster the brief specifically asked about. Names that mean thief with real origins.

Hermes, Greek god of thieves
Mercury, Roman counterpart
Laverna, Roman goddess of thieves
Autolycus, Greek, “the wolf itself“; mythological master thief
Cacus, Latin, “bad”; mythological cattle-thief slain by Hercules
Arsène, French, after the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin
Lupin, Latin/French, “wolf-like”; the same fictional thief
Robin, English; Robin Hood, prince of thieves
Aladdin, Arabic, “nobility of faith”; the folk hero who begins as a street thief
Carmen, Latin, “song”; Carmen Sandiego, the world’s most-wanted thief
Flynn, Irish, “son of the red-haired one”; Flynn Rider in Tangled
Lando, After Lando Calrissian, scoundrel
Bilbo, Old English; The Hobbit’s burglar
Selina, Greek, “moon”; Selina Kyle is Catwoman
Catwoman, English; the name itself works as bold pick
Locke, English; Locke Lamora, fantasy-novel master thief
Sly, English, direct
Larcin, French, “larceny”; rare but striking pick
Diebold, Germanic, originally “people’s hold” but phonetically “thief-bold”
Rasputin, Russian, “crossroads”; carries thief-mystic connotations
Han, Korean/Chinese; Han Solo, Star Wars smuggler-thief
Gambit, Marvel’s Cajun thief
Conrad, Germanic, “bold counsel”; carries cunning-thief connotations through fiction
Hatori, Japanese, “feather-taker”; surname-as-given-name pick
Skuld, Norse, “debt” or “future”; Norn associated with hidden purposes

Names That Mean Deceiver, Liar & Two-Faced

The PAA goldmine: “names that mean deceit,” “boy names that mean liar,” “names that mean two-faced,” “names meaning deceit” all live here.

Apate, Greek goddess of deceit
Dolos, Greek spirit of trickery and lies
Pseudologos, Greek, “false speech”
Loki, Norse trickster god, also the great liar in his myths
Iago, Spanish form of Jacob; Shakespeare’s master deceiver in Othello
Mordred, Welsh, “moderate” but synonymous with treachery via Arthurian myth
Brutus, Latin, “heavy”; betrayer of Caesar
Judas, Hebrew, “praised”; biblical betrayer
Cassius, Latin, “empty”; Shakespeare’s manipulator in Julius Caesar
Macbeth, Gaelic, “son of life”; Shakespeare’s regicidal usurper
Mephisto, Greek/Latin, the demon of Faust
Lucifer, Latin, “light-bringer”; the archetypal deceiver
Belial, Hebrew, “worthless”; biblical figure of lawlessness
Maleficent, Latin, “evil-doing”; the Disney version
Vortigern, Brittonic, “great king”; the legendary British king of Arthurian betrayal
Ananias, Greek, “yahweh has been gracious”; biblical liar struck dead for deceit
Sapphira, Hebrew, “sapphire”; Ananias’s wife in the same biblical story
Sinon, Greek, “harmer”; the Greek who tricked Troy with the wooden horse
Janus, Latin, the two-faced Roman god of beginnings, gates, and duality
Bifrons, Latin, “two-faced”; rare pick

Names That Mean Cunning, Sly & Sneaky

The smarter-than-they-look cluster. Names that mean cunning and names that mean sneaky with real meaning behind each.

Reynard, French, “strong counsel”; the cunning fox of medieval folklore
Odysseus, Greek, “wrathful”; epithet “the cunning”
Ulysses, Latin form of Odysseus
Athena, Greek, “goddess of wisdom and strategy”
Minerva, Roman counterpart of Athena
Daedalus, Greek, “skillful one”; the crafty inventor
Adlai, Hebrew, “God is just”; carries clever connotations
Renart, French variant of Reynard
Akiva, Hebrew, “to follow”; trickster-coded in Talmudic stories
Sigrun, Norse, “victory rune”; cunning Valkyrie
Kenna, Scottish, “born of fire”; clever connotations
Hugh, Germanic, “mind” or “spirit”
Sophia, Greek, “wisdom”
Vivian, Latin, “lively”; quick wit
Wesley, English, “western meadow”; carries clever connotations through fiction
Eloise, French, “healthy” or “wide”; the troublemaking character
Prudence, Latin, “caution and wisdom”; ironic-clever choice
Vex, Latin, “to torment”
Sycamore, Greek; carries hidden-cunning connotations through folklore
Verity, Latin, “truth”; ironic-clever pick
Cyrus, Persian, “young” or “lord”; Cyrus the Great famous for political cunning
Athanasius, Greek, “immortal”; legal-strategic cunning connotations