Did You Know?
- The Ars Goetia, a 17th-century grimoire, catalogues exactly 72 demons, each with a specific rank, appearance, and power.
- The word 'demon' comes from the Greek 'daimon,' which originally meant a benevolent guiding spirit, not an evil entity.
- Pazuzu, the Mesopotamian demon of wind and storms, became famous in Western culture as the antagonist in The Exorcist.
This generator produces five invented demon names per click for fiction writers, game masters and game designers, shaped by demon type (imp up to demon lord), mythological origin and tone. The list below is the other half of the job: 60 demons that really appear in grimoires, scripture, epics and the D&D rulebooks, so you can see how each tradition builds a name before you invent your own. For the Nine Hells side of the family, see devil names.
Ars Goetia: The 72 Spirits of Solomon
The Ars Goetia, the first book of the grimoire Lesser Key of Solomon, numbers 72 spirits and gives each a rank: king, prince, duke, marquis, president, count or knight. That rank system is the source of most "demon lord" and "demon king" naming in games. These 23 are the ones most worth borrowing; the number is the spirit's place in the book.
| Name | Goetia rank |
|---|---|
| Bael | No. 1, king |
| Paimon | No. 9, king |
| Beleth | No. 13, king |
| Purson | No. 20, king |
| Asmodeus | No. 32, king |
| Belial | No. 68, king |
| Vassago | No. 3, prince |
| Sitri | No. 12, prince |
| Stolas | No. 36, prince |
| Valefor | No. 6, duke |
| Berith | No. 28, duke |
| Astaroth | No. 29, duke |
| Focalor | No. 41, duke |
| Gremory | No. 56, duke |
| Dantalion | No. 71, duke |
| Marchosias | No. 35, marquis |
| Shax | No. 44, marquis |
| Andras | No. 63, marquis |
| Marbas | No. 5, president |
| Malphas | No. 39, president |
| Furfur | No. 34, count |
| Andromalius | No. 72, count |
| Furcas | No. 50, knight |
Biblical, Enochic and Literary Demons
| Name | Origin |
|---|---|
| Beelzebub | From Hebrew Baʿal-zəvuv, "Lord of the Flies", a Philistine god of Ekron (2 Kings 1); "prince of demons" in the Gospels |
| Abaddon | Hebrew for "destruction"; "angel of the bottomless pit" in Revelation 9:11, Apollyon in Greek |
| Azazel | A place in the Yom Kippur goat ritual (Leviticus 16); a fallen leader of the Watchers in the Book of Enoch |
| Mephistopheles | Literary: the devil's messenger in the Faust legend, first printed in 1587; not a Goetia spirit |
Mesopotamian and Zoroastrian Demons
| Name | Origin |
|---|---|
| Pazuzu | Mesopotamian "king of the evil lilû-demons", lord of the southwest wind; also worn as a protective amulet |
| Lamashtu | Mesopotamian demoness who harmed mothers and infants; Pazuzu was invoked against her |
| Lilitu | Mesopotamian class of wind demons, the root of the later name Lilith |
| Angra Mainyu | Zoroastrian chief of the daevas, destruction and evil; Ahriman in Middle Persian |
| Aeshma | Zoroastrian daeva of wrath |
| Az | Zoroastrian demon of greed |
| Azi Dahaka | Zoroastrian serpent-like monster king |
| Nasu | Zoroastrian demon of pollution and contamination |
| Akoman | Zoroastrian demon of evil thought |
| Astwihad | Zoroastrian demon of death |
| Bushyasta | Zoroastrian demon of sloth |
Hindu Rakshasas
Rakshasa names come from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Note that the tradition is not uniformly villainous: Hidimbi and Vibhishana are rakshasas on the right side of the story.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Ravana | King of the rakshasas, ten heads, kidnaps Sita in the Ramayana |
| Kumbhakarna | Ramayana rakshasa; shown fighting Sugriva in the Angkor Wat reliefs |
| Marica | Ramayana rakshasa defeated by Rama |
| Tataka | Ramayana rakshasa slain by Rama |
| Vibhishana | Ravana's brother, a moral figure in Lanka |
| Hidimba | Mahabharata cannibal rakshasa killed by Bhima |
| Hidimbi | Hidimba's sister, who marries Bhima |
| Ghatotkacha | Son of Bhima and Hidimbi, fights for the Pandavas at Kurukshetra |
| Bakasura | Cannibalistic forest-dwelling rakshasa defeated by Bhima |
| Kirmira | Bakasura's brother, a cannibal and master illusionist |
| Jatasura | Cunning rakshasa who tried to steal the Pandavas' weapons |
| Alamvusha | Skilled warrior on the Kaurava side |
Japanese Oni and D&D Demon Lords
| Name | Origin |
|---|---|
| Shuten-dōji | Called the strongest oni in Japan; defeated by Minamoto no Yorimitsu with the sword Dōjigiri |
| Ibaraki-dōji | Named oni of Japanese folklore |
| Kidōmaru | Named oni listed in Japanese folklore |
| Ushi-oni | "Ox oni", a yōkai of the oni family |
| Rashōmon no oni | The oni of Rashōmon gate |
| Orcus | D&D demon lord of his own layer of the Abyss |
| Demogorgon | D&D demon lord of his own layer of the Abyss |
| Graz'zt | D&D demon lord of his own layer of the Abyss |
| Juiblex | D&D demon lord of his own layer of the Abyss |
| Zuggtmoy | D&D demon lord of her own layer of the Abyss |
More Japanese entries, with meanings, are on the oni names generator.
What Each Origin Setting Gives You
The generator's origin and type fields change the name pattern, not just the flavor text. These are the rules written into its prompt.
Hebrew and Latin roots, endings in -el, -oth, -us
- Malachoth
- Samarel
Akkadian and Sumerian sounds, -zu and -ur endings
- Pazzuruk
- Lamazur
Oni-style names in Japanese phonetics
- Onimaru
- Akuryō
Naming a Demon Lord, King or Dark Lord
Rank is the lever. The Goetia gives its six kings names that are short and old (Bael, Paimon, Belial), while D&D lords are longer and stranger (Demogorgon, Zuggtmoy). The Demon Lord type in the generator asks for multi-syllable names that imply power, and an epithet is allowed only at that tier and for archdemons. Choose that type for a demon king, a dark lord or any final boss.
- Give lords and archdemons an epithet: Velgoroth the Undying
- Keep imps to one or two blunt syllables: Zix, Pokk
- Match the ending to the origin you picked
- Put an apostrophe in a lesser demon or imp name
- Title a short name: "Grax the Mighty" sounds like a joke
- Give every demon in the party the same ending
Skip These
Mephistopheles is a literary devil, so he is a poor fit for a story that cites the Goetia. The D&D lords above are published characters; fine at your own table, but rename them in anything you sell. Real religious figures such as Angra Mainyu are still sacred to living Zoroastrians, so weigh that before turning one into a throwaway monster.
Sources
- Ars Goetia, Wikipedia (spirit numbers and ranks)
- Pazuzu, Wikipedia (Pazuzu, Lamashtu, lilû wind demons)
- Rakshasa, Wikipedia (Ramayana and Mahabharata figures)
- Daeva, Wikipedia (Zoroastrian demons)
Common Questions
How do I name a demon lord or demon king?
Use the Demon Lord type for a ruler of a whole realm. Real examples run from the short Goetia kings (Bael, Belial) to the long D&D lords (Demogorgon, Graz'zt). Pick the one that suits your setting, then add an epithet only at this rank.
What is the difference between a demon and a devil in D&D?
D&D demons are chaotic evil natives of the Abyss, described as rapacious, cruel and arbitrary. Devils are lawful evil natives of the Nine Hells, arranged in a strict hierarchy and bound to honor contracts. The two groups fight the Blood War. Devil names are on the devil name generator.
Does the generator use real Goetia demon names?
No. Its prompt tells it to invent new names and never reuse the examples in it; the Goetia list above is for reference only. Biblical origin steers toward Hebrew and Latin-style endings, but the results are original.
What makes a demon name sound like a demon?
Harsh consonants (Z, X, K, TH), dark endings such as -oth, -el or -zu, and length that tracks rank. Short and blunt marks a lesser demon; long and grand marks a lord. Feminine names often end in -a, -ia or -ith.
Updated October 2026: replaced the generic guide with 60 sourced demon names from the Ars Goetia, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Japanese and D&D sources, rank guidance, and new FAQs.
