In this blogpost, we will be listing some of the most popular names that mean depression or sadness. We will also be checking out the reasons as to why some people choose names which mean depression.

Names that mean depression

The most common names that mean depression, sadness or grief are:

Jabez: This is a name which is inspired from the Bible. In essence, this name means ‘he makes sorrow’. This name was given to the person since the mother experienced a lot of pain during childbirth.

Martha: This is another popular name which is also inspired from the Bible. As part of American history, this name means ‘sorrow’.

Brutus: This historical name which became popular because of the saying, “Et tu, Brute” also carries a lot of sadness. The name Brutus essentially means dull and heavy and is of a Latin origin.

Ekant: Ekant is inspired from Hinduism and essentially means ‘being alone’ or ‘staying alone’.

Benoni: This name is derived from the Hebrew language and actually stems off another name, Benjamin. Benoni actually means pain and sorrow.

Mallory: Mallory is a very popular name and comes from Norman origins. The meaning behind this name is ‘unfortunate person’. But it can also mean ‘unhappy’ person. Mallory as a name is often given to girls.

Lola: This seemingly cheerful name has German and Spanish origins and technically means sorrow or sorrows. This name is often given to girls or female characters.

Casimir: Casimir has a Salvin or Norman origin and mostly means ‘the destroyer of peace’. This is mostly given to males and male characters.

Maria: Maria is another highly popular name that is often given to girls. Maria essentially means ‘bitter’.

Ahlai: Ahlai is another name that has Hebrew origins and means ‘sorrowing’ or ‘sorrowful’.

Ajea: Ajea is a name that has Arabic origins. While this name does not definitely mean depression, it still means ‘alone’ which can be suitable for both boys and girls.

Trista: Trista has only completely English origins and technically means ‘sorrow-filled’ or ‘full of sorrows’.

Nekane: Nekane is a name which has descended from Basque origins and mainly means ‘sorrows’.

Lolita: Lolita is another very popular name for girls and has Spanish origins. Lolita means ‘sorrows’.

Girl-names that mean depression

In this section, we will be giving you the most popular and even lesser known names for girls which mean depression or sadness.

Deirdre: Deirdre has Gaelic or Celtic origins and actually means ‘sorrowful or sad person’.

Dolores: Dolores is another very popular name that has mainly Spanish origins. Dolores technically means ‘lady of sorrows’.

Leah: Leah is a Biblical name and thus has Hebrew origins. The name Leah actually means ‘wearisome’ or ‘tiresome’.

Mara: Mara is another Biblical name and comes from the Hebrew language. While Mara does not literally translate to depression or sadness, it means ‘bitter’ which can be used in similar contexts.

Tristana: Tristana is derived from Celtic origins and means ‘sorrowful’. It can also be translated to ‘sad’.

Asiya: Asiya is actually an Arabic name. This name means being grieved or being distressed.

Brona: The name Brona comes from the Irish and literally translated to ‘sorrow’. While Brona can be mostly used for girls, it can also be used for boys.

Malala: The name Mala became popular because of the highly-acclaimed Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. While the name Malala may be inspiring to many people, the name itself actually means ‘grief-stricken’ or ‘sorrowful’.

Layla: Layla is an Arabic name. Layla does not exactly mean sorrowful or sad, it means dark and can be thus used in a similar context.

Desdemona: Desdemona has descended from African origins. This name means misery.

Achlys: If you are looking for another name which essentially means darkness, you can go for Achlys. This name has Greek origins and can be used for both girls and boys.

Adrienne: Adrienne is another highly popular name that has deep and dark roots. While some people refer to its meaning as ‘from the city of Hadria’, the name Adrienne can also mean the dark one. This is another unisex name and can be used for girls as well as boys.

Kali: Kali is a Hindu name and is in fact the name of a Hindu goddess. While Kali does not actually mean sorrow or depression, it literally translates to black or darkness.

Boy-names that mean depression

In this part of the article, we have listed the different boy-names that mean depression or sorrow or even sadness.

Brennan: Brennan is a pretty popular name that has Irish origins. It technically means ‘sorrow’ or ‘sadness’.

Jobab: Jobab is a Biblical name and this name means ‘the most hated’ or ‘the most sorrowful’.

Ephai: Ephai is also a Biblical name. This name does not exactly mean depression but essentially means gloomy but it can also be translated to moody.

Acheros: Acheros is a name which descends from Latin. This name essentially means river of sorrow.

Drystan or Tristan: Drystan or Tristan can be pronounced pretty similarly and these names have Welsh origins. The literal translation of this is ‘full of sorrow’.

Abaddon: Abaddon actually means the ‘angel of death’ and is in fact a Latin name.

Cessair: Cessair has descended from the Irish language and actually means ‘sorrow’ or even ‘affliction’.

Than: Than is a name that has descended from the Greek language. The meaning of this name is actually ‘death’.

Rue: Rue can be given to both boys and girls, and has an English origin. The meaning of Rue is ‘unfortunate’, but it can also be used to mean ‘regret’.

Bora: Bora as a name has descended from Turkey and essentially means ‘misfortune’ and it can also mean ‘disaster’.

Draco: Draco is more popular as a Harry Potter movie character than a name. While it does not exactly translate to depression, the word Draco means dragon or even serpent. Draco has more Greek origins from its original word, Drakon.

Jela: Jela is a name which has originated from Africa and essentially means ‘sorrow’.

Why do some people choose names that mean depression?

Those who are on the hunt for new names are not always new parents. People prefer to choose names which mean depression for a variety of reasons, but the most common are:

Their character may be sad or sorrowful

Not everybody chooses a name for their baby. Many people choose names for their game’s characters. Since many characters in video games may have a dark side, especially if they are anti-heroes or antagonists, they may prefer to choose a name which means sorrowful or sad.

They want something unique

Many new parents want to give a name which is completely unique for their child. Since the most commonly used names are those which are cheerful or inspiring, some parents may opt to go the opposite way and choose a name which is depressing.

They had a bad-experience

Not everybody tends to have a willy-nilly attitude when it comes to naming their child. Some people take a deeper look into the meaning and their personal experiences while naming the child. Thus, those who have had a bad experience may opt to give a sad name to the child.

Conclusion

In this blogpost, we have listed some of the most popular names that mean depression or sadness. We have also checked out the reasons as to why some people choose names which mean depression.

If you like this blogpost, please leave your comments and questions in the space below.

Citations

https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depression

https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/newsroom/newsn/4198/yes-theres-now-science-behind-naming-your-baby

daily.jstor.org

https://time.com/93130/baby-names-meaning-research/

https://www.livescience.com/6569-good-bad-baby-names-long-lasting-effects.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325620766_Education_Influence_on_Baby_Naming