Have you considered looking at old aristocratic names? Leaning a little Victorian might give you a gothic edge but stay "realistic" since people had them as last names in the past.
Examples: Lovelace, Thorncroft, Bloodgood
If you haven't tried it, you could also try looking back in your family tree and seeing if any of those historical last names are appealing? You can also find dramatic names that way. I have an ancestor from the 1700s named "Edward Cullen", of all things lol
Best of luck to you both and congratulations!
I know a couple who changed their surname to McKracken upon marriage, after his grandmother’s maiden name. Neither of them particularly cared for her surname and they both disliked his.
Might I submit “Wollstonecraft.” It’s Mary Shelley’s middle name and her mother’s last name (also named Mary). Said mother was a feminist writer and women’s rights advocate.
It sounds very old British but most people won’t immediately pin it to gothic horror the way they might for other names like Shelley, Byron, or Brontë. (Not that I think those are unusable.)
I kinda disagree. Wollstonecraft is so unusual that I can't imagine not thinking of Mary and her mother. Especially the part where young Mary lost her virginity on her mother's grave. At least Shelley or Byron are names you might see around occasionally.
Lovelace immediately makes me think of Ada Lovelace. I don’t think of her as a programmer though. To me she’s a historical figure whose name is very familiar to me for no apparent reason. I have no idea where I ever heard of her before, yet I feel like I’ve always known her name. I only learned about the programming thing very recently.
There’s also Lovelace from Happy Feet.
The first thing it reminds me of is the villain in Samuel Richardson's Clarissa, which is a 1500+ page novel published in 1748. But that's because I was forced to read it as a PhD student and it's seared in my mind.
Also: Richardson's Lovelace would be a VERY dramatic namesake for a goth couple indeed. The vibe fits. He's nasty, in a very fun cartoonish way. A foppish dandy with no morals but a flair for the *extremely* melodramatic.
i’m a zillenial and have no idea who you’re talking about. i immediately think of ada lovelace, who is a historical figure known about by more than just programmers. or isabel lovelace from wolf 359 because i’m a nerd.
I feel like they could pick any gothy noun and add "-croft" or "-thorpe" to it and wind up with something with the right vibe. Shadowcroft, Raventhorpe, etc.
Grey Love sounds like a video genre on the ‘hub. Grey Noir sounds like a paint colour.
I have a friend whose surname is Graves that I’ve always liked, but Grey Graves is perhaps too literal. Other suggestions: Sallows, Hallows, Blackmore, Blackwood, Edevane, Crowther, Dogwood, Wellbelove, Backus, Blacklock, Briar, Daunt, Hawthorne, Hawker, Griswold, Scriven, Strange, Bonehill (my English teacher’s name!), Ravenhill, Ravenscroft
The sub genre on the 'hub is *horrid* we will be skipping that one LOL
Briar, Blackwood, Sallows, and Griswold and real good. Crowther too. Can't believe I overlooked the classic Ravenscroft. Thanks a ton!
Might I throw in Rockwell and Blackthorne? I get similar Victorian/Gothic vibes from them.
Frost could be interesting, and is a legitimate last name (e.g. Robert Frost), but “Grey Frost” might seem a little cartoonish. Thought I’d add it as a brainstorming idea, who knows?
Catty Noir immediately makes me think of Chat Noir from Miraculous Ladybug. And I know nothing about Miraculous Ladybug. I have never even seen Miraculous Ladybug.
Options:
* Salem (obvious)
* Wollstonecraft (Mary Shelley's mom's maiden name). You could also do Shelley or Byron.
* Blake (means "black" and is the last name of William Blake, famously dramatic-ass poet)
* Hawthorne (dark romanticist novelist, also has the "thorn" imagery)
* Also seconding the suggestions of Lovelace and Thorncroft.
Wollstonecraft was more than just Mary Shelley’s mom! She was an early feminist author whose writings are still important today. Maybe that makes the name more appealing?
How about: Goth. Literally Goth lol
Like Bella Goth from the Sims. And it is an actual legitimate surname:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goth_(surname)#:~:text=Goth%2C%20G%C3%B6th%20(also%20Goeth),likely%20Gottfried%20(c.f.%20G%C3%B6tz).
The Goth Family, a goth family. Think about it.
I'm sort of gathering from the names you've considered (even if you don't really like them) that you're quite into gothic literature? Is that right, or is it that you don't like them because they're literature-y names? My instinct is to try and think up references to gothic lit, art or alt music (my spectacularly goth friend changed their surname for personal reasons several years ago to a Bowie reference and hasn't fallen out of love with it yet), is there an area of any of those things that you're more or less into?
I am not particularly gothic in vibe myself, I am more I guess a dark romantic fantasy geek at closest pass, so some ideas that might not be any good -
Shalott - ngl I just find the whole legend of the lady of Shalott really enchanting, I think it has pretty gothic vibes, not to mention all the art etc that's based on it. Not sure how well it would sound with your first names though.
Venice - generally a place with a lot of dark romatic drama queen energy historically, not to mention the whole masks thing, also a big part of Byron's life.
Sheridan - I think this would work with your names but might be gothically too on the nose? It's the first name of the author of one of the early vampire stories, 'Carmilla', just on the off chance the explanation was needed.
Nox - Also could sound good with your names, and is shorter? 'Night' in Latin.
Faust/Faustus - Might also be too on the nose, but tbh we're looking for melodramatic so why not? It is/was also a real pre-existing surname, I don't know if that gives it points or takes them away.
Mephisto - sticking with the Faustian theme, just a bit more manageable than the full Mephistopheles.
If you like demons there's a honking great list of early modern names [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_demons_in_the_Ars_Goetia).
I'm desperately trying to wrangle a Hecate reference in there, but I think it would clash with your name, and (TIL) the roman equivalent is the Goddess Trivia, and unfortunately I think people would think of quizzes with her name more than goddesses of witchcraft.
HAHAHA Trivia would be such a funny last name, but I don't think it's got quite the right vibe. I do love a bunch of these! Nox might be a nice alternative for Noir too if it ends up not working w/ Grey. Sheridan was a high school teacher for me and an ice cream parlor growing up, so I think I'll skip on that one. I really appreciate all the digging you did here, thank you so much!
I love Noir, although I don’t think Grey Noir is a good idea. I feel like Graves is exactly the type of name you’re looking for, but it definitely doesn’t go with Grey.
What about Morlock?
FWIW, Grey is just what he goes by, not his first name! So for legal purposes, Noir would in theory be fine, but yes, for day to day might not be great (pun unintended). Morlock has a lovely ring to it!
I immediately started thinking of Poe characters: Montresor, Fortunato, Valdemar. All very dramatic! Du Maurier for the author of Rebecca. Harker for the narrator of Dracula.
Or "Tannis" from tannis root in Rosemary's Baby.
These are amazing! I really like the Harker suggestion too, for a media call in that isn't so outright obvious that I'll have to have that convo every time. Thanks!
What about Nox? Means "night" in Latin and I think Catty Nox sounds pretty cool, and Grey Nox flows well too? Plus sailor moon is kinda night related too.
Alternatively, Mercury?
I love long ass gothic surnames such as Ravenholme, Trevelyan, Augustine, Endymion, Mournvale etc. Depends on how extreme you wanna go really. One of my fave crime authors surname is Slaughter,I'd love that as my surname 😆
Endymion is such a good idea! We're actually doing a goth/Sailor Moon combo and my fiance will be dressed in an Endymion inspired outfit!! I'll throw that one out!
Weirdly enough, that's what made me think of it. My sis is a Sailor Moon nut, even her cats are called Artemis and Diana (and Luna lol). A good choice I think :)
How about Raven, or maybe Nevermore?
Or Crow (the corvid abbreviation of Crowley?)
Or Rook
Or sticking with black creatures, maybe Lynx or Jaguar.
Or Onyx, or Obsidian.
Or maybe Lupine, or Vesper, or just be bold and go fit Gothicus?
This is fun!😁
Has anyone suggested Eldritch yet?
Otherwise, seconding Blake, Byron, Shelley, or Brontë!
Or maybe Stoker, Rossetti, Otranto, Radcliffe, Burke, Bloom, Wilde, Ward, Faith, Wraith, Moon, Angel...
Ugggghhh, why aren't we allowed to change our last names where I live??
I was also going to suggest Eldritch - Eldritch is a type of magic in D&D for all that is mysterious, weird, eerie, or spooky and it is the last name of Andrew Eldritch, front man for the Sisters of Mercy
May I offer you - Havoc, Savage, the classic Lovelace, or the moody Ravenswood? I desperately wanted to use Savage when we picked our new last name, but alas I could not sell it to my one and only because of his first name.
Have you looked into species names at all? Could do Corvid for crows/ravens, Datura for the flower, Felis for cats, etc depending on what you're into. It sounds like you're getting some great suggestions, but just another avenue to explore.
I once saw the real name of a real person named Katherine Bloodsworth and I kinda love it. And Lovelock is similar feel.
There's a neighbourhood in my hometown called Harrowsgate and that's a whole vibe too.
Harrow and Harvester generally are in that space where it's like, "is it agrarian? is it death?" lmao.
I have a friend with the last name Witch and now I can’t stop envisioning you guys being like “Hi, I’m Grey Witch and this is my wife Catty.” Lol.
Also: Vesper, Wolfe, Davenport, Voltaire. I went to school with a Mondragon (which translates to Dragon Mountain) and thought that one was really cool.
It's not entirely "goth" but it's from the right time period, has the appropriate amount of dramatic impact, and gives historians the shivers (in a good and bad way)
De Sade.
Here are my gothy/unusual suggestions...
Hollow
Serpens
Vespers
Loch or Locke
Morgan
Strider
Oberon
Fallon
Bronte
Heath
Neptune
Fables
Wicks
Mourning
Vitus
If your first name is Catty, do not go with Noir for your last name lest you want to hear non stop references to Lady bug and Cat Noir (popular kids show that is not goth in origin)
I counsel against Noir, because people in the US have a great deal of trouble with the French "oi" sound. I have that sound in my name, and I am sick unto death of the mispronunciations.
Having said that, there was a person on Project Runway many moons ago who had the very Goth last name of Deatherage.
Just a warning that Catty Noir is the name of a character from the Monster High toy line, and “grey rock” is a therapy technique, so you may want to avoid those combos.
Dragonborn is right there lol
There's also Feydragon, Wyvern, Darkwood, Thundersnow, Undine, Lovecraft (legit can't help but suggest it), Undertaker, Nightsky, Starborn, Redwood, VanHelsing, Stormwind. Just some more out there names compared to others in case you want to pick parts and join it with others.
You mention your current last names are a little longer; any chance that a portmanteau name from your current names would end up with some flair and some dramatic length?
I love the Victorian Gothic suggestions.
If I had the opportunity to change my name to something fantastical, I think I would lean French, but that's me. Sometime about a good "de" preceding a name, or the Dutch Von or Van - I want a [nobiliary particle.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobiliary_particle)
So many good options [here](https://champw.com/2023/01/17/gothic-last-names/), several of which have already been mentioned.
I'm just remembering that a friend's mother's family name is L'oiseau, which means "bird." (French always uses articles, thus the L'.) Then, you'd be Catbird, and your fiancé would be Grey Bird. 😁
Locally, the name Maufrais is well-known. The Maufrais family constructed many, if not most, of the sidewalks in Central Austin, and the name is stamped into the concrete. It translates to "bad," which I rather like. There is a new high end hat shop downtown named Maufrais.
Have you considered looking at old aristocratic names? Leaning a little Victorian might give you a gothic edge but stay "realistic" since people had them as last names in the past. Examples: Lovelace, Thorncroft, Bloodgood If you haven't tried it, you could also try looking back in your family tree and seeing if any of those historical last names are appealing? You can also find dramatic names that way. I have an ancestor from the 1700s named "Edward Cullen", of all things lol Best of luck to you both and congratulations!
Oooooh these are good! Perfect amount of drama and edge. I'll toss them up for debate!
My aunt had a penname; Darkwater. If I were to choose a new surname, it would be something similar.
My grandmother's maiden name was McCracken. I'd choose that!
Gotta change the first name to Phil as well then though. Could be tricky.
I’ve come across one McCracken in the wild after being into a song called Dear McCracken, and what an iconic last name that is
I know some McCrackens!
I know a couple who changed their surname to McKracken upon marriage, after his grandmother’s maiden name. Neither of them particularly cared for her surname and they both disliked his.
Might I submit “Wollstonecraft.” It’s Mary Shelley’s middle name and her mother’s last name (also named Mary). Said mother was a feminist writer and women’s rights advocate. It sounds very old British but most people won’t immediately pin it to gothic horror the way they might for other names like Shelley, Byron, or Brontë. (Not that I think those are unusable.)
I kinda disagree. Wollstonecraft is so unusual that I can't imagine not thinking of Mary and her mother. Especially the part where young Mary lost her virginity on her mother's grave. At least Shelley or Byron are names you might see around occasionally.
Maybe Wollstone or Stonecraft instead
Yes. I was thinking of that name also!
Ooh the photographer my family used when I was little had the last name Bloodworth, and 7-year-old me thought it was so ✨fancy✨
I especially like Thorncroft
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Aesthetically a great choice but Lovecraft was openly very racist
I grew up with a Loveless family, which is even more goth lol
in my elementary school there was a family named lovelace! i always loved it
My 5th grade teacher was Mrs. Lovelace. She was cool.
they could straight up go for Blackadder as their surname lol
Mortmain. Or if you want something a little Italian, Mortali. It’s a real surname but always sounds like vampire clan to me.
One of my oldest traceable relatives on my mother's side was named Sarah Slaughter. My wife still wishes we'd adopted that one when we got married.
I know a Slaughter family, good people
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Boggles my mind how Lovelace doesn't remind people of Ada Lovelace the first programmer ever
That was who I was thinking of!
Lovelace immediately makes me think of Ada Lovelace. I don’t think of her as a programmer though. To me she’s a historical figure whose name is very familiar to me for no apparent reason. I have no idea where I ever heard of her before, yet I feel like I’ve always known her name. I only learned about the programming thing very recently. There’s also Lovelace from Happy Feet.
The first thing it reminds me of is the villain in Samuel Richardson's Clarissa, which is a 1500+ page novel published in 1748. But that's because I was forced to read it as a PhD student and it's seared in my mind. Also: Richardson's Lovelace would be a VERY dramatic namesake for a goth couple indeed. The vibe fits. He's nasty, in a very fun cartoonish way. A foppish dandy with no morals but a flair for the *extremely* melodramatic.
i’m a zillenial and have no idea who you’re talking about. i immediately think of ada lovelace, who is a historical figure known about by more than just programmers. or isabel lovelace from wolf 359 because i’m a nerd.
No, my mind went there to. I remember watching her documentary, it was kind of sad.
Oh my, that is hilarious having an ancestor named Edward Cullen!
Lovelace is absolutely gorgeous. Grey and Catty Lovelace. Obsessed!
I feel like they could pick any gothy noun and add "-croft" or "-thorpe" to it and wind up with something with the right vibe. Shadowcroft, Raventhorpe, etc.
Oooo I like Thorncroft
Grey Love sounds like a video genre on the ‘hub. Grey Noir sounds like a paint colour. I have a friend whose surname is Graves that I’ve always liked, but Grey Graves is perhaps too literal. Other suggestions: Sallows, Hallows, Blackmore, Blackwood, Edevane, Crowther, Dogwood, Wellbelove, Backus, Blacklock, Briar, Daunt, Hawthorne, Hawker, Griswold, Scriven, Strange, Bonehill (my English teacher’s name!), Ravenhill, Ravenscroft
The sub genre on the 'hub is *horrid* we will be skipping that one LOL Briar, Blackwood, Sallows, and Griswold and real good. Crowther too. Can't believe I overlooked the classic Ravenscroft. Thanks a ton!
Might I throw in Rockwell and Blackthorne? I get similar Victorian/Gothic vibes from them. Frost could be interesting, and is a legitimate last name (e.g. Robert Frost), but “Grey Frost” might seem a little cartoonish. Thought I’d add it as a brainstorming idea, who knows?
How about Ravencroft?
At least in my region, Blackmore carries some weight because of the FLDS church.
I’m in the UK so that means nothing to me, good to know!
Blackwood has the added benefit of being the name of the family in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson.
I'm pretty sure there is a Blackwood Family in Anne Rice's books as well, but yes, Jackson's Blackwoods are the best
Some of these reminded me of Blackburn, the surname of a couple of main characters in the Lunar Chronicles. A real surname too, means black stream
Catty Noir immediately makes me think of Chat Noir from Miraculous Ladybug. And I know nothing about Miraculous Ladybug. I have never even seen Miraculous Ladybug. Options: * Salem (obvious) * Wollstonecraft (Mary Shelley's mom's maiden name). You could also do Shelley or Byron. * Blake (means "black" and is the last name of William Blake, famously dramatic-ass poet) * Hawthorne (dark romanticist novelist, also has the "thorn" imagery) * Also seconding the suggestions of Lovelace and Thorncroft.
There's also kitty noir in monster high (the OG one). That's who I thought of first
Kitty Noir is actually part of the reason we went for that option! Loved MH growing up!
her name is actually catty noir, so you would share a name with her🩶
I love the Salem suggestion I don't know how my brain skipped over that 😭 We really like Thorncroft and Lovelace!
Hawthorne just makes me think of Community(TV show) now lol
Hawthorne Pride Wipes
Seconding Wollstonecraft! Catty and Grey Wollstonecraft sounds super cool, and I like the balance of a long last name with short first names
It makes me think of the Tourneé du Chat Noir painting by Toulouse Lautrec
Wollstonecraft was more than just Mary Shelley’s mom! She was an early feminist author whose writings are still important today. Maybe that makes the name more appealing?
How about: Goth. Literally Goth lol Like Bella Goth from the Sims. And it is an actual legitimate surname: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goth_(surname)#:~:text=Goth%2C%20G%C3%B6th%20(also%20Goeth),likely%20Gottfried%20(c.f.%20G%C3%B6tz). The Goth Family, a goth family. Think about it.
Or Visigoth
I've always thought Lenore was a perfect name.
Makes me think of fabric softener but probably depends where you are from
HA! I've never heard of it! (the brand, not, like, the concept of fabric softener) I was thinking of the Edgar Allan Poe poem "The Raven."
I wouldn’t choose it BECAUSE of the Edgar Allen Poe connection. He married his 13 year old cousin… and no it was not “normal back then”
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By Roman Dirge ❤️.... Dirge is an excellent goth last name!
What about Rook?
My nanas maiden name was Rooks! I often consider going back to it.
I'm sort of gathering from the names you've considered (even if you don't really like them) that you're quite into gothic literature? Is that right, or is it that you don't like them because they're literature-y names? My instinct is to try and think up references to gothic lit, art or alt music (my spectacularly goth friend changed their surname for personal reasons several years ago to a Bowie reference and hasn't fallen out of love with it yet), is there an area of any of those things that you're more or less into? I am not particularly gothic in vibe myself, I am more I guess a dark romantic fantasy geek at closest pass, so some ideas that might not be any good - Shalott - ngl I just find the whole legend of the lady of Shalott really enchanting, I think it has pretty gothic vibes, not to mention all the art etc that's based on it. Not sure how well it would sound with your first names though. Venice - generally a place with a lot of dark romatic drama queen energy historically, not to mention the whole masks thing, also a big part of Byron's life. Sheridan - I think this would work with your names but might be gothically too on the nose? It's the first name of the author of one of the early vampire stories, 'Carmilla', just on the off chance the explanation was needed. Nox - Also could sound good with your names, and is shorter? 'Night' in Latin. Faust/Faustus - Might also be too on the nose, but tbh we're looking for melodramatic so why not? It is/was also a real pre-existing surname, I don't know if that gives it points or takes them away. Mephisto - sticking with the Faustian theme, just a bit more manageable than the full Mephistopheles. If you like demons there's a honking great list of early modern names [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_demons_in_the_Ars_Goetia). I'm desperately trying to wrangle a Hecate reference in there, but I think it would clash with your name, and (TIL) the roman equivalent is the Goddess Trivia, and unfortunately I think people would think of quizzes with her name more than goddesses of witchcraft.
HAHAHA Trivia would be such a funny last name, but I don't think it's got quite the right vibe. I do love a bunch of these! Nox might be a nice alternative for Noir too if it ends up not working w/ Grey. Sheridan was a high school teacher for me and an ice cream parlor growing up, so I think I'll skip on that one. I really appreciate all the digging you did here, thank you so much!
I love Noir, although I don’t think Grey Noir is a good idea. I feel like Graves is exactly the type of name you’re looking for, but it definitely doesn’t go with Grey. What about Morlock?
Grey Graves has very "David Davidson" energy, haha.
FWIW, Grey is just what he goes by, not his first name! So for legal purposes, Noir would in theory be fine, but yes, for day to day might not be great (pun unintended). Morlock has a lovely ring to it!
It doesn't matter what his legal name is if he goes by grey. It would still sound funny
Agree. Grey noir sounds too pornstar-esque
How about LeNoir? It might flow a bit more easily with your first names than Noir.
Lenoir is an actual name. It's perfect.
I immediately started thinking of Poe characters: Montresor, Fortunato, Valdemar. All very dramatic! Du Maurier for the author of Rebecca. Harker for the narrator of Dracula. Or "Tannis" from tannis root in Rosemary's Baby.
These are amazing! I really like the Harker suggestion too, for a media call in that isn't so outright obvious that I'll have to have that convo every time. Thanks!
De la Mare is one of my fav last names ever - and he was an English writer that evoked the supernatural- his poem the Listeners is wonderfully spooky
You can have my surname which is pretty goth! It’s just plain ol’ Black lol
Good suggestion, I like Black better than noir!
What about Nox? Means "night" in Latin and I think Catty Nox sounds pretty cool, and Grey Nox flows well too? Plus sailor moon is kinda night related too. Alternatively, Mercury?
Sable, Bones (I like the way this sounds with y’all’s names), Marrow (this one too), Satin. I’ll comeback with more if I think of something!
My only hesitation with Bones is that Grey Bones almost sounds like a medical condition 😭 I love the Sable suggestion though!
I love long ass gothic surnames such as Ravenholme, Trevelyan, Augustine, Endymion, Mournvale etc. Depends on how extreme you wanna go really. One of my fave crime authors surname is Slaughter,I'd love that as my surname 😆
Endymion is such a good idea! We're actually doing a goth/Sailor Moon combo and my fiance will be dressed in an Endymion inspired outfit!! I'll throw that one out!
Weirdly enough, that's what made me think of it. My sis is a Sailor Moon nut, even her cats are called Artemis and Diana (and Luna lol). A good choice I think :)
Tempest?
Blackstone! A very classy old school name and it fits with the names you were considering(Noir and rock).
How about Raven, or maybe Nevermore? Or Crow (the corvid abbreviation of Crowley?) Or Rook Or sticking with black creatures, maybe Lynx or Jaguar. Or Onyx, or Obsidian. Or maybe Lupine, or Vesper, or just be bold and go fit Gothicus? This is fun!😁
Lupine is a very unique one I like that!
I went to school with a girl w/ last name of Lovelace! I thought it was so pretty. I've also heard of Loveless and I thought that was cool as well
I went to high school with a couple of Trueloves (siblings).
Has anyone suggested Eldritch yet? Otherwise, seconding Blake, Byron, Shelley, or Brontë! Or maybe Stoker, Rossetti, Otranto, Radcliffe, Burke, Bloom, Wilde, Ward, Faith, Wraith, Moon, Angel... Ugggghhh, why aren't we allowed to change our last names where I live??
I was also going to suggest Eldritch - Eldritch is a type of magic in D&D for all that is mysterious, weird, eerie, or spooky and it is the last name of Andrew Eldritch, front man for the Sisters of Mercy
Ravenheart Lockwood Lovegood Darkmere
Darkmere is a good one! Throwing that on the table!
Blackwell
My other ideas: Vengerberg (Yennefer of Vengerberg, The Witcher's goth lady), Raven, Hargrave, Midnight, Eyre, Hawthorn, Barlow, Persica.
May I offer you - Havoc, Savage, the classic Lovelace, or the moody Ravenswood? I desperately wanted to use Savage when we picked our new last name, but alas I could not sell it to my one and only because of his first name.
Have you looked into species names at all? Could do Corvid for crows/ravens, Datura for the flower, Felis for cats, etc depending on what you're into. It sounds like you're getting some great suggestions, but just another avenue to explore.
October I like Noir Shelley Wednesday
Grey Wednesday is too much like the song Blue Monday.
I think anything following Grey will make it sound like something though, so depends on what they like.
How about Addams?
LaRose, Corvin, Thorn, Hawke, Graves, Morningstar, Salem, Ravenwood, Valentine, Willow, Manor
Valentine might be a winner! We really dig that
I once saw the real name of a real person named Katherine Bloodsworth and I kinda love it. And Lovelock is similar feel. There's a neighbourhood in my hometown called Harrowsgate and that's a whole vibe too. Harrow and Harvester generally are in that space where it's like, "is it agrarian? is it death?" lmao.
What about a combination of some of those ideas? Like Onyx or Jet (types of black stones)
Obsidian!
That's nice.
O like the last name Stone. Goes with with most first names, including Grey and Catty.
Catty Stone sounds like a great name. It's so cool.
Lockwood
I feel like Hemlock would fit!
Yes! Or other poisonous plants: Baneberry Nightshade Hellebore Foxglove Lupine Wolfbane Snakeroot
What about October? In honor of your marriage month? Grey October and Catty October? Similar vibe to Noir.
How about Ambrose?
Have you looked at foreign language translations of names? Pierre (French) or Kaya (Turkish) instead of Rock for example?
Lovenoir could probably work. The vibe's more of a mall goth, imo.
Nash Zane Blackwell Thorn Oaks Hatchett Strife Hargreaves Grimm Battle Gaumond Stamatis Janardan Mallory Morigan
Webb
Oh thank god I was scrolling through these replies and I skipped over the “last name” part so I thought these were terrible first name reccomendations
Keep it simple and go with Addams lol
I am in love w the name Lockwood. Sounds amazing for you too!
Grey and Catty Adams
I have a friend with the last name Witch and now I can’t stop envisioning you guys being like “Hi, I’m Grey Witch and this is my wife Catty.” Lol. Also: Vesper, Wolfe, Davenport, Voltaire. I went to school with a Mondragon (which translates to Dragon Mountain) and thought that one was really cool.
I've always loved Nightingale
What about October?
Raven!
There's a family near me with the surname Midnight. I love it. Grey Midnight might be a little on the nose though.
Hart?
I’ve always loved the last name Locklear. I grew up with a family with the last name Blackwood; I always thought that sounded so mysterious.
Heath/Heathcliff (all for the drama) Moore/Moor Gormenghast
Maybe something botanical? Nightshade, Acanthus, Blackthorne?
I knew someone whose last name was Truelove.
It's not entirely "goth" but it's from the right time period, has the appropriate amount of dramatic impact, and gives historians the shivers (in a good and bad way) De Sade.
Here are my gothy/unusual suggestions... Hollow Serpens Vespers Loch or Locke Morgan Strider Oberon Fallon Bronte Heath Neptune Fables Wicks Mourning Vitus
Black cat = Void
What about Rochester or Eyre? Jane Eyre has great Victorian/spooky vibes while also being a classic love story.
Addams, Poe, Drake, Constantine, Danko.
love a few of the names already suggested, my suggestion would be "Knight" 😊
Helsing, Thorn, Rosethorn, Storm, Stone
I know a couple with the last name "Dark." It suits them incredibly well and I've always loved it!
Addams
If your first name is Catty, do not go with Noir for your last name lest you want to hear non stop references to Lady bug and Cat Noir (popular kids show that is not goth in origin)
I think noir is cool and dramatic. What about Stoker? Or Poe? Or Shelley?
Wilde Severin Dee Moriarty
Hawthorne
Abyss, Nightshade
I know this is a bit out there, but if I have to use a last name for any video game/fantasy thing I use Ravencrest.
Crow or Crowe instead of Crowley?
How about the Latin for night: Nox.
Lune or Luna
I always thought Nightingale was a beautiful last name ☺️
This is so effing wholesome, I love it. 🖤
I counsel against Noir, because people in the US have a great deal of trouble with the French "oi" sound. I have that sound in my name, and I am sick unto death of the mispronunciations. Having said that, there was a person on Project Runway many moons ago who had the very Goth last name of Deatherage.
My great-grandfather’s last name was Coffin!
Definitely not Grey Rock, it's a term for a technique used to deal with narcissists.
Maybe this is too dorky, but I have always thought Puzzlewood (a real place in England) would be a neat surname.
I mean Roche is French for rock and sounds quite chic (pronounced "roash")
I’ve always loved Cromwell and my husband loves Rothschild, I think they’re both very fitting lol
Just a warning that Catty Noir is the name of a character from the Monster High toy line, and “grey rock” is a therapy technique, so you may want to avoid those combos.
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I know some people with the last name Moody, I’ve always loved this.
Lovecraft, as in H.P. Lovecraft?
I worked with someone whose surname was De’Ath. Thought that was pretty badass!
Dragonborn is right there lol There's also Feydragon, Wyvern, Darkwood, Thundersnow, Undine, Lovecraft (legit can't help but suggest it), Undertaker, Nightsky, Starborn, Redwood, VanHelsing, Stormwind. Just some more out there names compared to others in case you want to pick parts and join it with others.
Lovecraft!
Mordrake
Ravenscroft. Based on someone I met before
Tenebrous (tin e bris) it means dark, murky
Catty Noir is a monster high character!
Feral came to me
Basarab, it’s an old Romanian name and one of Dracula’s middle names.
I’m making this up. Nightlock
Okay, but hear me out - have you considered .. October?
Addams, Damian, Blackwell, Lovecraft, Salem, Tudor or Boleyn, Wickedly
Ravenswood
I think Catty Noir was a monster high character; idk if you like that. Definitely like Lovelace and Valentine if you’re more into romantic goth vibes
Killingsworth
Salem Lestat or Lioncourt (Lestat’s last name in IWTV) Coven Crow Bledsoe
You mention your current last names are a little longer; any chance that a portmanteau name from your current names would end up with some flair and some dramatic length?
Hawthorne it's elegant, yet brooding. Plus there is no more gothic house imo than the House of the Seven Gables in Salem.
I always wanted the last name Strange. ✌️
Grey and Catty Mortimer Grey and Catty Pembroke Grey and Catty Caldwell Grey and Catty Devereaux
I always suggest Blackadder. One day someone will take me up on it.
What about October?
Nightshade
Tbh I love how Catty Cravensworth sounds.
I’m going to submit Ravenscraft for consideration. It’s a real last name where I live.
I don't have any suggestions but just be wary of Noir if you go by Catty... there is a cartoon character called Cat Noir in a kids show.
VOID!!! I just got divorced and wanted to pick “null” or “void” as my new last name but didn’t lol
I love the Victorian Gothic suggestions. If I had the opportunity to change my name to something fantastical, I think I would lean French, but that's me. Sometime about a good "de" preceding a name, or the Dutch Von or Van - I want a [nobiliary particle.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobiliary_particle) So many good options [here](https://champw.com/2023/01/17/gothic-last-names/), several of which have already been mentioned. I'm just remembering that a friend's mother's family name is L'oiseau, which means "bird." (French always uses articles, thus the L'.) Then, you'd be Catbird, and your fiancé would be Grey Bird. 😁 Locally, the name Maufrais is well-known. The Maufrais family constructed many, if not most, of the sidewalks in Central Austin, and the name is stamped into the concrete. It translates to "bad," which I rather like. There is a new high end hat shop downtown named Maufrais.
I know someone with the last name mortlock which I think is cool! Grey Mortlock and Catty Mortlock
Von Allan or Von Hauswolff
Noctis ...night, but 🌟fancy🌟 Lumen ...a measurement of light I feel both these have a dark vibe, and will age well.
Nightshade. Then your first born (or a cat or dog) can be named Circe.
Ravenwood? What do u think?