In a world rich with meaning, some names stand out for their intriguing associations with emptiness or nothingness. Whether you’re looking for 180+ unique names that mean nothing or empty for a character, a creative project, or simply exploring the concept of nothingness, this list provides a fascinating collection of names from various cultures.
Each name carries its own history and significance, often reflecting philosophical ideas about existence and absence. Dive into this extensive list and discover names that resonate with the idea of emptiness.
Origins of Names That Mean Nothing or Empty
Names that evoke a sense of nothingness or emptiness can be found across various cultures and languages. The origins of these names may draw from ancient philosophies, spiritual beliefs, or simply the nature of language itself. This exploration reveals how the concept of emptiness has been interpreted and expressed in naming traditions around the world.
Names from Ancient Mythology
- Nihil
Meaning: Nothing
Origin: Latin - Void
Meaning: Empty space
Origin: English - Abyss
Meaning: Bottomless pit
Origin: Greek - Chasm
Meaning: Deep fissure
Origin: Greek - Erebus
Meaning: Deep darkness
Origin: Greek mythology - Khaos
Meaning: Nothingness
Origin: Greek - Ananke
Meaning: Necessity; inevitability
Origin: Greek mythology - Nox
Meaning: Night; darkness
Origin: Latin mythology - Tartarus
Meaning: Deep abyss
Origin: Greek mythology - Elysium
Meaning: Place of the dead
Origin: Greek mythology - Thanatos
Meaning: Death
Origin: Greek mythology - Morpheus
Meaning: God of dreams
Origin: Greek mythology - Orcus
Meaning: Underworld
Origin: Roman mythology - Selene
Meaning: Moon; emptiness of night
Origin: Greek mythology - Hades
Meaning: Underworld
Origin: Greek mythology - Nyx
Meaning: Night
Origin: Greek mythology - Phlegethon
Meaning: River of fire
Origin: Greek mythology - Lethe
Meaning: River of forgetfulness
Origin: Greek mythology - Persephone
Meaning: Queen of the underworld
Origin: Greek mythology - Cerberus
Meaning: Guardian of the underworld
Origin: Greek mythology
Names from Different Languages
- Null
Meaning: Nothing
Origin: Latin - Suku
Meaning: Empty
Origin: Japanese - Zer
Meaning: Nothing
Origin: Hebrew - Emptio
Meaning: Empty
Origin: Latin - Void
Meaning: Empty
Origin: English - Tyhjä
Meaning: Empty
Origin: Finnish - Nulo
Meaning: Null; nothing
Origin: Spanish - Wahid
Meaning: One; alone
Origin: Arabic - Nada
Meaning: Nothing
Origin: Spanish - Vacuum
Meaning: Empty space
Origin: Latin - Nihil
Meaning: Nothing
Origin: Latin - Khaos
Meaning: Nothingness
Origin: Greek - Chúm
Meaning: Empty
Origin: Vietnamese - Nill
Meaning: To negate
Origin: English - Mati
Meaning: Void
Origin: Hindi - Mia
Meaning: Mine; nothing
Origin: Italian - Kalah
Meaning: To cease
Origin: Hebrew - Qidra
Meaning: Empty
Origin: Arabic - Féil
Meaning: Void
Origin: Irish - Zheng
Meaning: Empty
Origin: Chinese
Names Inspired by Philosophy
- Zeno
Meaning: Gift of Zeus; paradox of nothingness
Origin: Greek philosophy - Socrates
Meaning: Wisdom; recognition of ignorance
Origin: Greek philosophy - Absconditus
Meaning: Hidden; obscured
Origin: Latin - Tao
Meaning: The way; path of emptiness
Origin: Chinese philosophy - Zen
Meaning: Meditation; tranquility
Origin: Japanese Buddhism - Nihilism
Meaning: Belief in nothing
Origin: Philosophy - Emptiness
Meaning: State of containing nothing
Origin: English - Satori
Meaning: Awakening; realization
Origin: Japanese Zen Buddhism - Anatta
Meaning: Non-self; emptiness of self
Origin: Buddhist philosophy - Maya
Meaning: Illusion; emptiness of perception
Origin: Sanskrit - Paradox
Meaning: A self-contradictory statement
Origin: Greek philosophy - Laozi
Meaning: Old Master; the one who understands emptiness
Origin: Chinese philosophy - Ataraxia
Meaning: State of serene calmness
Origin: Greek philosophy - Eudaimonia
Meaning: State of flourishing; fulfillment
Origin: Greek philosophy - Apophatic
Meaning: Describing God by negation
Origin: Theology - Dasein
Meaning: Being-there; existence
Origin: German philosophy - Zhuangzi
Meaning: Master Zhuang; emptiness and spontaneity
Origin: Chinese philosophy - Panta Rhei
Meaning: Everything flows; nothing remains the same
Origin: Greek philosophy - Bhavacakra
Meaning: Wheel of life; cycle of existence
Origin: Buddhist philosophy - Aletheia
Meaning: Truth; disclosure; revealing
Origin: Greek philosophy
Names from Literature
- Dante
Meaning: Enduring; everlasting
Origin: Italian literature (Divine Comedy) - Gatsby
Meaning: The emptiness of wealth
Origin: American literature (The Great Gatsby) - Holden
Meaning: Hollow; deep
Origin: American literature (The Catcher in the Rye) - Moby
Meaning: Great; empty sea
Origin: American literature (Moby Dick) - Austen
Meaning: Majestic; vast
Origin: English literature (Jane Austen) - Faust
Meaning: The empty pursuit of knowledge
Origin: German literature (Faust) - Odysseus
Meaning: Man of sorrow; emptiness in journeys
Origin: Greek literature (The Odyssey) - Raven
Meaning: Symbol of emptiness and mystery
Origin: American literature (The Raven by Poe) - Jekyll
Meaning: Duality; emptiness of identity
Origin: English literature (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) - Poe
Meaning: Darkness and emptiness
Origin: American literature (Edgar Allan Poe) - Marlow
Meaning: From the hill by the lake; emptiness of colonialism
Origin: English literature (Heart of Darkness) - Goneril
Meaning: Empty; lacking
Origin: Shakespearean literature (King Lear) - Edna
Meaning: Rebirth; emptiness before renewal
Origin: American literature (The Awakening) - Frodo
Meaning: Wise; the emptiness of loss
Origin: Fantasy literature (The Lord of the Rings) - Hester
Meaning: Star; emptiness of societal judgment
Origin: American literature (The Scarlet Letter) - Moby
Meaning: Vastness; emptiness of the sea
Origin: American literature (Moby Dick) - Chaucer
Meaning: Empty journey; reflection
Origin: English literature (The Canterbury Tales) - Ishmael
Meaning: God hears; emptiness of isolation
Origin: American literature (Moby Dick) - Brontë
Meaning: Stormy; empty of societal norms
Origin: English literature (Brontë sisters) - Scarlett
Meaning: Red; the emptiness of loss
Origin: American literature (Gone with the Wind)
Names from Nature
- Mist
Meaning: Fog; obscurity
Origin: English - Cinder
Meaning: Ash; remains
Origin: English - Barren
Meaning: Unproductive; empty
Origin: English - Frost
Meaning: Cold; stillness
Origin: English - Ember
Meaning: Glowing fragment; fading light
Origin: English - Hollow
Meaning: Empty inside
Origin: English - Glen
Meaning: Narrow valley; emptiness
Origin: Scottish - Wisp
Meaning: Thin; delicate
Origin: English - Gale
Meaning: Strong wind; emptiness of space
Origin: English - Cove
Meaning: Small sheltered bay; emptiness
Origin: English - Cypress
Meaning: Tree of death; emptiness of loss
Origin: English - Briar
Meaning: Thorny patch; emptiness of pain
Origin: English - Brume
Meaning: Mist; haze
Origin: French - Drift
Meaning: To float; emptiness of direction
Origin: English - Moss
Meaning: Soft green plant; emptiness of the forest
Origin: English - Reed
Meaning: Tall, slender plant; emptiness of marshes
Origin: English - Dune
Meaning: Hill of sand; emptiness of the desert
Origin: English - Cinder
Meaning: Ash; remains of fire
Origin: English - Shade
Meaning: Darkness; absence of light
Origin: English - Vale
Meaning: Valley; emptiness
Origin: English
Names from Spiritual Traditions
- Nada
Meaning: Nothing; sound
Origin: Hinduism - Moksha
Meaning: Liberation; freedom from the cycle of rebirth
Origin: Hinduism - Nirvana
Meaning: State of liberation and emptiness
Origin: Buddhism - Shunyata
Meaning: Emptiness; voidness
Origin: Buddhism - Atman
Meaning: Self; essence
Origin: Hinduism - Bhakti
Meaning: Devotion; emptiness of the self
Origin: Hinduism - Karma
Meaning: Action; emptiness of consequences
Origin: Hinduism/Buddhism - Satori
Meaning: Awakening; realization
Origin: Japanese Zen Buddhism - Zen
Meaning: Meditation; tranquility
Origin: Japanese Buddhism - Chakra
Meaning: Energy center; balance of emptiness
Origin: Hinduism - Tao
Meaning: The way; emptiness
Origin: Chinese philosophy - Anatta
Meaning: Non-self; emptiness of self
Origin: Buddhism - Aum
Meaning: Sacred sound; the essence of the universe
Origin: Hinduism - Kensho
Meaning: Seeing one’s true nature; realization
Origin: Zen Buddhism - Adhikara
Meaning: Authority; emptiness of ego
Origin: Hinduism - Dharma
Meaning: Cosmic law; duty; emptiness of desire
Origin: Hinduism/Buddhism - Samsara
Meaning: Cycle of birth and rebirth; emptiness of existence
Origin: Hinduism/Buddhism - Prajna
Meaning: Wisdom; emptiness of knowledge
Origin: Buddhism - Sukha
Meaning: Happiness; emptiness of suffering
Origin: Buddhism - Zazen
Meaning: Sitting meditation; practice of emptiness
Origin: Zen Buddhism
Names from Folklore and Legends
- Puck
Meaning: Mischief; emptiness of mischief
Origin: English folklore - Banshee
Meaning: Fairy woman; emptiness of wailing
Origin: Irish folklore - Wendigo
Meaning: Spirit of hunger; emptiness of greed
Origin: Algonquian folklore - Selkie
Meaning: Seal woman; emptiness of transformation
Origin: Scottish folklore - Kitsune
Meaning: Fox spirit; emptiness of deception
Origin: Japanese folklore - Chupacabra
Meaning: Goat-sucker; emptiness of sustenance
Origin: Latin American folklore - Sasquatch
Meaning: Wild man; emptiness of the unknown
Origin: Native American folklore - Gorgon
Meaning: Terrible; emptiness of beauty
Origin: Greek mythology - Basilisk
Meaning: King of serpents; emptiness of death
Origin: European folklore - Griffin
Meaning: Mythical creature; emptiness of nature
Origin: Greek mythology - Krakens
Meaning: Sea monster; emptiness of the abyss
Origin: Scandinavian folklore - Fae
Meaning: Fairy; emptiness of enchantment
Origin: English folklore - Dullahan
Meaning: Headless horseman; emptiness of death
Origin: Irish folklore - Dryad
Meaning: Tree nymph; emptiness of nature
Origin: Greek mythology - Vampire
Meaning: Bloodsucker; emptiness of life
Origin: European folklore - Golem
Meaning: Animated being; emptiness of humanity
Origin: Jewish folklore - Witch
Meaning: Sorceress; emptiness of power
Origin: European folklore - Zombie
Meaning: Reanimated corpse; emptiness of life
Origin: Haitian folklore - Sphinx
Meaning: Riddler; emptiness of knowledge
Origin: Egyptian mythology - Doppelgänger
Meaning: Ghostly counterpart; emptiness of identity
Origin: German folklore
Names Associated with Concepts of Nothingness
- Aporia
Meaning: State of puzzlement; emptiness of understanding
Origin: Greek philosophy - Nonentity
Meaning: Something that is not; emptiness of existence
Origin: English - Abstraction
Meaning: Conceptualization; emptiness of tangibility
Origin: English - Inertia
Meaning: State of inactivity; emptiness of movement
Origin: Latin - Naught
Meaning: Nothing; void
Origin: English - Vacuity
Meaning: Emptiness; lack of thought
Origin: Latin - Nullity
Meaning: State of being null; emptiness
Origin: Latin - Abyssal
Meaning: Relating to the depths; emptiness of the ocean
Origin: English - Nothingness
Meaning: Absence of anything; emptiness
Origin: English - Vacuum
Meaning: Space devoid of matter; emptiness
Origin: Latin - Desolation
Meaning: State of ruin; emptiness of place
Origin: Latin - Cessation
Meaning: Stopping; emptiness of action
Origin: Latin - Abandon
Meaning: To leave behind; emptiness of attachment
Origin: English - Oblivion
Meaning: State of being forgotten; emptiness
Origin: Latin - Dissolution
Meaning: Disintegration; emptiness of form
Origin: Latin - Liminal
Meaning: Transitional state; emptiness of boundaries
Origin: Latin - Eclipse
Meaning: Obscuring of light; emptiness of visibility
Origin: Greek - Chasm
Meaning: Deep fissure; emptiness of space
Origin: Greek - Vacancy
Meaning: Unfilled space; emptiness
Origin: Latin - Silence
Meaning: Absence of sound; emptiness
Origin: Latin
Conclusion
Names that embody the concepts of emptiness or nothingness offer a unique lens through which to explore identity, existence, and meaning. From ancient mythology to contemporary literature, these names resonate with philosophical inquiries about life and absence. Whether used in creative works, personal naming choices, or as a reflection on the human condition, names that signify emptiness provoke thought and inspire deeper contemplation.
Embracing the void can lead to new understandings and interpretations, revealing the beauty and complexity that often lie within what is perceived as nothing. As you navigate this extensive list, consider how these names might evoke emotions, ideas, or narratives that challenge conventional perceptions of existence.
Mia Clark is a name lover and insightful writer at NamezVibe. She passionately explores the significance and stories behind names, helping others find the perfect fit. In her free time, Mia enjoys connecting with readers and uncovering the latest naming trends.
