20 October Baby Names for Parents Who Can’t Get Enough of Spooky Season

The name Toby is a super-subtle October reference since it’s a version of the second half of the word. But it’s also just a supercute name all on its own. And it actually works as a gender-neutral moniker, so any October babies can be named Toby.

For parents who want a little more on-the-nose October name, there’s Octavius, which channels the beginning portion of the word “October.” The female version is Octavia, so parents of little girls born this month also have an “Oct” name option to choose.

Per the American Gem Society, one of the birthstones for the month of October is the opal, which also makes for a very sweet baby name. The other gemstone for the month is tourmaline, so parents can also name their child that if they want something super unique.

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October is spooky month thanks to the Halloween holiday, so there are quite a few spirited monikers to choose from. A classic is Casper, as in Casper the Friendly Ghost. The name hasn’t been very popular in decades, per data from the Social Security Administration, so any modern Caspers won’t have to worry about sharing their name with a ton of people.

Whether parents are trying to make a nod to jack-o’-lanterns or Jack Skellington from the spooky classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack is the perfect October baby name for little boys. Since it’s a fairly common moniker, the October reference is subtle.

Sally is an October baby name that refers to a couple of classic fall movies. The first is The Nightmare Before Christmas, where Sally is Jack Skellington’s love interest. And Sally is also one of the two titular characters in Nora Ephron’s seasonal classic When Harry Met Sally.

Harry is a great name for baby boys born in October. Not only is there the When Harry Met Sally reference, but there’s the Harry Potter reference, too. Ask most Harry Potter fans, and they’ll say they rewatch the movies every Halloween season because the magic and wizardry of the films are perfect for spooky season.

The Addams Family is an enduring part of the spooky season, especially now with Wednesday on Netflix. Wednesday is a unique baby name, and perfect for a baby girl born in October — especially if she’s also actually born on a Wednesday.

The Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s took place in the city of Salem in Massachusetts. But there’s a cuter Halloween reference to this moniker as well. It’s also the name of the sassy black cat in the beloved Sabrina the Teenage Witch TV series.

And speaking of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Sabrina is a supercute October baby name. Last year, in 2023, it ranked 396th most popular for baby girls. The Social Security Administration reported that 770 little girls were given the moniker that year.

A newer popular TV witch is Agatha Harkness, from the Marvel series Agatha All Along. But the name Agatha also comes from the Greek “agathos,” meaning “good.” And it certainly is a good name for any little October girls. Cute but not too common.

Naming a child Freddy is a subtle way to reference spooky season. One of the most famous slasher movie characters of all time is Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street. But Fred is a fairly common name on its own.

When it comes to slasher movie protagonists, one of the best is Sidney Prescott from the Scream series. This name can also be spelled like the Australian city “Sydney,” if parents want the Scream reference to be less apparent. But the moniker works for both boys and girls.

Babies born in the first half of October (from Sept. 23 to Oct. 22) are Libras. This star sign is characterized by the scales of justice symbol. As a result, a girl name Justine (or Justin, for boys), makes for the perfect Libra moniker. We can only hope our children grow up with a sense of justice and fairness.

The other astrological sign for October is Scorpio, for babies born between Oct. 23 and Nov. 21. For parents who want a Scorpio-themed baby name, Scorpius is a pretty unique option. It’s also what Draco Malfoy named his child in Harry Potter.

Each astrological sign is tied to an element, and the element for Libra is air, per The Farmer’s Almanac. But for a play on that, we love the baby name Heir. It’s not an obvious Libra reference, and it’s so regal. It’s also what Kylie Jenner named her son, but she spelled it Aire.

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The element associated with Scorpios is water, per The Farmer’s Almanac. So we love the water-themed name Lake for any little Scorpio babies. The moniker is gender neutral, pretty uncommon, and also perfect for outdoorsy families.

What would the month of October be if not for pumpkin spice lattes? One of the signature spices in the Starbucks version of the drink is ginger, which doubles as a super-adorable baby name. And it’s one of the only spices that makes sense for a child’s name. Although, if parents want a baby Nutmeg or Cinnamon, they can go for it.

Sienna is a name for a yellowish color that actually perfectly captures what a lot of fall leaves look like. To honor the season, parents can name their little girls after the hue. A total of 1,989 baby girls were named Sienna in 2023, per the Social Security Administration.

Another color of the fall season is amber, a sort of yellowish-orange. As a baby name, Amber ranked 575th for girls in 2023. That year, 517 baby girls were named Amber, per the data from the Social Security Administration. We wonder how many of them were born in autumn.