- Nyx: Greek; Nox: Latin
- Meaning: “night”
- Gender: Female
- Eng (NICKS); Eng (NOCKS)
The Greek name Nyx (Νύξ) means “night.” It comes directly from the Proto-Indo-European root nókʷts, the same ancient word that produced Latin nox, Sanskrit nakta (नक्त)*, and Old English niht → modern English night.
Thus, Nyx and Nox are linguistic sisters — two ancient words expressing the same primordial idea: darkness, mystery, and the cosmic night from which creation emerges.
In Greek mythology, Nyx is the goddess and personification of the Night and Nox the Roman counterpart.
She is said to have arisen directly from Chaos, the void before creation, and is counted among the Protogenoi — the primal deities who gave birth to the cosmos itself.
Nyx was both feared and revered by the Olympians. Even Zeus, king of the gods, hesitated to cross her.
Hesiod’s Theogony (c. 700 BCE) describes her as a shadowy figure dwelling in the western lands of perpetual darkness, near the gates of Tartarus.
In recent years, Nyx has appeared more often as a middle name, to fill a void for a longer first name. Its Latin form of Nox may make an appealing choice for those seeking gender-neutral sounding female names, sounding similar to the trendy male name Knocks. It has recently come into use in the Netherlands as a male name for unknown reasons.
Sources