Where do demon names come from? Lucifer is obvious. There are so many and some demons have more then one.
Where they just made up by people of old? Inspired?
How do you know you have the right name to identify a demon?

[jordyn]

most seem to come from ancient cultures and duality from zoroastorism, but daemon actually wasn't used until greco roman times.

Word Origin & History

demon

late 14c., from L. dæmon  "spirit," from Gk. daimon  (gen. daimonos ) "lesser god, guiding spirit, tutelary deity," (sometimes including souls of the dead), used (with daimonion ) in Christian Gk. translations and Vulgate for "god of the heathen" and "unclean spirit." Jewish authors earlier had employed the Gk. word in this sense, using it to render shedim  "lords, idols" in the Septuagint, and Matt. viii.31 has daimones , translated as deofol  in O.E., feend  or deuil  in M.E. The original mythological sense is sometimes written dæmon  for purposes of distinction. The Demon of Socrates  (late 14c.) was a daimonion , a "divine principle or inward oracle." His accusers, and later the Church Fathers, however, represented this otherwise. Fem. form demoness  first attested 1630s. The Demon Star  (1895) is Algol.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/demon

and you'll neer know if you have the right name...they're amazing liars.

[matthew321]

From a legend I had heard, there are four crown princes of hell. They were the constructors of hell. They built it and erected its empire. Satan was one of them. There was a female who gave birth to many demons of hell. The other two are more mysterious. But I believe that one of them helped name the children this women had.

Demons get their names at birth or creation. They all seem to have unique names.

[Muerte]

  MAN.

The Sworne Book of Honorius has the names of the spirits/demons of the different planets.
The Pseudomonarchia Daemonum/Johann Weyer has about 70 names w/descriptions.
How did they come by these names?

  MAN.

That is understood. But......
Did the demon drop-by and said: "Hello, my name is......and I can do.......and if you need me do this.......?

Or where they all on drugs

[Levinthross]

when magic swtiched form shamanism to sorcery and therefore spirits needed to be controlled by words not just fetishes and spiritual power things were named by man by god and by magic you can see this in alot of native american creation tales. But more recently from dark ages onward people usually go about naming spirits by divinaion and if they can come into contact with a specific being compelling it or challenging it to reveal is name has also been known.

[jordyn]

paradise lost by john milton does a good job of the creation of hell...most of the stories come from 18th and 19th century romanticism heavily influenced by roman catholic dogma. 

[Muerte]

  Man stands upon the brink of darkness.  There Man sees his greatest fears.  In order to calm his nerves, to give himself confidence and strength he gives names to these fears.

  Man stands upon the brink of darkness.  There Man sees his greatest fears.  In order to calm his nerves, to give himself confidence and strength he gives names to these fears.

How can giving your fears names make them any less fearful?  Fear of the unknown?

[Moloch]

Names are labels. Labels define limits.

[Muerte]

  And if something has limitation then it can be over come/defeated.  It is the unknown which can not be defeated.  Why?  Beacause if you nothing about it how can you know to defeat it.  That is the reason for research, to understand and through understanding man can achieve dominance.

Yes, that does make sense.
Picture as you will .......midevil times, mind racing about church literature etc., sitting at candlelight.......

No drugs involved , just plain old reality for that time.

[Moloch]

Add to that a total lack of any electrical lighting, indoor plumbing, and nights dark as the void filled with terrifying sounds of mundane animals...

No wonder people back then believed as they did... and as they do now.

[Muerte]

Yes, that does make sense.
Picture as you will .......midevil times, mind racing about church literature etc., sitting at candlelight.......

No drugs involved , just plain old reality for that time.

  This is my life to a "T". 

  Constant theological research by candle light.  The absence of the Idiot box, the removal of annoying people who claim to be friends but are really nothing more those who want something.  Once I was asked if I could live in seclusion.  My answer? 



                                                         HELL YES!

  P.S.  I do not however consider the dark to be evil and uninviting.  It for me is a warm blanket that keeps me safe in it's darkest embrace.

[Moloch]

I do not however consider the dark to be evil and uninviting.  It for me is a warm blanket that keeps me safe in it's darkest embrace.

As for you; so for me, my friend.