Which Occult Grimoires Catalog Authentic Demon Names?

When I got into occult history I kept finding the same few names over and over, so here’s a compact map for a curious reader. The classic go-to is 'Ars Goetia' from 'The Lesser Key of Solomon' — it’s the big roster that modern pop culture and most grimoires recycle. Right after that, 'Pseudomonarchia Daemonum' (Weyer) is essential because it fed into later lists and sometimes preserves slightly different names and orders.

I also get pulled toward 19th-century compilations like 'Dictionnaire Infernal' because they package older lore with illustrations and cross-references; it’s like a Victorian cheat-sheet for demon names. For ritual context and alternate names, 'Clavicula Salomonis' (Key of Solomon) and the 'Grand Grimoire' are worth skimming. If you enjoy manuscript weirdness, the 'Munich Manual' is a medieval snapshot that shows different ceremonial approaches and local name variants.

A practical tip from my filing system: always compare spellings and ranks across sources. Many names morph over time (Bael versus Baal, for example), and authors sometimes inflate hierarchies. If by 'authentic' you mean historically attested in older manuscripts, prioritize early manuscripts and Weyer’s catalogue; if you mean 'commonly used in tradition,' then the 'Ars Goetia' and derivative grimoires are the place to hang out.

I’ve always been fascinated by how the same names keep surfacing in different grimoires, so I look for the early textual lineages when someone asks which books list authentic names. The main go-to is 'Ars Goetia' from 'The Lesser Key of Solomon'—it’s the canonical 72-spirit list that many later works borrow from. 'Pseudomonarchia Daemonum' is another early catalog that scholars consult because it predates several popular compilations and helps track name variants.

For popularized and illustrated versions, 'Dictionnaire Infernal' is useful, and for ritual apparatus and alternate hierarchies you’ll find material in the 'Grand Grimoire' and the various 'Key of Solomon' manuscripts. The medieval 'Munich Manual' also matters if you’re tracing regional manuscript traditions. Ultimately, authenticity usually means textual provenance rather than any guarantee about the beings themselves, so cross-check editions and look for critical translations if you’re researching seriously.

I get a kick out of paging through old grimoires, so here’s how I’d map the landscape for anyone asking which books actually list demon names. Historically, the most cited and influential source is the section commonly called 'Ars Goetia', which is the first part of 'The Lesser Key of Solomon'. That collection gives you a roster of 72 spirits with ranks, descriptions, and sigils. It’s a medieval/renaissance compilation of older traditions, and you’ll see the same roster echoed in later works.

Close cousins to that are 'Pseudomonarchia Daemonum' by Johann Weyer and the often-cited 'Dictionnaire Infernal' by Jacques Collin de Plancy. Weyer’s list predates many later codifications and influenced the Goetia lists; Collin de Plancy’s 19th-century book added flair, illustrations, and popularized many names for a wider audience. For someone digging into manuscript traditions, the 'Key of Solomon' or 'Clavicula Salomonis' (various Latin manuscripts) is also crucial, since it supplies ritual frameworks that later authors adapted for spirit work.

If you like weird corners of manuscript culture, check out the 'Munich Manual of Demonic Magic' (a 15th-century manuscript often cited as 'Clm 849') and the so-called 'Grand Grimoire' (sometimes called 'Le Dragon Rouge') — both contain named entities, seals, and different hierarchies. A few other helpful references that touch on spirit names (though not always straight demon catalogs) are 'The Book of Abramelin' and the medieval 'Heptameron' traditions.

One big caveat: 'authentic' depends on what you mean—authentic to tradition, to a manuscript lineage, or to some metaphysical claim. Names change spelling and rank across sources, and many are syncretic borrowings from older mythologies. For serious study, compare multiple editions and look for critical translations; for casual interest, the texts above are the classic starting points and a lot of fun to explore.