Short answer
A person who studies or practises magic is most commonly called an occultist. Other common terms are magician, magus (plural magi) and mage. If the person studies magic as an academic subject rather than practising it, there is no single standard word, but they might be called a scholar of Western esotericism, a historian of magic or an anthropologist of magic, depending on the field.
Terms for practitioners
- Occultist: someone who studies or practises occult subjects. It is the broadest and most common term, and it does not always mean the person believes the practices work. See the occult explained.
- Magician: a general term. It is ambiguous, since it also means a stage performer, which is partly why some writers spell the occult sense differently. See magic versus magick.
- Magus / mage: a learned practitioner of magic. The word magus originally referred to a Persian priest and is the source of the word “magic.”
- Thaumaturge: someone who works wonders or miracles. It is a rare and somewhat old-fashioned word.
- Theurgist: a practitioner of theurgy, ritual aimed at union with or help from divine beings, a term from late antique Neoplatonism.
- Goëtist: a practitioner of goetia, the tradition of evoking spirits associated with works such as the Lesser Key of Solomon. See grimoires.
- Hermeticist: someone who studies or follows the Hermetic tradition.
- Alchemist: historically a student of the transformation of matter, often with spiritual aims as well.
- Thelemite: a follower of Thelema.
Terms from fantasy and games
Fiction and role-playing games have their own vocabulary. Wizard, sorcerer, warlock, mage and enchanter have all been given specific meanings in particular settings, such as a wizard who learns from books versus a sorcerer born with power. These distinctions are mostly conventions of fantasy, not historical ones. Historically, “sorcerer” was a general word for someone who used magic, often with a negative sense.
Terms for scholars
Academics who study magic usually do not call themselves magicians. The words below describe their work, not a formal title.
- Scholar or historian of Western esotericism: this is a recognised academic field, with university programmes in some countries.
- Historian of magic or of science: especially for those studying figures like Agrippa and the links to natural magic.
- Anthropologist or religious studies scholar: those who study magical beliefs in living cultures. See magic theory for the ideas they have developed.
A single person can be both: some scholars of the subject are also practitioners, and some practitioners publish serious research.
Which word to use
- For general use, occultist is the safest word.
- For a stage performer, say magician or conjuror.
- For a historical or academic researcher, say scholar of esotericism or historian of magic.
- For a fictional character, choose the term your world defines.
If you only want a dictionary answer, “occultist” is the best short one.