There are just certain first names and last names that scream “bad boy/bad girl” vibes to me, such as:
[name_f]Priscilla[/name_f] - this one seems like a frilly, cute, evil spoiled brat to me.
[name_m]Warren[/name_m] - sounds like a scheming rich socialite.
[name_f]Millicent[/name_f] - seems like your spiteful, controlling, wicked mother or stepmother.
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f] - sounds like that one popular mean girl in high school.
[name_m]Butch[/name_m] - sounds like a brutish playground bully.
[name_m]Mortimer[/name_m] - a surname that literally translates to “dead sea.” What more do you need?
Morgenstern - a surname that translates to “morning star”. If you know, you know.
If anyone knows any other names that give off these kinds of vibes to them, please list them below! A fitting name is necessary for the best of villains, after all.
Some of these include names that I either am using or am considering using for villains
given names:
[name_m]Cymbeline[/name_m] - it sounds fancy in an evil way?
[name_m]Sévère[/name_m], [name_m]Severin[/name_m], etc. - meaning stern or serious
[name_m]Oberon[/name_m] (b) - kind of reminds me of [name_m]Obadiah[/name_m] Stane from [name_m]Iron[/name_m] [name_m]Man[/name_m] I guess…
[name_m]Slade[/name_m] and [name_m]Slate[/name_m]
[name_m]Alexander[/name_m]
[name_m]Valerio[/name_m]
[name_m]Wolf[/name_m] / [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] / [name_m]Wolfram[/name_m] / [name_m]Wulfric[/name_m] / [name_m]Wulf[/name_m] / etc.
[name_m]Everard[/name_m]
[name_m]Isidore[/name_m] - the s sound is probably what makes this one sound sinister to me
[name_m]Vyvyan[/name_m] (b) - evil in a fancy way
[name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] - this one probably comes to mind because [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] [name_f]Kirby[/name_f] and [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] Redgrave play villains in some movies I like
[name_f]Morgana[/name_f]
[name_f]Sabine[/name_f] - the s sound
[name_m]Xenophon[/name_m]
[name_m]Don[/name_m] / [name_m]Donovan[/name_m] - the v sound, the association with a mafia don
[name_m]Duke[/name_m]
[name_f]Veruca[/name_f] - à la [name_m]Charlie[/name_m] and the Chocolate Factory
[name_m]Brand[/name_m] / [name_m]Brandt[/name_m] / [name_m]Brander[/name_m] - like fire branding
[name_f]Raven[/name_f] (u)
[name_m]Crow[/name_m]
[name_m]Vlad[/name_m] / [name_m]Vladimir[/name_m] - à la [name_m]Dracula[/name_m]
Montresor - à la The Cask of Amontillado
[name_f]Ursula[/name_f] - à la The [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid
surnames:
Murden - sounds like murder
[name_m]Thornton[/name_m] - thorns
Thornsbury - thorns
Cesarini - related to [name_m]Caesar[/name_m], which if not villainous at least seems powerful
MacArthur - similar to Cesarini, it just seems powerful to me
Redgrave and other names ending in -grave.
[name_m]Graves[/name_m]
Terrenoire - means black land/earth in [name_m]French[/name_m]
[name_m]Bramwell[/name_m] - makes me think of [name_m]Bram[/name_m] [name_m]Stoker[/name_m] à la [name_m]Dracula[/name_m]
Staker
But many names I’ve used for villains are less villainous-sounding:
[name_m]James[/name_m]
[name_m]Clarke[/name_m]
[name_f]Cassidy[/name_f]
[name_m]Nathan[/name_m] / [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m]
[name_m]Ciro[/name_m]
[name_f]Allison[/name_f]
[name_f]Swan[/name_f] / Swanson
[name_m]Thorpe[/name_m]
Veruca is lol. As much as I love the Willy Wonka franchise, I’d never consider naming my children after any of those brats that featured in those movies- luckily, Veruca is a name confined almost exclusively to Ms. Salt and that nasty foot wart, so we’re in the clear!
Similar to Redgrave, the extremely obscure Irish surname “Roseingrave” gives gothic or deadly vibes to me. I actually use that name to a minor degree because of that. In my primary story, “Roseingrave cemetery” was named for the man who committed suicide there, Laverne Roseingrave.
I’ve also used the name “Cassidy” for one of my villains, but she’s more morally grey than outright evil- at least for now. “Cassidy O’Shaughnessy” is her name!