100 Villain Names We Love To Hate

It’s not surprising that these characters often have lots of fans. While they are occasionally purely evil, more often than not they’re multi-layered and are shown to have their reasons for choosing a path of crime. In fact, many people sympathize with villains for the same reasons they hate them.While creating a villain, writers or directors take a lot of care to choose the right name for them. Since this name becomes part of the villain’s identity, it’s important to ensure that the name is catchy and memorable. Some of the most famous include Voldemort, Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, The Joker, and Cruella de Vil.The best way to come up with good villain names is to first focus on the character and their backstory — uncover what exactly it was that contributed to making the person a villain. Once you’ve understood this, you can decide on a name that will fit into their character.Famous Names For Villains From MoviesMost movies have some kind of villain in the story to further the plot, but some antagonists are worse than others, and they have the right names to suit. Some characters are so dark that you hate their very existence, even through a movie screen, and these villains’ names get stuck in our minds. Here is a list of evil villain names in movie history, curated for you.1. Alex DeLarge (Greek origin), meaning ‘defender of the people’, a dark criminal from ‘A Clockwork Orange’.2. Alex Forrest (Greek origin), meaning ‘defender’, the main dark antagonist from ‘Fatal Attraction’.3. Alonzo Harris (Spanish origin), meaning ‘ready for battle’, a corrupt detective from ‘Training Day’.4. Amon Goeth (French origin), meaning ‘faithful, true’, an evil war criminal from ‘Schindler’s List’.5. Annie Wilkes (English origin), meaning ‘merciful’, a dark nurse from ‘Misery’.6. Anton Chigurh (Latin origin), meaning ‘priceless’, a dark serial killer from ‘No Country for Old Men’.7. Bane (English origin), meaning ‘cause of distress’, a perfect name for evil people from the ‘Batman’ series.8. Bellatrix Lestrange (Latin origin), meaning ‘strange warrior’, a dark witch and new-age villain from the ‘Harry Potter’ series.9. Bonnie Parker (Scottish origin), meaning ‘attractive’, a criminal robber from ‘Bonnie and Clyde’.10. Captain Bligh (English origin), meaning ‘bliss’, a corrupt commanding officer from ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’.11. Clyde Barrow (Scottish origin), the perfect villain name of a real-life badass from ‘Bonnie And Clyde’.12. Caesar Enrico Bandello (Roman origin), meaning ‘short hair’, a small-time criminal from ‘Little Caesar’.13. Cody Jarett (Welsh origin), meaning ‘jewel of the sea’, a psychotic criminal from ‘White Heat’.14. Cruella de Vil (English origin), meaning ‘cruel devil’, a befitting villain name from ‘101 Dalmatians’. You’ll find lots of great names in this movie.15. Danvers (Norman origin), meaning ‘green valley’, a psychotic housemaid from ‘Rebecca’. A great name for an unassuming villain.16. Davy Jones (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘beloved’, a dangerous pirate from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. It’s said that ‘Davy’ was inspired by St David of Wales, and ‘Jones’ inspired by Jonah from the Bible.17. Eleanor Iselin (English origin), meaning ‘sun star’, a communist secret agent plotting against the government from ‘The Manchurian Candidate’.18. Eve Harrington (Hebrew origin), meaning ’to breathe’, a personal assistant plotting to take over her boss’s career in ‘All About Eve’.19. Frank Booth (German origin), meaning ‘free man’, a violent drug dealer from ‘Blue Velvet’.20. Freddy Krueger (English origin), meaning ‘power’, a serial killer from ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’.21. Gordon Geeko (Welsh origin), meaning ‘spacious’, a ruthless and corrupt investor from ‘Wall Street’.22. HAL 9000 (English origin), meaning ‘army ruler’, the perfect villain name from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.23. Hannibal Lecter (Latin origin), meaning ‘gracious’, a cannibalistic serial killer from ‘The Silence of the Lambs’.24. Hans Gruber (Greek origin), meaning ‘God has been gracious’, a terrorist mastermind from ‘Die Hard’.25. Hans Landa (French origin), meaning ‘gift from God’, a government official who tracks and kills Jews from ‘Inglorious Basterds’.26. Harry Lime (German origin), ‘Harry’ meaning ‘home’, a fictional villain from ‘The Third Man’. A great name choice.27. Harry Powell (German origin), ‘Powell’ meaning ’eminent’, a con artist and a serial killer from ‘The Night of the Hunter’.28. Jack Torrence (English origin), meaning ‘supplanter’, a troubled writer from ‘The Shining’.29. Jane Hudson (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘Yahweh is merciful’, an evil aunt from ‘Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?‘30. J.J. Hunsecker (Swiss origin), a surname meaning ‘one who came from Hunsiken’, a small village in Switzerland, from ‘Sweet Smell of Success’.31. Joan Crawford (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘God is grateful’, an alcoholic woman from ‘Mommie Dearest’.32. John Doe (Hebrew origin), ‘John’ meaning ‘gift from God’, a psychotic serial killer from ‘Seven’. ‘John Doe’ is commonly used as a placeholder name when someone’s true identity is either unknown or intentionally concealed.33. Keyser Soze (Dutch origin), meaning ’emperor’, a dark conniving gangster from ‘The Usual Suspects’.34. Loki (German origin), named after an Old Norse god, portrayed as the evil and playful God of Mischief from ‘Thor’ and other Marvel movies.35. Max Cady (English origin), meaning ’the greatest’, the cold-blooded murderer from ‘Cape Fear’.36. Michael Corleone (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘who is like God’, the godfather of all gangs from ‘The Godfather’.37. Mr. Potter (English origin), the evil banker from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.38. Noah Cross (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘repose or rest’, a ruthless and dark-minded land baron from ‘Chinatown’.39. Norman Bates (German origin), meaning ’north’, a serial killer from ‘Psycho’.40. Nurse Ratched (English origin), the perfect villain name for a dark psychological horror, from ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’.41. Palpatine (Greek origin), meaning ’the emperor’, a character who is dark to the core, from the ‘Star Wars’ series.42. Phyllis Dietrichson (Greek origin), meaning ‘green leaf’, the main antagonist from ‘Double Indemnity’.43. Regan McNeil (Greek origin), meaning ‘king’, the dark and evil being from ‘The Exorcist’.44. Regina Giddens (Latin origin), meaning ‘queen’, the dark villain from ‘The Little Foxes’.45. Sauron (Latin origin), meaning ‘foul’, a name befitting the main villain from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ series. You’ll find lots of Latin references in this series.46. Scar (Persian origin), meaning ‘mark left on the skin’, the dark brother of the King from ‘The Lion King’.47. Szell (Hungarian origin), meaning ‘wind’, the dark head doctor of Auschwitz from ‘Marathon Man’.48. The Terminator (English origin), meaning ’the one who ends’, the antagonist-turned-hero from the Terminator movies.49. Tom Powers (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘innocence’, a successful gangster from ‘The Public Enemy’.50. Tony Camonte (Italian origin), meaning ‘priceless one’, name of the small-time gangster and enemy of the government from ‘Scarface’.51. Travis Bickle (French origin), meaning ’to cross’, a super-cool villain name of the vigilante citizen from ‘Taxi Driver’.Female Names Of VillainsThere are lots of fictional female characters in cinema who find themselves on the dark side. These powerful female villains have great names to live up to their characters. Check out this list of cool female villain names curated for you.52. Alex Forrest (Greek origin), meaning ‘defender of men’, a name from ‘Fatal Attraction’.53. Amy Dunne (Latin origin), meaning ‘beloved’, name of the psychotic anti-villain from ‘Gone Girl’.54. Catherine Tramell (Greek origin), meaning ’each of the two’, a highly intelligent and manipulative villain from ‘Basic Instinct’.55. Cersei Lannister (Greek origin), meaning ‘bird’, the dangerous, double-faced new queen from ‘Game of Thrones’.56. Dolores Jane Umbridge (Spanish origin), meaning ‘sorrows’, a deeply cruel professor from the ‘Harry Potter’ series.57. Harley Quinn (English origin), meaning ‘hare’s meadow’, the name of the Joker’s love interest and crime accomplice from ‘Suicide Squad’.58. Hela (English origin), meaning ‘Goddess of the underworld’, the Asgardian goddess of death, from ‘Thor: Ragnarok’.59. Helen Sharp (Greek origin), meaning ‘bright’, a supernatural villain from ‘Death Becomes Her’.60. Jane (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘Yahweh is merciful’, the name of a villain with dark powers from the ‘Twilight’ series.61. Maleficent (Latin origin), meaning ‘wicked and dark’, the perfect name for the villain from ‘Sleeping Beauty’.62. Mallory Knox (Norman origin), meaning ‘unhappy and unlucky’, the serial killer from ‘Natural Born Killers’.63. Miranda Priestly (Latin origin), meaning ‘worthy of admiration’, the boss from ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. Is she really a villain? We’ll leave that up to you.64. Mystique (Latin origin), meaning ‘a fascinating aura of mystery’, a shape-shifting villain befitting her name from the ‘X-Men’ series.65. Nina Sayers (Arabic origin), meaning ‘friend’, name of a dancer with a dark side to her from ‘Black Swan’.66. Norma Desmond (Latin origin), meaning ‘precept’, the villain deuteragonist from ‘Sunset Boulevard’.67. O-Ren Ishii (Japanese origin), meaning ’lotus’, a deadly assassin from ‘Kill Bill’.68. Regina George (Latin origin), meaning ‘queen’, leader of the mean girl clique from ‘Mean Girls’.69. Vernita Green (Latin origin), meaning ‘springtime’, name of an evil assassin from the ‘Kill Bill’ series.70. Velma Kelly (Greek origin), meaning ‘gilded helmet’, the main character from ‘Chicago’.71. Villanelle (Latin origin), meaning ‘farmhand’, the dark assassin from ‘Killing Eve’.Scary Names Of The Ultimate SupervillainsSupervillains are the characters who keep superhero movies interesting. With their dark minds, psychotic behavior and extreme superpowers, these characters sometimes seem invincible! Here is a list of good supervillain names and evil names from movies and comics, curated for you.72. Col. Stryker (German origin), meaning ’tester’, a fictional supervillain with a strong hatred for mutants from the ‘X-Men’ series.73. Erik Killmonger (Germania origin), meaning ‘sole ruler’, the enemy of Black Panther from ‘Black Panther’. A cool villain name that reveals his motives before he even makes a move.74. General Zod (Spanish origin), meaning ‘weapon’, a perfectly fitting villain name from the ‘Superman’ series.75. Gwen Grayson (Welsh origin), meaning ‘holy’, the two-faced, female supervillain from ‘Sky High’.76. Henri Ducard (French origin), meaning ‘ruler’, the main antagonist from the ‘Batman’ series.77. Hydra (Greek origin), the main antagonists of the ‘Captain America’ franchise.78. Lex Luthor (Greek origin), meaning ‘man’s defender’ or ‘warrior’, the supervillain from the ‘Batman’ series. If you’re looking for cool villain names, this is one of DC Comics’ finest.79. Mysterio (English origin), meaning ‘mystery’, name of the fictional supervillain from ‘Marvel Comics’. Known to be one of the most villainous, conniving characters, with the repercussions of his actions felt long after his demise.80. Norman Osborn (German origin), meaning ’north’, the villain who becomes Green Goblin from ‘Spider-Man’ series.81. Obadiah Stone (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘slave of God’, the villain who found the ironmonger suit from the ‘Iron Man’ series. Definitely one of the cooler baddie names.82. Doctor Octopus (Greek origin), meaning ‘having eight feet’, the supervillain who fights against Spider-Man in the ‘Spider-Man’ series. This villain name is often shortened to Doc Ock.84. Poison Ivy (English origin), meaning ‘climbing vine’, a female super villain from ‘DC Comics’. You’ll find good villain names throughout DC Comics.85. The Vulture (English origin), meaning ‘bird’, a dark electronics engineer from ‘Marvel Comics’, among the lesser-known of MCU’s baddies’ names.86. Ulysses Klaue (Latin origin), meaning ‘wounded in the thigh’, the name of a dark physicist from ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. The MCU always creates good villain names.Famous Literary Villain NamesBad guys aren’t just limited to popular movies or comics — there are plenty of bad guy names you can find in literature too. If you’re looking to find a dark villain name, why not pick one from a book?87. Agatha Trunchbull (Greek origin), meaning ‘honorable’, the despicable headmistress from Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’.88. Alec d’Urberville (Greek origin), meaning ‘defender of men’. The name of the villain from Thomas Hardy’s book, ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’.89. Bill Sykes (English origin), meaning ‘determined protector’, the name of the dark antagonist from Charles Dickens’s ‘Oliver Twist’.90. Blofeld (English origin), meaning ‘open country’, from Ian Fleming’s ‘Thunderball’.91. Captain Hook (English origin), the name of the villain from ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ by J. M. Barrie.92. Cathy Ames (Latin origin), meaning ‘pure’, the villain from the novel, ‘East of Eden’ by John Steinbeck.93. Humbert Humbert (German origin), meaning ‘warrior’, the bad guy from Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’.94. Iago (Spanish origin), meaning ‘supplanter’, the sinister villain in William Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’.95. Kevin (Irish origin), meaning ‘gentle’ or ‘kind’, the ironic name of the remorseless villain from ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’.96. Long John Silver (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘God has been gracious’. This is the name of the villainous pirate leader of the mutiny in Robert Louis Stevenson’s book ‘Treasure Island’.97. Nils Bjurman (Greek origin), meaning ’triumph of the people’, the name of the modern villain from Stieg Larsson’s book ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’.98. Randall Flagg (English origin), meaning ‘protected’, the villain from the book ‘The Stand’ by Stephen King.99. Richard III (German origin), meaning ‘brave ruler’, from Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’.100. Svidrigailov (Russian origin), meaning ’extraordinary man’, a dark villain name from the book ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.101. Voldemort (French origin), meaning either ‘flight of death’ or ’theft of death’, the name of the Harry Potter franchise’s first and ultimate villain. The perfect name for such a great antagonist.