by Shannon Lausch

Created on: July 13, 2009   Last Updated: July 14, 2009

When creating villains, it's all too tempting to give them a name that embodies their evilness. It's important, however, to keep in mind the normal conventions of naming. Names tend to reveal something about location, year, ethnicity, or nationality - not whether a person is destined to be a tyrannical overlord. Always think about the villain's parents. Would they really name their kid "Diablo?" They might if they're mad, but chances are, they wouldn't.

That doesn't mean you need to saddle your villain with a name like Ted or Mary, but think about plausibility before naming your villain. If you're dying to use a dark, twisted name, create a nickname your villain adopts. Need more advice? The following five tips will help you in choosing a name.

Names for Villains Tip 1: Picking a neutral name

Like I mentioned earlier, choosing a name based on traditional factors is the easiest way to achieve plausibility. Think about where and when the villain was born. If you're wondering what names were popular during a certain period, the Social Security Administration lists baby name popularity according to year.

But let's face it. Choosing a neutral name can suck out some of the fun of naming someone delightfully evil. If you can't bear to settle for a conventional name, read on.

Names for Villains Tip 2: Using evil-sounding names or names with dark meanings

Do you want to slyly suggest to your readers your character is a sadistic madman? Be careful if you decide to choose a name with implicit evilness. If a name is stuffed with x's, k's, y's, and z's, readers can almost automatically assume the character is evil or at least morally ambiguous. Names with dark meanings have the same problem. Often overused, a name like Damien will give away that your character has slightly evil tendencies.

If you want to reveal something about the character through their name, keep the villains' motive in mind. Or a physical attribute. Or a weakness. Think Baby Names.com lets you search according to meaning once you've picked out what you want your villain's name to symbolize. Of course, if your villain revels in his or her evilness, devising a dark nickname that shows that exuberance is perfectly acceptable.

Names for Villains Tip 3: Playing with words and languages

If you simply must have an "evil" name, play around with words and foreign languages. Look up words with evil roots in a foreign language or mix and jumble words that illustrate vices. Mixing "nefarious" and "greed"

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