90 Villain Names for Your Novel: Male, Female & More

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Generate the perfect villain name with our name generator

Co-authored by Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: October 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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For Males

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Females

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Super Villains

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Famous Villains

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Creating a Villain Name

Picking the right name for your villain is an important step when creating a character, as it gives readers a glimpse into the villain’s personality, drive, and motivations. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ve put together an extensive list of villain names, which includes male, female, and super villain names. If the names we’ve picked don’t work, check out our villain name generator so you can find the perfect name for your villain.

Cool Villain Names for Your Characters

Amon
Azrael
Banshee
Icarus
Lorelai

Section 1 of 5:

Male Villain Names

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Choose a name that expresses your male villain’s malice. When naming your villain, you’ll want to choose a name that shows readers how scary they are. It doesn’t have to be super over the top, either. It can be a word from another language that subtly informs readers that they have bad intentions. Consider options like:^{[1]
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- Amon (Legend of Korra fans, we see you!)
- Akuji
- Akuma
- Anwir
- Apollo
- Ares
- Azrael
- Balor
- Beelzebub
- Belial
- Cain
- Casimir
- Cerebus
- Dagon
- Daray
- Darth (this one’s from a galaxy far, far away 😉)
- Diablo
- Draco
- Gorgon
- Hades
- Hannibal
- Hadeon
- Ivan
- Icarus
- Jolon
- Krampus
- Kieran
- Lucifer
- Malice
- Moros

Section 2 of 5:

Female Villain Names

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Choose a fearful name for your female villain. Depending on how villainous your female villain is, you may want to choose a name that denotes fear, terror, or simply gives readers the heebie jeebies. The best part is that there are plenty of names that do just that, including:^{[2]
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- Amaya
- Abyss
- Bragwen
- Bellatrix (Harry Potter fans, you may recognize this one)
- Carey
- Ciarda
- Cruella
- Delaney
- Donnelly
- Darcy
- Erembour
- Jemisha
- Kakarauri
- Kali
- Kauti
- Lila
- Layla
- Lilith
- Lorelai
- Maura
- Maurelle
- Merle
- Midnight
- Nera
- Nyx
- Raven
- Sayah
- Vix
- Sierra
- Zella

Section 3 of 5:

Super Villain Names

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Choose a name that shows how strong your super-powered villain is. When you’re writing a super villain, you want a strong, evil name that shows readers that they’re nothing to play with. Think of classic icons like Victor Von Doom from Fantastic Four, or new terrifiers, like Conquest from Invincible. It’s okay to go a little over the top when you’re naming your super villain, especially when you have options like:^{[3]
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- Anthrax
- Annihilator
- Banshee
- Brick Layer
- Black Reign
- Caust
- The Cobra Killer
- Chaotia
- Doctor of the Dead
- Dark Blade
- Doom Lord
- Demon of the Night
- Demon Lord
- Equinox
- The Equalizer
- Equix
- Fearmonger
- The Inflictor
- Infernous
- Kilmonger
- Killer King
- The King of Evil
- The King of Death
- Mister Sinister (X-Men fans, recognize this one?)
- Mister Mystery
- Mister Midnight
- The Man of the Night
- Necromancer
- Lady Death
- The Woman of the Wilting World
EXPERT TIP

Grant Faulkner, MA
Professional Writer
Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story, a literary magazine. Grant has published two books on writing and has been published in The New York Times and Writer’s Digest. He co-hosts Write-minded, a weekly podcast on writing and publishing, and has a M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Grant Faulkner, MA
Professional Writer

The most important thing about a character is for the author to know what is driving that character. Know what motivates the character, what the character desires, and what is standing between the character and achieving that desire.

Section 4 of 5:

Famous Villain Names

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There are plenty of iconic villain names, like Voldemort and Darth Vader. Pop culture villains often transcend the media and become cultural icons. Think of classics like Green Goblin, Darth Vader, and He who shall not be named (even though we named him in the caption). Even if you haven’t seen their source material, you’ve likely heard of them. This also rings true for:^{[4]
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- The Joker
- Venom
- Bane
- Thanos
- Galactus
- Green Goblin
- Walter White
- Hannibal Lecter
- Agent Smith
- The Wicked Witch of the West
- Lex Luthor
- The Mandarin
- Jason Vorhees
- Freddy Krueger
- Michael Myers
- Terminator (T-1000)
- Emperor Palpatine
- Jabba the Hutt
- Wilson Fisk
- Ghostface
- Tony Montana
- Jigsaw
- Magneto
- Two-Face
- Catwoman
- Michael Corleone
- Loki
- Gollum
- Biff Tannen
- Kylo Ren

Section 5 of 5:

How to Create a Villain Name

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Consider their motivations, draw inspiration from other writers, and get creative. When naming a villain, consider what their motivations are and use them to come up with a name. Draw inspiration from mythology, folklore, religion, and fictional stories if you’re getting stuck. Or, check out names, words, and phrases in other languages for inspiration. Mix and match your favorite names and phrases until you come up with something unique and original.
- For example, if your villain is driven by revenge, draw inspiration from characters like Punisher.
- If you’re stuck, take a word or phrase and switch it up multiple times until you come up with something you love.
- Pick a name that suits your story, too. While space-oriented names are fun, they won’t necessarily fit if your story is a western drama.