Want some wild, edgy inspiration on what to name your baby? Look no further than Halloween, which is filled with some doozies. And according to Laura Wattenberg, founder of Baby Name Wizard and Name Candy, ominous names are an incredibly accurate omen of what will catch on like wildfire.
"One of the most reliable hit makers for a baby name is demon spawn from a horror movie," says Wattenberg. For instance, from The Omen we have Damien, Pet Sematary's Gage, Rosemary's Baby Adrian. "It's not so much we want our children to be spawn of the devil, just that these names have a sleek edge to them. And this is especially true for boys — parents still tend toward 'nice' names for girls."
So why not let your baby boy join the club with a spooky Halloween-inspired name? Here are some ideas below.
- Jack — O'Lantern, that is. Jack started out as a pet name for John (any Kennedy clan fans would know that). Many celebs have named their son Jack — Maya Rudolph, Matt Lauer, Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Susan Sarandon, Fergie, Robin Wright, and more.
- Casper — The friendly ghost. The name was originally derived from the ancient name Gasper before parents wised up that Casper sounds far better. Try it with a K (Kasper) for a hip twist.
- Wes — An homage to Wes Craven, creator of A Nightmare on Elm Street. It's usually short for Wesley or originally Westly, someone who dwells in the west.
- Edgar or Edgar Allen — Poe, of course. Ed or Eddie would make nice nicknames.
- Draven — A dark undead antihero from The Crow. This name nonetheless means "protector of love."
- Bram — Stoker, author behind Dracula. Short for the biblical name Abraham. Bram as a name has never broken into the top 1,000 names in America, so it's bound to be unique. It's also a diminutive for Abraham.
- Dracula — Kidding! But hey, you never knows what will catch on, right? (See #22.)
- Hitch or Hitchcock — In honor of Alfred Hitchcock.
- Freddy — Of Krueger fame from Nightmare on Elm Street. Short for Alfred (or Frederick, Frederic, or Frederico) but Freddy (also Freddie) is far more frightening.
- Jason — The ski masked serial killer from Friday the 13th. This name was actually so popular in the 1970s, it spawned the baby-naming book Beyond Jennifer & Jason.
- Hannibal — Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. Also a general from the 3rd century who crossed the Alps with a bunch of elephants during the second Punic War. So all in all, it's a bad-ass name!
- Ichabod — As in Crane, from Sleepy Hollow fame.
- Edward — Hello, Twilight fans! Who doesn't swoon over vampire Edward Cullen?__
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- Draco — Malfoy, the villain from Harry Potter. Also has dark, Dracula-esque overtones.
- Norman — The psycho in, well, Psycho. Originally it meant a man from the north: Northman or Norseman.
- Roman — Polansky, creator of Rosemary's Baby. This name has been popular in recent years. Debra Messing, Cate Blanchett, Molly Ringwald, Holly Robinson Peete, Peter Krause, and Harvey Keitel all have sons named Roman.
- Malachi — Creepy kid from Children of the Corn. Also the last of the Hebrew prophets who warned people about the impending Judgment Day.
- Dexter — That moral murderer from the Showtime series. In Latin, it means "right handed" or "dexterous." Oddly tons of famous football players have this name.
- Herman — That lovable Frankenstein from The Munsters. There's also Pee Wee Herman, who is horrifying in his own way. (Variations include Hermann and Hermon.)
- Igor — The evil Dr. Frankenstein's hunch-backed assistant. Can't you hear the pipe organ playing?
- Vlad — Vlad the Impaler was the real Count Dracula. Could also go with Vladimir.
- Vincent — For Vincent Price, an old-time star of classic horror films. Vinnie or Vince could be nicknames or variations.
For more great baby name ideas that are inspired by Halloween, visit Baby Name Wizard.
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