There are so many amazing places to draw inspiration for baby names from. Naming a child is a deeply personal matter, so whether we find inspiration from family history or from some of our favorite movies is totally up to us. And as we all know, we may root for the heroes, but the villains are always the most fun. That's why these baby names inspired by Disney villains are so fun.Â
We definitely only wish our kids to be hero-type people in terms of their morals and ethics, but if they end up with the independence and sass of some of Disney's greatest villains, frankly, we're all for it. Some of these names are taken directly from our favorite Disney villains themselves, while others come from their various henchmen and henchwomen (and hench … animals, whatever the name is for that), while still others are merely derived from them.Â
For parents-to-be of boys looking to get inspired by the world of cinema, consider names from epic movies. These make for some great opportunities to name kids after movies even grandparents (and great-grandparents) remember and love. Similarly, you could look to classic films for girls' names — we love a lot of these vintage-style names that are absolutely poised to make a comeback (while still being original feeling). And for those looking for more Disney baby boy names, classic may be best. For parents looking for something less obvious, perhaps a forgotten Disney character name is the way to go as it reminds of us all of these great baby names from older Disney stories we may remember from our childhoods but haven't seen recently.
JAMES
Captain Hook of Peter Pan has a first name, as it turns out — James! We love this foppish, hook-handed villain almost as much as we love the name James itself, which is a classic English boys' name and the name of two English kings.
SLADE
Amos Slade is the ill-tempered hunter in The Fox and The Hound, and while Amos is a great name for a boy, we think "Slade" is an excellent gender neutral option. It's commonly a surname meaning "forest glade."
BRANWEN
Branwen is a stunningly beautiful Welsh baby name for girls, meaning "beautiful raven." It's a fitting way to honor a love for the amazing (and deliciously wicked) raven in Sleeping Beauty, Diablo*.* We love his black feathers!
LYELL
Lyell is a French boys' name that means "the island of the wolf." For anyone who has a secret soft spot for The Big Bad Wolf in the The Three Little Pigs, Lyell is an extremely cool name for a baby boy.
JASPER
Remember Horace and Jasper in 101 Dalmations? They were the bumbling henchmen who agreed to help Cruella steal puppies? What jerks. But Jasper is a great name of Persian origin. Traditionally for boys, but we've seen it for girls sometimes, too.
VANESSA
Vanessa is Ursula's alter ego in The Little Mermaid, and we kind of adore her evil, seductive, slinky ways. However, what we really love is the name Vanessa for a baby girl — it means butterfly, and it's gorgeous to say out loud.
SHENZI
Shenzi is one of the three hyenas in The Lion King, the one voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. We love her cunning in the film (even if she's on the wrong side, sure), and we love the name, although it's nontraditional in any culture.
D'ARQUE
Monsieur D'Arque is among the more terrifying antagonists in the Disney canon despite having little screen time. He shows up in Beauty and the Beast to help Gaston carry out his plans, despite knowing how wrong they are. We love the name d'Arque or Arque for a baby of either gender, though.
KHAN
Shere Khan may be the Bengal tiger villain of The Jungle Book, but the name "Khan" is a traditional Muslim baby name that we love. It's of Turkish and Arabic origin, and it means "prince." A great name for a boy!
ANASTASIA
Anastasia Tremaine is the name of one of the wicked stepsisters in Cinderella. However, the name Anastasia is much prettier than the character. We love this baby name, which is derived from the Greek, and means "resurrection."
JOHN
Prince John is the primary villain of Robin Hood, and we love to mock that silly lion who sucks his thumb. However, we really do love the name John, which is such an elegant classic, meaning "to be gracious."
CLAYTON
Clayton may be the evil hunter antagonist from Tarzan, but the name Clayton is such a cool one for a baby boy. Originally an English surname, it's become much more common as a first name for boys.
EMIR
A minor character in Aladdin, Emir is Prince Achmed's horse. Derived from the Arabic for "prince," we think this name is especially handsome in the way it sounds. It's a common name in Turkey and Serbia.
YZMA
Yzma is the primary villainess in The Emperor's New Groove, where she is voiced by the incomparable Eartha Kitt. The name may be unusual, but we think it's a really, really cool one. (Although "Bowie" may be a better bet for a gender neutral and more common name — and it's the name of one of the three mummies, too.)
ZILLA
The name Zilla means "shadow" in Hebrew, and we love it as a baby name for a girl. It's a great way to honor a love of The Princess and the Frog, too — Facilier's Shadow is perhaps one of the best Disney villains of all time, after all.
CLAUDE
Judge Claude Frollo is the main villain of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and while we don't find much redeeming about him, we do love his name, and the fact that it reminds us of Claude Monet. A great choice for a baby boy.
JANAN
The Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland is one of our favorite Disney villains of all time. The name Janan is a traditionally Muslim girls' name meaning "heart soul," which is really lovely (much lovelier than the character)!
SHAN
Shan Yu may be the ruthless villain from Mulan, but the name Shan is a Chinese surname meaning "mountain," and we think it would make a handsome boys' name for a kid with a connection to Chinese culture and traditions.
DARNELL
Darnell is an Old French family surname, taking its name from a type of grass. However, it's also the name of one of the awful frog hunters in The Princess and the Frog. We like the name anyway, despite the association.
HANS
Prince Hans in Frozen is a power-hungry jerk who plots to kill the Snow Queen and marry Princess Anna, but it's also a classic northern European name, originally a variant of Johannes. It's a cool name for any baby boy.
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