Evil Last Names

These evil last names sound dark or menacing, but their meanings are simply etymology: old nicknames, place names and words that have shifted over time. Most are real surnames, and a few original inventions are clearly marked.

164 real and invented surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Ashmourne

Original fantasy name; ash and mourning

Fantasy

B

Baddeley

Clearing of Bada, a Staffordshire place

English
Báthory

From Bátor, a village; bátor means brave

Hungarian
Blackadder

From the Blackadder river in Berwickshire

Scottish
Blackburn

Dweller by a dark stream

English
Blacklock

Black-haired, from Old English blaec + locc

English
Blackman

Dark-haired or dark-skinned man

English
Blackmore

Dweller by a dark moor

English
Blackspire

Original fantasy name; a black spire

Fantasy
Blackstone

Dweller by a black stone

English
Blackthorne

Dweller by a blackthorn bush

English
Blackvane

Original fantasy name; a black weathervane

Fantasy
Blackwell

Dweller by a dark spring or stream

English
Blackwood

Dweller by a dark wood

English
Blades

Maker of blades, or dweller by a ridge

English
Bladewick

Original fantasy name; a village of blades

Fantasy
Blightworth

Original fantasy name; a blighted estate

Fantasy
Blood

Possibly from Welsh ap Llwyd, son of Lloyd

Welsh
Bloodworth

From Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, Blitha's enclosure

English
Borgia

Italian form of Borja, a town in Aragon

Italian
Böse

Low German for bad or angry, a nickname

German
Butcher

Butcher or slaughterer, from Old French bouchier

English

C

Cain

From Ó Catháin, battle, or from the biblical name

Irish
Carrión

From Carrión, a town in Palencia

Spanish
Chernov

From Russian chernyi, black

Russian
Coldmarsh

Original fantasy name; a cold marsh

Fantasy
Corbin

Little crow or raven, from Old French

French
Corvash

Original fantasy name; from Latin corvus, raven

Fantasy
Corvino

Crow-like, from Latin corvus

Italian
Crabbe

Sour or ill-tempered, like a crab apple

English
Crane

Tall or long-legged, like the crane bird

English
Craven

From Craven, a district in Yorkshire

English
Cravenholt

Original fantasy name; a craven's wood

Fantasy
Cromwell

Winding stream, Old English crumb + wella

English
Crook

Dweller by a bend, or a crooked person

English
Crowe

Crow, a nickname for a dark or noisy person

English
Crowley

From Ó Cruadhlaoich, hard hero

Irish
Cruelwood

Original fantasy name; a cruel wood

Fantasy
Cruickshank

Crooked legs, a Scots nickname

Scottish
Cutler

Maker of knives

English

D

Darke

Dark-haired or dark-complexioned

English
Devlin

From Ó Dobhailen, possibly from dobhail, unlucky

Irish
Direwell

Original fantasy name; a dire well

Fantasy
Doyle

From Ó Dubhghaill, dark foreigner

Irish
Dreadmoor

Original fantasy name; a dreaded moor

Fantasy
Duggan

From Ó Dubhagáin, little dark one

Irish
Dunkel

German for dark

German
Duskmore

Original fantasy name; dusk over a moor

Fantasy
Duskreach

Original fantasy name; the reach of dusk

Fantasy

E

Ebonreach

Original fantasy name; an ebony reach

Fantasy

F

Fell

Dweller by a fell, a hill; fell also meant fierce

English
Finster

Dark, gloomy or sullen, a German nickname

German
Fox

Fox, a nickname for a cunning person

English
Furey

From Ó Fiodhabhra, a Galway family name

Irish

G

Gallowfen

Original fantasy name; gallows by a fen

Fantasy
Gaunt

Lean or haggard, or from Ghent

English
Gore

Dweller by a triangular plot of land

English
Graves

Steward, from Middle English greyve, or dweller by a grove

English
Grimaldi

From Germanic Grimwald, helmet or mask + rule

Italian
Grimes

From Old Norse Grimr, masked one, a byname of Odin

English
Grimm

Grim, fierce or stern, a German nickname

German
Grimshaw

Thicket haunted by a spectre, Old English grima + sceaga

English
Grimsworth

Original fantasy name; a grim estate

Fantasy
Grimvane

Original fantasy name; a grim vane

Fantasy

H

Hacker

Woodcutter or hoe maker, from Middle English hacken

English
Hardcastle

Hard castle, a Yorkshire place name

English
Harrowdeep

Original fantasy name; harrow and deep

Fantasy
Hatchett

Possibly maker of hatchets, or dweller by a gate

English
Hexley

Original fantasy name; a hexed clearing

Fantasy
Hood

Maker of hoods, or dweller by a shelter

English
Hyde

Holder of a hide, a measure of land

English

I

Ironvile

Original fantasy name; iron and vile

Fantasy

K

Kane

From Ó Catháin, from cath, battle

Irish
Karakurt

Black wolf

Turkish
Kilgore

From Kilgour, a place in Fife

Scottish
Knox

Dweller on a round hill, Gaelic cnoc

Scottish
Kravelle

Original fantasy name; a sly, silky villain sound

Fantasy
Krueger

Innkeeper, from Low German kroger

German
Kurtz

Short, a German nickname

German

L

Lawless

Nickname for an unruly person or one living outside the law

Irish
Lestrange

The stranger, from Old French l'estrange

English
Lugosi

From Lugos, a town in the Banat

Hungarian
Lupo

Italian for wolf

Italian

M

Machiavelli

Possibly from mal chiavello, bad nail

Italian
Malacarne

Bad flesh, an Italian nickname

Italian
Malaspina

Bad thorn, an Italian noble family name

Italian
Malatesta

Bad head, a nickname for a stubborn person

Italian
Malcrest

Original fantasy name; an evil crest

Fantasy
Maldonado

Ill-favored or badly given, a Spanish nickname

Spanish
Malenfant

Bad child, an Old French nickname

French
Malgrave

Original fantasy name; an evil grave

Fantasy
Malherbe

Bad herb or weed, an Old French nickname

French
Mallet

From Old French malet, a small hammer

English
Mallory

From Old French maloret, the unlucky one

English
Malmström

Swedish ornamental name, ore + stream

Nordic
Malone

From Ó Maoil Eoin, devotee of Saint John

Irish
Malory

From Old French maloret, unlucky

English
Malpas

Difficult passage, from Old French mal pas

English
Maltravers

Difficult crossing, a Norman French name

English
Malvoisin

Bad neighbor, an Old French nickname

French
Malvorn

Original fantasy name; mal-, bad, with a cold ending

Fantasy
Mauleverer

Possibly from Old French mal levrier, bad greyhound

English
Mordaunt

Biting or sarcastic, from Old French mordant

English
Mordreth

Original fantasy name; a biting, murderous sound

Fantasy
Moriarty

From Ó Muircheartaigh, skilled navigator

Irish
Morrow

Anglicized Mac Muireadhaigh, son of Muireadhach, lord

Scottish
Mort

Possibly from Old French mort, dead, for a pale man

English
Mortgrave

Original fantasy name; death and grave

Fantasy
Mortimer

From Mortemer in Normandy, dead or stagnant pool

English
Morvex

Original fantasy name; death and vexation

Fantasy

N

Nero

Italian for black, a nickname for dark hair

Italian
Nightwick

Original fantasy name; a village of night

Fantasy
Nocterra

Original fantasy name; night land, Latin nox + terra

Fantasy

O

Onizuka 鬼塚

Demon mound

Japanese

P

Payne

From Latin paganus, villager or rustic

English

R

Rabe

German for raven

German
Rasputin

From rasputye, crossroads, or rasputny, dissolute

Russian
Raven

Raven, from a Norse personal name or a nickname

English
Ravenhill

Hill frequented by ravens

English
Ravenscroft

Raven's croft, an enclosed field; a Cheshire place

English
Reynard

From Germanic Raginhard, counsel + hardy; also the trickster fox

French
Rooke

Rook, a nickname for a dark-haired person

English
Ruinwell

Original fantasy name; a ruined well

Fantasy

S

Sablethorn

Original fantasy name; sable-black thorn

Fantasy
Savage

Wild or fierce, from Old French sauvage

English
Scarr

Dweller by a rocky outcrop, Old Norse sker

English
Scarvane

Original fantasy name; scar and vane

Fantasy
Schwarz

German for black, a nickname for dark hair

German
Sforza

Force or effort, from Italian sforzare

Italian
Sinclaw

Original fantasy name; sin and claw

Fantasy
Sinnott

From the Old English name Sigenoth, victory bold

Irish
Sinwright

Original fantasy name; a maker of sins

Fantasy
Skullmont

Original fantasy name; skull mountain

Fantasy
Slaughter

From Slaughter, Gloucestershire; muddy place or sloe tree

English
Sly

Cunning or skilful, Middle English sly

English
Sorrowgate

Original fantasy name; the gate of sorrow

Fantasy
Strange

Stranger or foreigner

English
Strangeways

From Strangeways, Manchester, strong stream

English
Stryker

One who levels grain measures, from Dutch strijken

Dutch

T

Teufel

German for devil, a nickname or mystery-play role

German
Thorne

Dweller by a thorn bush

English
Thornveil

Original fantasy name; a veil of thorns

Fantasy
Todd

Fox, a Northern English and Scots nickname

Scottish

V

Vance

Dweller by a fen or marsh

English
Vandermorth

Original fantasy name; a mock-noble name built on mort

Fantasy
Vane

Dweller by a fen, or from a banner

English
Vantrell

Original fantasy name; a smooth, scheming sound

Fantasy
Venmoor

Original fantasy name; venom and moor

Fantasy
Venomcourt

Original fantasy name; a venomous court

Fantasy
Vexley

Original fantasy name; vex and clearing

Fantasy
Vilemont

Original fantasy name; a vile mountain

Fantasy
Villain

From Old French vilain, a peasant or serf

French
Viperstone

Original fantasy name; viper and stone

Fantasy
Volkov

From Russian volk, wolf

Russian
Voorhees

From before Hees, a Dutch place

Dutch
Vorlane

Original fantasy name; a clipped, menacing sound

Fantasy
Voronov

From Russian voron, raven

Russian

W

Wickham

Homestead linked to an old Roman settlement, Old English wic + ham

English
Wilde

Wild or untamed

English
Wolfe

Wolf, a nickname or from a personal name

English
Wolff

Wolf, a nickname or short for Wolfgang

German
Wraithorne

Original fantasy name; wraith and thorn

Fantasy

Z

Zlobin

From zloba, malice or spite, a nickname

Russian
Zorn

German for anger or wrath, a nickname

German

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Results (6)

Wraithorne

Original fantasy name; wraith and thorn

Fantasy
Graves

Steward, from Middle English greyve, or dweller by a grove

English
Nocterra

Original fantasy name; night land, Latin nox + terra

Fantasy
Hatchett

Possibly maker of hatchets, or dweller by a gate

English
Dreadmoor

Original fantasy name; a dreaded moor

Fantasy
Blackman

Dark-haired or dark-skinned man

English

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Evil last names and what they mean

A surname that sounds evil usually earns that reputation through a single syllable. Mallory comes from the Old French maloret, meaning unlucky or unfortunate, and was once a nickname for someone who had fallen on hard times. Malvoisin, a Norman name, means bad neighbor, and was probably given to a quarrelsome person or used as a joke. Grimm, the German name made famous by the folklore collecting brothers, comes from a word for fierce or stern.

Other names get their dark edge from later associations rather than meaning. Mortimer comes from Mortemer in Normandy, a place name meaning dead sea or still water, which describes a stagnant lake rather than anything sinister. Cruickshank is a Scottish nickname for someone with crooked legs. Lawless once described a person who lived outside the law or behaved wildly, but today it is simply an Irish and English family name carried by ordinary people.

A dark meaning is not a verdict

Medieval surnames often began as blunt nicknames given by neighbors, and many were jokes. A man called Mallory might have been lucky in everything, and a Malvoisin might have been the friendliest person in the village. Once a name became hereditary, it passed to children and grandchildren who had nothing to do with the original joke. That is why the meanings shown in this list describe words, not the people who have carried them for centuries.

It is worth keeping that in mind if you pick a name for a villain. Families named Mortimer, Grimm or Lawless live all over the world today, and they are no more wicked than anyone else. Using a real surname for a villain is common and usually harmless, but pairing it with an unusual first name or a fictional title helps the character feel distinct. The invented names in the list avoid the issue entirely.

Original villain names and how they were built

Because real surnames with openly evil meanings are scarce, the list includes some original names invented for this site. They are marked clearly in the origin column and are built from dark sounding elements such as mal, grim, vex, blight and shade, shaped so they read like family names rather than titles. None of them comes from a published story, film or game, so they are free to use in your own work.

When you choose between the two groups, think about tone. A real name like Mallory feels grounded and can hide in plain sight, which suits a villain who seems respectable at first. An invented name announces itself, which suits a dark lord or a cursed bloodline. Use the search to test spellings, filter by letter to match an initial, and let the generator below the list suggest a few combinations you might not have considered.

Frequently asked questions

What are some evil last names?

Good examples include Mallory, meaning unlucky, Malvoisin, meaning bad neighbor, Grimm, meaning fierce, and Mortimer, from a place name meaning dead sea. They sound sinister, but the meanings come from old nicknames and places. The list also includes original invented names, which are clearly marked.

Which surname means bad?

Names starting with Mal often carry the Old French or Latin word for bad or ill, as in Malvoisin, bad neighbor, and Mallory, unlucky. Be careful with lookalikes, though. Malone is Irish and means follower of Saint John, so the resemblance is only in the spelling.

Are people with these names connected to anything evil?

No. These are ordinary family names with long histories. A meaning like unlucky or fierce describes a word from centuries ago, usually a nickname for one ancestor, and says nothing about the character of anyone who carries the name today.

Can I use a real surname for a villain?

Yes, writers do it all the time, and surnames are not owned by anyone. To keep your villain distinct, pair the name with an unusual first name or a title, and avoid names strongly tied to a real public figure. The invented names in the list are an alternative if you want something fully original.