British parents are taking inspiration from screen villains – with Batman’s Bane and Thor’s Loki being some of the most popular.
Strongman Bane was played by Tom Hardy in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, while Marvel’s Loki was portrayed in film and on TV by Tom Hiddleston.
Analysis of Office for National Statistics data by retailer Babysense revealed the number one villainous name is Dexter, with 9,975 boys given the same moniker as the US TV serial killer.


British parents are taking inspiration from screen villains – with Batman’s Bane and Thor’s Loki (pictured left) being some of the most popular. Babysense’s analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics revealed that Dexter is the most villainous name, with 9975 boys being given the same nickname as US serial killer.

With 438 votes, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is third
Spike, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is in third place with 438, and Harry Potter characters are also a hit with 312 boys named Lucius and 11 Draco.
Dolores from Wizarding Movies was popular among girls. Bellatrix is 158 and Bellatrix is 151.
Disney franchise has undoubtedly inspired thousands of baby names around the world, but it’s the sea witch Ursula from The Little Mermaid who is the villain inspiring the most girl names, 351.

It would appear that some parents are using more unique villain names for their baby’s names, as (Darth) Vader, Maleficent and even Chucky have inspired 5 names each.
Babysense compiled a list with 55 fictional villains, from Insider, Ranker, and Rolling Stone. Some common names were removed, such as Norman or Freddy.
It analysed UK data on names of boys and girls from 2000 to 2010 and applied US data to baby names for boys or girls from 2000 to 2019.
The results revealed which names were most loved by boys and girls from the UK and US.


Harry Potter characters have also been a huge hit, with 312 boys named Lucius and 11 Draco (pictured right). Disney franchise has undoubtedly inspired thousands of baby names around the world, but it’s the sea witch Ursula (pictured right) from The Little Mermaid who is the villain inspiring the most girl names, 351

It would appear that some parents are using more unique villain names for their baby’s names, as (Darth) Vader, Maleficent and even Chucky have inspired 5 names each. Pictured, Scrooge in a Christmas Carol
The top name Dexter is originally a Latin name meaning ‘right-handed’ but the title rose to popularity following the success of the TV show with the same name.
Elsewhere, with a name derived from the Latin word for ‘light’, the character of Lucius Malfoy is the father of Draco, in the Harry Potter franchise.
Loki, a Norse god of magic, fire and illusion, is derived from Norse mythology. As a result of the Marvel Universe’s success, most now associate the name with the character in the Thor films.