I've been asking this question all over the internet and social media for almost a year- "What female names do you associate with horror, and if possible, why?"- and these are the answers I've received! If you feel there are any glaring omissions, please let me know!
The Women's Names of Horror (so far):
1.
Abigail-
Abigail;
King Diamond album; The Crucible
2.
Ada- Resident Evil series
3.
Agatha- "Spooky name" or "witchy"
4.
Agnes- Black
Christmas5. Akasha-
Anne Rice's
Queen of the Damned
6. Alcina- Resident Evil series
7.
Alessa- Silent Hill series
8.
Alice-
Alice in Wonderland;
Friday the 13th; Resident Evil (film series);
Alice Krige
9.
Amanda- Saw series
10.
Amelia- Trilogy of Terror; Underworld
11.
Amity- a virtue; Sharp Objects; Jaws
12.
Amy- Gone Girl;
Amy Irving13.
Angela- Sleepaway Camp; Silent Hill series; Rec series (
Ángela)
14.
Annabel Lee-
Edgar Allan Poe
15.
Annabelle- The Conjuring and
Annabelle film series; House on Haunted Hill
16.
Annette- Resident Evil series;
Annette O'Toole
17.
Annie- Misery; Halloween; The Birds; Hereditary
18.
Asa (traditionally a male name in English)-
Mario Bava's Black
Sunday19.
Asami-
Takashi Miike's Audition
20.
Ashley- Resident Evil series; Until
Dawn21.
Barbara- Night of the Living Dead (
Barbra);
Barbara Steele;
Barbara Crampton;
Barbara Shelley, et. al.
22.
Bathsheba- Biblical figure; The Conjuring
23.
Bellatrix-
Harry Potter series
24.
Bertha-
Jane Eyre; The Others; Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
25.
Beverly-
Stephen King's It
26.
Blair-
Linda Blair; The
Blair Witch Project
27.
Blanche- Whatever Happened to Baby
Jane?; A Streetcar Named
Desire;
Blanche Baker28.
Blythe-
Janus Blythe; Blithe
Spirit;
Drew Blythe Barrymore;
Blythe Auffarth
29.
Brenda-
Urban Legend; Scary Movie franchise;
Friday the 13th
30.
Buffy-
Buffy the Vampire Slayer; traditionally a nickname for
Elizabeth31.
Candace-
Candace Hilligoss, Carnival of Souls actress
32.
Carlotta- The Phantom of the Opera; Vertigo
33. Carmilla- Early vampire story by
John Polidori
34.
Carol Anne- Poltergeist
35.
Carolyn-
Carolyn Jones; Pitch Black; The Conjuring;
Carolyn Craig36.
Carrie-
Stephen King's
Carrie37.
Cassandra- Cursed mythological prophetess
38.
Catherine- Wuthering Heights; The Silence of the Lambs; et. al.
39.
Charlie- Shadow of a Doubt (nickname for
Charlotte); Hereditary
40.
Cheryl- The Evil Dead; Silent Hill series
41.
Christine-
Stephen King's
Christine;
Carrie; The Phantom of the Opera; Drag Me to Hell
42.
Circe- Mythology; Game of Thrones (Cersei)
43.
Claire- Resident Evil series
44.
Clarice- The Silence of the Lambs;
Hannibal; Fahrenheit 451 (
Clarisse)
45.
Claudia- Interview with the Vampire
46.
Cleo- Miss
Cleo;
Cleopatra in Freaks
47.
Clytemnestra- Mycenaean queen, ax murderess, sister of
Helen of
Troy48.
Coraline-
Neil Gaiman's
Coraline49.
Cordelia- Shakespeare's
King Lear;
Buffy the Vampire Slayer; AHS: Coven
50.
Cornelia- Romancero; The Uninvited actress
Cornelia Otis Skinner (this is all I could find on
Cornelia, but it was suggested multiple times)
51. Cybil- Silent Hill series
52.
Dahlia- Silent Hill series; nickname for murder victim
Elizabeth Short; a flower
53.
Daisy- The Wicker Man; a flower
54.
Daphne- Scooby-Doo;
Daphne du Maurier
55.
Darla-
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
56.
Deborah-
Deborah Kerr; The Taking of
Deborah Logan;
Deborah Kara Unger
57.
Delilah- Biblical figure
58.
Demeter- Mythology
59.
Desdemona- Shakespeare's
Othello60.
Diane- Poltergeist; Twin Peaks; Mulholland Drive
61.
Dolores-
Harry Potter series; Shutter Island;
Lolita;
Ed Wood
62.
Donna- Twin Peaks; Prom Night; Halloween series; AHS: 1984
63. Dovima- mononymous 20th century supermodel (she abbreviated her birth name,
Dorothy Virginia Margaret) who, along with cartoon character
Morticia Addams, was a partial inspiration for Vampira,
Lily Munster, etc.
64.
Drew- Actress
Drew Barrymore
65.
Drusilla-
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
66.
Eleanor-
Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House; The Haunting (1963, 1999);
Mike Flanagan's The Haunting of Hill House
67.
Electra- Mythology; Mourning Becomes
Electra; The World is Not Enough (
Elektra);
Carmen Electra68.
Elise- Insidious franchise
69.
Elizabeth-
Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein, et. al.
70.
Ellen- Alien franchise;
Ellen Burstyn;
Stephen King's
Rose Red; Hereditary
71.
Elsa-
Elsa Lanchester,
Bride of
Frankenstein actress
72.
Elvira- TV/movie persona of
Cassandra Peterson
73.
Emily Rose- The Exorcism of
Emily Rose74.
Emily- The Exorcism of
Emily Rose; Until
Dawn75.
Erin- You’re Next; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ’03
76.
Esther- Orphan; biblical figure
77.
Evangeline- Longfellow’s Tales of Acadie
78.
Eve- Biblical figure
79.
Fay-
Fay Wray,
King Kong actress; homonym of "fae," meaning faeries
80.
Fiona- So Weird; AHS: Coven
81.
Francine-
Dawn of the Dead
82.
Frederica- The Silence of the Lambs
83.
Gale (not Gail/Gayle)- Scream series
84.
Geraldine- Coleridge's
Christabel;
Geraldine Chaplin; Wait Until Dark
85.
Ginger-
Ginger Snaps
86.
Ginny-
Friday the 13th series
87.
Grace- A virtue; The Others; Ready or Not
88.
Gretel- folklore
89.
Hannah- 28 Days Later; Until
Dawn90.
Heather-
Heather Langenkamp; Silent Hill series;
Heather Donahue of The
Blair Witch Project; a flowering shrub
91.
Helen- Night of the Living Dead; Candyman; I Know What You Did Last
Summer; mythological figure
92.
Hermione-
Harry Potter series
93.
Hilda-
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
94.
Hypatia- Historical figure
95.
Jane-
Jane Eyre, Whatever Happened to Baby
Jane?, etc.
96.
Janet-
Janet Leigh; The
Rocky Horror Picture Show
97.
Jeanette- Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines
98.
Jennet (not
Janet)- The Woman in Black
99.
Jennifer-
Jennifer Tilly;
Jennifer's Body;
Jennifer Love Hewitt
100.
Jessica- Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice; Let's Scare
Jessica to Death; Until
Dawn; Black
Christmas (
Jess)
101.
Jezebel- Biblical figure
102.
Jill- Resident Evil series;
Jill Larson
103.
Joan-
Joan of Arc (
Jeanne D'Arc);
Joan Bennett;
Joan Crawford;
Joan Collins; The Blackcoat's Daughter; Hereditary
104.
Jocasta- Mythology
105.
Judith- biblical heroine;
John Carpenter's Halloween; Vertigo (
Judy); Night of the Living Dead (
Judy)
106.
Judy- Vertigo; Night of the Living Dead
107.
Juno- The Descent
108.
Justine-
Frankenstein; Raw
109. Kayako- Ju-On series
110.
Kendra- Dead Space
111. Kirie- Junji Ito’s Uzumaki
112. Lamora- Lamora (1973)
113.
Laura-
Laura (1944); Silent Hill series; Twin Peaks
114.
Laurie- Halloween series;
Piper Laurie;
Laurie Holden115.
Lavinia- Semi-historical figure; Shakespeare's
Titus Andronicus; Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror; Color Out of Space
116.
Lenore-
Edgar Allan Poe
117.
Ligeia-
Edgar Allan Poe
118.
Lila- Psycho
119.
Lilith- Biblical figure, common vampiric character
120.
Lily- A flower, commonly signifying death;
Lily Munster
121.
Linda-
Linda Blair;
Linda Hamilton; The Evil Dead; Halloween (
Lynda);
Linda Cardellini
122.
Lisa- Resident Evil series; Silent Hill series; Wait Until Dark
123.
Lizbeth- pseudonym of American murderess
Lizzie Borden;
Clive Barker's Undying; The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (
Lisbeth)
124.
Lizzie- American suspected murderess
Lizzie Andrew Borden
125.
Lorraine- The Shining; The Conjuring series; paranormal investigator/proclaimed medium
Lorraine Warren; French region
126.
Lucille- Crimson Peak
127.
Lucretia- semi-historical/mythological figure
128.
Lucy-
Dracula129.
Lydia- The Birds;
Beetlejuice; The Others
130.
Madeleine- Vertigo
131.
Mandy-
Mandy; All the Boys
Love Mandy Lane; The Grim Adventures of
Billy &
Mandy, etc.
132.
Marceline- Adventure Time
133.
Margaret-
Stephen King's
Carrie134.
Marilyn-
Marilyn Monroe;
Marilyn Eastman;
Marilyn Burns;
Marilyn Chambers
135.
Marion-
Robert Bloch's/Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
136.
Mary- Bloody
Mary,
Mary Shelley,
Mary Lambert, et. al.
137.
Maud- St.
Maud138. Maudette- True Blood
139.
Maxine- X,
Pearl, MaXXXine
140.
Medea- Mythology
141.
Medusa- Mythology
142.
Megan-
Megan Fox; M3gan; The Blob '88 (
Meg)
143.
Melanie-
Du Maurier's/Hitchcock's The Birds; The Girl with All the Gifts; The Babysitter
144. Melisandre- Game of Thrones
145.
Melusine- Mythological/semi-historical figure
146.
Mercy- virtue; The Witch;
Mercy Brown vampire incident
147.
Mina-
Dracula148.
Minnie- Rosemary’s Baby
149. Mircalla- Polidori's Carmilla; Vampire Lovers/Lust For A Vampire
150.
Mitsuko- Koushun Takami's Battle
Royale151. Morella-
Edgar Allan Poe
152.
Morticia- The Addams Family
153.
Nancy- A Nightmare on Elm Street; The Craft; French city
154.
Natalie-
Urban Legend; Hell Fest;
Natalie Portman
155.
Nicole- Dead Space;
Nicole Kidman
156.
Norma- Psycho; Bates
Motel;
Carrie; The Box; Twin Peaks; famous opera
157.
Olga- Freaks (1932) star
Olga Baclanova; Suspiria (1977); Suspiria (2018)
158.
Pamela-
Friday the 13th; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre; True Blood;
Pamela Franklin159.
Patricia- Jeepers Creepers; Split;
Patricia Velasquez;
Patricia Arquette;
Patricia Quinn160.
Pearl- X and
Pearl161.
Penny- "
Penny dreadful," et. al.
162.
Pepper- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ’03; AHS: Asylum
163.
Persephone- Mythology
164.
Phoebe- Charmed; The Babysitter; Monster Squad
165.
Phyllis- Black
Christmas; Last House on the Left;
Phyllis Kirk; Double Indemnity
166.
Piper-
Piper Laurie; Charmed
167.
Prudence- Charmed;
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
168.
Radha- Actress
Radha Mitchell, star of Silent Hill, The Crazies, Pitch Black, etc.
169.
Raven-
Edgar Allan Poe
170.
Rebecca-
Daphne du Maurier's/Hitchcock's
Rebecca;
Rebecca De Mornay; The Roommate; The Crazies (
Becca)
171.
Regan (not
Reagan)- The Exorcist, Shakespeare's
King Lear172.
Rhiannon- Mythology; Fleetwood
Mac song
173.
Rhoda- The Bad Seed
174.
Ripley- Alien
175.
Rose- Get Out; Doctor Sleep
176.
Rosemary-
Rosemary's Baby; common herb
177.
Sabrina-
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
178. Sadako- Ringu series
179.
Salem-
Salem, Massachusetts;
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
180.
Sally- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre; The Nightmare Before
Christmas181.
Samantha- Bewitched; Until
Dawn;
Samantha Eggar
182.
Samara- The Ring
183.
Sarah- The Terminator franchise;
Sarah Michelle Gellar; The Craft; The Initiation of
Sarah184.
Selena- 28 Days Later
185.
Shelley-
Mary Shelley,
Shelley Duvall,
Barbara Shelley,
Shelley Winters, The Evil Dead, Twin Peaks (
Shelly), etc.
186.
Sherry- Resident Evil series; a fortified wine
187.
Sidney (the traditionally male spelling, not
Sydney)- Scream series
188.
Sue Ann- Ma
189.
Sue- House of Wax;
Carrie190. Suki/Sookie- True Blood; The Witches of Eastwick; typically a nickname for
Susan,
Suzanne, or Susanna(h)
191.
Susan-
Susan Hill;
Salem's
Lot;
Susan Sarandon;
Carrie (
Sue); The Dark Tower;
Sigourney Weaver (born
Susan Alexandra Weaver)
192. Susie/Suzie/Suzy- Wait Until Dark; Suspiria
193.
Suzanne-
Suzanne Pleshette; Night of the Demons; To Die For
194.
Sybil- Mythology; an oracle or mystic
195.
Tabitha- Bewitched
196.
Tamara- The Strangers
197. Tangina- Poltergeist
198.
Tatum- Scream;
Tatum O'Neal
199.
Theodora-
Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House; The Haunting (1963, 1999);
Mike Flanagan's The Haunting of Hill House
200.
Therese- Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines; Trilogy of Terror
201. Thomasin- The VVitch
202.
Tiffany- Child's Play series
203.
Tina- A Nightmare on Elm Street; Halloween 5: The Return of
Michael Myers;
Friday the 13th series;
Carrie (novel)
204. Tomie- Tomie series
205. Tristana- The Rec series
206. Ulalume-
Edgar Allan Poe
207.
Ursula- The Little Mermaid
208.
Uxia-
Dagon209. Vampira- TV/film persona of Maila Nurmi
210.
Velma- Scooby-Doo
211.
Vera-
Vera Miles;
Vera Farmiga; And Then There Were None;
Peter Jackson's Braindead
212.
Veronica-
Veronica Cartwright;
Veronica Carlson; The Fly;
Verónica213.
Violet- A flower; AHS: Murder House; Suddenly, Last
Summer214.
Violetta- Band My Darling
Violetta215.
Virginia-
Friday the 13th series
216.
Vivian- American Horror Story: Murder House
217.
Wednesday- The Addams Family
218.
Wendy- The Shining
219.
Wilhelmina-
Dracula220.
Willow-
Buffy the Vampire Slayer; The Wicker Man; a deciduous tree
221.
Winifred- The Shining (
Wendy); Hocus Pocus
222.
Winona-
Winona Ryder223.
Yvette- Clue
224.
Zelda-
Zelda Rubinstein; Pet Sematary;
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Edit: I've decided to add
Lila (Psycho), and
Ginny and
Virginia (
Friday the 13th), which brings the list to an even 200! Still open to more suggestions, though!
Edit: Added Alcina,
Medea, Morella,
Persephone, and
Demeter.
Edit: Added
Daisy,
Minnie,
Evangeline, Ulalume, and Electra/Elektra
Edit: Added
Winifred!
Edit: Added
Diane, Maudette, Tangina, and
Uxia.
Edit: Added
Blair! Can't believe I overlooked that one.
Edit: Added
Drew,
Blythe (Blithe) and
Francine.
Edit: Added
Erin,
Pepper, and
Yvette.
This message was edited 2/20/2024, 1:34 PM