Michael Myers, Stephen King, Freddy Krueger Among Most Popular Horror Names in U.S.: Whitepages
Five people in the U.S. share a name with the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ killer
By Hilary Lewis
Michael Myers may be the name of the Halloween serial killer, but it’s also the name of more than 4,000 real people in the U.S. — 333 of whom live in Ohio — who probably don’t enjoy having the same moniker as a horror movie villain.
Ahead of Halloween, directory service Whitepages has revealed which horror characters, directors and actors have the most common names among U.S. residents. The list of 13 (of course) names also notes which state has the most people with that name.
Related: Hollywood Reporter’s Film Critics Pick the 20 Scariest Movies of All Time
After Myers, the most popular monikers are Stephen King (as in: the author), Norman Bates (of Psycho fame), Friday the 13th villain Jason Voorhees; and Misery's Annie Wilkes. The list also includes Freddy Krueger (a name that Whitepages claims belongs to 5 real people), Alfred Hitchcock, Wes Craven, Donnie Darko and Damien Thorn (of The Omen fame; 1 person in California).
Whitepages also listed how many real people have other Halloween-centric names, like Carrie (315,711, with 23,343 in California alone); Hannibal (as in: Lecter; 6,399 with 97 in California); Frankenstein (510 people have that last name, including 92 in Pennsylvania); and Ghost (38 people have that last name, with 14 in Pennsylvania).
“Many people could say they’ve been scared by a number of the villains on this list, but until now have probably never thought that one could be living next door!” Whitepages culture and trend expert Liz Powell said in a statement about the findings. “For fans of a ‘friendlier ghost’ neighbor, Whitepages data found 2,632 Caspers nationwide, the most living in North Dakota.”
Check out the full list below.
Top 13 Most Common Horror Movie Monikers
1. Michael Myers (Halloween): 4,282; 333 in OH
2. Stephen King (Author): 2,068; 168 in TX
3. Norman Bates (Psycho): 96; 9 in TX
4. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th): 30; 4 each in PA, CA, NY
5. Annie Wilkes (Misery): 25; 10 in GA
6. Jack Torrance (The Shining): 10; 2 in CA
7. Wes Craven (Director): 7; 2 in NC
8. Alfred Hitchcock (Director): 7; 2 each in CA and MD
9. Max Cady (Cape Fear): 6; 3 in FL
10. Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street): 5; 2 in WA
11. Donnie Darko (Donnie Darko): 4; 3 in PA
12. Samara Morgan (The Ring): 2; 1 each in TX and ND
13. Damien Thorn (The Omen): 1 in CA
Additional Halloween-centric name data includes:
Carrie (Carrie): 315,711; 23,343 in CA; first name only
Hannibal (The Silence of the Lambs): 6,399; 97 in CA; first name only
Frankenstein: 510; 92 in PA; last name only
Ghost: 38; 14 in PA; last name only
Photo credit: Dimension Films
