Is your nice next-door neighbor Norman Bates?
As you might imagine, the Whitepages is a tremendous repository of names, and in recent years they have begun to use it to put together some interesting—and often humorous—subject-specific statistical reports, especially around various holidays.
This Halloween is no exception. They recently released their list of the thirteen most common names in the country shared with horror movie villains, as well as a few famously frightening directors and authors, together with the data on which state they are most commonly found.
Taking the top spot on the list – and putting fear in hearts of audiences everywhere – is Michael Myers from Halloween with 4,282 people nationwide sharing the name. Rounding out the top five are Stephen King (author; 2,068 people), Norman Bates (Psycho; 96 people), Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th; 30 people), and Annie Wilkes (Misery; 25 people).
“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!” says Liz Powell, culture and trend expert from Whitepages. “For fans of a ‘friendlier ghost’ neighbor, Whitepages data found 2,632 Caspers nationwide, the most living in North Dakota.”
Additional Halloween-centric name data includes:
Carrie (Carrie): 315,711; 23,343 in California; first name only
Hannibal (The Silence of the Lambs): 6,399; 97 in California; first name only
Frankenstein: 510; 92 in Pennsylvania; last name only
Ghost: 38; 14 in Pennsylvania; last name only
The Whitepages Top 13 list breaks down how many people share the name in the U.S., as well as the states where the most people with these names are living.
Top 13 Most Common Horror Movie Monikers
1. Michael Myers (Halloween): 4,282; 333 in Ohio
2. Stephen King (Author): 2,068; 168 in Texas
3. Norman Bates (Psycho): 96; nine in Texas
4. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th): 30; four each in Pennsylvania, California, New York
5. Annie Wilkes (Misery): 25; ten in Georgia
6. Jack Torrance (The Shining): 10; two in California
7. Wes Craven (Director): 7; two in North Carolina
8. Alfred Hitchcock (Director): 7; two each in California and Maryland
9. Max Cady (Cape Fear): 6; three in Florida
10. Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street): 5; two in Washington
11. Donnie Darko (Donnie Darko): 4; 3 in Pennsylvania
12. Samara Morgan (The Ring): 2; 1 each in Texas and North Dakota
13. Damien Thorn (The Omen): 1 in California
To learn more about name popularity in the United States, visit: http://www.whitepages.com/.