Where The Name Damien Really Came From In The Omen
Whether they're bumping "Baby Shark" for hours on end or throwing a tantrum in the middle of a grocery store, children can be frustrating. However, their mini reigns of terror will never come close to that of Damien Thorn (Harvey Spencer Stephens) from "The Omen."
The 1976 supernatural horror film is a tale of familial troubles stemming from a secretive adoption that occurs at the hands of a Roman chaplain, and the odds of adopting the Antichrist are slim but not impossible. The unlucky Katherine (Lee Remick) and Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) are surrounded by mysterious and violent tragedies, eventually uncovering the truth about their not-so-precious little boy.
Ironically, the name Damien means "tame" and "subdue" (via Baby Center). However, that isn't the reason the satanic child was given this handle. In fact, there was a similar, near-miss name in the mix.
So, where did the name Damien really come from?
A tropical twist
Surprisingly, Damien Thorn was named after the charitable Father Damien de Veuster, a Catholic priest who started a Hawaiian colony to care for leprosy patients. Before he contracted the disease and died, he devoted his ministry to treating these medically quarantined individuals and relating to them as regular people while the rest of the world ostracized them.
Before he chose the name Damien, screenwriter David Seltzer was inspired by someone more on-brand for the film's cruel child. The proposed moniker was Domlin, the name of his (would be ex-) friend's child whom he described as a "total obnoxious brat." However, his wife convinced him that was a horrible thing to do.
Had they gone with Domlin, the unique name likely would've seen a spike in popularity the way Damien did in the years following the film (via Baby Center). Horror fans must've wanted to see if they could do a better job than the Thorns at raising the Antichrist.