In the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, the protagonist Nancy Thompson’s first name is Nancy.
Nancy, played by Heather Langenkamp, is a teenager who discovers that Freddy Krueger attacks people in their dreams. The 1984 film follows her efforts to understand the murders and resist Freddy while adults around her initially dismiss the danger.
Nancy is not the only major teenage character in the film. Tina Gray, Rod Lane, and Glen Lantz are also part of the central group, which can cause confusion when remembering names from the story. Nancy becomes the film’s principal survivor and the character most directly associated with confronting Freddy.
Langenkamp returned as Nancy in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and A Nightmare on Elm Street 7: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. The character therefore remains important beyond the franchise’s first installment.