While Roderick and Madeline Usher‘s names are directly taken from the titular short story by Poe, everyone else’s names — and we mean everyone — have also originated from the mind of Poe, albeit picked from a wide range of fictional stories and poems. Most of the six Usher siblings get their peculiar names from the particular Poe source materials that inspired their character journeys (more on that ahead).
The writers even made sure to pay attention to details when it came to naming the side characters. For instance, the Usher family PR powerhouse Camille L’Espanaye (Kate Siegel) sheds a spotlight on a subtle nod to “Never Bet the Devil Your Head” in a brief moment in episode three, when she expresses exasperation at her assistant Toby (Igby Rigney). “Damn it, Toby! Toby, damnit,” she yells, the second time echoing the character named Toby Dammit from the 1850 Poe story. Similarly, C. Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly), the assistant US attorney, is a recurrent investigator featured in Poe’s many works over the years, including “The Murder in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter.”
Vic’s (T’Nia Miller) partner and the surgeon, Dr. Alessandra Ruiz (Paola Núñez), also has a character’s name that appeared in an 1835 play written by Poe, “Politician.” Similarly, Tamerlane Usher’s (Samantha Sloyan) husband and fitness guru William T. Wilson’s name has been picked from an 1839 short story by Poe, “William Wilson.”