OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Gangster Name Generator
Mafia Mobsters and 1920s Gangsters With Quoted Nicknames
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How the Gangster Name Generator works
This gangster name generator makes gangster names with the nickname in the middle, the way newspapers printed them. Choose Prohibition-era mobsters, Italian-American Mafia, London firms, Birmingham gangs in the Peaky Blinders mould, or modern crews with a single street name. Each pattern follows the real convention for that outfit.
How the gangster name generator works
The defining feature of a gangster name is the nickname in quotation marks between the first name and the surname: Al "Scarface" Capone, George "Bugs" Moran, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. The format comes from crime reporting, where the nickname was how police and rivals knew the man and the full name was what appeared on the indictment. This generator builds names in that shape and varies the vocabulary by era and place.
Prohibition mobsters have short Anglo, Irish, Jewish or Italian first names and nicknames that describe a weapon, a physical feature or a temperament: Machine Gun, Legs, Baby Face, Mad Dog. Some names replace the first name entirely ("Lucky" Luciano) and some fold the first name into the nickname ("Big Jim" Colosimo). The surnames mix Chicago and New York families of the 1920s.
Mafia names are Italian first names with an American diminutive (Sonny, Paulie, Vinnie), and nicknames that are either ironic (Fat Tony, Skinny Joey), food-based (Bananas, Meatball), descriptive of a habit (Tick Tock, Cigar) or a grand title from the press (The Teflon Don, The Boss of Bosses). Don plus a full name is the boss.
British firms of the 1960s are named after brothers and known by their address: the Krays of Vallance Road, the Richardsons of Camberwell. Nicknames are blunt ("Mad" Frankie Fraser) or ironic ("Gentleman"). The Birmingham gang style draws on the peaky blinders and sloggers of the 1890s to 1920s: an old-fashioned first name, a plain trade surname, a district and sometimes a gang name.
Modern crew names abandon the three-part format for a single street name, often a plain noun (Ghost, Blade, Tank) or a size word (Lil, Big), attached to an area. The full civil name appears only in court reports, so the generator offers both.
Real surnames of well-known criminals and families appear in the lists because the genre is defined by them. Combinations are random and are not claims about any real person; use them for fiction, games and costume parties, not to label anyone real.
FAQ
Why do gangsters have nicknames?
Partly for the same reason soldiers and sportsmen do: a small group with a lot of the same first names needs to tell people apart. Nicknames also gave the press a hook and gave the man a reputation. Many mobsters disliked their nicknames and would not use them to their face.
Where does the "First Nickname Last" format come from?
From newspapers and court reports, which needed to print both the legal name and the name the public knew. Putting the alias in quotation marks between the two made it clear which was which. It was the house style of the Chicago papers by the mid-1920s.
Can I use a real gangster's surname in a story?
Historical figures who are dead and whose names are part of the public record (Capone, Luciano, the Krays) can be referred to and fictionalised, but living people and their families can sue for defamation, and some families are still active. Invented surnames are safer for anything you publish.
What did Peaky Blinders gang members actually call themselves?
The gangs were named by the press and police after their dress or their district: peaky blinders, sloggers, the Cheapside Sloggers. Individuals went by ordinary names with the occasional trade or physical nickname. The generator adds a district and a gang name to give the flavour.
Are these good names for a video game character?
Yes, especially the Prohibition and Mafia styles, which fit crime games set in the 1920s to 1980s. For a modern setting use the crew style, which gives a single street name of the sort used in open-world games. Regenerate until the nickname suits the character's role.
See also: all People tools, Fantasy & RPG, Sci-fi, Culture & Language, Online & Social, Business & Brand, Places & Things.
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