Gangster Name Generator

It writes the kind of name you see in old newspaper headlines and black-and-white crime films: a first name with a nickname in quotation marks. Three forms come back. Your name plus a nickname, as in Marcus "The Accountant". Your name with the nickname tucked before a surname, as in Daniela "Lefty" Greco. And a complete alias with a different first name, such as Frankie The Hammer.

The nicknames are the comic, cinematic sort: habits, jobs and body parts. Whispers, Two Times, The Barber, Big Tuna. The purpose is character names for a novel or screenplay, a tabletop or video game, a murder-mystery dinner, a themed party or a username. It is a costume, not an endorsement: actual organised crime hurts real people and is not what this page celebrates.

In crime stories a nickname is never chosen by its owner. It is given by others, usually for one trait: a habit of speech, a physical feature, a past job, a famous mistake. That is why the good ones sound a little unflattering. When you name a character, decide who gave them the nickname and whether they like it. A man who hates being called "Big Tuna" is already more interesting.

Writers also use nicknames to keep a large cast apart. Readers forget three similar surnames quickly, but they remember "the one they call Two Times". Give each character one nickname, tie it to something the audience sees on the page, and avoid stacking menace on menace. A gentle nickname on a dangerous character is an old trick because the contrast does the work.

• Pick a nickname that hints at one specific story
• Mix trades, habits and looks across your cast
• Let at least one character reject their nickname
• Keep it playful for parties: the comic ones get the laughs