Hackers are those that try to uncover the source code of our digital world and rewrite it to their own ends. Both white hat hackers (good guys) and black hat hackers (criminals) use the same techniques to break into computer systems.
Many hackers organize into communities for mutual protection and profit, and in these communities they adopt a hacker name. Some of these names go on to become infamous when a hacker pulls off an extraordinary attack.
Good Hacker Names
A hacker name is meant as a pseudonym to keep a person safe in the event their illegal actions are exposed. But it is also meant to sound cool and stand out among other hackers.
- Bren
- Capra
- Sam
- Ismailov
- Krystal
- Trinity
- Losie
- Soyan
Electron
The mastermind behind the naval security breach of 2014 in which many officers were dismissed after their corruption was exposed.
- Hash
- Kaida
- Stat
- Mickey
- Charon
- Neo
- Ownen
Phoenix
A freelance black hat hacker operating out of South Asia, she specializes in obtaining credit card numbers and bank account passwords.
- Stanley
- Nomad
- Toby
Female Hacker Names
Despite starting as an archetypal love interest in sci-fi movies and stories, many woman hackers are serious digital threats nowadays.
- Tinge
- Matriarch
- Storm
- Angel
- Daydream
- Answer
- Myth
- Reverse
Swan
After cutting a deal with law enforcement to avoid jail time, she works to test national security systems for weaknesses.
- Parody
- Gem
- Nova
- Vestige
- Shade
- Avatar
- Wraith
- Mermaid
Bliss
Working with her brother to run a narcotics ring, she covers their digital footprints by crashing border customs databases.
- Essence
- Oracle
Male Hacker Names
Feeding into the stereotype of the teenager on a computer in their mom’s basement, many prolific hackers started out as young boys.
- Streak
- Eternity
- Cowboy
- Poltergeist
- Habit
- Bolt
- Complex
- Alpha
Plague
Dedicated to undermining a politician who ruined his family’s life, he trawls through emails and text messages looking for blackmail material.
- Webster
- Memento
- Chief
- Particle
- Bullet
- Legacy
Surfer
Once a notorious thief, he used his hacking skills to wipe his ledger clean and disappear to his private island.
- Paradox
- Maestro
- Diablo
- Ecstasy
Famous Hacker Names
Hackers are often in the news, both for assaulting huge digital corporations and for exposing confidential information to the public.
- Kevin Mitnick
- Jonathan James
- Albert Gonzalez
- Hector Xavier Monsegur
- Ehud Tenenbaum
- Kevin Poulsen
- Gary McKinnon
- Robert Tappan Morris
Loyd Blankenship
A thought-leader amongst hackers who encouraged other hackers to use their skills to improve the world rather than for profit.
- Julian Assange
- Edward Snowden
- Adrian Lamo
- Matthew Bevan
- Richard Pryce
- Elliot Gunton
- Jeanson James Ancheta
Michael Calce
In an attempt to stamp his name in the annals of hacker history, he launched a targeted attack against the biggest websites of the day.
- Graham Ivan Clark
- Aaron Swartz
- Evgeniy Bogachev
A hacker name needs to sound both mysterious and futuristic. Hopefully this article has helped you pick out such a name. If you enjoyed the article, let us know in the comments below, and share the article with your friends!
