When criminals organize for mutual protection and profit, they transform from a few back-alleys crooks into a fully-fledged mob. Historically, many of these have arisen from poor immigrants looking to carve out a place in society.
A mob is led by their boss, and the boss’ name is often used to refer to the whole operation. While many mobsters use their real names, the press loves giving them scintillating nicknames to turn them into superstars.
Good Mob Names
Family is important to mobsters, many of whom organize their businesses by family. These criminal dynasties only recruit family members as associates, so a mobster’s last name could make or break their career.
- Rosario Gambino
- Maxim Lazovsky
- Gene Gizzo
- Alexander Solonik
- Ronald Juliano
- Eddie Boyle
- Pasqualino Lococo
- Timmy Connolly
Ignazio Lupo
A widely-reviled loan shark, he preyed on low-income families in New York who he could easily intimidate into paying up.
- Vladimir Kumarin
- Stefano Magaddino
- Roman Tsepov
- Vito Genovese
- Elmer Burke
Dan Carroll
The brains behind the Boston transit strike of 1932, he extorted vast sums of money from the city before he gave the word for the trains to run again.
- Gaspar Milazzo
- William Colbeck
- Venero Mangano
- Peter Licavoli
- Vyacheslav Ivankov
Italian Mob Names
Beginning as bandits-turned-mercenary-guards in Sicily, Italian mobsters are some of the oldest in the world, having originated the term “Mafia”.
- Roy DeMeo
- Jack Dragna
- Alfred Embarrato
- Theresa Ferrara
- Rocco Dispenza
- Mario Riccobene
- Nicodemo Scarfo
- Tino Fiumara
Onofrio Sciortino
Deep in his gambling addiction, this mobster took to racketeering simply to make enough money to support his bad habits.
- Rudy Fratto
- Julie Moretti
- Ralph Napolitano
- Victor Orena
- Raymond Palermo
- Kenny Gallo
Ross Priolo
In control of north Chicago’s many clubs and pool halls, he frequently laundered money from his cousin’s bootlegging operations.
- George DeCicco
- Rocco Racco
- Gerald Scarpelli
- Nunzio Provenzano
Russian Mob Names
In Russia, mobsters love infiltrating government positions to give themselves legal protection while cashing in on smuggling operations.
- Dadash Ibrahimov
- Rovshan Janiev
- Zakhar Kalashov
- Leonid Minin
- Sylvester Timofeyev
- Anatoly Bykov
- Mikhas Mikhailov
- Oleg Deripaska
Andrey Bokarev
A popular hired gun on the streets of St. Petersburg until it was revealed he had sold out his boss in exchange for a visa out of the country.
- Iskander Makhmudov
- Nikolai Aulov
- Viktor Zolotov
- Ionov Usvyatsov
- Arkady Rotenberg
- Salim Abdulaev
Dzhemal Khachidze
Formerly a Soviet bureaucrat, he began taking bribes from local gangs, eventually recruiting them to run a smuggling operation that he kept off the books.
- Anton Malevsky
- Semion Mogilevich
- Gafur Rakhimov
- Mikhail Odenussa
Irish Mob Names
Irish immigrants to America split into gangs to protect themselves which eventually turned to organized crime, dominating cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago.
- Owney Madden
- Justin Donahue
- Edward McLaughlin
- Maurice Enright
- Michael McDonald
- Christopher Flynn
- Bernard McGrath
- Howard Ryan
Richie Fitzpatrick
An assassin who would lure in his targets by offering to defect to a rival gang after meeting them, then retrieving a hidden gun and ambushing the victim.
- Dean O’Banion
- Mickey Featherstone
- Danny Greene
- Vannie Higgins
- Martin Kilbane
Patrick Moriarty
Running dozens of protection rackets in Philadelphia, he targeted pubs that served his favorite beer so he would be guaranteed free drinks.
- John Dunn
- Gordon O’Brien
- Ciaran Redmond
- Stevie Hughes
- Roger Sheridan
Did this article help you pick a great mob name? History is full of mobsters backstabbing each other to be top dog, and any name could rise to fame in the blink of an eye. If you enjoyed the article, leave us a comment, and share it with your friends!
