Top 10 Underworld Gangster Nicknames
This top ten list contains themes that are not meant for children and I caution you. It does deal with the Mafia, organized crime and the underworld, therefore some criminal descriptions are included. When choosing the Top 10 Underworld Gangster names the criteria used included: how infamous the criminal was, how clever the nickname was and how the gangster arrived by the nickname. Ready to find out the top 10 gangster nicknames? Keep your hands up and start reading.
10. Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd
It is a known fact that Charles Arthur Floyd hated his nickname, but sources disagree on how he received it. Two stories are given, one stating “Pretty Boy” was given to him by the prostitutes from the whorehouses he frequented and the second states that he earned his nickname from a description of him in his first major robbery as “a pretty boy.” He hated the name so much that he killed other gangsters for calling him by the nickname. In fact, after being gunned down, with his dying breath he made one final declaration, “I’m Charles Arthur Floyd.”
9. Charlie “Lucky” Luciano
Charlie Luciano was given the nickname “Lucky” when he came back from “taking a ride” to be whacked. He did receive a knife would from his encounter which caused a permanent droopy eye (see in picture). Many stories circulate about the ride but most agree he was tortured by the family of a officer whose daughter he had seduced. He used this story to increase his legend with the underworld often stating he was the only member of the mafia to return alive after being taken for a ride. In his old age, after being deported to Italy, Lucky became a charitable man, helping many Italians before he set up a medical supply store as a front for his illegal businesses.
8. Sam “Golf Bag” Hunt
The nickname “Golf Bag” certainly doesn’t instill fear, dread or even wonder, until you know the reason this mobster was given the name Golf Bag. Working for Capone as a mob enforcer (hitman), Sam Hunt would carry his weapons in his golf bag to hide them. If you saw Sam coming towards you with his golf bag slung on his shoulder and you weren’t teeing off on the green, you should probably be running the other direction.
7. Israel “Icepick Willie” Alderman
This grisly nickname needs little imagination. As you would suspect, Icepick Willies’ method of murder involved an icepick. As the owner of a speakeasy in Minneapolis the gangster would murder his victims by pushing the icepick through their eardrum and into the brain. He used this quick “technique” because eyewitnesses would only see the victim suddenly slump over as a would-be drunk who had passed out. Icepick Willie could then drag the corpse from the speakeasy, as if helping the drunkard, and then dispose of the body.
6. Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll
Not someone you would ever want to meet, Mad Dog Coll was given the nickname for his disregard for human life including children. On July 28, 1931, Coll unsuccessfully attempted to kidnap Joey Rao, a Dutch Schultz underling. The resulting shootout left a five year old child, Michael Vengali, dead and several children wounded. After this atrocity, New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker dubbed Coll “Mad Dog” and the whole city started looking for him. A $50,000 bounty was put on Mad Dog and he was gunned down while making a call in a phone booth in 1932.
5. Thomas “Butterfingers” Moran
Legendary pickpocket, Thomas “Butterfingers” Moran, was an adept pickpocket who could “slide in and out of a pocket like pure butter.” Thomas picked his first pocket in 1906 in San Fransisco and his last pocket at age 78, in 1970. It is said he picked over 50,000 pockets during his lifetime. Like Pretty Boy, Butterfingers didn’t care for his nickname and said so when he was quoted, “”I’ve never forgiven that smart-alecky reporter who named me ‘Butterfingers’.”
4. Lester “Baby Face” Nelson
Public Enemy #1 throughout the 1930s, Lester Joseph Gillis better known as “Baby Face” Nelson, due to his young appearance, didn’t care for his nickname and at one point declared himself “Big” George Nelson. The problem? He was only 5 feet 4 inches tall. “Where outlaws such as Pretty Boy Floyd…would kill to protect themselves when cornered, Nelson went out of his way to murder – he loved it,” said Jay Robert Nash in Bloodletters and Badmen. “His angelic, pear-smooth face never betrayed his instant ability to kill.” Photo courtesy of Rick Mattix.
3. George “Machine Gun” Kelly
George “Machine Gun” Kelly, the notorious racketeer who gave FBI agents the nickname G-men, was given his gangster nickname by his wife Kathryn who forced him to practice with the machine gun. (She gave it to him as a birthday present.) She became his public relations force and built up his “street cred” with other criminals. In fact, he was not accused or convicted of murder and never used his machine gun with the intent to kill. During his time at Alcatraz he got the nickname ‘Pop Gun Kelly’ for the fact that he was a model prisoner and was nowhere near the tough, brutal gangster his wife made him out to be.
2. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel
An American gangster who was a driving force behind the development of Las Vegas, Ben “Bugsy” Siegel was not fond of his nickname and was never called that to his face. It was said to cause him to become enraged, murderously so. During his trial for the murder of Harry “Big Greenie” Greenberg (he was acquitted), the newspapers revealed Siegel’s sordid past and started referring to him as “Bugsy”. He hated the nickname, “Bugsy” (said to be based on the slang term “bugs”, meaning “crazy”, describing his erratic behavior), and wouldn’t allow anyone to call him that to his face.
1. “Scarface” Al Capone
Scarface Al was employed as a bouncer by racketeer Frankie Yale. Capone received the scars that gave him the nickname “Scarface” when he insulted a woman while working the door at a Brooklyn night club. This provoked a fight with her brother Frank Gallucio. Capone’s face was slashed three times on the left side by Gallucio. When photographed, Capone hid the scarred left side of his face and would lie about his injuries as war wounds, but he never served in the armed forces. According to the 2002 magazine from Life , Capone was called “Snorky” by his closest friends. “Scarface” was certainly the better choice for an underworld gangster. Who could take Al “Snorky” Capone seriously.
Got someone to add to this list of top ten mafia nicknames, please comment below.
by Byron Harris
Otto “Abbadabba” Berman – Accountant for Dutch Schultz. He is known for coining the phrase “Nothing personal, it’s just business.”
Dutchman – thanks for the additional nickname. I didn’t know he coined that phrase…interesting.
I couldn’t find a picture of Butterfingers Moran. If anyone knows of one, please email it to admin @ toptenz.net. Thanks.
Machine Gun Kelly doesn’t even sound like he wanted to be a gangster. Behind every great gangster is a great woman, I guess.
More modern additions could be Sammy the Bull Gravano and hitman Richard “Iceman” Kuklinski
John “Maverick” Mccaine.
Fat Tony Salerno.
The Simpsons are using his name!
Joe “peg leg” morgan
He was one of the founders of the Mexican Mafia and yes, the dude had a peg leg
tracy ( traydogg ) odoms
one of my favorite nicknames is old-time cleveland pickpocket Louie “the dip” finklestein.
his “dipping” victims included his lawyer and judge in court. great name!
i think harlems godfather ellsworth “bumpy” johnson should be in the list
i think tony montana’s scarface should be up there too
SCARFACE
The mexican mafia member Joanquin Guzmán is known as Joaquin “el chapo” Guzmán, chapo is a therm used to small people, not tall people.
Pretty good nicknames!!
scar face is my man
How can you forget Jon “the Teflon Don” Gotti
so called by the press because no charges would stick to him.
The best mafia nickname was Giuseppe Bonanno’s for me aka Joe Bananas, a name he despised because it implied he was crazy.
P.S He is the dude! Charlie “Lucky” Luciano <8
HAD DISPUTE THE OTHER NIGHT, WHY WAS A ICEPICK WAS USED BACK IN THE DAY, THOUGHTS WERE NO BLEEDING AND ONLY FELT SOMTHING LIKE A PINCH, ANY HELP
HAD A DISBUT WHY ICEPICKS WERE USED BACK IN THE DAY IN KILLINGS,
THOUGHTS WERE THAT NO BLEEDING, AND PERSON NEW NOTHING EXCEPT
A PINCH, COULD THIS BE TRUE?
there was always mafia runnin thru my hometown in colorado, 1 guy was always in the local rag, WHISKERS INCERTO,,was in to prostitution ,money laundering,etc, was a cheesy lookin old guy, an not many whiskers, ha hah,
whiskers was not a handsome fella by far but he wasnt cheesy lookn
and If he was still here I bet you wouldnt be running your mouth like that.
I bet he would go oldbear hunting !
The Ice Pick, often used to conceal the cause of death. By sticking the ice pick into the ear of the victim it was possible to scramble the brains and make the death look very much like cerebral hemorrhage. The small puncture wound often went unnoticed by authorities.
How about the guy(his real name escapes me) who was known as “Greasy thumb” because he would bribe or “grease” cops and other officials?
Jimmy “The Shiv” DeStefano,Death House Barber of Sing Sing.
1912.
His parents were both dead, he was living on the street he was sent to the Catholic Protectory. It was while there he earned the moniker ” The Shiv” defending himself from the sexual advances from a priest . When released he was taken in by the Capone family. It was from Al Capone’s father he learned to be a barber.Years later after many daring escapeds with Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Dutch Schultz and many other infamous men of the time, he was sentenced to Sing Sing Prison, Ossining NY. While there the warden assigned him as barber in the death house. During the five years he was barber he gave 46 men and one woman their final haircuts.
Check web site for Jimmy The Shiv Death House Barber of Sing Sing
http://www.deathhousebarber.com
I know this information to be fact as Jimmy The Shiv was my father and I have written a memoir of his life.
Alright a little comment here I would add a spot u deer baby face Nelson with John dilinger bc he also was public enemy number one, although his main intentions was to get rich by robbing banks but he also did some killing
I’m Jack legs diamond great cousin,.. Timothy Diamond.. Jack didn’t get the nickname legs from his dancing abilities. It came from when he would do a robbery and cops were sent to the scene , Legs could run his ass off. When he fled he left tire marks from his treads.
Yes, that is what Wm Kennedy said in his Legs book – Jack was not known as a dancer. Are you related to Eddie Diamond his brother?
I’m Jack legs diamond great cousin,.. Timothy Diamond.. Jack didn’t get the nickname legs from his dancing abilities. It came from when he would do a robbery and cops were sent to the scene , Legs could run faster than forest gump, no lie. When he fled he left tire marks from his treads.
Might I add Jodi and I are the original family. jimmy the Shiv is her father. Jack legs diamond is my great cousin I’m the last that I know to still carry the name, ,