As former FBI undercover agent Joe Pistone says: "Say what you want about wiseguys, they got the best nicknames in the business."

Joe Pistone says, once a mobster gets a nickname it stays for life. "Everybody has a nickname. It might be something you get as a kid or later on. And once you get a nickname, you can't get rid of it.

"You can know a guy for 10 years and you'd never know his last name. Nobody would ever introduce someone with their last name and nobody would ever ask."



John "No Nose" DiFronzo, a Chicago mobster, got his name after having his nose disfigured in a shootout with police during a robbery in 1949. Now reputedly running the Chicago mob.

Louis "Louie Ha Ha" Attanasio, a Bonanno crime family member, got his name because he was always happy and laughing. The smile was taken off his face last month when he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars after pleading guilty to murdering another mobster.


Philip "Chicken Man" Testa was head of the Philadelphia mob until be was blown up by a bomb planted under his house in 1981. He got his nickname from an earlier involvement in a business that raised chickens. His death inspired Bruce Springsteen's song Atlantic City, which opens with the lines "Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night/Now they blew up his house too",


Harry "the Hunchback" Riccobene took over the Philadelphia mob after the murder of Philip "Chicken Man" Testa. Also known as "Harry the Hump", he got his nickname from a birth defect that left him with a deformed spine. But no-one ever called him "Hunchback" or "Hump" to his face. Riccobene was at the centre of the Philadelphia mob war that raged through the early 1980s. He was jailed for murder in 1984.


Venero "Benny Eggs" Mangano, an underboss in the Genovese family, got his nickname from stealing eggs as a kid in the east village area of lower Manhattan where he grew up.


Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo. An underboss in the Gambino family, he was listed as the 26th richest crime boss in the US by Fortune magazine in 1986. He got his nickname because he was cross-eyed.


Jimmy "Little Guy" Ida, a consigliere with the Genovese family, got his name from his pint sized stature. But that didn't make him any less nasty. He was sentenced to life for murder in 1998.


Sam "Wings" Carlisi got his nickname from being a courier for the Chicago mob and constantly flying around the country. Tied to two underworld hits, he died in jail of a heart attack in 1997 where he was serving a 13-year sentence for racketeering, loan sharking and arson.


Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo, a member of the Chicago mob, was given his name by none other than Al Capone after smashing the skulls of two men with a baseball bat (a similar incident was featured in the movie "The Untouchables"). "This guy is a real Joe Batters," Capone said afterwards and the name stuck. Accardo, one of Capone's bodyguards, took part in the infamous St Valentine's Day massacre. He outlived many of his friends and enemies, taking over the Chicago mob in 1972, before dying in 1992.


Salvatore "Pizza Guy" DeLaurentis got his name from the pizza restaurant he owned. Also known as "Solly D", he was an enforcer for the Chicago mob and head of the Ferriola Street Crew. He was convicted in 1993 of conspiracy to murder and racketeering.


Jailed Chicago mob boss Joey "The Clown" Lombardo got his nickname from clowning around, including hiding behind a newspaper mask while walking through a courthouse and leading fellow mobsters up a construction ladder to evade news crews. He was arrested earlier this year in connection with 18 murders. His cousin, Joseph "the Builder" Andriacci, is allegedly the boss of Chicago's North Side Crew.At a subsequent trial, Lombardo explained to reporters that a piece of his jewelry was made from "canarly stone": "You 'canarly' see it," he said.


Take Joseph Massino, aka “Big Joey” or “The Ear”. He used to be boss of the Bonanno family, whose activities under Joseph “Joe Bananas” Bonanno were chronicled by Gay Talese in Honor Thy Father. Massino got the name “The Ear” because he was so conscious of surveillance under the “Rico” anti-racketeering laws that he told associates to touch their ears when referring to him, rather than speaking his name.

It might be the person’s business that gives the sobriquet, as with Simone Rizzo “Sam the Plumber” DeCavalcante, who kept a plumbing supply business in Kenilworth, New Jersey, or “Louie Bagels” (Louie Daidone), who owned a bagel shop in Queens.

Carmine “The Cigar” Galante was so known because he loved cigars. He was smoking one when he was gunned down on July 12, 1979 by three men in ski-masks just after he’d finished his main course in the garden of Joe and Mary’s restaurant in Brooklyn. A photograph shows “the Cigar” slumped on the floor beside his chair with a fat stogie clamped between his teeth.

Joseph “The Animal” Barboza was said to have chewed a man’s cheek over a quarrel in a bar – either that or he bit off the man’s ear, which is scarcely better.


Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, former acting boss of the Bonanno crime family, owned a beauty salon in the Bronx called "Hello Gorgeous" and was known for being obsessed with his personal appearance; serving life on racketeering and murder charges.

Anthony "Tony Bagels" Cavezza, an accused Gambino family mobster known for his affection for New York bagels. He was indicted in Jan. 2011 as part of a sweep in New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island and awaits trial on charges including running an illegal gambling business scheduled later this month; has pleaded not guilty.


Carmen "The Cheeseman" DiNunzio, former underboss of the New England mob, got his nickname because he was the portly owner of a cheese shop in Boston's North End; now serving a 6-year prison sentence for bribing an undercover FBI agent posing as a state official to try to win a $6 million contract on Boston's Big Dig highway project.


Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, headed the Genovese organized crime family, known for faking mental illness for decades to hide his position. His nickname apparently came from his mother's pronunciation of "Cincenzo," a variation of his name in Italian, and his childhood friends shortened that to "Chin"; died in prison in 2005 at age 77.

Manocchio is also sometimes called "Baby Shanks." The nickname "Baby Shacks" is said to have been given to him because he had an older relative nicknamed "Shacks," which was bestowed because of that man's relationships with numerous women.

Carmine "The Snake" Persico, de-facto boss of the Colombo crime family, earned his nickname for switching sides in a mob faction battle. Persico has been serving a 139-year sentence since 1987 on racketeering charges.


Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, former boss of the New England mob, so named because he owned a bunch of auto body garages in Boston. Salemme later became a government witness. Released from prison in 2009, he is now believed to be in the witness protection program.

Vincenzo "Vinny Carwash" Frogiero,despite the infinite frog-related options his surname provides, Frogiero was thought to have got his nickname after running car washes for the mob in his younger days. The FBI describes him as a "soldier" for New York's infamous Gambino crime family.

Michael "Jello" Kuhtenia,the mob can be cruel. Many of the monikers given to the portlier gangsters are weight related (the FBI lists the suspect mobster John Hartman's nicknames as "Fats", "Fatty" and "Lumpy") and it seems that this member of New York's notorious Gambino family may be no exception. Or, in the spirit of "Tony Bagels", maybe he just eats a lot of jelly.


John "Dapper Don" Gotti,the infamous former head of New York's Gambino crime family,was dubbed "Dapper Don" by the press because of his suave suits and charming public image. The media later named him "Teflon Don" for his ability to slip out of the hands of the law, but Gotti was said to be proud that the mob never knew him by any nickname. They simply called him John.


Tony Spilotro was given his nickname by legendary FBI agent William F. Roemer, Jr who once referred to him as “that little pissant.” The Ant, who died in 1986, handled all of the Las Vegas casino profits for organized crime, known in their lingo as “the skim.”


Dominic “Sonny Black” Napolitano had beach-blond hair by the time he turned 40, so he dyed it black—hence the nickname. He was the Capo who let FBI agent Joe Pistone into his crew posing as gangster Donnie Brasco. Let’s just say that decision did not sit well with his bosses.

Sam “Golf Bag” Hunt was one of Al Capone’s most trusted hit men and carried all his weapons in a golf bag he lugged everywhere he went. He wasn’t much of a golfer, but he was pure magic when it came to a hole in one.


Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone. He was known as “Scarface.” In his youth in New York, he insulted a sister of a Mafioso named Frank Gallucio. Capone apologized and said it was a misunderstanding, but Gallucio slashed him three times across the face, and that’s how he got his nickname.


Charles “Lucky” Luciano is one of the most famous and best remembered of all gangsters. He is like the Joe DiMaggio of the Mafia.RUMOUR goes that he got his name “Lucky” when he was kidnapped and attacked by three assassins in 1929; they beat him and stabbed him multiple times and left him to die on the beach in New York. He survived the ordeal, which is why they called him “lucky,” but he received the scar and droopy eye that he became famous for.


Gaetano Lucchese as a young person went to work at a machine shop. He earned his nickname "Three Fingers" as by an accident at work he managed to slice off his right thumb and forefinger while not concentrating.After one arrest the cops named him after a popular baseball player at the time,Mordecai Brown.


Artichoke King - Ciro Terranova. Back in the early 1900s, Terranova earned this delicious moniker because he started his life of crime by buying cheap artichokes from California and threatening vegetable sellers in New York to buy them at a 30-40 percent markup. Too bad he died in 1938 "“ the Artichoke King and the Artichoke Queen (that would be Marilyn Monroe) would have been a perfect couple.


Yeast Baron "“ Giuseppe Siragusa. Similarly, "Yeast Baron" Siragusa made a fortune selling yeast to illegal home-brewers during Prohibition. "Yeast Baron" doesn't seem like a very threatening nickname, though. It sounds more like a corporate cartoon mascot "“ the disowned cousin of Captain Crunch or the Quaker Oats guy. Siragusa died in 1931, so he isn't around to show me exactly how intimidating he can be. Hopefully he doesn't have family members who read mental_floss. Um. Maybe we should move on"


Greasy Thumb "“ Jake Guzik. "Greasy Thumb" Guzik was one of Capone's right-hand men after Guzik tipped him off to a murder plot. He was one of the guys responsible for paying off police and politicians, which is how he got his greasy thumbs "“ from counting out money all of the time.


Milwaukee Phil "“ Felix Alderisio. This wouldn't be such a remarkable nickname if it didn't belong to a guy who was neither named Phil nor was from Milwaukee. Alderisio was originally from New York, then lived in Chicago as a teenager, and finally made his way to Milwaukee, where he started boxing under the alias "Milwaukee Phil." I suppose "Phil" sounded tougher than "Felix." Alderisio ended up being a big player in Milwaukee's prostitution, gambling, narcotics and loansharking circles.


The Waiter "“ Paul Ricca. Paul Ricca worked under Diamond Joe Esposito during Prohibition, smuggling whiskey and moonshine to Bella Napoli, a restaurant patronized by mobsters. Diamond Joe made Ricca the maitre d' at Bella Napoli to accommodate his friends with "special requests," hence his "The Waiter" nickname. It's not technically correct, but I suppose Paul "The Maitre d'" just doesn't sound as good.

Tony Ducks — Anthony Corallo. Corallo, a member of the Lucchese family, didn't have a water-fowl hunting hobby, as you might suspect. He actually acquired the name because of his amazing ability to duck subpoena servers.


If yall have some other nicknames with the explanation about their origin,pls add em to the list... cheers