Noir Name Generator

One press makes up a character for a 1940s crime story: a first name, a surname and a part.

Noir Name Generator: 20 noir names

Leland Sikorski, newsstand owner

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

  • First nameLeland
  • SurnameSikorski
  • Part in the storynewsstand owner
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Every noir name you make is kept here, newest first, up to the last 20. The list stays in this browser.

    Noir Name of the day

     

    1. Leland Sikorski, newsstand owner
    2. Helen Urbanowicz, diner cook
    3. Allie Freeberg, shoeshine stand owner
    4. Amos Marczak, night clerk
    5. Paul Grandinetti, diner cook
    6. Allie Mikolajczyk, police lieutenant
    7. Erma Botello, stenographer
    8. Arthur Wrobleski, ghostwriter
    9. Ora Karbowski, florist
    10. Thomas Colletti, librarian
    11. Robert Capparelli, librarian
    12. Isabelle Jacobowitz, radio announcer
    13. Dorothy Fiorello, tugboat captain
    14. Karl Dziedzic, beat cop
    15. Inez Sorrentino, police lieutenant
    16. Manuel Kurkowski, projectionist
    17. Erma Militello, railroad porter
    18. Ruth Tumminello, locksmith
    19. Nina Brunelli, shoeshine stand owner
    20. Mary Lubinski, night clerk

    Next step Name the detective on the casePick a real city to set it in

    How it works

    This noir name generator makes up a character for a 1940s crime story, as in "Abraham Kowalewski, night clerk" or "Ollie Lobianco, club singer." The first names were among the 200 most given to babies in the 1900s and 1910s.

    Read the full guide

    Name, surname, part

    Press New noir name. Lock the surname Osterhout and press for a whole family, or lock private eye and press until the name sounds right for the door of the office.

    Why those twenty years

    People born from 1900 to 1919 were in their twenties, thirties and forties during the 1940s. The list under the tool gives each first name its rank on the Social Security tables for those decades, and each part a line to write from.

    Questions and answers

    What is film noir?

    A film genre characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical or desperate characters, in English Wiktionary's words. The parts on this page are the people such stories are full of.

    What were the most popular names of the 1900s and 1910s?

    John, William and James led the boys' table in both decades, the Social Security tables say. Mary and Helen led the girls' table in both; Margaret was third in the 1900s and Dorothy in the 1910s.

    Are these real people?

    No. Each result joins a first name, a surname and a part at random. A pair that was the title of a Wikipedia article was removed, but a plain name will still belong to real people, and no result describes anyone.

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    First name: all 120 first names

    On the boys' table 63

    • Abraham Boys' table: rank 170 in the 1900s and rank 155 in the 1910s.
    • Albert Boys' table: rank 16 in the 1900s and rank 17 in the 1910s.
    • Amos Boys' table: rank 180 in the 1900s.
    • Angelo Boys' table: rank 154 in the 1910s.
    • Arthur Boys' table: rank 15 in the 1900s and rank 18 in the 1910s.
    Show all 120 first names (115 more)

    On the boys' table, continued

    • Bennie Boys' table: rank 147 in the 1900s and rank 163 in the 1910s.
    • Charles Boys' table: rank 5 in the 1900s and rank 7 in the 1910s.
    • Clayton Boys' table: rank 181 in the 1900s and rank 164 in the 1910s.
    • Clifton Boys' table: rank 163 in the 1900s and rank 153 in the 1910s.
    • Dan Boys' table: rank 145 in the 1900s and rank 185 in the 1910s.
    • Donald Boys' table: rank 52 in the 1900s and rank 20 in the 1910s.
    • Earnest Boys' table: rank 116 in the 1900s and rank 144 in the 1910s.
    • Edmund Boys' table: rank 169 in the 1900s and rank 136 in the 1910s.
    • Edward Boys' table: rank 9 in the 1900s and rank 8 in the 1910s.
    • Ellis Boys' table: rank 178 in the 1900s and rank 196 in the 1910s.
    • Emil Boys' table: rank 155 in the 1900s and rank 146 in the 1910s.
    • Emmett Boys' table: rank 166 in the 1900s.
    • Felix Boys' table: rank 176 in the 1900s and rank 180 in the 1910s.
    • Forrest Boys' table: rank 183 in the 1910s.
    • Frank Boys' table: rank 8 in the 1900s and rank 9 in the 1910s.
    • George Boys' table: rank 4 in the 1900s and rank 6 in the 1910s.
    • Glen Boys' table: rank 152 in the 1900s and rank 124 in the 1910s.
    • Harold Boys' table: rank 19 in the 1900s and rank 12 in the 1910s.
    • Harry Boys' table: rank 13 in the 1900s and rank 19 in the 1910s.
    • Henry Boys' table: rank 11 in the 1900s and rank 13 in the 1910s.
    • Hubert Boys' table: rank 122 in the 1900s and rank 117 in the 1910s.
    • Irving Boys' table: rank 142 in the 1900s and rank 106 in the 1910s.
    • Ivan Boys' table: rank 179 in the 1910s.
    • Jake Boys' table: rank 187 in the 1900s.
    • James Boys' table: rank 3 in the 1900s and rank 3 in the 1910s.
    • Jerome Boys' table: rank 189 in the 1900s and rank 137 in the 1910s.
    • John Boys' table: rank 1 in the 1900s and rank 1 in the 1910s.
    • Johnie Boys' table: rank 160 in the 1900s.
    • Joseph Boys' table: rank 7 in the 1900s and rank 5 in the 1910s.
    • Karl Boys' table: rank 187 in the 1910s.
    • Leland Boys' table: rank 198 in the 1910s.
    • Lonnie Boys' table: rank 131 in the 1900s and rank 192 in the 1910s.
    • Mack Boys' table: rank 139 in the 1900s.
    • Manuel Boys' table: rank 123 in the 1900s and rank 127 in the 1910s.
    • Marshall Boys' table: rank 172 in the 1900s and rank 165 in the 1910s.
    • Maurice Boys' table: rank 111 in the 1900s and rank 101 in the 1910s.
    • Max Boys' table: rank 138 in the 1900s and rank 103 in the 1910s.
    • Nelson Boys' table: rank 179 in the 1900s and rank 186 in the 1910s.
    • Ollie Boys' table: rank 192 in the 1900s. Girls' table: rank 131 in the 1900s and rank 184 in the 1910s.
    • Orville Boys' table: rank 149 in the 1900s and rank 131 in the 1910s.
    • Otis Boys' table: rank 113 in the 1900s and rank 140 in the 1910s.
    • Paul Boys' table: rank 20 in the 1900s and rank 14 in the 1910s.
    • Percy Boys' table: rank 143 in the 1900s.
    • Raymond Boys' table: rank 21 in the 1900s and rank 16 in the 1910s.
    • Richard Boys' table: rank 22 in the 1900s and rank 15 in the 1910s.
    • Robert Boys' table: rank 6 in the 1900s and rank 4 in the 1910s.
    • Roland Boys' table: rank 156 in the 1900s and rank 120 in the 1910s.
    • Roosevelt Boys' table: rank 121 in the 1900s.
    • Rudolph Boys' table: rank 151 in the 1900s and rank 143 in the 1910s.
    • Rufus Boys' table: rank 140 in the 1900s and rank 181 in the 1910s.
    • Salvatore Boys' table: rank 156 in the 1910s.
    • Sylvester Boys' table: rank 150 in the 1900s and rank 168 in the 1910s.
    • Thomas Boys' table: rank 10 in the 1900s and rank 10 in the 1910s.
    • Virgil Boys' table: rank 101 in the 1900s and rank 104 in the 1910s.
    • Walter Boys' table: rank 12 in the 1900s and rank 11 in the 1910s.
    • William Boys' table: rank 2 in the 1900s and rank 2 in the 1910s.
    • Willis Boys' table: rank 146 in the 1900s and rank 138 in the 1910s.
    • Wilson Boys' table: rank 145 in the 1910s.

    On the girls' table 57

    • Adeline Girls' table: rank 186 in the 1900s and rank 169 in the 1910s.
    • Alberta Girls' table: rank 116 in the 1900s and rank 119 in the 1910s.
    • Alice Girls' table: rank 11 in the 1900s and rank 13 in the 1910s.
    • Allie Girls' table: rank 191 in the 1900s.
    • Anna Girls' table: rank 4 in the 1900s and rank 7 in the 1910s.
    • Annie Girls' table: rank 18 in the 1900s and rank 33 in the 1910s.
    • Catherine Girls' table: rank 28 in the 1900s and rank 20 in the 1910s.
    • Cecelia Girls' table: rank 181 in the 1900s.
    • Celia Girls' table: rank 172 in the 1900s.
    • Cleo Girls' table: rank 197 in the 1900s and rank 193 in the 1910s.
    • Dorothy Girls' table: rank 7 in the 1900s and rank 3 in the 1910s.
    • Eliza Girls' table: rank 200 in the 1900s.
    • Elizabeth Girls' table: rank 6 in the 1900s and rank 8 in the 1910s.
    • Eloise Girls' table: rank 198 in the 1910s.
    • Erma Girls' table: rank 161 in the 1900s and rank 147 in the 1910s.
    • Essie Girls' table: rank 139 in the 1900s and rank 182 in the 1910s.
    • Estella Girls' table: rank 171 in the 1900s.
    • Estelle Girls' table: rank 121 in the 1900s and rank 125 in the 1910s.
    • Eula Girls' table: rank 126 in the 1900s and rank 159 in the 1910s.
    • Eunice Girls' table: rank 117 in the 1900s and rank 114 in the 1910s.
    • Evelyn Girls' table: rank 38 in the 1900s and rank 12 in the 1910s.
    • Florence Girls' table: rank 9 in the 1900s and rank 14 in the 1910s.
    • Frances Girls' table: rank 16 in the 1900s and rank 9 in the 1910s.
    • Geneva Girls' table: rank 154 in the 1900s and rank 118 in the 1910s.
    • Goldie Girls' table: rank 125 in the 1900s and rank 175 in the 1910s.
    • Grace Girls' table: rank 19 in the 1900s and rank 26 in the 1910s.
    • Helen Girls' table: rank 2 in the 1900s and rank 2 in the 1910s.
    • Henrietta Girls' table: rank 136 in the 1900s and rank 156 in the 1910s.
    • Inez Girls' table: rank 104 in the 1900s and rank 107 in the 1910s.
    • Irene Girls' table: rank 25 in the 1900s and rank 17 in the 1910s.
    • Irma Girls' table: rank 152 in the 1900s and rank 155 in the 1910s.
    • Isabelle Girls' table: rank 193 in the 1900s and rank 195 in the 1910s.
    • Iva Girls' table: rank 142 in the 1900s.
    • Jeanette Girls' table: rank 198 in the 1900s and rank 144 in the 1910s.
    • Lela Girls' table: rank 138 in the 1900s and rank 200 in the 1910s.
    • Lillian Girls' table: rank 13 in the 1900s and rank 15 in the 1910s.
    • Lola Girls' table: rank 108 in the 1900s and rank 135 in the 1910s.
    • Louise Girls' table: rank 27 in the 1900s and rank 18 in the 1910s.
    • Lucile Girls' table: rank 133 in the 1900s and rank 137 in the 1910s.
    • Luella Girls' table: rank 177 in the 1900s.
    • Mable Girls' table: rank 124 in the 1900s and rank 139 in the 1910s.
    • Marcella Girls' table: rank 180 in the 1910s.
    • Margaret Girls' table: rank 3 in the 1900s and rank 4 in the 1910s.
    • Marie Girls' table: rank 8 in the 1900s and rank 11 in the 1910s.
    • Mary Girls' table: rank 1 in the 1900s and rank 1 in the 1910s.
    • Matilda Girls' table: rank 178 in the 1900s.
    • Miriam Girls' table: rank 192 in the 1900s and rank 146 in the 1910s.
    • Muriel Girls' table: rank 140 in the 1910s.
    • Nina Girls' table: rank 157 in the 1900s and rank 172 in the 1910s.
    • Olga Girls' table: rank 169 in the 1900s and rank 138 in the 1910s.
    • Ora Girls' table: rank 141 in the 1900s and rank 194 in the 1910s.
    • Rose Girls' table: rank 17 in the 1900s and rank 16 in the 1910s.
    • Rosie Girls' table: rank 127 in the 1900s and rank 161 in the 1910s.
    • Ruth Girls' table: rank 5 in the 1900s and rank 5 in the 1910s.
    • Verna Girls' table: rank 130 in the 1900s and rank 126 in the 1910s.
    • Virginia Girls' table: rank 53 in the 1900s and rank 10 in the 1910s.
    • Winifred Girls' table: rank 183 in the 1900s and rank 158 in the 1910s.

    How this list was compiled: 120 first names with their ranks, from the Social Security Administration's tables "Top names of the 1900s" and "Top names of the 1910s" (https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1900s.html and names1910s.html), built from Social Security card applications for births in the United States, data as of March 2026. ssa.gov refuses scripted requests, so the two tables were read on 2026-10-03 from the Internet Archive's copies of the official pages (captured 2026-09-29 and 2026-06-10). Each table ranks 200 boys' names and 200 girls' names: 444 different names in all. The rule for this list, set so that it stays its own beside the two lists of this site built from the same record: every name of the two tables that is on neither of those lists; then, in order of best rank, the 40 best-ranked names that are only on the old-names list and the 40 best-ranked that are only on the book-character list. Nothing was cut. The tables rank first names only and count applications, not people. Licence: names and ranks: United States Social Security Administration (public domain); the selection rule is ours

    Surname: all 93 surnames

    A 1

    • Augello

    B 8

    • Backlund
    • Bergren
    • Bielinski
    • Bienkowski
    • Blaszczyk
    • Blomgren
    • Botello
    • Brunelli
    Show all 93 surnames (84 more)

    C 6

    • Capparelli
    • Carlberg
    • Cinelli
    • Colavito
    • Colello
    • Colletti

    D 3

    • Demski
    • Drozdowski
    • Dziedzic

    F 3

    • Finelli
    • Fiorello
    • Freeberg

    G 7

    • Gapinski
    • Gasiorowski
    • Gencarelli
    • Gerardi
    • Giannotti
    • Giovannetti
    • Grandinetti

    H 6

    • Hackenberg
    • Hagberg
    • Hallquist
    • Hammerstrom
    • Herskowitz
    • Holewinski

    I 1

    • Iannotti

    J 1

    • Jacobowitz

    K 13

    • Kaczmarek
    • Karbowski
    • Karczewski
    • Kosakowski
    • Koslowski
    • Kovaleski
    • Kowalewski
    • Krzeminski
    • Kubinski
    • Kucinski
    • Kukowski
    • Kurkowski
    • Kwiecinski

    L 6

    • Linsky
    • Lizardi
    • Lobianco
    • Lowenberg
    • Lubinski
    • Lukasiewicz

    M 11

    • Maciejewski
    • Marczak
    • Marinucci
    • Markiewicz
    • Mieczkowski
    • Mikolajczyk
    • Milanowski
    • Militello
    • Morawski
    • Murawski
    • Myslinski

    N 1

    • Nordlund

    O 3

    • Okonski
    • Osowski
    • Osterhout

    P 3

    • Piscitelli
    • Podgorski
    • Polinski

    R 2

    • Rosinski
    • Rothberg

    S 8

    • Salvucci
    • Sandquist
    • Shogren
    • Sikorski
    • Slominski
    • Sorrentino
    • Swanberg
    • Switalski

    T 2

    • Tumminello
    • Tyburski

    U 1

    • Urbanowicz

    V 1

    • Vitiello

    W 5

    • Wasielewski
    • Winiarski
    • Wolinski
    • Wrobleski
    • Wronski

    Z 1

    • Zawadzki

    How this list was compiled: 93 surnames, each found on 2026-10-03 in the United States Census Bureau's table of surnames in the 2020 Census (https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2020_names.html, public domain). A few were picked by hand; the rest were drawn by rule from the names ranked 3,000 to 40,000 in that table that have six to eleven letters and an ending common among the Polish, Italian, Scandinavian, German, Irish and Greek family names of American cities. Every first name and surname pair was looked up among the page titles and redirects of English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/, CC BY-SA 4.0), and a surname was dropped if any pair was a title; an even spread by rank was kept from those left. 840 candidates were cut (833 a Wikipedia page title; 7 taken out on a second reading), among them Vogel, Webber, Sheridan, Hackett, Flanagan, Holloway. A plain first name and surname will still belong to real people: no result describes anyone. Licence: own selection from the United States Census Bureau's 2020 surname table (public domain)

    Part in the story: all 41 parts

    A 1

    • antique dealer Never asks where a thing came from if the price is right.

    B 3

    • beat cop Has walked the same six blocks for twenty years.
    • bellhop Carries the bags and can guess what is in them.
    • boarding-house owner Knows who is behind on the rent and who has paid too far ahead.
    Show all 41 parts (37 more)

    C 3

    • cab driver Remembers every fare and every address, for a price.
    • client with a secret Tells the story almost straight.
    • club singer Knows every regular by the song they ask for.

    D 4

    • defense lawyer Never asks a question without knowing the answer.
    • diner cook Works the night shift and hears every booth.
    • district attorney Up for election in the fall and counting headlines.
    • dock boss Signs for every crate, or almost every crate.

    E 1

    • elevator operator Knows which floor everyone gets off at, and when.

    F 1

    • florist Remembers who sent the roses and who they went to.

    G 2

    • garage mechanic Fixed the car and wondered about the dent.
    • ghostwriter Wrote the memoirs and knows what was left out.

    H 3

    • hat-check clerk Holds a ticket for a coat nobody came back for.
    • hotel detective Paid to keep trouble out of the lobby and off the books.
    • hotel doorkeeper Whistles for cabs and notices who does not want one.

    I 1

    • insurance investigator Reads a claim form the way other people read a face.

    L 3

    • librarian Can find anything on file, including what was meant to stay lost.
    • locksmith Has a key that fits most doors and a memory to match.
    • lunch-counter server Refills the coffee and remembers every face.

    M 2

    • museum curator Counted the collection twice and came up one short.
    • mysterious stranger New in town, pays in cash, asks about one address.

    N 4

    • newspaper reporter One good story away from the front page, and knows it.
    • newsstand owner Sells the late edition and gives the gossip away free.
    • night clerk Sees who comes in after midnight and writes none of it down.
    • night editor Decides before dawn what the city will believe by breakfast.

    P 6

    • pawnbroker Can tell where a watch came from by the scratches.
    • piano player Plays through anything and sees the whole room.
    • police lieutenant Wants the case closed by Friday and no questions after.
    • press photographer Was there with a flashbulb a second before everyone looked away.
    • private eye Takes the cases nobody else will, and keeps every receipt.
    • projectionist Watches every picture from the booth, and the audience too.

    R 2

    • radio announcer Reads the news in a calm voice and has a few doubts.
    • railroad porter Rode the night train and noticed who got off early.

    S 3

    • secretary Runs the office and knows which drawer is locked.
    • shoeshine stand owner Looks at shoes all day and knows who has been walking where.
    • stenographer Took down every word, including the ones later denied.

    T 2

    • tailor Knows who had a pocket added and what size.
    • tugboat captain Works the harbor at night and minds the fog.

    How this list was compiled: Our own list of 41 parts a character can play in a crime story of the 1940s, each with one line a writer can use; written on 2026-10-03. Checked against every list on this site for repeats. No part is a crime, and no line describes one. Each part is worded so that it suits any first name. 5 candidates were cut (5 on another list of this site), among them switchboard operator, night watchman, missing heir, bank teller, night guard. Licence: own work